60 Best Kids' Halloween Movies to Watch All Spooky Season Long
From ultimate classics to new favorites, these kid-friendly scary movies are ready for family movie night.
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When it comes Halloween time, there's nothing better than popping the popcorn, turning off the lights, and watching a spooky movie together as a family. But there's a line between fun-scary and terrifying, and it's important to stay on the right side of it to avoid staying up all night with wide-awake kids too nervous to go in their own rooms alone.
Here, the best kids' Halloween movies for every scare tolerance. Some are short specials or TV movies that are good for even the littlest trick-or-treaters. There are some classics that adults might remember fondly from their own sleepovers and movie marathons, plus some newer entries into the kid-horror canon. And then there are a couple selections for tweens and teens who are ready for something more pulse-pounding. Just add Halloween candy, and the night is set!
KPop Demon Hunters (2025)
Like the kids in your life needed another excuse to watch KPop Demon Hunters: The movie has already become one of Netflix's most watch of all time, and has even charted songs on the Billboard Top 100. For the uninitiated, it follows a KPop girl group that moonlights with an unusual profession: hunting demons, and safeguarding the Honmoon, the barrier between the human world and demon world. Only things get complicated when a group of demons emerges posing as a rival pop group. After claiming the No. 1 spot at the box office, Netflix also released a sing-along version for kids who want to keep the Honmoon sealed at home. This is a good one for Halloween family time, since it's about demons, but not very scary. MPAA Rating: PG
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)
It just isn't Halloween until the Great Pumpkin descends and brings this sincere 25-minute holiday special to TV screens. Lots of Halloween movies for kids delve into the excitement and joy of the holiday, but only the Peanuts can cover the disappointment of it, too, and still have it be entertaining for families. Rating: TV-G
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Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)
You can't keep a good bio-exorcist down, and last year saw the return of a classic Halloween personality. This time, the ghost with the most has to reunite with his old friend, Lydia Deetz, when she becomes concerned with the morbidness of her teenage daughter. MPAA Rating: PG-13
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Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)
Kiki's Delivery Service is from legendary animation director Hayao Miyazaki—director of My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke and other acclaimed films from Japan's Studio Ghibli—so it's never a bad time to throw on one of his films for kids. But this one, about a good witch who uses her flying broom to start a delivery service, is perfect for Halloween and isn't scary in the least. Plus, it's got a cute cat. All this makes for an excellent first Halloween film for new movie-watchers. MPAA Rating: G
The Wolf Man (1941)
Families who want to introduce older kids to the classic Universal monsters could start with The Wolf Man, starring Lon Chaney, Jr. in one of his most iconic roles. Still too scary? Try Abbott and Costello Meet the Frankenstein for a comedic twist on werewolves, Dracula, The Invisible Man, and other monsters. MPAA Rating: PG
Coco (2017)
This movie is filled with skeletons—but in a good way that won't always scare kids. It's actually about the Day of the Dead, and not Halloween, so it's perfect for kids who don't like stories about monsters and trick-or-treaters. In it, a kid named Miguel accidentally finds himself in the Land of the Dead, and he needs to rely on his (deceased) family to help him get back to the world of the living. Along the way, he learns more about his own family history and gets a greater appreciation for his family's past. MPAA Rating: PG
Night of the Zoopocalypse (2025)
This kid-friendly scary movie has a real adult-horror-fan pedigree: The idea came from Clive Barker, the creator of the Hellraiser series. Only this time, it's more of a zombie story, where animals in a zoo have to escape a gummy-infection outbreak. MPAA Rating: PG
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
What's this, what's this? It's the story of Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King, told by macabre master Tim Burton and stop-motion animation legend Henry Selick. When Jack decides he wants to head up Christmas instead of Halloween, things don't go as he planned. Since it spans two holidays, you can watch it any time between October and December. MPAA Rating: PG
Orion and the Dark (2024)
This doesn't have the strongest Halloween vibes, but it is about kids facing fears. Orion is an anxious 11-year-old with many insecurities—until he meets one of them face-to-face: the Dark. The Dark takes Orion through the world of nighttime to help him find his courage. It's written by Charlie Kaufman, the writer behind adult faves like Being John Malkovich and Adaptation. Rating: TV-Y7
Ghostbusters (1984)
