(Photo by Buena Vista Pictures, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros, TriStar, MGM / Courtesy: Everett Collection)

55 Best Kids Halloween Movies

Looking for a scary movie to watch with the kids and family? Or a horror movie that won’t necessarily send you scrambling beneath the covers, with a 6,000 watt night light plugged in? Then you’ve come to the right ghoulish place with our guide to some of the best children’s movies for Halloween!

There’s something for everyone, from the very young (It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, Coco) to the…well, still young, but we bet they think they’re so grown-up (The Addams Family). We’ve got animated funhouses (The Nightmare Before Christmas, Coraline, Monster House), ’80s fantasies and creepfests (The Dark Crystal, Return to Oz), and ’90s classics present and accounted for (The Witches, Hocus Pocus, Casper).

But what’s a little mayhem for the young mind without some Steven Spielberg productions like Poltergeist and Gremlins? Or the maestro of palatable twisted dreams: Tim Burton, who’s represented by Beetlejuice.

Meanwhile, modern-day fare like Goosebumps, The Addams Family, and the long-awaited Hocus Pocus sequel will keep the torch burning well into the years. In the end, we kept the list to PG and below, before we sorted the list by Tomatometer, with Certified Fresh films first. Whatever scary family movies you’re looking for, the ones you need are in our guide to the essential kids Halloween movies!

#1

Coco (2017)
Tomatometer icon 97%

#1
Adjusted Score: 117048%
Critics Consensus: Coco's rich visual pleasures are matched by a thoughtful narrative that takes a family-friendly -- and deeply affecting -- approach to questions of culture, family, life, and death.
Synopsis: Despite his family's generations-old ban on music, young Miguel dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol Ernesto de... [More]
Directed By: Lee Unkrich

#2

Spirited Away (2001)
Tomatometer icon 96%

#2
Adjusted Score: 104299%
Critics Consensus: Spirited Away is a dazzling, enchanting, and gorgeously drawn fairy tale that will leave viewers a little more curious and fascinated by the world around them.
Synopsis: 10-year-old Chihiro (Daveigh Chase) moves with her parents to a new home in the Japanese countryside. After taking a wrong... [More]
Directed By: Hayao Miyazaki

#3

Monsters, Inc. (2001)
Tomatometer icon 96%

#3
Adjusted Score: 103261%
Critics Consensus: Clever, funny, and delightful to look at, Monsters, Inc. delivers another resounding example of how Pixar elevated the bar for modern all-ages animation.
Synopsis: Monsters Incorporated is the largest scare factory in the monster world, and James P. Sullivan (John Goodman) is one of... [More]
Directed By: Pete Docter

#4
Adjusted Score: 101723%
Critics Consensus: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is a subtly touching and wonderfully eccentric adventure featuring Wallace and Gromit.
Synopsis: The plucky characters from a series of animated shorts, Wallace (Peter Sallis) and his dog, Gromit, make their feature debut... [More]
Directed By: Nick Park, Steve Box

#5

Ghostbusters (1984)
Tomatometer icon 95%

#5
Adjusted Score: 102298%
Critics Consensus: An infectiously fun blend of special effects and comedy, with Bill Murray's hilarious deadpan performance leading a cast of great comic turns.
Synopsis: After the members of a team of scientists (Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray) lose their cushy positions at a... [More]
Directed By: Ivan Reitman

#6
Adjusted Score: 105700%
Critics Consensus: The Nightmare Before Christmas is a stunningly original and visually delightful work of stop-motion animation.
Synopsis: The film follows the misadventures of Jack Skellington, Halloweentown's beloved pumpkin king, who has become bored with the same annual... [More]
Directed By: Henry Selick

#7

The Witches (1990)
Tomatometer icon 94%

#7
Adjusted Score: 97514%
Critics Consensus: With a deliciously wicked performance from Angelica Huston and imaginative puppetry by Jim Henson's creature shop, Nicolas Roeg's dark and witty movie captures the spirit of Roald Dahl's writing like few other adaptations.
Synopsis: While staying at a hotel in England with his grandmother, Helga (Mai Zetterling), young Luke (Jasen Fisher) inadvertently spies on... [More]
Directed By: Nicolas Roeg

