If you’re not a fan of things that go bump in the night, or perhaps prefer Halloween vibes without the fright, we’ve got you covered. Here’s a list of kid-friendly fare from the smallest to middle-est that are also super fun for the whole family!

(And most of them are just good clean fun if you’re a grown-up looking to check out IRL for a little, too.)

Family Halloween Movies For Younger Audiences

Spookley The Square Pumpkin (2004)

To the dismay of parents all around the world, Spookley the Pumpkin is a great big hit with the Pre-School and Kindergarten set! The mildest flick on the list, Spookley is all about embracing your differences when you don’t quite fit in, finding the beauty within, and overcoming your inner dialogue of self-doubt. It’s the most wholesome Halloween treat for your little ones. Good-er news still, there’s plenty of merch to go around such as square pumpkin plushies and books and even a Christmas sequel! Woohoo!

Monster High: Electrified (2017)

Bringing the beloved doll series to life once again, this family friendly kid flick is great for doll collecting parents and kiddo horror enthusiasts. If you’re a fan of classic monster movies, you’ve likely seen these dolls floating around in the horrorsphere! The children of classic monsters are all enrolled as students in Monster High, and just like real students they encounter a heapload of mildly frightening challenges, trials, and tribulations. When Clawdeen announces her plans to open a hair salon catering to monsters and “normies” (aka humans,) Moanica and her pals have some other nefarious plans to thwart its opening. Dun dun dunnnnn! Perfect for fans of Barbie’s Dream House and graduates of Vampirina. Thankfully this one clocks in well under 90 mins if you’ve got to watch along with the littles, but is also just long enough to keep monster loving tweens engaged while you get some housework done. Plus, a catchy musical number!

Scooby Doo Zombie Island (1998)

Scooby and his pals confront their fears and try their best to solve the mystery of an island inhabited by an undead pirate captain and haunted zombie pirate crew! We watched this last year as part of @RainbowReelClub and it was a blast. Great for nostalgia, but perfect for those littles who want a little kitschy mystery instead of straight horror. It follows the typical Who Dunnit formula of the series, with some great catchy tunes as well. Honestly, you can’t go wrong with this one. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t enjoy a good Scooby Doo and the Mystery Crew flick!

Nightbooks (2021)

Channeling that 90s Goosebumps energy, this new Netflix venture is based on a kids book by the same name, and it really piles on the terror. A young boy runs away from home only to find himself trapped in the lair of an evil witch who kidnaps children and eats them to fuel her immortality and other nefarious pursuits. As an adult I found this engaging and interesting, and certainly would suggest it to the bravest of youngsters who like dark, scary stuff. Combining dark fantasy fairytales with a little twinge of horror, this might be too much for kids under 7 or 8 unless they’re very brave. It has a lot of 90s neon, interesting SFX and storytelling breaks, and a little bit of humor and wit. You honestly don’t need kids to enjoy this, as I’m 35 and watched it by myself with great delight! My only criticism is that I wish the little girl companion to the MC had a little more agency and independence, but we can’t win them all. Here’s to hoping they pen a sequel installment, because the worldbuilding is enticing.

A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting (2020)

A step down in terror from Nightbooks, this charming kids fantasy-horror will delight your whole family. When a young babysitter’s troublesome charge is stolen away by the Boogeyman, she must gather her courage and fall in with the local Babysitting heroes to rescue him before his parents come home! There’s plenty of laughs in here for adults as well as tweens and teens. I have to say I really enjoyed this, and imagine it’s twice as enjoyable with kiddos in tow. It’s very cute and a little cheesy, but far from intolerable!

Monster House (2006)

I absolutely love a good haunted house movie, and this one always tops my list for yearly Halloween viewing. I’m in love with the way the house itself is animated, and I find the plucky little explorers quite endearing, especially when they take it upon themselves to thwart the evil spirit residing in the house that eats local trick or treaters. It’s a great spooky story with beautifully crafted animation and a decent script. It does have some mild language and a tinge of fatphobia thanks to the house ghost, but it’s nothing that’s too challenging to address with your littles. I don’t know, it’s a strange comfort watch to me with some truly scary moments. Another one that’s great for those who want mild horror and Halloween fun without the gore and terrible scares that come from adult oriented horror. It’s not quite as scary as Coraline, but would make a great stepping stone to that one!

ParaNorman (2012)

I will never miss an opportunity to put a Laika animation movie on a spooky films list. Shy, quirky outcast Norman has a special ability to speak to the dead, and prefers to spend time with them instead of his living, breathing classmates. But when he receives word from his uncle, Norman must confront his anxieties and fears in order to keep his fellow townspeople safe from an evil witch curse. Norman is a well-rounded character with a multidimensional personality and is truly relatable for tweens, teens, and adults. Also not quite as scary as Coraline or Monster House, but a great stepping stone for those two. It’s got some crass humor and rude jokes, but I’m sure they’ll appeal to little ones with a naughty funny bone! It does contain some violence towards the undead with mild dismemberment and the like. Great for fans of Nightmare Before Christmas or Corpse Bride.

The Boy Who Cried Werewolf (2010)

Victoria Justice plays a highschooler with a mysterious secret she must keep under wraps after she and her family relocate to Romania. Lots of cornball horror references for parents including a running gag akin to Young Frankenstein’s Frau Blucher joke. I can’t find anything negative to say about this because I’m a sucker for the Tween/Teen Disney and Nickelodeon franchises, hahaha! So I was absolutely delighted to find Justice starring in a kid-friendly werewolf tale. It’s got a decent soundtrack and plenty of humor, and is just as much fun to watch for a mild Halloween vibe as an adult or settle in for family movie night with the kiddos and some popcorn!

Listicle by Ellen Avigliano
Twitter: @imaginariumcs
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