We’ve been talking a lot about scary movies and games for Halloween, but I haven’t really talked about stuff you can watch with the whole family. Here are some of my favorite kid-friendly movies for this time of year. I’ve divided them up into things appropriate for younger children, and those you should probably save until they’re a little older.
Appropriate For All
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
I think this is as good as it gets when looking for things to watch with your kids around Halloween. I grew up watching this every year, and still try to catch it whenever I can. In fact, it’s on this very night, at 8pm Eastern Time on ABC.
The Nightmare Before Christmas
I hesitated to put this on my list, only because I didn’t want to get that “What’s This?” song in my head. Since just thinking about the song lodged it in my head, I guess it doesn’t matter.
Ernest Scared Stupid
Yeah, that’s right, I’m a fan of Ernest P Worrell. And while other Ernest aficionados will tell you this is not the best of Jim Varney’s oeuvre, it’s still good watching. Know what I mean?
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
This scared me as a kid, but not so much that I didn’t watch it all the time.
Monsters, Inc.
Fun fact: we used to have a giant (I wanted to say “life-sized”, but that doesn’t make much sense when discussing a cartoon character) statue of Sully in our lobby. It was awesome. Then, one day, it disappeared, to the dismay of all. Especially to the dismay of me, because I wanted to steal him and make him the centerpiece of my cubicle.
Appropriate for Older Kids
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
If you have a child of a certain age, you probably own this movie already. And the other movies. And the costumes. And the toys. And the cookbooks. But it still bears mentioning, because it really is great to watch with the family.
The Monster Squad
I alluded to this in my Top 10 Movie Monsters post. It’s a fun movie, and if your child happens to pick up some valuable lessons to help defend your home against the inevitable zombie uprising, then so much the better.
Ghostbusters
This is not just a good movie to watch with the family — it also happens to be one of my favorite movies, period. I’m extremely excited that Ghostbusters 3 is in the works.
The Witches
This movie has Anjelica Huston as a villain, creatures by Jim Henson, and is based on a Roald Dahl novel. What more could you ask for?
Beetlejuice
I loved this movie when I was younger, and it still holds up now that I’m an adult. It’s a perfect mixture of humor for (older) kids and adults.
