10 Best Halloween movies for kids
There are plenty of scary movies out there, in cinemas and available to download, but most of them are really, really not suitable for kids.
However, there are some terrific spooky movies made especially for children and families. Below, Movies4Kids lists 10 of the best (plus an extra four at the end that are a bit more grown-up, for teenagers who aren’t quite old enough for 18 certificate movies and full-on horror).
Please note the classification (eg U, PG, 12A, 15) for each movie, and you can also read the full Movies4Kids reviews to help you decide whether the movie will be suitable for your child. After all, what’s hilariously creepy to one kid can be nightmare-inducing for another. And if you’re still not sure, it never hurts to watch a movie yourself before letting your child view it.
Okay, that’s enough with the serious, grown-up warnings. Get out the popcorn, turn off the lights and get ready to be scared…
…just a little bit.
Happy Halloween
-
Goosebumps (PG)
A comedy horror for kids, based on the young adult books by RL Stine. Zach is the new boy in town who discovers his neighbours are a pretty girl and her overprotective dad (Jack Black) – the author of a series of novels that actually contain the nasty creatures he has hunted over the years. Wouldn’t be a good idea to let any of them out, then, would it?
Age 9+
-
Ghostbusters (1984) (PG)
The 2016 update is terrific, but nothing beats the original Ghostbusters as played by Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray and Harold Ramis. They are the three ‘paranormal experts’ who set up shop just as New York sees a rise in ghostly activity, most notably in client Dana Barrett’s (Sigourney Weaver) fridge. There are some spooky moments (the devil dogs, for starters) so this isn’t for little ones!
Age 8+.
-
Monsters Inc (U)
Proof that the monsters we imagined lurking in our wardrobes really do exist, this animated comedy from Pixar is a treat. Sulley (John Goodman) and sidekick Mike (Billy Crystal) are the top scarers in Monstropolis until one night Sulley accidentally lets a cute human kid follow him back home. Adorable stuff, and not too scary either.
Age 6+
-
The Addams Family (1991) (PG)
Based on the cult 1960s TV series about a creepy and kooky family named Addams, this movie version is a darkly comic delight. Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston are terrific as parents Gomez and Morticia, but it is the kids – Wednesday (Christina Ricci) and Pugsley (Jimmy Workman) and butler Lurch (Carel Struycken) – who steal the show in this hilariously twisted movie.
Age 8+
-
Coraline (PG)
Older kids will love this twisted animated story about young Coraline, who moves to an old house with her parents and discovers a secret door leading to another world. Based on the Neil Gaiman story and directed by The Nightmare Before Christmas’s Henry Selick, this is beautiful – and creepy, so not suitable for really young viewers.
Age 9+
-
ParaNorman (PG)
Young Norman can see dead people in this terrific stop-motion animated adventure. It means all the other kids think he is weird, but it also means Norman may be the only one who can save the town from a witch who cast a curse on the residents. Enjoyably spooky stuff for kids who don”t mind a few scares.
Age 8+
-
Hotel Transylvania (U)
An animated Halloween movie ideal for kids too young for ParaNorman or Coraline, this features cute and cuddly versions of horror’s best known characters Dracula, Frankenstein, the Werewolf, Mummy and Invisible Man. They’re all living in a remote hotel away from humans – until one accidentally stumbles into their secret home. The sequel isn’t bad either, but 2018’s Summer Vacation is missable.
Age 7+
-
Casper (PG)
Casper is the friendly, adorable ghost in this comedy adventure, who befriends young Kat (Christina Ricci) when she moves into Whipstaff Manor with her dad (Bill Pullman). Trouble is, cute Caspar shares the hauntings with his three odious uncles who are determined to scare Kat so she and her dad will leave.
Age 5+
-
The Witches 1990 (PG)
Roald Dahl’s book is turned into a suitably scary movie that tells the tale of Luke, who is taken by his grandmother to an English seaside hotel – where a coven of witches are holding a convention. Anjelica Huston is superb as the Grand High Witch, and there are some terrific effects (younger children will find Huston’s witchy look very frightening).
Age 9+
-
Wallace And Gromit: The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit (U)
A wonderful feature length slice of claymation from Aardman (the creators of Shaun The Sheep and 2018’s Early Man) starring the adorably dotty inventor Wallace and his dog Gromit. This time, they are on the trail of a giant rabbit that is terrorising locals.
Age 7+
-
Beetlejuice (12A)
One of the best horror comedies of all time, this stars Michael Keaton as the ghost Beetlejuice, and Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis as the deceased couple who ask for his advice when they want to scare the new human residents of their house away. Inventive, twisted and hilarious – but scary enough to be for teens only. Note- this has been reclassified a 12A in the UK (it was a 15) but it may be too dark for under-12s.
Age 12+
-
Gremlins (15)
Actually set at Christmas, this Joe Dante comedy begins with young Billy being given a cute cuddly creature named Gizmo as a present from his dad. Gizmo is a Mogwai, and you mustn’t feed him after midnight, or get him wet – or something very, very bad will happen. Note that this is a 15 certificate and not suitable for young children (especially, due to one story told in the movie, kids who still believe in Santa).
Age 12+
-
The Lost Boys (15)
While the 80s soundtrack has dated, there is still something pretty cool and funny about this teen vampire movie set in the seaside town of Santa Clara, and it’s far sexier than any of that Twilight nonsense. When Michael and Sam move their with their mum, little do they know they are living in the murder capital of the world and some of the body count is due to a group of spiky haired blood-sucking bikers led by David (Kiefer Sutherland).
Age 15+
-
Warm Bodies (12A)
A zombie romcom for teens, this romance is told from the point of view of R (Nicholas Hoult), a teenage zombie who still has a little humanity left in him. He meets and – after munching on her boyfriend’s brain – falls in love with human Julie (Teresa Palmer) in this terrific story.
Age 12+