Top 31 Halloween Movies for Kids (2017)

October is an exciting month for youngsters. I remember getting home from trick-or-treating, for hours mind you, and the first thing my kids would say to me is, “How long till it’s Halloween again?” Seriously? Aren’t they exhausted from walking around for 2 hours straight? I guess all that sugar is doing its job!

Now I’m not into all that dark horror stuff, but there is something fun about dressing up, going out and getting candy from total strangers. Halloween through the eyes of a child is thrilling. So why enjoy just one day of Halloween fun? Why not make it a month of Halloween packed entertainment? Check out these top 31 Halloween movies for kids. Whether you do movie marathon weekends for the whole month or watch one each day, you are sure to make some great family memories.

• Curious George: A Halloween Boo Fest (2013) – George gets into his typical mischief in his first-ever, full-length Halloween movie. You will have a spook-tacular good time with hay rides, pumpkin patches, colorful fall leaves and the annual Boo Festival. Ride along the journey as this inquisitive monkey searches for a legendary hat stealing scarecrow. This will be a treat for the entire family. (Recommended for ages 3+).

• Spookley: The Square Pumpkin (2005) – Sad little Spookley is a pumpkin that is constantly teased and bullied because of the way he looks. He is a square pumpkin, not round like the others. He is befriended by three spiders who help him to realize that he is perfect and special just the way he is. All the other pumpkins who tease him realize it too after Spookley saves the day because of his square shape. (Recommended for ages 3+).

• It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966) – This classic is a must see for all ages. The animated movie based on the comic strips will take you on a trick-or-treating journey with the Peanut gang. Charlie Brown botches his costume. Sally swoons over her sweet baboo. Linus stays up all night on Halloween, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Great Pumpkin. (Recommended for ages 4+).

• Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) – This claymation film is about a giant rabbit who is secretly sabotaging all the village crops. Wallace and Gromit, who started a pest control business, set out to find who is behind this crop sabotage, eventually saving the annual giant vegetable growing contest. (Recommended for ages 4+).

• Mickey’s House of Villains (2001) – Halloween may not be the theme in this animated film, but the villains will scare you the same. Disney villains all gather and take over Mickey’s house, eventually kicking out Mickey, Donald and Goofy. A perfect, not-so-scary film for the young ones. (Recommended for ages 3+).

• The Dog Who Saved Halloween (2011) – Having just moved in, Zeus and the Banisters are concerned about the creepy neighbors house. Zeus, a talking dog, takes it upon himself to find out what is going on. An adorable movie for the canine loving family and those with younger kids. (Recommended for ages 3+).

• Spooky Buddies (2011) – Disney’s well-known talking puppies (from Air Bud), take an adventure to a haunted mansion across town. The no good Warwick and Warlock must be stopped from their evil deeds. Filled with action and humor, this is a spooktacular movie the whole family will enjoy! (Recommended for ages 3+).

• Casper (1995) – Casper is the friendly young ghost of a 12-year old boy. Peacefully haunting a mansion in Maine, Casper struggled with feeling lonely. A ghost-chaser and his daughter move in to hunt for ghosts, but the daughter befriends Casper. He falls in love with her, and tries to bring himself back to life. Unfortunately it doesn’t go as planned. (Recommended for ages 6+).

• The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) – The “Pumpkin King”, Jack Skellington, is bored with the same routine of frightening people in Halloween Town. When he stumbles upon Christmas Town, he is revitalized with a new outlook on life, until even his best laid plans go seriously amiss. What’s even better about this movie is it doubles as a great Christmas movie too! (Recommended for ages 6+).

• ParaNorman (2012) – Norman Babcock is an unusual boy who is able to speak with the dead. He gets word that an old witch’s curse is about to come true. He has to muster up all courage and compassion on paranormal activities to save his townspeople. (Recommended for ages 7+).

• Hotel Transylvania (2012) – A movie the whole family can enjoy. This animated story of Dracula and his daughter shows the sweeter side of a typically scary character. (Recommended for ages 7+).

• Ghost Patrol (2016) – As the towns’ supernatural pest control, Gabi and Spence are called to investigate the old Geist Manor. They soon realize they are investigating their first real haunted house. (Recommended for ages 4+).

• Halloweentown (1998) – With a fascination of Halloween, despite her mother’s wishes, Marnie Piper follows her grandmother to a strange place. Finding out a family secret, Marnie ends up saving this strange place from other supernatural creatures. (Recommended for ages 7+).

• Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Return (2001) – The story continues for Marnie and her family. Halloweentown is once again in danger of evil forces. The good witch, Aggie tries to save her hometown. (Recommended for ages 7+).

• Halloweentown High (2004) – Marnie convinces the Council of Halloweentown to let a few teenagers enter the mortal world and go to highschool with her. When the evil Knight of the Iron Dagger appears, they are all in serious trouble. (Recommended for ages 7+).