#8

The Secret of NIMH (1982)
Tomatometer icon 93%

#8
Adjusted Score: 99797%
Critics Consensus: The Secret of NIMH seeks to resurrect the classical style of American animation and succeeds, telling a mature story with rapturous presentation.
Synopsis: Mrs. Brisby (Elizabeth Hartman), a widowed mouse, must move her children out of their home in a field before the... [More]
Directed By: Don Bluth

#9

Coraline (2009)
Tomatometer icon 91%

#9
Adjusted Score: 102481%
Critics Consensus: With its vivid stop-motion animation combined with Neil Gaiman's imaginative story, Coraline is a film that's both visually stunning and wondrously entertaining.
Synopsis: While exploring her new home, a girl named Coraline (Dakota Fanning) discovers a secret door, behind which lies an alternate... [More]
Directed By: Henry Selick

#10

ParaNorman (2012)
Tomatometer icon 89%

#10
Adjusted Score: 97892%
Critics Consensus: Beautifully animated and solidly scripted, ParaNorman will entertain (and frighten) older children while providing surprisingly thoughtful fare for their parents.
Synopsis: Young Norman Babcock (Kodi Smit-McPhee) has the ability to speak with the dead -- and he often prefers their company... [More]
Directed By: Chris Butler, Sam Fell

#11

Frankenweenie (2012)
Tomatometer icon 88%

#11
Adjusted Score: 98541%
Critics Consensus: Frankenweenie is an energetic stop-motion horror movie spoof with lovingly crafted visuals and a heartfelt, oddball story.
Synopsis: Young Victor Frankenstein (Charlie Tahan) is a science nerd and outsider at school, but he does have one good friend:... [More]
Directed By: Tim Burton

#12

Poltergeist (1982)
Tomatometer icon 88%

#12
Adjusted Score: 95588%
Critics Consensus: Smartly filmed, tightly scripted, and -- most importantly -- consistently frightening, Poltergeist is a modern horror classic.
Synopsis: Strange and creepy happenings beset an average California family, the Freelings -- Steve (Craig T. Nelson), Diane (JoBeth Williams), teenaged... [More]
Directed By: Tobe Hooper

#13

Gremlins (1984)
Tomatometer icon 86%

#13
Adjusted Score: 93298%
Critics Consensus: Whether you choose to see it as a statement on consumer culture or simply a special effects-heavy popcorn flick, Gremlins is a minor classic.
Synopsis: A gadget salesman is looking for a special gift for his son and finds one at a store in Chinatown.... [More]
Directed By: Joe Dante

#14
#14
Adjusted Score: 91357%
Critics Consensus: As can be expected from a Tim Burton movie, Corpse Bride is whimsically macabre, visually imaginative, and emotionally bittersweet.
Synopsis: Victor (Johnny Depp) and Victoria's (Emily Watson) families have arranged their marriage. Though they like each other, Victor is nervous... [More]
Directed By: Tim Burton, Mike Johnson

#15

Beetlejuice (1988)
Tomatometer icon 83%

#15
Adjusted Score: 93736%
Critics Consensus: Brilliantly bizarre and overflowing with ideas, Beetlejuice offers some of Michael Keaton's most deliciously manic work - and creepy, funny fun for the whole family.
Synopsis: After Barbara (Geena Davis) and Adam Maitland (Alec Baldwin) die in a car accident, they find themselves stuck haunting their... [More]
Directed By: Tim Burton

#16
#16
Adjusted Score: 86735%
Critics Consensus: The Spiderwick Chronicles is an entertaining children's adventure, with heart and imagination to spare.
Synopsis: Of the three Grace children, Jared (Freddie Highmore) has always been thought of as the troublemaker. So when strange things... [More]
Directed By: Mark Waters

#17

The Boxtrolls (2014)
Tomatometer icon 78%

#17
Adjusted Score: 85994%
Critics Consensus: While it's far from Laika's best offering, The Boxtrolls is still packed with enough offbeat wit and visual splendor to offer a healthy dose of all-ages entertainment.
Synopsis: Eggs (Isaac Hempstead-Wright), an orphan, lives with the Boxtrolls -- a community of quirky, mischievous creatures who inhabit a cavern... [More]

#18

Goosebumps (2015)
Tomatometer icon 78%

#18
Adjusted Score: 85627%
Critics Consensus: Goosebumps boasts more than enough of its spooky source material's kid-friendly charm to make up for some slightly scattershot humor and a hurried pace.
Synopsis: Upset about moving from the big city to a small town, young Zach Cooper (Dylan Minnette) finds a silver lining... [More]
Directed By: Rob Letterman

