As the holiday season draws closer, you might be looking for some perfect family friendly Halloween movies to get a feel of the holiday even before October rolls around.
Or maybe Halloween is your favorite holiday of the year, and you’re eager for a Halloween movie you can watch with your family that captures the essence of the holiday.
Whatever the case, here are some family-friendly Halloween movies to meet your needs.
1. Hotel Transylvania (2012)
- Cast: Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, Fran Drescher, Steve Buschemi, Molly Shannon, David Spade, CeeLo Green.
- Rating: 7/10
Want to see how Count Dracula is faring in Transylvania? This is the movie for it. Silly, Goofy, and of course, with a splash of spookiness, Hotel Transylvania is told from the point of view of monsters – ghouls, mummies, even Frankenstein himself– as they reside at the hotel, away from human interaction.
It has all the correct elements for your family friendly Halloween movies consideration. Things change, however, as Drac invites monsters from everywhere to his daughter, Mavis’ 118th birthday – and a human, Johnny tags along.
Dracula tries to cover this up and keep Mavis and Johnny from falling in love. The film is the perfect watch for kids and families during a spooky season. If you love this, there are three sequels to this exciting masterpiece.
2. Coraline (2009)
- Cast: Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, Keith David, Ian McShane, John Hodgman, Robert Bailey Jr.
- Rating: 7.7/10
Coraline is one of our top picks for family friendly Halloween movies. Ever heard of “be careful what you wish for”? Coraline Jones had to learn that the hard way.
Based on the 2002 novella of the same name, Coraline is a stop-motion animated horror film that features the titular character discovering a new world that seems just too good to be true. Naturally, it turns out to be just that.
Struggling to adapt to her new life in a new place and neglected by her workaholic parents, Coraline follows a doll who looks just like her – except with buttons for eyes – through a door into a parallel universe where everything seems to be rainbows and sunshine.
However, when the Other mother and Other father encourage her to stay permanently in their world by giving up her eyes, she realizes that she’s walked into a nightmare and must now find her way back home.
3. Beetlejuice (1988)
- Cast: Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Jeffery Jones, Catherine O’Hara, Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton.
- Rating: 7.5/10
Beetlejuice is next on our family friendly Halloween movies list. Though for slightly older kids, filmmaker Tim Burton’s masterpiece is a staple Halloween film, even in the thirty-plus years since its release.
It makes a living seem like the bad guys, and the recently deceased (ghosts) seem like the heroes.
After Adam and Barbara Maitland perish in a fatal car accident, they are stuck haunting their country home, unable to leave the house.
After a new couple, Charles and Deila Deetz, and their teen daughter, Leila, move in, the Maitlands attempt to scare them away.
When they aren’t met with success, they summon the miscreant Betelgeuse (pronounced Beetlejuice), who proceeds to wreak havoc on both families to achieve his own goal.
4. Corpse Bride (2005)
- Cast: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Emily Watson, Albert Finney, Joanna Lumley, Christopher Leem
- Rating: 7.3/10
Another Time Burton masterpiece, Corpse Bride, is based on a 19th-century Russian folktale about a love triangle that transcends the land of the living into that of the dead.
It is an animated stop-motion fantasy film and will be a perfect addition to your family friendly Halloween movies consideration for the season.
Victor Van Dort is a nervous and socially awkward young man in an arranged marriage to Victoria Everglot.
Although they love each other, Victor’s nervousness causes him to fumble over his vows during their wedding rehearsal, and he runs into a nearby forest to practice.
He places the ring on the root of a tree which unbeknownst to him is the finger of the dead Emily, who announces to him that they are now married and drags him into the land of the dead, setting Victor on a tumultuous journey to try to find his way back to his true love.
5. Hocus Pocus (1993)
- Cast: Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimi, Omri Katz, Thora Birch, Vinessa Shaw.
- Rating: 6.9/10
Even 29 years after its original release, Hocus Pocus continued enthralling audiences. A Halloween staple, the film is family-friendly and combines just the right amount of humor, charm, and spookiness to make it an exciting watch.
Hocus Pocus follows three kids, Max, Dani, and Allison. After moving to Salem, Max, along with the others, explore an abandoned house, at which point Max accidentally frees a coven of evil witches who used to reside there.
With the aid of an immortal cat, the three must retrieve the witches’ book of spells and thwart their plans to become immortal. If you enjoy this, a sequel is coming out this September to continue the adventure.
6. Casper (1995)
- Cast: Christina Ricci, Bill Pullman, Cathy Moriarty, Eric Idle, Malachi Pearson, Joe Nipote, Joe Alaskey, Brad Garrett.
- Rating: 6.1/10
We’ve all heard of the Harvey Comics character Casper the Friendly Ghost, so if you’re looking for family friendly Halloween movies to watch this season look no further.
However, Casper takes a considerably darker tone than the comics’ character, though it is still kid-friendly.
