Halloween is just around the corner and with it comes loads of candy, movies, costumes, and fun! Because we already have a list of the top 10 horror movies, we thought it might be a nice idea to do a list of halloween movies that are suitable for all ages – something the kids and adults will both love. I have tried to pick a good balanced selection of movies – not just horror movies, but movies that contain halloween themes: witches, ghosts, and all things spooky. I have intentionally excluded movie series (such as the Harry Potter series) and Halloween versions of popular shows (such as the Spongebob Halloween special). If you haven’t seen any of these movies, you definitely should. Be sure to tell us what movies you will be watching this halloween! This list contains a competition – further details at the bottom of the list.
More than 300 years ago, 3 witches were sentenced to die in Salem, Massachusetts and a boy was turned into a cat (a black cat, naturally). Now it’s Halloween, and the witches (who fly on – I kid you not – vacuum cleaners) are back. This time, they’ve got their eyes on immortal life and have turned their wrath on trick-or-treaters and it’s up to the 300-year-old cat to save the day.
When an arranged marriage between Victor Van Dort and Victoria Everglot reaches the rehearsals, Victor starts to worry. Spending time alone in the forest, Victor decides to practice on his own. Everything seems to go well, until he accidentally puts the ring upon the hand of a corpse. Before he knows it, Victor is in the land of dead and now has a corpse bride. Whilst everyones worries about who Victoria will marry in the land of the living, Victor desperately finds a way to get back.
Furious that her late father only willed her his gloomy-looking mansion rather than his millions, Carrigan Crittenden (Moriarty) is ready to burn the place to the ground when she discovers a map to a treasure hidden in the house. But when she enters the rickety mansion to seek her claim, she is frightened away by a wicked wave of ghosts. Determined to get her hands on this hidden fortune, she hires afterlife therapist Dr. James Harvey (Pullman) to exorcise the ghosts from the mansion. Harvey and his daugh- ter Kat (Ricci) move in, and soon Kat meets Casper, the ghost of a young boy who’s “the friendliest ghost you know.”
In a land of monsters, James P. Sullivan is king. He and his coworker/ friend Mike Wazowski are two of many monsters that work for Monsters Inc. a utility company that generates power for a very paranoid and nervous city of monsters. This power, oddly enough, is generated from the screams of children, which is produced by scaring them in their sleep. One night, however, Sully uncovers a devious plot to rid Monster city of it’s power problems, but in all the wrong ways. Together, ironically, Sully and Mike will fight to protect the innocence of the children they scare every night.
A young boy, recently orphaned, is taken to England by his grandmother. At a hotel in which they are staying, a group of witches have gathered to prepare a plot to rid the world of all children. This movie is based on the wonderful book by Roald Dahl and stars Anjelica Huston and Rown Atkinson. This is a film that the kids will definitely love. This film was produced by Jim Henson.
In a small anywhere town in any state in America, two young boys- quiet Will Halloway and somewhat rebellious Jim Nightshade-enjoy the ever-shortening days of autumn. When the boys hear about a strange traveling carnival from a lightning rod salesman, they decide to see what it is all about-but Will is fearful, as most carnivals end their tours after Labor Day. When the ominous Mr. Dark, the Illustrated Man, rides into town on a dark midnight, setting up his massive carnival in a matter of seconds, the boys are both thrilled and terrified. A great film by Ray Bradbury.
Originally a television program, the Pufnstuf film was a real gem and has outlived the series. One of the best things about this film is that it stars Mama Cass (Cass Elliot) from the Mamas and the Papas, as Witch Hazel. The show and the film were both notable for bright colors, fast edits, sped-up film, musical segments and pop culture in-jokes, and appealed to young adults almost as much as children. Central to the film is young Jimmy and his magic flute, and a group of wicked witches who want to capture the flute for themselves. The series and movie are named after one other important character, a friendly dragon.
Jack Skellington, the pumpkin king of Halloween Town, is bored with doing the same thing every year for Halloween. One day he stumbles into Christmas Town, and is so taken with the idea of Christmas that he tries to get the resident bats, ghouls, and goblins of Halloween town to help him put on Christmas instead of Halloween — but alas, they can’t get it quite right.
