Top Halloween Movies for Kids
Halloween the holiday is often geared towards children dressing up and Trick or Treating, but the film industry gears Halloween movies mostly for adults. Since Halloween is my favorite holiday, the entire month of October is dedicated to watching scary movies in our house. Now that I have a 9 year old and a 7 year old that inexplicably want to spend most of their time with me I have to find movies that won’t scare them too badly so we can all get our rest at night.
Here are my top Halloween movies for kids.
- Paranorman (released in 2012, PG)
Paranorman is a stop-motion animated feature that follows Norman who can see ghosts. Norman is outcasted by pretty much everyone in the movie because he hasn’t kept his paranormal ability secret. Norman is tasked with ending the 300-year old curse on his town enacted by a young girl persecuted for being a witch. This story tells a tale of persecution, judgement, mistakes, and forgiveness. This is a family favorite for us. Spooky but also cute and fun to watch. There are quite a few famous actors voicing characters which adds to the fun: John Goodman, Leslie Mann, Anna Kendrick, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Casey Afflect.
2. Casper (released 1995, PG)
This movie focuses on Casper, the friendly ghost, who just wants to make a friend. Kat and her dad, an afterlife therapist, are hired to exorcise the Whipstaff manor where Casper and his ghost uncles live. Kat played by Christina Ricci just wants to be like any other teen and put down roots here in Friendship, Maine. While her dad, James, played by Bill Pullman wants to prove the existence of ghosts and find his wife’s ghost and reconnect. This movie is full of heartfelt moments and zany adventures. A quick cameo by Devon Sawa as the boy version of Casper makes this a truly magical ending.
3. Corpse Bride (released 2005, PG)
In this stop-motion animation movie, Victor, voiced by Johnny Depp, is set to get married to Victoria, voiced by Emily Watson. Set in the Victorian Era, both characters are quite nervous being that this is an arranged marriage set up by their parents, with both sets hoping to get something out of the marriage. Victor’s parents are looking to connect with the old money families in town, and Victoria’s parents are looking to refill their money coffers having squandered all of their own. Victor, being a nervous groom goes to practice his vows in the woods where he accidentally marries a corpse bride. From there ensues quite a bit of adventure and conflict between the living and the dead. Other notable voices in this movie are Helena Bonham Carter, Albert Finney, and Christopher Lee. Directed by Tim Burton.
4. Nightmare Before Christmas (1993, PG)
In this movie, audiences follow Jack Skellington on his journey of finding his true self. He is unhappy being the Pumpkin King of Halloweentown where nothing ever changes and nothing is different and so he stumbles upon Christmastown. Jack decides to take over Christmas this year even going so far as kidnapping Santa. Sally tries to warn Jack and save Christmas but doesn’t quite succeed. The movie follows both Halloween and Christmas so it could be considered a movie for either holiday. We watch it during both holiday seasons in our house. Henry Selick brings this movie to life with his stop-animation along with the musical genius of Danny Elfman.
5. Monster House (2006, PG)
In this motion capture film, DJ, Chowder, and Jenny try to defeat the house across the street, the Monster House. Nebbercracker owns the house across from DJ’s house and is the meanest man on the block. After their basketball falls on Nebbercracker’s lawn, he accosts DJ and has a heart attack. DJ and Chowder soon realize that the house is alive and they must find a way to defeat it now that Nebbercracker isn’t there to control it anymore. Jenny joins the crew and brings a little bit of intelligence and wit to the trio. Based on an original story, Monster House hit upon the themes of love, bullying, and friendship.
6. Frankenweenie (2012, PG)
Another Tim Burton stop motion animation chock full of amazing actors voicing these wonderful characters. Actors like Winona Ryder, Martin Short, and Catherine O’Hara bring these characters to life. This movie follows Victor, a young boy, and his journey to save his best friend, his dog Sparky. Sparky dies in accident and Victor brings him back to life in a Frankenstein type of experiment. He tries to hide the dog after he brings him back to life, but all the kids in the town want to bring their favorite dead pets back to life and there chaos ensues. This movie takes on a classic feel in black and white with a town full of creepy and odd people.
7. Coraline (2009, PG)
Based on the novel written by Neil Gaiman, Coraline, follows a girl that is unhappy with her current life and parents. She moves to a new apartment and discovers a secret door. That door takes her to her “other” mother and father. These parents give her everything she wants, attention, love, affection, toys, clothes, etc. Coraline is entranced by these “other” parents and the “other” house but she soon realizes that the “other” mother has sinister intentions and she must fight to get her real parents back home. Another Henry Selick success in the stop-motion animation world. Characters are voiced by actors like Dakota Fanning and Teri Hatcher.
8. Goosebumps (2015, PG)
Readers of the original R.L. Stine series will love this movie and enjoy sharing it with the next generation. In this movie, Zach Cooper, realizes that his spooky next-door neighbor is actually the author, R.L. Stine. Zach accidently releases all the monsters from the Goosebumps books onto the town. It’ll take Zach, R.L. Stine, his daughter, Hannah, and more to find and put the monsters back into their books. This movie features classic monsters from the books like Slappy the Dummy, The Abominable Snowman, The Lawn Gnomes, The Invisible Boy, The Werewolf of Fever Swamp, and many more. Jack Black stars in this movie with Dylan Minnette and Odeya Rush as costars. A sequel was released in 2018 with the tagline Slappy’s Revenge.
So this Halloween season introduce the younger generation in your life to some scary, spooky movies. Halloween is not just about candy and trick or treating, it’s about allowing yourself to meet your darkest fears and defeating them.
If you like this article, there’s many more on my page! Please hit follow, give some claps, and let me hear your thoughts in the comment section!
