Nothing makes Halloween more fun than watching movies with kids that are just a bit scary. The following article is a round-up of the best 10 Halloween movies for kids, ranked from least to most spooky, guarantees a great night in when the trick-or-treating is done.
1. Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Dreamed up by Tim Burton, The Nightmare Before Christmas tells the story of Jack Skellington -the “King of Halloween” -who, tired with staging Halloween festivities year after year, finds a door to Christmas Town and decides to try his hand at that holiday, instead. We dare you not to have the songs from this musical flick stuck in your head for days after watching. “This is Halloween” should be the unofficial theme song of October! Best of all, it also makes a great Christmas movie.
Recommended Age: 7 and Up
2. Harry Potter
While you should watch Harry Potter at any time of the year (can you tell we’re fans?), Halloween seems especially appropriate. There is something about Harry boarding the Hogwarts Express that really evokes that start-of-the-school-year, fall feeling. Oh…and there’s magic and witches, too! The first few movies are aimed at younger children while the later ones are better suited to their older, tween siblings.
Recommended Age: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, 7 and Up; Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, 8 and Up; Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, 10 and Up; all movies after Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, 12 and Up
3. Halloween is Grinch Night (1977)
Is How the Grinch Stole Christmas a Christmas go-to in your house? Then your family will love this lesser-known, Halloween-themed prequel. The Emmy Award-winning cartoon is filled with the same Grinch antics we loved in the original, with just enough holiday-appropriate spook to keep young children entertained.
Recommended Age: 4 and Up
4. Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie (2005)
Who doesn’t love Pooh? It’s Halloween in the Hundred Acre Wood, and everyone is excited to trick or treat. But Pooh eats all of the candy (oh, Pooh Bear!), so Roo and Lumpy set off on a quest to capture a scary Gobloon who will grant their wish for more. Sweet and not scary, this film is perfect for the pre-school set.
Recommended Age: 3 and Up
5. Corpse Bride (2005)
This is another gem from Tim Burton’s twisted imagination. Victor, a nervous and clumsy young man, accidentally marries a dead bride. He is taken to the Land of the Dead and must somehow escape in order to be reunited with his true fiancée in time for their wedding.
Recommended Age: 10 and Up
6. Halloweentown (1998)
Marnie Piper has always been obsessed with Halloween, much to her mother’s despair. But it turns out there is something her mom is keeping from her -she’s a witch! When grandmother Aggie arrives for her annual Halloween visit, Marnie follows her to a strange place called Halloweentown. This installment is the first of a magical trilogy -the two sequels will be better appreciated by kids 8 and up.
Recommended Age: 7 and Up
7. Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)
This Disney classic is what Mary Poppins would be if it had witches, wizards and magic bedknobs that make your bed fly. The theme involves World War II and Nazi invasions, but is handled with kid gloves. Bonus points if your kiddo starts using “bedknobs” in regular conversation!
Recommended Age: 7 and Up
8. The Witches (1990)
While visiting the seaside with his grandmother, Luke stumbles upon a convention of witches who are hatching a plan to exterminate children. He must find a way to stop them – a task that seems infinitely harder once he is turned into a mouse. The witches are scary enough to give us a fright -especially when they peel off their human costumes.
Recommended Age: 8 and Up
9. Hocus Pocus (1993)
With epic direction and cutting edge technology this flick is definitely a masterpiece for all the kids of recommended age. The kids are known to create mischief but sometimes this leads to unexpected turn of events that would make an outstanding story. A little boy who has been left behind to look after his sister unknowingly unleashes three witches from Salem. These witches are notorious for sucking youth of little girls to keep their magic. The boy has to save not only his sister but also the entire town to make peace and how he does that forms the rest of the story. The movie was the greatest hit of its time and children still remember the scene of the party with the sisters saying that they would caste spell on all of those present.
Recommended Age: 11 and Up
10. Casper (1995)
The movie stars Casper a cartoon character which everyone of use knows very well. It is a short and adorable flick that makes the kids cry, not out of horror but when they see that Casper is lonely altogether. The movie deals with Casper finally finding a friend who loves him a lot and he is happy too. Things turn a twisted turn when Casper wants to bring himself back to life and all his plans fail. At the crux of the story lies the fact that a gentle ghost meets a beautiful girl whom he wants to keep as always. The movie has become icon over the period of time and it is this movie which made the character of Casper unforgettable.
Recommended Age: 6 and Up
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