• Return to Halloweentown (2006) – Marnie, now at the Witch University of Halloweentown is forced to use her magic when dark forces try to take her over. This is the final movie in the Halloweentown series. (Recommended for ages 7+).

• Double, Double, Toil and Trouble (1993) – A curse is put on Sophia by her own twin sister. When two sisters find this out, who happen to be Sophia’s nieces, they must find a way to help. The magical spell of twins is the only way to get the curse lifted from their aunt Sophia. (Recommended for ages 7+).

• The Witches (1990) – When a mice named Luke stumbles upon a witches convention, he overhears their evil plan to exterminate children. The witches find out Luke has overheard them so they test out the formula on him. It is up to the mouse to fight against the witches. This movie gives just enough fright, especially when the witches remove their human costumes. (Recommended for ages 7+).

• Beetlejuice (1988) – Another great classic that all kids should experience. Married couple, Barbara and Adam, tragically die in a car accident. When they are left haunting their residence, unable to leave, they try their hardest to scare the new homeowners out with no success. They hire a boisterous spirit, names Beetlejuice, who attempts to help them get rid of the new unwanted homeowners. (Recommended for ages 9+).

• Frankenweenie (2012) – Science goes awry in this animated film when Young Frankenstein’s beloved dog dies. He finds a way to bring the dog back to life, but when his schoolmates find out the secret, they use it to resurrect other dead animals and monstrosity results. (Recommended for ages 9+).

• Coraline (2009) – In the thick of her frustrating home life, Coraline finds a secret door that leads to an alternate world. This world, much like her own but better in many ways, seems to make her happy until she realizes she may get stuck there forever. Starting to miss her real family, she has to find her way back. (Recommended for ages 9+).

• Corpse Bride (2005) – Another fantastic Tim Burton film. This animated movie is about a shy boy that is set to be married, arranged by their parents, Who is brought to the land of the dead by a tree branch. Emily, who had become the tree branch, was a young woman who eloped to be with her love, but was tragically murdered and wanted to marry the shy boy. He must fight his way above ground to get back to his true bride. (Recommended for ages 9+).

• Hocus Pocus (1993) – This is an all-time favorite among many, especially our household. A boy who is supposed to keep his eye on his nosy sister on Halloween, inadvertently frees three evil witches from the Salem witch trials. These witches suck the youth from little girls. The kids must steal the witches book of spells in order to stop them from becoming immortal. (Recommended for ages 11+).

• Addams Family (1990) – This movie is full of wit and comedy, in a creepy kind of way. This classic is perfect for older kids and parents alike. The Addams family is being swindled out of their fortune by someone claiming to be a family relative. By the time they realize he is not really family, they are being kicked out of their house. (Recommended for ages 12+).

• Ghostbusters (1984) – This supernatural comedy will have you chuckling and frightened all at the same time. Three former scientists who lost their jobs, decide to take on the supernatural world for money. They stumble upon a gateway to another dimension and evil is unleashed on the city. They must gather enough courage to get these ghosts back to where they came from. (Recommended for ages 11+).

• Ernest Scared Stupid (1991) – This hilarious movie will have you laughing throughout. Ernest is a garbage truck driver that accidentally unleashes an evil troll that has been banished for 200 years under a tree. The evil troll turns little boys into wooden dolls and turned Ernests’ beloved dog into a log. Ernest finds the only way to thwart the evil troll, turning the kids and his dog back to real life. (Recommended for ages 11+).

• Monster House (2006) – This animated film is both thrilling and touching. Three kids are convinced their neighbors house is alive and meaning to harm children. On Halloween night, they are swallowed up by the house and inside are faced with more than they bargained for. (Recommended for ages 11+).

• E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) – A tender alien is stranded on earth. Elliot befriends the alien and makes it his mission to find a way to get him back to his home. One of the most iconic scenes from this movie takes place on Halloween. (Recommended for ages 11+).

• Goosebumps (2015) – Zach, unhappy about moving to a small town, quickly changes his mood when he sees his beautiful neighbor Hannah. He finds out that Hannah is the daughter of a well-known author of a horror book series. Zack accidentally unleashes the beasts from the books to real life, so they must find a way to get the beasts back into the books where they belong. (Recommended for ages 12+).

• Gremlins (1984) – A boy who received a special pet as a gift from his father for Christmas, broke the only three rules required for taking care of the pet. This causes a gang of gremlins to be unleashed and wreak havoc on the town on Christmas Eve. (Recommended for ages 11+).
• The Haunted Mansion (2003) – On their way to vacation, a workaholic real estate agent makes his family stop at an old mansion that he has been asked to sell. They quickly realize it is haunted and are unable to leave. The house is under a curse and the family is asked to help break the curse. (Recommended for ages 11+).

Here’s to a whole month of Halloween-inspired movies! Some are geared towards the younger kids and others are definitely a little too scary and should be for older kids only. There is something for every age and most assuredly fun for the whole family. Hopefully you find the perfect movies for your family from this list and have a Spooktacular Halloween!