Older movie fans hankering for something other than little-kid Halloween movies may be placated by this one, which is certainly more grown-up—watch out for some sexual situations—but is just as much a comedy as it is a ghost story. If they like it, they can move on to the sequel, the 2016 reboot with Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy, or the two newest entries, Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, which finally let kids strap on the proton packs for themselves. MPAA Rating: PG
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Sketch (2025)
New this year, Sketch follows a young girl who loves to draw giant monsters in her notebook. When the notebook falls into a magic pond, her sketches wind up coming to life, and her family has to work together to keep her creations from wreaking havoc. It's worth watching just for the doodly monster designs alone. MPAA Rating: PG
Coraline (2009)
Coraline is a good one to watch with family because it's actually about the relationship between parents and kids. Based on the 2002 children's book by Neil Gaiman, the stop-motion film is about a family that moves to a new apartment complex. Busy with unpacking and work, Coraline's parents don't always have time for her. One day, she discovers a magic door that takes her to a parallel universe, where an "other mother" promises her everything her heart desires. But kids should be careful what they wish for, right? This one is also directed by Henry Selick, who made The Nightmare Before Christmas. MPAA Rating: PG
Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
Before they wrote the music for The Little Mermaid, Alan Menken and Howard Ashman wrote the songs for this '50s B-movie-inspired musical about a flower-shop worker and his man-eating plant. Yes, the murderous antics of the vegetation are terrifying, but the music is so catchy, it kind of takes the sting out of it all. MPAA Rating: PG-13
Spirited Away (2002)
Another one from director Hayao Miyazaki, the dazzling visuals of Spirited Away helped it earn a Best Animated Feature Academy Award nomination when it came out. In it, a family gets lost and winds up in a world of spirits, which turn the parents into pigs. Their daughter goes on a mission to turn them back, running into hungry ghosts, difficult witches, and soot sprites along the way. It does get scary at times. If kids want the otherworldly creatures without the peril, they might prefer Miyazaki's My Neighbor Totoro, about a friendly troll-like being who mostly looks like a woodland creature (and also some more soot sprites). MPAA Rating: PG
Toy Story of Terror (2014)
Something for the little ones: This one is only 20 minutes long, and it's definitely for the kids who love Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and all their friends (along with adults who will recognize the B-movie conventions). When Mr. Potato Head goes missing at a roadside motel, Woody and the rest of the toys go on a spooky and mysterious adventure to bring him back before Bonnie and her family check out and leave him behind. Rating: TV-G
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E.T. the Extra Terrestrial (1982)
Who could forget the scene of E.T. trick-or-treating with a blonde wig, hat and dress? For something with a nostalgic appeal, this Steven Spielberg classic has a lot of peril and suspense, but there are no ghosts, ghouls or witches, which might make it a good choice for family movie night. MPAA Rating: PG
Muppets Haunted Mansion (2021)
This hourlong special brings together Muppets and Disney Parks, and it's hard to imagine a better combination. Things get spooky when Gonzo agrees to spend the night in a haunted house, and fans of the Haunted Mansion attraction will recognize certain characters and scenes he encounters. (Two words: "Madam Pigota.") Taraji P. Henson, John Stamos, Yvette Nicole Brown and Darren Criss all guest star. Rating: TV-PG
The Addams Family (1991)
Kids who are into the Addams antics thanks to Netflix's Wednesday TV series can enjoy even more kooky fun with this movie. Anjelic Houston, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd, and Christina Ricci star in a star in this one, a caper about what happens when Uncle Fester (Lloyd) suddenly returns from having been lost in the Bermuda Triangle. If the kids like this one, show them The Addams Family Values at Thanksgiving. MPAA Rating: PG-13
We Have a Ghost (2023)
This is for the older ones out there, the teens and elder tweens. It's about a family who moves into a house only to find out that it's haunted—and that the ghost might be their ticket to social-media fame and riches. And while it's good for families with older kids, the director has a pedigree in adult horror, having made Happy Death Day and Freaky. MPAA Rating: PG-13
The Scariest Story Ever: A Mickey Mouse Halloween Spooktacular (2017)
In this 22-minute special, done in the style of the excellent The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse series, Mickey is challenged to tell the scariest Halloween tale. When his and Donald's nephews deem his first yarn too tame, he tells two more, each dialing up the fear factor. And yet, they all have a lot of zany humor to cut the tension. Rating: TV-G
Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; previously, she wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother. She lives with her toy-collecting husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found helping out her team at bar trivia or posting about movies on Twitter and Bluesky.
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