Kids love spooky stuff just as much as adults. But they can’t handle 99.9% of the movies I review on this site.
But I have kids, and I want to share the Halloween season with them. That’s why I curated this family-friendly scary movie watchlist — one movie for each day of October leading up to Halloween.
Do your own research on each film to make sure it won’t freak your kid out. But in general, these spooky movies are all kid-friendly.
Enjoy!
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Week 1: Animated Spooks & Halloween Fun
Oct. 1 – It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)
A timeless Halloween tradition that sets the mood for the season.
—> Watch it online.
Oct. 2 – The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Burton’s stop-motion classic, equal parts Halloween and Christmas.
—> Watch it online.
Oct. 3 – Hocus Pocus (1993)
Salem witches, talking cats, and pure Halloween magic.
—> Watch it online.
Oct. 4 – Halloweentown (1998)
A Disney Channel classic that feels like childhood October nights.
—> Watch it online.
Oct. 5 – Coraline (2009)
Dark fantasy with creepy button-eyed “other” parents, perfect for older kids.
—> Watch it online.
Oct. 6 – ParaNorman (2012)
Stop-motion zombies and heartfelt storytelling about being different.
—> Watch it online.
Oct. 7 – Hotel Transylvania (2012)
Monsters made cuddly and funny for the whole family.
—> Watch it online.
Week 2: Gateway Horror Classics
Oct. 8 – Beetlejuice (1988)
Ghostly chaos with Tim Burton’s signature humor.
—> Watch it online.
Oct. 9 – Ghostbusters (1984)
Paranormal comedy that balances laughs and light scares.
—> Watch it online.
Oct. 10 – Casper (1995)
A sweet ghost story with heart and a bit of spooky flair.
—> Watch it online.
Oct. 11 – Ernest Scared Stupid (1991)
Goofy, gross-out troll horror kids actually love.
—> Watch it online.
Oct. 12 – Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (1998)
A surprisingly creepy animated Scooby-Doo adventure.
—> Watch it online.
Oct. 13 – Monster House (2006)
A haunted house movie told from a kid’s-eye perspective.
—> Watch it online.
Oct. 14 – Frankenweenie (2012)
Burton revisits his love of monster movies with stop-motion charm.
—> Watch it online.
Week 3: Witches, Vampires & Friendly Monsters
Oct. 15 – The Witches (1990)
Roald Dahl’s classic tale of witches hiding in plain sight.
—> Watch it online.
Oct. 16 – The Addams Family (1991)
Kooky, spooky fun with everyone’s favorite macabre family.
—> Watch it online.
Oct. 17 – Addams Family Values (1993)
A sequel that’s just as sharp and hilarious as the first.
—> Watch it online.
Oct. 18 – Goosebumps (2015)
R.L. Stine’s monsters come to life in this family adventure.
—> Watch it online.
Oct. 19 – The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018)
A whimsical haunted-house story full of magic and mild scares.
—> Watch it online.
Oct. 20 – The Little Vampire (2000)
A fun, spooky vampire story for younger viewers.
—> Watch it online.
Oct. 21 – The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)
Fantasy creatures and dark fairies in a kid-friendly adventure.
—> Watch it online.
Week 4: Seasonal Favorites & Gentle Scares
Oct. 22 – Corpse Bride (2005)
Another Burton stop-motion gem with gothic romance.
—> Watch it online.
Oct. 23 – Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)
Claymation charm meets monster parody.
—> Watch it online.
Oct. 24 – James and the Giant Peach (1996)
A dark, quirky Roald Dahl adaptation with stop-motion flair.
—> Watch it online.
Oct. 25 – Matilda (1996)
Not horror, but Dahl’s villains and telekinetic powers deliver kid-level menace.
—> Watch it online.
Oct. 26 – Spirited Away (2001)
Miyazaki’s fantasy is magical but often haunting and eerie.
—> Watch it online.
Oct. 27 – The Boxtrolls (2014)
Grotesque but lovable creatures in a stop-motion adventure.
—> Watch it online.
Oct. 28 – The Witches (1990)
Roald Dahl’s classic tale of witches hiding in plain sight.
—> Watch it online.
Oct. 29 – Coraline (Rewatch Option for Halloween Weekend)
Too perfect not to revisit before the big night.
—> Watch it online.
Oct. 30 – Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween (2018)
A holiday-set adventure full of monsters and mischief.
—> Watch it online.
Oct. 31 – Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo! (2022)
Scooby and the gang close out Halloween with a kid-friendly mystery.
—> Watch it online.
Happy Halloween!
😱
Alex Lindley is a writer, editor, and perhaps the world’s biggest horror and sci-fi movie fan. He started DarkFilmTheories.com to fill the void left by the removal of IMDb forums—where some of the best discussion about film meanings, themes, and theories once happened.
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