After Barbara and Adam Maitland were killed in a car crash, they find themselves trapped as ghosts in their beautiful New England farmhouse. Their peace is disrupted when a yuppie family, the Deetzs, buy their house. The Maitlands are too nice and harmless as ghosts and all their efforts to scare the Deetzs away were unsuccessful. They eventually turn to another ghost ‘Beetlejuice’ for help…
Three odd-ball scientists get kicked out of their cushy positions at a university in New York City where they studied the occult. They decide to set up shop in an old firehouse and become Ghostbusters, trapping pesky ghosts, spirits, haunts, and poltergeists for money. They wise-crack their way through the city, and stumble upon a gateway to another dimension, one which will release untold evil upon the city. The Ghostbusters are called on to save the Big Apple. This film is a timeless cult classic.
If this list reaches 200 comments, one commenter will be selected at random to win a mug, shirt, or cap from the List Universe Store. In addition, the winner will be allowed to pick any one of the movies above to be included with their prize! The winner must be a registered user. As usual, comments must be related to the list and not designed just to increase the count or your chances of winning. Every comment is counted – so you can comment more than once. For those who can’t wait to get some merchandise, the store prices have now all been discounted! So be sure to check it out. All products sold at the List Universe Store are of a high quality. Shipping takes 7 – 11 days.
Sources: Some synopses are courtesy of IMDB, the Internet Movie Database
Most excellent list. Only one movie that I haven’t seen (and that is how I judge excellence, is if it falls in my frame of reference).
thunderchicken: which one haven’t you seen?
Oh, nice list! I love all these films and I have to admit I’ve rewatched far to many of them to the point I actually think I couldnt watch Ghostbusters again for a couple of years.
I heard they are making a new ghost busters movie, but will it ever be up to par as the original?
Fun list! Go figure Tim Burton would have 3 entries.
I love films 9, 6, 3,2 and 1, although I hate the way THe Nightmare Before Christmas has become so ‘cool’ among the emo/goth kids. I would love a t-shirt or a badge for my bag but I’d just be accused of being emo, grr. One of the extra features on the dvd is a brilliant short film called ‘Vincent’ about a little boy who wants to be Vincent Price and it’s narrated by Mr. Price himself. Believe it or not, me and my boyfriend’s ‘specila’ song is the Ghostbusters theme by Ray Parker Jr. We have a sense of humour!!
Seriously good list, I haven’t seen Something wicked and have never even heard of Pufnstuf so I’m surprised to see them so high up.
That should be ‘special’ – give me a break I’m not long up and my eyes are doing weird things today
Ya can’t re-do ghostbusters!!!!! Thats just wrong.
Oooohh! I LOVE this list, and I’ve seen them all!!!! Excellent list. Can’t even choose my fav, they’re all so so good. Made my day with this list. Missing Addams Family thou me thinks!
what about simspns halloween specials
Paulb: absolutely not – no remake of ghost busters would ever be as good as the original!
ligeia: love the nickname – presumably related to the Poe short story Ligeia.
Great List! I’ve seen everything but the Pufnstuf; I must try and find it.
Ligeia, your “special” song made me laugh out loud! Ours is Rocket Man by Elton John! Ha ha! And no! Spinners right, can’t re-do Ghostbusters! that’s plain wrong!
how about ernest scared stupid? i love that movie
A great list, I’ve watched 8,7,6 and 1. All were exceptional movies.
Comment 6: Goth doesn’t fall under the category of emo.
Donna: I loved the Addams family TV series – though I watched it in re-run – I didn’t even mind the old in-jokes that made no sense to my generation
Peadaddy: read the intro to this list – I excluded Halloween specials from regular shows.
bekkhild: good luck finding it – I tried to find it on Amazon.com and it wasn’t there. I suspect the film company hasn’t done a DVD release which is a great shame as it is incredibly fun and shows Mama Cass in her prime – not long before her untimely death of a heart attack.
