Halloween Movies Great for Families
Watching movies together as a family is a great way to spend Halloween, both with those too old to trick-or-treat and those who just don't wish to spend their night out. So why not throw in a bag of popcorn, rent a few films and grab some nachos?
If you need an idea for what to watch, check out these great children-friendly and family-friendly movies.
Nightmare Before Christmas
This is an absolute favorite amongst both young and old. If you haven't seen it, you can check it out this coming Halloween in theaters (in 3D!). The film is about a man from Halloween-town who tries to bring Christmas to his land and then later, to humans. The only problem is, does he know what Christmas is really about?
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
The Peanuts gang is always one of my favorites. Not unlike the great Christmas show, Charlie Brown and friends try to have a happy Halloween. If you like the Peanuts, you'll love this film and it is perfect for kids of all ages.
Bedknobs and Broomsticks
This film has almost made Halloween for three generations. This movie is a witchy story about three children sent to live with an apprentice witch. After receiving a letter from the College of Witchcraft, the children and the apprentice witch fly to London to speak with the headmaster.
This movie includes both live-action and animation, similar to Mary Poppins.
Casper
If you or your children haven't seen Casper, it is a film about a woman who inherits a haunted house. She contacts a father and daughter duo to attempt to rid the house of the spirits, even though the father has other ideas on what to do. One of the ghosts haunting is Casper, the friendly ghost. Casper falls for the daughter and attempts to court her while her father searches for his wife's ghost. Meanwhile, Casper's three uncles attempt to cause havoc.
Hocus Pocus
Three witch sisters lure a young girl to their house in the woods where they prepared to suck out her lifeforce. The young girls brother attempts to rescue her, but is caught by the witches and forced to watch them drain his sisters lifeforce. The witches turn the brother into a immortal black cat capable of speech, forcing him to live forever with his guilt. Not long after, the three witches are sentenced to death for witchcraft by the townspeople, but not before a spellbook casts a curse to raise the three of them from the dead if a virgin lights the black-flamed candle in the witches' home. Three hundred years later, three children with knowledge of the curse attempt to light the flame.
Harry Potter
The wonderful world of Harry Potter. This film has been a huge hit amongst both the young and old. Harry is a student at an academy for magic where he meets many friends and faces many foes. The earlier films are most likely best for young children as the latter films are more suited as coming of age movies.
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
This actually contains two separate films, The Wind in the Willows (a story about Mr. Toad and his troubles from his fixation with motorcars and speed) and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, an extremely famous headless horseman story. The two stories make for a great Halloween.
The Adams Family
The Adams Family makes a scary family lovable and a horrid house laughable. The kids are fun to follow and make for a great laugh for kids of all ages.
Beetlejuice
This one might not be suited for those too young, but it depends on the child. A family moves into a home after the horrible death of the previous owners. The dead are now stuck in the house they loved and seek the help of Beetlejuice to adjust to the afterlife. Weirdly, the daughter of the new owners can see the dead couple and attempt to help them.
Ghostbusters
This film is a favorite of many young boys. A group of guys get together to help fight the supernatural. However, the townspeople laugh at their service and just want them to go away. After some strange occurrences, though, the Ghostbusters are welcome to do as they please to rid the town of the happenings.