Family Halloween Movies, From Cozy to a Little Creepy
Fifteen picks the whole family can agree on, starting with a monster hotel and ending with two for teenagers.
Not everybody on the couch wants to be scared. Some of them want monsters who are mostly just silly, a ghost who needs a friend, and a song they can sing along to.
So this list runs from gentlest to spookiest. The top half works for just about any age, and the bottom few are better for older kids who like a little bit of a fright. Pick your spot and grab the candy.
Every film here is one we rated Good or better.
Good
Hotel Transylvania (2012)
Dracula runs a resort where monsters can finally relax, and then a goofy backpacker wanders in. Adam Sandler is the big surprise as a funny, theatrical and very overprotective dad, and Steve Buscemi’s worn-out werewolf, buried in pups, steals every scene he is in. Bright, bouncy and cheerful, it is the easiest pick on the list for a whole family to agree on.
Good
Minions & Monsters (2026)
The Minions team up with just about every villain Hollywood ever made, and the early jokes are gold. The real villain leans a little odd for some ages, but this one never tries to be anything more than a good time, and it knows exactly what it is. Light, funny and easy, which is what a family movie night is for.
Good
Casper (1995)
A lonely kid, a creepy old mansion, and a ghost who just wants a friend. Christina Ricci and that sweet little ghost carry the whole movie, and the mansion feels more magical than scary. The Ghostly Trio wear out their welcome and the treasure hunt drags, but it is warm, gentle and still a lovely watch for younger kids.
Good
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
The one that counts for both holidays! Halloween Town is all grays, oranges and crooked buildings, then Jack stumbles into snowy, glowing Christmas Town, and the stop-motion is gorgeous the whole way through. Henry Selick directed it, whatever the poster says. The story is thin, but “This Is Halloween” will be stuck in your head for days.
Good
Hocus Pocus (1993)
October in movie form. Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy are clearly having the time of their lives as the Sanderson sisters, and “I Put a Spell on You” lives up to every bit of the hype. The middle sags whenever the witches are off screen, and it is a touch creepy for the very youngest, but add a blanket and some candy corn and it does exactly what it is supposed to.
Good
Wicked (2024)
Not a scary movie at all, but it has a green witch, a broom and more magic than anything else on this list. It looks stunning, Ariana Grande was born to play Galinda, and Cynthia Erivo gives a powerhouse performance as Elphaba, right up to a final number that might bring a tear to your eye. It is only part one of two, and if musicals are not your thing it will not change your mind, but for everyone else it is a treat!
Great
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001)
You probably know it as Sorcerer’s Stone, and it feels like coming home. Hogwarts looks lived in, the Great Hall glows with candlelight, and John Williams’s score gives you goosebumps before the first class even starts. Alan Rickman owns every scene, and there is even a troll loose in the castle on Halloween night. Never been to Hogwarts? Start here!
Good
Ghostbusters (2016)
Fast, funny and not too scary for younger viewers, with an opening that has just the right amount of eerie in it. Kate McKinnon steals the show, and Chris Hemsworth leans all the way into the bumbling receptionist and is hilarious every time he is on screen. The villain is forgettable, but the ghost-busting is a blast.
Great
Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)
A mom and her kids move into an inherited farmhouse because it is the only option they can afford, and it is full of secrets. The everyday stuff is what makes the ghosts land, and Mckenna Grace is perfect as Phoebe, the brilliant, awkward, quietly fearless granddaughter of a Ghostbuster. It honors the originals without leaning on them, and it has a lot of heart.
Good
Frankenweenie (2012)
A boy brings his dog back to life with a bolt of lightning. It sounds like a gimmick, but underneath it is about a kid who is not ready to say goodbye to his best friend, and it hits harder than you expect. The black-and-white stop-motion is a love letter to the old monster movies. Fair warning for parents: it is darker than most kids’ movies.
Great
Coraline (2009)
The gentlest real scare on the list, and the one for kids who want to be a little bit frightened. Henry Selick’s stop-motion still looks like nothing else, the real world is all muted greys while the Other World glows, and those button eyes will stay with you for days. It builds its tension patiently instead of reaching for jump scares, and it never talks down to younger viewers.
Good
The Mummy (1999)
Rated PG-13, so this is where the list starts to be for older kids. Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz trade banter all the way through 1926 Egypt, and it plays almost like a theme park ride, with real scares mixed into the jokes. The CGI mummy looks dated now, but it is still a fun, swashbuckling adventure.
Good
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)
From here on, the list is for teenagers. Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara are as delightful as ever, Jenna Ortega is exactly what the sequel needed, and the Soul Train sequence is a brilliant bit of weird. It is PG-13 and Tim Burton at his strangest, so save it for the older crowd.
Good
Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023)
A teen-friendly scarefest that knows exactly who it is for. It is too much for small kids, but it leans on atmosphere and surprise rather than gore, the animatronics are both fun and unsettling, and the pizzeria has all the Chuck E. Cheese nostalgia you could ask for. Some of it is cheesy, and that is part of the charm. Watch it with a fan of the games and their excitement will be contagious.
Good
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 (2025)
The last stop, and a more confident swing than the first. The production design is sharper, the animatronics are a clear upgrade, and the new villain is super creepy, so much that you will wish she had more scenes. A few chases wrap up a beat too early, but it is a fun, atmospheric ride, and you do not need to know the games to enjoy it.
Ready for a real scare? Our Halloween Movies, From Fun to Truly Scary list picks up where this one leaves off, starting with a singalong and ending somewhere much darker.