The plot focuses on a neurotic heiress Carrigan Crittenden who inherits the house Casper and his poltergeist uncles, the Ghostly Trio, inhabit.
She wishes to get rid of them to find the treasure supposedly hidden in the mansion and invited specialist Josh Harvey to do so. Dr. Harvey brings along his daughter Kat who, unsurprisingly, forms a close and loving relationship with Casper.
The film is just the right amount of comedy, tragedy, and spookiness to make an unforgettable watch.
7. ParaNorman (2012)
- Cast: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Tucker Albrizzi, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Leslie Mann, Jeff Garlin, Elaine Stritch, Bernard Hill, Jodelle Ferland, Tempestt Bledsoe, Alex Borstein, John Goodman.
- Rating: 7/10
One thing is for sure – you can’t have stop-motion animation without spooky scares. From the makers of Coraline, ParaNorman is another one of the family friendly Halloween movies, albeit a little creepy, with just the right amount of horror to make it fitting for a Halloween special.
ParaNorman tells the story of young Norman Babcock, who possesses the ability to speak to the dead and often prefers their company to the living, making him a kind of outcast.
When his strange Uncle Prenderghast informs him that the town curse is not only real but is also about to happen and that only Norman can stop it, it is up to him to use his extraordinary ability to save his town and loved ones.
8. Ghostbusters (1984)
- Cast: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis, Annie Potts, William Atherton, Ernie Hudson.
- Rating: 7.8/10
Ghostbusters is that sort of movie that is suitable for any season, not just Halloween. It’s the perfect mix of horror, action, and comedy, making it ideal for all ages.
The film follows three eccentric parapsychologists as they start a ghost-catching business in New York City.
After being laid off from their jobs at Columbia University, the three friends, Peter, Ray, and Egon, establish Ghostbusters to investigate, capture and contain ghosts.
In this course, they stumble upon a gateway to another dimension that will release evil into the city, and the Ghostbusters must come together to save their home.
9. Monster House (2006)
- Cast: Steve Buscemi, Nick Cannon, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Kevin James, Jason Lee, Catherine O’Hara, Kathleen Turner, Fred Willard.
- Rating: 6.6/10
We’ve seen tons of haunted house movies, as well as tons of monster movies. Still, Monster House combines elements of the two, and we see a conscious haunted house terrorizing a neighborhood during Halloween making it one of the perfect family-friendly Halloween movies.
When three kids, D.J. Walters, Chowder, and Jenny Bennett, try to inform adults that a haunted house is causing havoc, they are disregarded.
With Halloween fast approaching, the trio must find out the truth behind the house and destroy it before the Innocents are killed.
10. Halloweentown (1998)
- Cast: Debbie Reynolds, Judith Hoag, Kimberly J. Brown, Joey Zimmerman, Emily Roeske, Philip Van Dyke, Robin Thomas.
- Rating: 6.6/10
If you were an avid follower of Disney Channel Original movies, chances are you’ve seen Halloweentown. It could be said to be many children’s fantasy – Halloween every day!
Halloweentown has a simple storyline, but sometimes the simplest ones are the best family friendly Halloween movies.
It focuses on Marnie and her siblings, Dylan and Sophie, who secretly follow their grandmother home to Halloweentown, where mystical creatures exist apart from humans.
One day, they find out they come from a family of witches. However, trouble is on the horizon, and the family finds themselves trapped in a fight against dark forces threatening to take over the world.
11. Frankenweenie (2012)
- Cast: Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short, Martin Landau, Charlie Tahan, Atticus Shaffer, Winona Ryder.
- Rating: 6.9/10
Tim Burton does wonders again in this stop-motion black-and-white animated comedy-horror film. It is one of the perfect family friendly Halloween movies.
Frankenweenie is a remake of the 1984 short film of the same name. I bet everyone’s heard about Frankenstein’s monster at least once. This time, however, the creature being revived is a dog.
Victor Frankenstein is a science whiz with a close relationship with his dog, Sparky. Unfortunately, Sparky is killed in an accident, leaving Vic devastated.
Inspired by his science teacher, he can jolt Sparky back to life. However, other students learn of this secret and use it to revive other animals, causing monsters to be unleashed into the town.
12. Gnome Alone (2017)
- Cast: Becky G, Josh Peck, Olivia Holt, Madison De La Garza, George Lopez, Patrick Stump, Dave Koechner, Tara Strong, Jeff Dunham, Nash Grier, Fred Tatasciore.
- Rating: 5.6/10
Gnome Alone is one of the fun, fantasy, family friendly Halloween movies that are perfect for the Halloween season.
Though it received mixed reviews, it’s still an interesting watch. Chloe and her estranged mother move to Detroit, to a massive house surrounded by mysterious gnomes.
Upon discovering the place is under attack by mysterious beasts known as Troggs, she teams up with the gnomes– who turned out to be alive– as well as her awkward neighbor to save the town as they are the only ones who can.
