Fun Halloween Movies and Shows
Relatively family friendly titles for Halloween time! Not all of these are Halloween themed or take place on Halloween, but they all have a Halloween feel to them. (In no particular order).
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42 titles
- DirectorJoel SchumacherStarsGerard ButlerEmmy RossumPatrick WilsonA young soprano becomes the obsession of a disfigured and murderous musical genius who lives beneath the Paris Opéra House.This is a great movie musical. The subject matter is a little bit dark (some non-gory killing, two skippable scenes) but most kids should be fine. My younger sister grew up watching this one. You could also watch the 1925(?) silent movie version if you really wanted to.
- DirectorGene WilderStarsGene WilderGilda RadnerDom DeLuiseTwo radio voice actors are getting married. Larry has fits of fear. A shrink needs 36 hours to scare him to death and cure him - during a family reunion at a scary family castle.A really fun haunted house movie. It's a little creepy at times but most kids would probably be able to handle it.
- DirectorHenry SelickStarsDanny ElfmanChris SarandonCatherine O'HaraJack Skellington, king of Halloween Town, discovers Christmas Town, but his attempts to bring Christmas to his home causes confusion.A whimsical tale of a skeleton who wants to celebrate Christmas.
- DirectorMel BrooksStarsGene WilderMadeline KahnMarty FeldmanAn American grandson of the infamous scientist, struggling to prove that his grandfather was not as insane as people believe, is invited to Transylvania, where he discovers the process that reanimates a dead body.Another Halloween classic. If you haven't seen this one, WATCH IT!
- CreatorKatie KrentzPatrick McHaleStarsElijah WoodCollin DeanMelanie LynskeyTwo brothers find themselves lost in a mysterious land and try to find their way home.This is a really great series that has a major connection with Halloween. The episodes are 10 minutes long so if you watch them all nonstop it's like watching a full-length movie. Don't forget to watch the original short, "Tome of the Unknown" first. You won't miss anything storywise if you don't, but it's another episode about Wirt and Greg. A lot of the animation in OTGW was inspired by vintage animation like Disney, Betty Boop, Popeye, and Felix the Cat. It would be really fun to watch this alongside some classic shorts like "Goddess of Spring" and "Skeleton Dance".
- DirectorPatrick McHaleStarsWarren BurtonCollin DeanNatasha LeggeroTome Of The Unknown is an animated short about Wirt and Gregory who get tired of walking so they borrow a car from a romantic songster made of vegetables. This film was produced by Cartoon Network Studios in Burbank, CA and stars Elijah Wood as Wirt.
- DirectorDuwayne DunhamStarsAly MichalkaJohnny PacarFrank LangellaA budding producer searches for the country's best young magician.This is a great magic themed movie. It's probably one of my favorite non-musical Disney Channel Original Movies of all time. Not Halloween themed per say but it is actually really good.
- DirectorKenny OrtegaStarsBette MidlerSarah Jessica ParkerKathy NajimyA teenage boy named Max and his little sister move to Salem, where he struggles to fit in before awakening a trio of diabolical witches that were executed in the 17th century.How could I not put this one on the list?
- CreatorRod SerlingStarsRod SerlingRobert McCordJay OverholtsOrdinary people find themselves in extraordinarily astounding situations, which they each try to solve in a remarkable manner.I haven't watched The Twilight Zone Movie, but I do really love the tv series. I like that there are all different themes within the horror genre that are explored. Most episodes aren't really that scary so young kids would probably be fine.
- CreatorAlex HirschStarsJason RitterAlex HirschKristen SchaalTwin siblings Dipper and Mabel Pines spend the summer at their great-uncle's tourist trap in the enigmatic Gravity Falls, Oregon.A mystery themed cartoon with its share of weird creatures and unexplained events. There is even a Halloween-- ehem, Summerween episode.
- DirectorTim BurtonStarsJohnny DeppWinona RyderDianne WiestThe solitary life of an artificial man - who was incompletely constructed and has scissors for hands - is upended when he is taken in by a suburban family.A different take on Beauty and the Beast. Quirky and heartwarming all the same.
- DirectorTim BurtonMike JohnsonStarsJohnny DeppHelena Bonham CarterEmily WatsonWhen a shy groom practices his wedding vows in the inadvertent presence of a deceased young woman, she rises from the grave assuming he has married her.Death doesn't have to be dreary.
- DirectorClyde GeronimiJack KinneyStarsBing CrosbyBilly BletcherPinto ColvigIn a small town, a brewing romantic rivalry with a local tough and a school-teacher culminates in a terrifying ride in the night.A Disney classic!