#19

The Dark Crystal (1982)
Tomatometer icon 78%

#19
Adjusted Score: 82650%
Critics Consensus: The Dark Crystal's narrative never quite lives up to the movie's visual splendor, but it remains an admirably inventive and uniquely intense entry in the Jim Henson canon.
Synopsis: Jen (Stephen Garlick), raised by the noble race called the Mystics, has been told that he is the last survivor... [More]
Directed By: Jim Henson, Frank Oz

#20

Labyrinth (1986)
Tomatometer icon 77%

#20
Adjusted Score: 81872%
Critics Consensus: While it's arguably more interesting on a visual level, Labyrinth provides further proof of director Jim Henson's boundless imagination.
Synopsis: Frustrated with babysitting on yet another weekend night, Sarah (Jennifer Connelly), a teenager with an active imagination, summons the Goblins... [More]
Directed By: Jim Henson

#21

Monster House (2006)
Tomatometer icon 75%

#21
Adjusted Score: 81415%
Critics Consensus: Monster House welcomes kids and adults alike into a household full of smart, monstrous fun.
Synopsis: No adults believe three youths' (Mitchel Musso, Spencer Locke, Sam Lerner) assertion that a neighboring residence is a living creature... [More]
Directed By: Gil Kenan

#22
Adjusted Score: 96945%
Critics Consensus: Performed and animated with the comics' signature melancholy warmth, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! celebrates the spooky season in true Peanuts style.
Synopsis: Linus waits in the pumpkin patch for the elusive Halloween symbol to appear. ... [More]
Directed By: Bill Melendez

#23
#23
Adjusted Score: 80420%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: When Woody, Buzz and the gang stop at a motel, one of them goes missing and the rest must figure... [More]
Directed By: Angus MacLane

#24
Adjusted Score: 56019%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Scooby (Scott Innes) and the rest of the Mystery, Inc., crew encounter creepy characters at a haunted house on a... [More]
Directed By: Jim Stenstrum

#25
Adjusted Score: 90089%
Critics Consensus: This Disney two-fer may not be the most reverent literary adaptation, but it's remarkably crafted and emotionally resonant.
Synopsis: Two animated adaptations of classic literature make up this Disney film. In "The Wind in the Willows," wealthy Mr. Toad... [More]

#26

Nightbooks (2021)
Tomatometer icon 88%

#26
Adjusted Score: 88725%
Critics Consensus: Its contents may be a bit busy and overly familiar, but Nightbooks offers a fun -- and actually fairly scary -- gateway to horror for younger viewers.
Synopsis: Alex (Winslow Fegley) is a creative boy with a strong passion for writing scary stories. But when he's labeled weird... [More]
Directed By: David Yarovesky

#27

Halloweentown (1998)
Tomatometer icon 83%

#27
Adjusted Score: 34830%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: After learning she is a witch, a girl (Kimberly J. Brown) helps save a town full of other supernatural creatures.... [More]
Directed By: Duwayne Dunham

#28
#28
Adjusted Score: 73617%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: The Great Gonzo – world famous daredevil artiste, has done it all, seen it all, and survived it all. But... [More]
Directed By: Kirk R. Thatcher

#29
Adjusted Score: 77064%
Critics Consensus: Although it softens the nasty edges of its source material, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events is a gothic visual treat, and it features a hilariously manic turn from Jim Carrey as the evil Count Olaf.
Synopsis: After the three young Baudelaire siblings are left orphaned by a fire in their mansion, they are carted off to... [More]
Directed By: Brad Silberling

#30

The Addams Family (1991)
Tomatometer icon 67%

#30
Adjusted Score: 71185%
Critics Consensus: The movie is peppered with amusing sight gags and one-liners, but the disjointed script doesn't cohere into a successful whole.
Synopsis: When a man (Christopher Lloyd) claiming to be Fester, the missing brother of Gomez Addams (Raul Julia), arrives at the... [More]
Directed By: Barry Sonnenfeld

#31
Adjusted Score: 76941%
Critics Consensus: An entertaining PG detour for gore maestro Eli Roth, The House with a Clock in Its Walls is a family-friendly blend of humor and horror with an infectious sense of fun.
Synopsis: Ten-year-old Lewis goes to live with his oddball uncle in a creaky old house that contains a mysterious ticktock noise.... [More]
Directed By: Eli Roth

