Fall is here and that means Halloween is right around the corner — and aside from the yummy treats, endless candy, and creative costumes, the best part of the Halloween season is Halloween movies!
One of my favorite things to do at the start of fall is to get the family together around the table and make a list of every movie we’re going to watch until Halloween! I’m a big fan of horror movies, but there’s no shortage of Halloween creature features for me and my teens to enjoy, so for Halloween we try to focus on fun films that the whole family can enjoy. There is a pretty big age gap between our teens and pre-schoolers, so we like to group movies by age and spookiness level. From cutesy cartoons to cheesy millennial childhood classics, and cheesy creepfests for the new school — we love them all.
This year, Hocus Pocus 2 is coming out on Disney+ and we’re counting down the days to September 30th!
If you’re looking for the perfect selection for your next family-friendly movie night (and Hallowen Kills or Malignant is too scary) look no further — the Hawkins’ Family has your back. We’ve watched hundreds of movies together and scoured all our favorite streaming services—Hulu, Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+, and Amazon Prime to create this roundup of the best Halloween movies for kids, listed by age group.
Gather the family, carve some pumpkins, put together a Halloween themed charcuterie board, and watch these family-friendly Halloween movies! And don’t forget to tell us your faves in the comments.
Halloween Movies For Pre-Schoolers
These picks have little to no spook factor and are fun (and appropriate) for toddlers!
SPOOKLEY THE SQUARE PUMPKIN (2005)
Spookley is one of Harrison’s favorite movies to watch year round, and it’s a super cute feature with no scares, but lots of toddler friendly fun (and singing).
Best for ages 3+
ROOM ON THE BROOM (2012)
This film is one of Mara’s favorite, and features a kind-hearted witch and her growing group of friends a journey to find her hat and outsmart a hungry dragon. It’s cute and mildly suspenseful (for toddlers), but not scary at all.
Best for ages 3+
SUPER MONSTERS SAVE HALLOWEEN (2018)
This Super Monsters special is filled with adorable “monsters”, but no spookiness.
Best for ages 3+
POOH’S HEFFALUMP HALLOWEEN MOVIE (2005)
Pooh’ Heffalump Halloween Movie is a fun and nostalgic watch for the whole family, and is low on scares, but it does toy with shadows and spooky sounds.
Best for ages 4+
MONSTERS, INC. (2001)
There are a few jumpy thrills, but this is a really cute story about friendship and not judging things based on their appearance.
Best for ages 4+
MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (2013)
Monsters University tells the backstory of how Mike and Sulley became our favorite monsters. It’s scare-free and perfect for little ones!
Best for ages 4+
Halloween Movies For School Age Kids
These Halloween movies aren’t frightening but they might be a bit too much for your toddlers.
HOCUS POCUS 2 (2022)
The highly anticipated sequel to the best Halloween movie ever, Hocus Pocus 2 is brings the Sanderson sisters back for a new deliciously spooky and hilarious story. In this tale three young women accidentally bring back the Sanderson Sisters to modern day Salem, and must figure out how to stop the child-hungry witches from wreaking havoc on the world.
Best for ages 5+
DEAR DRACULA (2012)
This is a funny and feel-good movie about a sweet but familiar fang, I mean face — Dracula.
Best for ages 5+
CASPER’S SCARE SCHOOL (2006)
Casper the friendly ghost appears in this animated film to do what he does best, make friends. The ghosts may be a bit too spooky for little ones, so this one is more appropriate for elementary schoolers.
Best for ages 5+
SCOOBY DOO AND THE GOBLIN KING (2008)
You can’t go wrong with Scooby Doo, and this one is a family favorite. It’s fun and silly, with a few thrills without being too scary.
Best for ages 5+
SPOOKY BUDDIES (2011)
Spooky Buddies is a howling good time, filled with cute pooches, ghosts, haunted houses, monsters and bad magic — but can be a bit creepy for really young kids with eerie music and special effects.
Best for ages 6+
TOY STORY OF TERROR (2014)
This TV special has some familiar characters and mild scares tame enough that even young grade schoolers can watch and still have good dreams.
Best for ages 6+
THE DOG WHO SAVED HALLOWEEN (2011)
Mara loves dogs, so it’s no wonder why this is one of her favorites! This one is filled with lots of pottty humor, but ultimately it’s light-hearted and family-friendly Halloween movie.