Hemza: as I said in the list – Pufnstuf holds a special place in my heart – hence allowing my bias to put it so high on the list. But, if you see it you will understand why. Furthermore, the series on TV was incredibly popular and the film had some great stars, so it deserves a new audience.
jfrater: absolutely, I’m a big Poe fan. And a big fan of Vincent Price, which is great because he was in so many screen adaptations of Poe stories, including The Tomb Of Ligeia
Donna: well, we don’t like traditional ‘romantic’ songs and we both love Ghost Busters and that song is brilliant so it seemed like an obvious choice
Toolhead: I know, that’s why I put a / between them. TNBC is something that is used as an emblem of their culture by both the emo and goth kids around where I live.
Addams Family seriously rocks my world, whether it be the TV series or the films (first two only)! And Beetlejuice is class. I demand more films like these too be made!
Fun list, thanks.. my recomendation for kids nowdays would be ‘Halloweentown’ it is family friendly, has some good costumes, and who doesn’t love Debbie Reynolds?
My kids are grown now, but when they were younger we always watched Charlie Brown’s Great Pumpkin. I would also rent some older B movies like ‘The Tingler’ and we’d sit around a bowl of popcorn and wait for the HORROR to begin!!!
Thanks Vincent Price
I heard that the movie wasn’t very successful but I really liked Monster House !…
Funny, Scary, with an 80′s spirit… great movie.
What about The original Saw or Cannibal Holocaust? i thought that would surely make the list
Great list, as usual! All about the Burton films myself, though haven’t seen most of the older ones on here. The music from Nightmare before Christmas is fantastic.
Yeah, I was expecting to see Cannibal Holocaust on here too. Good list, though.
I love Nightmare Before Christmas. Actually havent seen all of these though, should look into more
I love the corpse bride, it was actually very funny yet romantic……Tim Burton’s movie are the best!!!!!!
Agh, The Witches. That still terrifies me.
sooooo hope i win
Nightmare Before Christmas is by far one of my favorite movies. But not one of those weird fans who buys all the action figures and dolls at hot topic lol. But pretty good list I remember watching alot of them.
Paulb (#22): ermm – this is a list of “family friendly” horrors – I think Saw and Cannibal Holocaust are not so entertaining for kids – to say the least
okay – I just realized that Paulb and Baxter were being sarcastic – ignore my last comment
the witches… that freaked me out so bad. I still can’t watch it. for kids???
As the world’s biggest HR Pufnstuf fan, how did I not know there was a movie??!!??
5 and 4 are the only two I haven’t seen, but definitely approve of everything else. I also agree, I miss seeing the Addams family on this list.
I also agree with the whole Nightmare Before Christmas thing. I’ve loved that movie since I was a kid, and now it seems to be just a trend for all these emo/scene/goth kids to love it.
Nice list.
Great list! Wow, a movie list where I have seen almost all the movies. Amazing. Although I love Beetlejuice, the first time I watched it as a young girl, I remember getting really scared during a couple of scenes. When I rewatched it as a adult, I had to laugh at myself. I may have been a bit overly sensitive back then. lol I have to agree with Lynn in Oregon, my kids love the Halloweentown movies and I can even watch them with minimal cringing.
I absolutely loved (and was afraid of) The Witches -novel as a kid, but I had no idea it was made into a film. I definitely need to check it out sometime.
I have seen all except the pufnstuf movie. I knew about the kids show, but a movie too? I love each and every one of these. I thought something like Monster House would be on here. I am glad you picked much better movies than that.
I would put Nightmare before Christmas number one because it is the best HALLOWEEN movie on the list ghostbusters is a good solid one tho but i dont think it beats out the Halloween King from behind the pumpkin door!
I was expecting Practical Magic to make the cut. One of the first ones on the top 10 list, but I still expected to see it.
Really nice list.
It’s good to have some suggestions of movies to watch with the whole family… In general, your mother doesn’t want to watch Halloween or Friday the 13th with you. heaoiuheaioueah
No Mr. Boogedy on the list?!?! I remember that being one of my absolute favorite family-type “scary” movies growing up.
Also, another great family movie which I remember as being slightly scary was Darby O’Gill and the Little People. That isn’t so much a Halloween movie, though.