#32

Hocus Pocus 2 (2022)
Tomatometer icon 65%

#32
Adjusted Score: 73252%
Critics Consensus: Hocus Pocus 2 is basically a boiling cauldron of nostalgia, but that's just enough for this belated sequel to cast a reasonably effective spell.
Synopsis: It's been 29 years since someone lit the Black Flame Candle and resurrected the 17th-century sisters, and they are looking... [More]
Directed By: Anne Fletcher

#33
Adjusted Score: 68027%
Critics Consensus: Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation delivers exactly what fans will expect - which means another 97 agreeably lightweight minutes of fast-paced gags and colorful animation.
Synopsis: Your favorite monster family boards a luxury cruise ship so Dracula can take a summer vacation from the hotel. It's... [More]
Directed By: Genndy Tartakovsky

#34
Adjusted Score: 63833%
Critics Consensus: True terror and typical Disney wholesomeness clash uncomfortably in Something Wicked This Way Comes.
Synopsis: Mr. Dark (Jonathan Pryce) brings his traveling carnival to a small Midwestern town and grants wishes, for a price.... [More]
Directed By: Jack Clayton

#35

Return to Oz (1985)
Tomatometer icon 58%

#35
Adjusted Score: 61026%
Critics Consensus: Return to Oz taps into the darker side of L. Frank Baum's book series with an intermittently dazzling adventure that never quite recaptures the magic of its classic predecessor.
Synopsis: Dorothy discovers she is back in the land of Oz, and finds the yellow brick road is now a pile... [More]
Directed By: Walter Murch

#36
#36
Adjusted Score: 61699%
Critics Consensus: Hotel Transylvania 2 is marginally better than the original, which may or may not be enough of a recommendation to watch 89 minutes of corny, colorfully animated gags from Adam Sandler and company.
Synopsis: Now that Dracula (Adam Sandler) has opened the Hotel Transylvania's doors to humans, things are changing for the better; however,... [More]
Directed By: Genndy Tartakovsky

#37

The 'Burbs (1989)
Tomatometer icon 56%

#37
Adjusted Score: 59164%
Critics Consensus: The 'Burbs has an engaging premise, likable cast, and Joe Dante at the helm -- so the mixed-up genre exercise they produce can't help but feel like a disappointment.
Synopsis: Settling in for some time off in his suburban home, Ray Peterson's (Tom Hanks) vacation becomes a horror when the... [More]
Directed By: Joe Dante

#38

Ghostbusters II (1989)
Tomatometer icon 55%

#38
Adjusted Score: 58057%
Critics Consensus: Thanks to the cast, Ghostbusters 2 is reasonably amusing, but it lacks the charm, wit, and energy of its predecessor.
Synopsis: After saving New York City from a ghost attack, the Ghostbusters -- a team of spirit exterminators -- is disbanded... [More]
Directed By: Ivan Reitman

#39

Casper (1995)
Tomatometer icon 52%

#39
Adjusted Score: 54541%
Critics Consensus: A meandering, mindless family movie that frequently resorts to special effects and transparent sappiness.
Synopsis: Casper (voiced by Malachi Pearson) is a kind young ghost who peacefully haunts a mansion in Maine. When specialist James... [More]
Directed By: Brad Silberling

#40
#40
Adjusted Score: 53933%
Critics Consensus: The Watcher in the Woods boasts plenty of spooky atmosphere and a typically strong performance from Bette Davis, but it builds to a conclusion so dissatisfying that it undermines all that came before.
Synopsis: A teenager (Lynn-Holly Johnson) and her younger sister learn their eerie landlady's (Bette Davis) secret at an English country manor.... [More]
Directed By: John Hough

#41
Adjusted Score: 17144%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Scooby and friends investigate creepy goings-on and a mystery involving a famous horror writer in a small Massachusetts town.... [More]
Directed By: Jim Stenstrum

#42
#42
Adjusted Score: 60359%
Critics Consensus: The Witches misses a few spells, but Anne Hathaway's game performance might be enough to bewitch fans of this Roald Dahl tale.
Synopsis: In late 1967, a young orphaned boy goes to live with his loving grandma in the rural Alabama town of... [More]
Directed By: Robert Zemeckis