- CreatorSydney NewmanStarsJodie WhittakerPeter CapaldiPearl MackieThe further adventures in time and space of the alien adventurer known as the Doctor and his companions from planet Earth.The revival of "Doctor Who" is awesome! There are tons of episodes that would that would fit in with Halloween but here are some of my favorites: "Blink", "The Girl in the Fireplace", "Night Terrors", "The Shakespeare Code", "The God Complex", "Hide", "The Angels Take Manhattan", and "Vincent and the Doctor". As far as I remember these are all standalone episodes so if you don't want to sell your soul to the Doctor and Steven Moffat, watch these.
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsChristian BaleHugh JackmanScarlett JohanssonAfter a tragic accident, two stage magicians in 1890s London engage in a battle to create the ultimate illusion while sacrificing everything they have to outwit each other.A fun magic themed movie. Probably best for middle schoolers and up (younger kids would probably be bored anyway).
- CreatorJohnny CappsJulian JonesJake MichieStarsJohn HurtColin MorganBradley JamesThese are the brand new adventures of Merlin, the legendary sorcerer as a young man, when he was just a servant to young Prince Arthur on the royal court of Camelot, who has soon become his best friend, and turned Arthur into a great king and a legend.A fun retelling of the King Arthur story. Lots of magic and monsters.
- DirectorChris ColumbusStarsDaniel RadcliffeRupert GrintEmma WatsonAn orphaned boy enrolls in a school of wizardry, where he learns the truth about himself, his family and the terrible evil that haunts the magical world.I only listed the first one but all of the Harry Potter movies would be fun for Halloween. For elementary school kids I would stick with the first two.
- DirectorGore VerbinskiStarsJohnny DeppGeoffrey RushOrlando BloomBlacksmith Will Turner teams up with eccentric pirate "Captain" Jack Sparrow to save his love, the governor's daughter, from Jack's former pirate allies, who are now undead.Again, I only listed the first one but the whole series is perfect for Halloween.
- DirectorRob MinkoffStarsEddie MurphyMarsha ThomasonJennifer TillyA realtor and his wife and children are summoned to a mansion, which they soon discover is haunted, and while they attempt to escape, he learns an important lesson about the family he has neglected.Not a great movie, but the sets and costumes are awesome! A "horror" movie kids could watch, especially if you're familiar with the Disney ride.
- 1997–20231h 29mUnrated6.2 (4.1K)TV EpisodeDirectorD.J. MacHaleStarsSteve GuttenbergNia PeeplesMichael McShaneA disgraced reporter investigates an abandoned luxury hotel where five people mysteriously disappeared sixty years earlier.Another movie that's not the best, but if you're a Disnerd like me you'll appreciate the Disney ride tie-in. Kids would be fine watching this one.
- DirectorMatthew VaughnStarsCharlie CoxClaire DanesSienna MillerIn a countryside town bordering on a magical land, a young man makes a promise to his beloved that he'll retrieve a fallen star by venturing into the magical realm.This is a really fun twisted fairytale movie. Some of the subject matter is a little adult so I would recommend middle school and up, but little kids won't be scarred for life after watching this one. (My little sister also watched this one as a kindergartener).
- DirectorTommy O'HaverStarsAnne HathawayHugh DancyCary ElwesElla is under a spell to be constantly obedient, a fact she must hide from her new stepfamily in order to protect the prince of the land, her friend for whom she's falling.One of my favorite page to screen adaptations (even though the movie and the book are COMPLETELY different). It's a really sweet and quirky twist on Cinderella.
- DirectorWilfred JacksonStarsKenny BakerJessica DragonetteTudor WilliamsThe lovely goddess of spring, Persephone, is kidnapped by Hades, thus bringing about the winter season.I am a huge fan of Greek myths and this short depicting the story of Hades and Persephone is definitely fitting for Halloween.
- DirectorJames AlgarSamuel ArmstrongFord Beebe Jr.StarsLeopold StokowskiDeems TaylorThe Philadelphia OrchestraA series of eight famous pieces of classical music, conducted by Leopold Stokowski and interpreted in animation by Walt Disney's team of artists.There are shorts in both Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 that fit Halloween, but each story is told beautifully so I would watch the whole thing.
- DirectorJames AlgarGaëtan BrizziPaul BrizziStarsJames LevineSteve MartinItzhak PerlmanAn update of the original film with new interpretations of great works of classical music.