Halloween is great fun for people of all ages, however it is Children that really catch the Halloween bug and get into the Halloween spirit. But what do we do once Trick or Treating is over and we’ve had to forceably remove them from their kids Halloween Costume? How do we keep our little monsters entertained? Why not let your little one watch a Halloween movie? Scary movies are often a frightening prospect for parents, with weeks of nightmares and ruined sleeps the potential prize for parents who choose a film too scary. That’s why we’ve decided to bring you the definitive list of the Best Children’s Halloween Movies that are perfect for children without petrifying them.
Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie (2005)
Halloween has arrived in the Hundred Acre Wood and everyone is eagerly awaiting their chance to Trick or Treat, but, sadly, Pooh has eaten all of the sweeties (surprise surprise!). To save the day, Roo and his new friend Lumpy try and find the mysterious Gobloon so he can grant their wish for more Halloween candy, but also learn the meaning of friendship along the way. Perfect for all audiences, you can happily let your Toddlers watch without worrying they may get too scared.
Casper (1995)
What would Halloween be without an appearance from the World’s most friendly ghost? Created in 1940 by Joe Orolio, Steven Spielberg produced this much-loved Movie adaptation that has been entertaining Children of all ages for over 20 years. The story is based around a greedy heiress Carrigan Crittenden, and her desire to rid her mansion of its Ghostly guests so she can sell up. To aid her plan, Carrigan hires Dr James Harvey, an afterlife therapist, and his daughter Kat, to move into her home and help the spirits cross over to the other side. As they move in, they meet Casper and discover all is not what it seems in the Crittenden Household. Can they get rid of the Ghosts? Only time will tell!
Nightmare before Christmas.
Often labelled as a Christmas movie, we’ve found that the Nightmare Before Christmas also works wonderfully as a Halloween movie. Created by Tim Burton, The Nightmare Before Christmas follows the adventures of the “King of Halloween” – Jack Skellington, and follows Jack’s journey as he tires of Halloween Town’s yearly celebrations and decides to inject some Halloween Horror into Christmas Town instead. A little dark for the younger kids, children ages 8 and up will love the extravagant Halloween songs and amazing animation in Tim Burtons traditional style.
Addams Family Values (1993)
This Dark Comedy is more suitable for aged 10 and up and follows the creepy, crazy and often kooky Adams family as they try to navigate their way through normal world activities like boyfriends, baby brothers and even Summer Camp! We see the return of Gomez’s long-lost brother Fester create tension within the Addams family as other members fear he may be an imposter after the family fortune.
“Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit” (2005)
With movies ranging from Chicken Run all the way to the Wrong Trousers, Aardman Animations are well known for their Christmas creations as their Movies have been Christmas Day staples in homes across the country. Since 2005 however, they’ve entered the wonderful world of Halloween with the freaky yet funny “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit”. Based on the duos fledgeling Varmit-elimination service, a battle between Wallace and slick-talking Hunter Victor Quartermaine for the attention of the lovely Lady Tottington leads to the creation of a giant Rabbit-like monster as Wallace tries (as usual) to use his inventions to make his life easier. Will can they stop the Wererabbit? Will Wallace win Lady Tottington’s heart? You’ll have to watch the film and find out!
Monster House (2006)
As DJ and his friends begin to enjoy a friendly Halloween sleepover they discover a dastardly secret about one of the houses on their street – It’s actually alive! Unfortunately for DJ, neither the police or his babysitter believe his house has become a living, breathing Monster, leaving DJ and his friends to embark on a crazy adventure to try and save the people that the houses have gobbled up. Ideal for ages 9 and up, anxiety-prone Children should be accompanied by an Adult for some of the scarier scenes.
“Hotel Transylvania” (2012)
Very much the opposite of a traditional Children’s Halloweens Film, Hotel Transylvania finds Count Dracula operating a high-end resort situated far from Human Kind in what is a fantastically funny Kid friendly twist on your typical horror movie. Watch as Dracula (Adam Sandler) struggles to deal with his hot-headed hotel guests, and laugh along as he tries to hide his Daughter Mavis’s (Selena Gomez) secret Human boyfriend (Andy Samberg) from the rest of the Hotels guests. Fantastic as a Halloween alternative, children from the age of 6 onwards won’t stop laughing at the fantastically funny Hotel Transylvania.
Goosebumps (2015)
Everyone read the Goosebumps books as a child, creating our adventure as the stories twisted and turned in different directions depending on which way we decided to take them. Now, thanks to the latest instalment of the Goosebumps franchise, you can let your little ones in on the action with this cool Jack Black Flick. This time, we follow the story of Moody Tween Zach Cooper who has a crush on his neighbour Hannah. Attempting to win her over, he becomes concerned by her dad’s strange behaviour – we mean, really really strange behaviour. When Zach discovers Hannah’s dad is really horror author R.L. Stine, a secret hidden in his original manuscripts threatens the future of the town. Can Zach help in time? You’ll have to watch the film to find out! Rated PG but fine for 9 and up.
“Mickey’s House of Villains” (2002)
No list of Children’s films would be complete without Micky Mouse, and this one’s no different! Mickeys House of Villians draws together the entire Disney universe as Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and the rest of the gang begin battle with Disney’s array of Villians as they attempt to overthrow the House of Mouse and create a House of Villians instead. Fantastically fun for children of all ages, simply sit them down in front of the TV and let them disappear in the Disney Universe.
We hope you’ve found the perfect film for you in our list and If you’ve found any others, do let us know so we can share them with other parents too.