Best for ages 6+
ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS MEET THE WOLFMAN (2000)
All fun, with little scare factor — Alvin, Simon, and Theodore juggle a werewolf-sized problem while preparing for the school play!
Best for ages 6+
PHANTOM OF THE MEGAPLEX (2000)
This is another Golden Age of Disney TV movies classic, that is fun, scare-free, and cheesy, but a complete blast to watch as a family.
Best for ages 7+
THE INCREDIBLES (2004)
We all know that the Parr family makes for Incredible family costumes, but they also make for a great movie night too. This film isn’t scary, but the themes of peril might be a bit too strong for smaller children.
Best for ages 7+
CASPER (1995)
Casper is a personal favorite of mine, but I haven’t introduced it to my pre-schoolers just yet. With pervasive themes of death and the evil uncle ghosts — I’d hold off until the kiddos are a bit older.
Best for ages 7+
THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (1993)
This is one of Chloe’s favorite Halloween and Christmas movies, but it’s a bit too weird for my taste. The story ins’t scary, but the stop motion and creepy characters add a bit of enjoyable spookiness for mid-age grade schoolers.
Best for ages 7+
GOOSEBUMPS (2015)
I’ll watch anything with Jack Black in it and Goosebumps is no exception. The hilarious characters, monsters, great special effects combine for a great family adaptation of the book series and a thrill ride on family movie night!
Best for ages 7+
GREMLINS (1984)
Gremlins does double duty as not only a Halloween movie, but also a Christmas movie, featuring a cute little furball named Gizmo, and the humans who fight too save him and destroy a bunch of slimy, ugly gremlins. This story isn’t scary, but the creatures and gore be a bit much for little ones.
Best for ages 7+
HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA (2012)
These characters are extremely likable even though they’re “monters” the frights are few and far between.
Best for ages 7+
E.T. (1982)
This millennial childhood classic and a family favorite for many of us — that said there the almost death scene and divorce subplot, might make you think twice about showing it to really young children.
Best for ages 7+
UNDER WRAPS (1997)
If I had a top five list of my personal favorite Halloween films, Under Wraps would be on it! It tells the story of three teens and their very confused mummy as they race against time to reunite the mummy with his lover from 4,500 years ago.
Best for ages 7+
HALLOWEENTOWN (1998)
This one has a few creepy-looking monsters and the conflict between Marnie and her mom gets a little tense, there’s no goriness.
Best for ages 7+
HALLOWEENTOWN II: KALABAR’S REVENGE (2001)
In this sequel, the story of Marnie and family continued quest to save Halloweentown takes center stage, with the same level of spook as the first installation.
Best for ages 7+
HALLOWEENTOWN HIGH (2004)
This third installation is just as fun as the first two, but ages up a bit with Marnie learning to navigate life at Halloweentown High and her role as town savior. It’s not any scarier than the others but I’d recommend this for pre-tweens and older.
Best for ages 8+
GIRL VS. MONSTER (2012)
Girl vs. Monster has minimal scare factor and lots of girl power, making it a great family-friendly monster flick for your family’s next movie night.
Best for ages 8+
DON’T LOOK UNDER THE BED (1999)
Here’s another fun Disney oldie, and it doesn’t disappoint! It’s not scary at all and perfect for mid-age grade schoolers.
Best for ages 8+
HOCUS POCUS (1993)
Hocus Pocus is arguably one of the best Halloween movies of all time. This one has some themes like witches that suck the life out of children, and flirtiness that might be a bit too much for smaller kids — but the scares are mild and the laughs are plentiful.
Best for ages 8+
TWITCHES (2006)
Twin witches who don’t know they’re twins or witches?! Yet another genius idea from the Disney TV folks.
Best for ages 8+
MONSTER HOUSE (2006)
We LOVE Monster House, but it, a bit dark until it all comes together at the end. Some of the themes that make this skew a little older are death, anger, and a corpse —not the mention the house imbued with the angry spirit of an old curmudgeon’s wife.
Best for ages 8+
GOOSEBUMPS 2: HAUNTED HALLOWEEN (2018)
This sequel has few scares, tons of belly laughs, and a dummy — I mean Slappy the ventriloquist doll, back and causing more Halloween chaos.
