14 Classic Halloween Movies the Whole Family Will Enjoy

With all the Halloween festivities going on, why not add another fun activity? This time each year is when new horror movies come out. However, most of these movies aren’t kid-friendly. Luckily, there are classic Halloween movies that are great for the whole family. Some of these you might recall from your childhood so it makes for a better bonding experience. If you no longer have the DVDs, try streaming them on Netflix — most of these are also available there.

If you’re unsure of the movies you want to watch with your kids, preview it first to be sure.

Here’s 14 classic Halloween movies for the whole family to enjoy

1. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Since we Filipinos love celebrating Christmas early, this Halloween-Christmas tale is great. This story is about Pumpkin King of Halloweentown, Jack Skellington, discovers Christmas. By going through a portal, he travels to Christmastown. Amused and mystified by what goes on there, he kidnaps Santa Claus to take his place. His attempt to change up Halloween causes confusion that leads to a surprising and heartwarming end to the story.

2. Hocus Pocus (1993)

This tale goes on our list of most beloved classic Halloween movies. Back in 1693, the people of Salem, Massachusetts executed the Sanderson sisters, three diabolical witches. In all their might, they swore that they’ll return. Jump 300 years later, a young man moves to Salem who unknowingly awakens the three witches, Winifred, Sarah, and Mary. They have one night to achieve immortality. It’s now up to a teen boy, his sister, and his girlfriend to stop them.

3. Casper (1995)

When called for his expertise, Dr. James Harvey moves into the Whipstaff Manor along with his daughter, Kat. Their task is simple: exorcise the ghosts from the house and help them crossover into the afterlife. For 100 years, Casper the friendly ghosts has inhabited the house along with his three mischievous uncles.

4. Frankenweenie (2012)

After a car accident kills his beloved dog, Victor endlessly mourns losing his pal, Sparky. However, he later on gets the idea to bring the canine back to life. Being fond of spooky movies himself, Victor too inspiration from another classic: Frankenstein. In powerful science experiment, Sparky returns to life. As Sparky wrecks havoc, Victor has to convince his friends and family that he’s the same lovable dog.

5. The Addams Family (1991)

The Addams Family is an odd and scary bunch. Living in all the trappings of the macabre, they turn out to actually be quite wealthy. All the while, Gomez Addams, the head of the family, laments over his lost brother, Fester. When con artists learn this, they send Gordon to be Fester to try to steal the Addams’ wealth. Will fake Fester succeed or will the Addams family catch on and stop the con from happening?

6. Halloweentown (1998)

Gwen gets into an argument with her kids because she won’t let them go out on Halloween. Without giving Marnie, Dylan, and Sophie a clear answer, everyone ends up upset. That doesn’t last long, however, when their grandma Aggie arrives for her annual Halloween visit. An expert witch herself, she encourages Gwen to let her train Marnie to be a witch. After a fight with Gwen, Aggie leaves for her home, Halloweentown. Unknowingly, the three kids followed Aggie. Here, they embark on a journey to save the town and its citizens from an evil presence.

7. Scooby-Doo (2002)

Based on the popular cartoon, Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby return for another adventure. After being apart for two years, The Mystery Inc. gang get invites to Spooky Island. As soon as they arrive, they notice that something isn’t quite right. They quickly realize that the only way to solve the mystery is to work together—just like old times.

8. It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)

An oldie but goody, this movie is definitely one of our favorite classic Halloween movies. On Halloween night, Charlie Brown is excited to attend his first ever Halloween party. Before the event, the Peanuts gang go trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. However, they are missing a member: Linus. As per usual, Linus is sitting in their pumpkin patch waiting for The Great Pumpkin. Believing that theirs is the most sincere pumpkin patch, young Linus is sure he’ll see The Great Pumpkin.

9. The Corpse Bride (2005)

After his betrothal to Victoria Everglot, Victor Van Dort gets colds feet at the rehearsals. He runs off deep into the woods where he decides to practice his vows. Once he gets it right, he unknowingly places the ring on the finger of a corpse. She then rises from the dead and reveals herself as the corpse bride. Ecstatic, she whisks him off to the Land of the Dead while Victoria waits from him on the other side. Now, Victor has to choose between his whirlwind love Victoria or his tragic corpse bride.

10. Coraline (2009)

Coraline and her family moves to an old house. Feeling bored and neglected, she seeks adventure of any kind. One night, she stumbles upon a secret door right in her new home. Coraline finds an ideal world where everyone had buttons for eyes and her parents paid attention. Little did she know that this alternate reality designed to lure her was hiding something sinister.

11. Goosebumps (2015)

Drawing inspiration from the best-selling books by R. L. Stine comes a tale that’s sure to give you chills. After the death of his father, Zach and his mother, Gale, move to Madison, Delaware. While he’s quite resistant, Zach finds his silver lining when he meets his cute neighbor, Hannah. One night, worried for her safety, Zach and Champ attempt to rescue her. Instead, they find locked up Goosebumps manuscripts in the home. They discover that Hannah’s father is author R. L. Stine. Soon after, they release all the monsters Stine’s created in his novels. Zach, Hannah, and Champ now team up to save their town by returning the monsters in their stories.

12. The Haunted Mansion (2003)

If you’ve been to Disneyland, The Haunted Mansion will definitely go on your list of classic Halloween movies. After an invitation from the master, married realtors Jim and Sara arrive at Gracey Manor with their two kids. Thinking that this might be the biggest deal of his life, Jim ignored Mr. Gracey’s warnings of ghosts and other haunted creatures. However, that quickly changes when he unearths mysteries of the mansion, as well as his wife’s unexpected connections to it.

13. ParaNorman (2012)

Yet another addition to our list of classic Halloween movies is ParaNorman. In the town of Blithe Hollow lives a misunderstood boy named Norman. To everyone’s disbelief, Norman can see and speak to the dead. One day, his uncle shows up and tells him about a ritual he must do to protect his town. He also adds that this was because of a terrible curse a wicked witch cast upon them long ago. Things don’t go as planned as the witch’s curse get stronger and makes the dead rise again. Now, it is up to Norman to save Blithe Hollow.

14. Monster House (2006)

Teenager DJ lives across the street from mean old man Nebbercracker. DJ, his best friend Chowder, and prep school student Jenny, later on learns that the house is alive. Not only that, it also grabs anyone and anything on its property and eats them. With no one believing them, the trio has to stop the house. However, the only way to do that is to go into the monster house.