#43
Adjusted Score: 52504%
Critics Consensus: Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween offers a handful of treats for very young viewers, but compared to the entertaining original, this sequel is a ding dong to ditch.
Synopsis: While collecting junk one day, best friends Sonny and Sam meet Slappy, a mischievous talking dummy from an unpublished "Goosebumps"... [More]
Directed By: Ari Sandel

#44
Adjusted Score: 50509%
Critics Consensus: Much like the trio of films it follows, Hotel Transylvania: Transformania is middling family viewing -- relatively painless, but overall rather uninspired.
Synopsis: Drac and the pack are back, like you've never seen them before in Hotel Transylvania: Transformania. Reunite with your favorite... [More]

#45
Adjusted Score: 46523%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A father (Marlon Wayans) and his teenage daughter (Priah Ferguson) are forced to team up and save their town after... [More]
Directed By: Jeff Wadlow

#46

The Addams Family (2019)
Tomatometer icon 45%

#46
Adjusted Score: 52908%
Critics Consensus: The Addams Family's starry voice cast and eye-catching animation aren't enough to outweigh its saccharine handling of the delightfully dark source material.
Synopsis: Members of the mysterious and spooky Addams family -- Gomez, Morticia, Pugsley, Wednesday, Uncle Fester and Grandma -- are readily... [More]

#47

Hotel Transylvania (2012)
Tomatometer icon 44%

#47
Adjusted Score: 50419%
Critics Consensus: Hotel Transylvania's buoyant, giddy tone may please children, but it might be a little too loud and thinly-scripted for older audiences.
Synopsis: When monsters want to get away from it all, they go to Count Dracula's (Adam Sandler) Hotel Transylvania, a lavish... [More]
Directed By: Genndy Tartakovsky

#48

Little Monsters (1989)
Tomatometer icon 44%

#48
Adjusted Score: 40168%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Brian (Fred Savage) isn't scared of the monster living under the bed. On the contrary, when he gets to know... [More]
Directed By: Richard Greenberg

#49

Hocus Pocus (1993)
Tomatometer icon 40%

#49
Adjusted Score: 45825%
Critics Consensus: Harmlessly hokey yet never much more than mediocre, Hocus Pocus is a muddled family-friendly effort that fails to live up to the talents of its impressive cast.
Synopsis: For 30 years the Sanderson Sisters have been casting spells, now see them back on the big screen for a... [More]
Directed By: Kenny Ortega

#50

Scooby-Doo (2002)
Tomatometer icon 32%

#50
Adjusted Score: 36752%
Critics Consensus: Though Lillard is uncannily spot-on as Shaggy, Scooby Doo is a tired live-action update, filled with lame jokes.
Synopsis: Zoinks! Two years after a clash of egos forced Mystery Inc. to close its doors, Scooby-Doo and his clever crime-solving... [More]
Directed By: Raja Gosnell

#51

The Addams Family 2 (2021)
Tomatometer icon 28%

#51
Adjusted Score: 33036%
Critics Consensus: Altogether ooky, and not in a good way.
Synopsis: Everyone's favorite spooky family is back in the animated comedy sequel, The Addams Family 2. In this all new movie... [More]

#52
#52
Adjusted Score: 19939%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Ernest P. Worrell (Jim Varney) is working as a garbage collector in a small Missouri town. Despite the warnings of... [More]
Directed By: John R. Cherry III

#53
Adjusted Score: 26548%
Critics Consensus: Only the very young will get the most out of this silly trifle.
Synopsis: In this live-action sequel, the lovable dog Scooby-Doo once again joins his pals Shaggy (Matthew Lillard), Velma (Linda Cardellini), Fred... [More]
Directed By: Raja Gosnell

#54

The Little Vampire (2017)
Tomatometer icon 14%

#54
Adjusted Score: 11492%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Rudolph, a 13-year-old vampire, meets Tony, a mortal boy his age who loves old castles, graveyards and vampires. Tony helps... [More]

#55

The Haunted Mansion (2003)
Tomatometer icon 13%

#55
Adjusted Score: 17645%
Critics Consensus: Neither scary nor funny, The Haunted Mansion is as lifeless as the ghosts in the movie.
Synopsis: Workaholic real estate agent Jim Evers (Eddie Murphy) is accused by his wife, Sara (Marsha Thomason), of neglecting his son... [More]
Directed By: Rob Minkoff