Best for ages 8+
THE WITCHES (1990)
Another personal favorite of mine, The Witches — the original (starring Anjelica Huston) is a must watch, but focus on evil and hideous witches who turn children into mice.
Best for ages 8+
MOM’S GOT A DATE WITH A VAMPIRE (2000)
This is anothere favorite of mine, and you might be sensing a theme — I’m a big fan of Disney TV movies from the millennial child through teen years. This one is scary, but some of the themes and comedy will make more sense to kids pre-tween and up.
Best for ages 8+
THE LITTLE VAMPIRE (2000)
The Little Vampire is a phenomenal film that doesn’t overdo the scare factor — but be warned: it’s a bit dark and deals with death, so it could be unsettling for sensitive kids.
Best for ages 8+
HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE (2001)
All eight of the Harry Potter films could easily be on this list, but I chose The Sorcerer’s Stone. It’s a fantastic epic for the family that is more magical than spooky. There’s a twinge of sadness that linger throughout the series, with themes of death, murder, loss of parent, and mistreatment of children, but it’s also a story of triumph. If you’re interested in seeing the whole series on HBO Max righht now, but hurry — these films disappear from streaming services, faster than Voldemort.
Best for ages 8+
PARANORMAN (2012)
ParaNorman is a great film from the producers of Coraline, so it’s got a similar stop motion animation style. It’s not scary per se — but the theme of death and unrest spirits are prevalent.
Best for ages 8+
SCOOBY-DOO (2002)
Scooby Doo is another favorite and it follows a familiar formula and hijinks you’re used to with the Mystery Inc gang. The live action story is fun and funny with some cooky, spooky moments — and a bit of mature humor thrown in the mix here and there.
Best for ages 9+
FRANKENWEENIE (2012)
Frankenweenie is cute and a pretty fun family movie to watch, but the theme of death and reanimation are prevalent.
Best for ages 9+
CORALINE (2009)
Visually stunning and beautiful animation, are the vehicle for this suprisingly mature film with themes of a dark imaginary realm darkness, dysfunction, and peril. While I felt okay letting my older kids watch this at a few years younger than age 9 — this is a movie I’d pre-screen before showing to kids younger than tweens.
Best for ages 9+
A BABYSITTER’S GUIDE TO MONSTER HUNTING (2020)
This is a newer film that debuted on Netflix last fall, and I’m not at all ashamed to say that even my little ones watched this one, but I had to do a little explaining about the boogeyman kidnapping a kid plot.
Best for ages 9+
LITTLE MONSTERS (1989)
Another blast from the past — I’d save this one for more mature grade schoolers who won’t be too inspired by the mischievousness of this journey the netherworld. There are lots of monsters and boogeymen in this film, but it’s all in good (bad) fun.
Best for ages 9+
Halloween Movies For Older Kids
For kids who are a little older and mature enough to handle a few scares, these movies are a howling good time.
THE HAUNTED MANSION (2003)
The Haunted Mansion is a bit spooky, but it’s a great movie to watch as a family. Between the ghosts, special effects, and eerie music — there are a few scares, but there are tons of laughs too!
Best for ages 10+
GHOSTBUSTERS (1984)
There are some ghosts (duh) and monsters, but they are too scary — however there are moments of inappropriate humor.
Best for ages 10+
GHOSTBUSTERS 2 (1989)
Like the first Ghostbusters, there are some moments of inappropriate humor but it’s fun movie for the family — and although there are ghosts and monsters, they aren’t too scary.
Best for ages 10+
BEETLEJUICE (1988)
I loved Beetlejuice as a kid, and in full transparency I let Chloe and Trav watch it when they were much younger than 11, but this is a dark comedy with some moments of inapproprite humor.
Best for ages 11+
THE ADDAMS FAMILY (1991)
I remeber being amused at the The Addams Family when I was a kid, but it’s definitely a dark comedy that’s best suited for older kids.
Best for ages 11+
ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES (1993)
This sequel is just as dark and off kilter as the original, and some of the themes are a bit sadistic, but if your kids are mature and have a grasp of real life vs outrageous fiction —they should be able to enjoy this one, but I definitely wouldn’t recommend this for younger kids.
Best for ages 11+
How many of these have you seen? Did I leave any good movies off this list? Which movies were your favorites, and which did your kids like best?! Leave a comment below and share your faves with the community!
