Do you love fall and the excuse Halloween brings to watch every spooky movie ever made? We at Nerds are right there with you, but sometimes our favorite spooky movies aren’t exactly the most family friendly. So if you love all things spooky but also want to share your love with the kids in your life, here are 10 spooky movies to watch with the whole family.
1. It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown
We’re kicking off the list with a Halloween classic. From Linus’ unwavering belief in the Great Pumpkin to Charlie Brown’s ever tragic luck to Sally’s, It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown has something for everyone in your family.
You can find this Halloween favorite streaming on Apple TV.
2. Scooby-Doo and the Goblin King
While there are certainly many Scooby-Doo movies that would be right at home on this list, Scooby-Doo and the Goblin King actually takes place on Halloween, earning it it’s place in this list. The 2008 film follows Scooby and Shaggy as they have to journey to the underworld to stop a magician who has stumbled across real magic. With fun musical numbers and special voice guests including Tim Curry, Wayne Knight, Hayden Panettiere, and Wallace Shawn, this is just the spooky mystery you need to watch this season
You can find this spooky Scooby-Doo film streaming on Boomerang.
3. Monsters, Inc.
While Monsters, Inc. might not be the first movie you think of when looking for a spooky film, don’t forget it is a story about monsters. While the overall story is not innately spooky, the concept of an entire movie about the monsters in your closet is definitely spooky. Plus, if that the scene with the scream extractor wasn’t scary the first time you watched, did you even watch the movie?
You can find the movie that introduced everyone’s favorite monsters over on Disney+.
4. Casper Meets Wendy
This one is a bit more obscure than our first three. A straight to video release from 1998, Casper Meets Wendy brings Harvey Comics cartoon characters Casper the Friendly Ghost and Wendy the Good Little Witch together for a live-action adventure in which the ghost and witch must put bad blood aside to deal with the plans of a malevolent warlock. Featuring Hilary Duff’s first major film appearance, this story is just the right mix of lighthearted fun and supernatural spookiness to get any family ready for Halloween.
You can find this ghostly film streaming on Xfinity Stream. Don’t sleep on the original live-action Casper film either.
5. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
Another classic animation, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad is a pair of Disney shorts that reimagine the literary classics Tale of Sleepy Hollow and Wind in the Willows. Opening with the vaguely terrifying tale of Ichabod Crane and his run in with the headless horseman, this feature has the spooky scare factor you’re looking for. The story of Mr. Toad that follows is lighthearted enough to calm the kids down from their fright.
You can find this Disney classic streaming over on Disney+.
6. The Spiderwick Chronicles
Another title based on a book, The Spiderwick Chronicles is an adaptation of the Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi series of the same name. Starring a young Freddie Highmore as twins who unbury their great-great Uncle’s field guide to the magical creatures who share their world, the film follows the boys as they discover why the field guide was hidden in the first place. Complete with goblins, sprites, and an evil being who wants to take over the magical world, this movie is a spooky adventure for all who dare to watch.
You can find this captivating book adaptation streaming on Netflix.
7. Spooky Buddies
One of Disney’s many Buddies movies, Spooky Buddies lives up to its name. With an evil warlock and a hound from hell wreaking havoc on Halloween, the buddies and their owners must work to stop the duo before it’s too late. While this is admittedly one of the cheesier entries on the list, it’s definitely worth a watch with the kids this spooky season.
You can find this dog-gone good movie streaming on Disney+.
8. Scoob!
The newest would-be-theatrical Scooby-Doo flick, Scoob!, ticked all the boxes for a great Scooby story and a top notch spooky kids film. Featuring an all-star voice cast, the film incorporates a ton of classic Hanna-Barbera characters that adults will enjoy seeing, while still keeping true to the Scooby gang we all know and love. Not to mention a journey to *spoiler alert* the gates of Hell just to make sure the film isn’t too lighthearted.
You can grab a copy of this modern Scooby flick to stream here.
9. Toy Story of Terror
Technically you could argue that this isn’t a movie. It’s a Disney-Pixar short, but one that totally deserves to be on this list. The 21-minute special drops everyone’s favorite toys into the perfect setting for a horror flick and then plays on those tropes. With characters suddenly disappearing, mysterious shapes in the dark, and an evil mastermind (of sorts) this is the perfect horror/thriller for kids. Especially since it’s set between the third and fourth Toy Story movies, so the kids know their favorite characters make it out okay. So if you’re looking to get the kids in your life converted to horror fans early, this might be a good place to start.
You can find this short film streaming on Disney+.
10. The Addams Family (2019)
The final entry on this list was a difficult choice, because there are so many versions of this story to choose from. The Addams Family was such a classic spooky-style show and it has spawned some great movies. However, for this list we had to go with the 2019 animated feature. Not only is the animation great, the music on point, and the story heartwarming — I know, not what you usually look for in a spooky film — but so many of the classic spooky elements of The Addams Family are present. From the carnivorous plants, to Thing the severed hand, to the haunting of the house itself there are more than enough spooky elements to warrant watching this movie at least once this season.
You can find this animated take on the classic show on Hulu or Paramount+.
While these certainly are not the only family-friendly spooky films out there, we’ve already covered some of our other favorites including Halloweentown, Hotel Transylvania, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Hocus Pocus. So explore the titles from this list and get out there and celebrate this spooky season with your family of all ages!