Must say GREAT list. I love number 10….so much in fact that I had two black cats a a kid growing up and one was named Zachary and the other was named Binx. lol! I also was a avid fan of Beetle Juice as a kid. I was in this class and we also did these impromptu pro/con speech things and no matter what card I got I always so how managed to link my speech with Beetle Juice. I love Halloween movies…from the bloody and frightening to the cute and funny. Thanks for the awesome list.
You know…I have never seen The Nightmare Before Christmas which is apparently unheard of for people in my age group
Thanks for the list jfrater! I’m thinking about having a movie night this Halloween, and I’m not into horror movies, so these are perfect!
I must say that Ive seen all of these movies, minus the one that came out in the 70′s that starts with “Put” anyway, by far my favorite of the list is The Witches! Good stuff JFrater!
I would have totally mentioned Mr. Boogedy if it wasn’t already mentioned. Another kid friendly Halloween movie is the Halloweentown series made by Disney(shocker). My kids enjoy them and they are definitely original…
this is a great list..
infact, apart from 4 and 5 i just knew the others would make the list.
although, i always found ‘the witches’ quite frightening as a child.. the rowan atkinson factor must have balanced it out.
PS.
beatle juice is a brilliant film, maybe not totally family friend (as i recall some bad language) but still.. just great.
thank you so much for this list
oh, and how good is rick moranis in ghostbusters.. anyone?
I couldn’t agree more with the top 2! But I agree Beetle Juice and even Ghostbusters may not be identified by some people as family friendly. I was allowed to watch them growing up and loved them though.
I didn’t remember Pufnstuf until I thought about it for a few minutes after reading the list. That was a really strange show & movie. And didn’t they have a lot of drug-related double meanings?
I mean, the show is called Pufnstuf (Puffin’ on some stuff??). I didn’t notice any particular drug references, but I do remember people talking about it.
Great of you to mention H.R. Pufnstuff. Excellent tv show, excellent movie. A fave.
Did you all know that the originators of Pufnstuff successfully sued McDonald’s for stealing Grimace, The Hamburgler et al? Sid and Marty Krofft (Canadians btw) were consulted and offered licensing. The Kroffts were fired, McDonaldland went ahead without them. It worked out in the end. McDonald’s had to pay.
who you gonna call?
Maelstorm: I love Earnest Scared Stupid. I even saw that in the theaters for my birthday (right before Halloween) when it came out in 1991. Loved it then and still love it now.
When I saw the title of this list, I knew it would be Burton-heavy… and rightly so! Although the Corpse Bride did not liveup to my expectations, havign seen TNBC in theatres when I was a teenager.
I knew as I read this that Beetljuice had to be on here… I would have been flaming madif it wasn’t! It not only wasmy intro to Winona Ryder, Calypso music, and a more macabe Micheal Keaton (didn’t he do Batman that year too, with Jack Nichelson?)Whcih, id I am not mistaken, are both Burton gems…
“Shahe, shake, shake seniora, shake your body line…”
rtr
I LOVE Hocus Pocus, it is one of my favorite movies. I have never seen Nightmare Before Christmas and it is on my must see list this month!
I cannot take this list seriously since it omits Wallace and Gromit’s Curse of the WereRabbit. That movie was certainly better than Hocus Pocus and Casper. And it’s more kid-friendly than all but Monster’s Inc.
Thanks, jfrater, I had completely blocked Something Wicked This Way Comes from my memory until this list. That carousel just creeped me out as a kid!
Great list!
Donna (19) There was a third Adams Family? Ugh.
Although I do like the second one..that camp scene is classic!
Does anyone know if Something Wicked This Way Comes is a book? I vaguely remember seeing the title in a bookstore/library awhile ago.
Great choices really, maybe u shoudda included Scooby Doo and the Boo brothers, i mean…I know it’s cra*py, but i used to love watching that on halloween
)
There are quite a few movies listed here that I’ve yet to see! Good job! My favorite is The Nightmare Before Christmas, but close second is Monsters, Inc.
Very good list, I enjoyed it!