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The Best Halloween Movies for Kids

Updated March 24, 2020 45.4k votes 1.9k voters 44.8k views105 items

List RulesHalloween-themed or "horror" movies be appropriate for children.

Halloween movies for kids include some holiday classics and some newer films that are quickly becoming classics. The best Halloween movies for kids aren't always overly scary - some are just good, spooky fun! From Beetlejuice to The Haunted Mansion, this list includes kids' Halloween movies that are perfect to show at a Halloween party or after trick-or-treating. Be sure to vote for your favorites and if you know of a great Halloween movie that isn't on the list, add it!

A lot of these kids' Halloween movies are shown each year on TV, particularly on ABC Family, which shows the "13 Nights of Halloween" annually. Not all of these movies are about Halloween. Some are creepy, sure, but a film doesn't actually have to include Halloween to make the cut. Movies like Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, and Ghostbusters, for example, aren't about Halloween at all - but they are perfect to show at Halloween anyway!

If you're going all-out this year for Halloween, you might want to check out these lists for some great Halloween songs, decoration ideas and some tasty Halloween recipes to serve while you watch your favorite Halloween movies.

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Monster House
Kathleen Turner, Maggie Gyllenhaal
Released: 2006
Directed by: Gil Kenan
Monster House is a 2006 computer-animated fantasy comedy film directed by Gil Kenan, produced... more on Wikipedia
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Goosebumps
Jack Black, Odeya Rush
Released: 2015
Directed by: Rob Letterman
Goosebumps is a 2015 American comedy horror fantasy film directed by Rob Letterman and written... more on Wikipedia
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Toy Story of Terror!
Joan Cusack, Tom Hanks
Released: 2013
Directed by: Angus MacLane
Toy Story of Terror! is a 2013 Pixar computer animated short film directed by Angus MacLane.... more on Wikipedia
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Gremlins
Steven Spielberg, Corey Feldman
Released: 1984
Directed by: Joe Dante
Gremlins is a 1984 American horror comedy film directed by Joe Dante, released by Warner Bros.... more on Wikipedia
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Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween
Jack Black, Madison Iseman
Released: 2018
Directed by: Ari Sandel
Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween is a 2018 American horror comedy film directed by Ari Sandel,... more on Wikipedia
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Monsters University
Helen Mirren, Kelsey Grammer
Released: 2013
Directed by: Dan Scanlon
Monsters University is a 2013 animation adventure comedy film directed by Dan Scanlon.
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Coco
Anthony Gonzalez, Gael Garcia Bernal
Released: 2017
Directed by: Lee Unkrich
Coco is a 2017 American 3D computer-animated musical fantasy adventure film directed by Lee... more on Wikipedia
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The NeverEnding Story
Gerald McRaney, Limahl
Released: 1984
Directed by: Wolfgang Petersen
The NeverEnding Story is a 1984 West German epic fantasy film based on the novel of the same... more on Wikipedia
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Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island
Mark Hamill, Frank Welker
Released: 1998
Directed by: Jim Stenstrum, Kazumi Fukushima, Hiroshi Aoyama
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Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost
Tim Curry, Frank Welker
Released: 1999
Directed by: Jim Stenstrum
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Young Frankenstein
Gene Hackman, Mel Brooks
Released: 1974
Directed by: Mel Brooks
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Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School
Casey Kasem, Don Messick
Released: 1988
Directed by: Charles August Nichols, Ray Patterson
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Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie
David Ogden Stiers, Jim Cummings
Released: 2005
Directed by: Saul Andrew Blinkoff
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The Witches
Rowan Atkinson, Anjelica Huston
Released: 1990
Directed by: Nicolas Roeg
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The House with a Clock in Its Walls
Jack Black, Cate Blanchett
Released: 2018
Directed by: Eli Roth
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The Dark Crystal
Jim Henson, Frank Oz
Released: 1982
Directed by: Frank Oz, Jim Henson
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The Spiderwick Chronicles
Nick Nolte, Seth Rogen
Released: 2008
Directed by: Mark Waters
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Howl's Moving Castle
Akihiro Miwa, Akio Ōtsuka
Released: 2004
Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
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Teen Witch
Robyn Lively, Zelda Rubinstein
Released: 1989
Directed by: Dorian Walker
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The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
Bing Crosby, Basil Rathbone
Released: 1949
Directed by: James Algar, Clyde Geronimi, Jack Kinney
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Dracula
Bela Lugosi, Tod Browning
Released: 1931
Directed by: Tod Browning, Karl Freund
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Practical Magic
Nicole Kidman, Sandra Bullock
Released: 1998
Directed by: Griffin Dunne
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The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Rachelle Lefevre, Vlasta Vrána
Released: 1999
Directed by: Pierre Gang
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a 1999 adventure horror mystery film written by Joe Wiesenfeld...
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The Wizard of Oz
Judy Garland, Margaret Hamilton
Released: 1939
Directed by: Mervyn LeRoy, Norman Taurog, King Vidor, George Cukor, Victor Fleming
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Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein
Frank Welker, Kevin Michael Richardson
Released: 1999
Directed by: Kathi Castillo
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The House with a Clock in Its Walls