36 Essential 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 (Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, 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, The Monster Squad), 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 and Edward Scissorhands.

Meanwhile, modern-day fare like Goosebumps and A House With a Clock in Its Walls will keep the torch burning well into the years. Whatever scary family movies you’re looking for, the ones you need are in our guide to the essential kids Halloween movies – where the gore is mild, and the screaming might get wild!

#36

The Little Vampire (2000)
55%

#36

Adjusted Score: 56.769%

Critics Consensus: The Little Vampire can't seem to find the right pitch, with its muddled, jumpy script and badly executed mix of cuteness and fright.

Synopsis: It is not easy being a 9 year old in a new country. Tony has just moved with his parents,... [More]

Starring: Jonathan Lipnicki, Richard E. Grant, Jim Carter, Alice Krige

Directed By: Uli Edel, Ulrich Edel

#35

Lady in White (1988)
67%

#35

Adjusted Score: 67.346%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Young Lukas Haas is visited by the ghosts of ten children, all of whom had been molested and murdered. Haas... [More]

Starring: Lukas Haas, Len Cariou, Alex Rocco, Katherine Helmond

Directed By: Frank LaLoggia

#34

Hotel Transylvania (2012)
44%

#34

Adjusted Score: 48.861%

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: Welcome to the Hotel Transylvania, Dracula's (Adam Sandler) lavish five-stake resort, where monsters and their families can live it up,... [More]

Starring: Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg, Kevin James

Directed By: Genndy Tartakovsky

#33

Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)
60%

#33

Adjusted Score: 62.22%

Critics Consensus: True terror and typical Disney wholesomeness clash uncomfortably in Something Wicked This Way Comes.

Synopsis: After a carnival comes to Green Town, the good citizens are compelled to follow their deepest desires, caught under the... [More]

Starring: Jason Robards, Jonathan Pryce, Vidal Peterson, Diane Ladd

Directed By: Jack Clayton

#32

The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018)
66%

#32

Adjusted Score: 74.81%

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: In the tradition of Amblin classics where fantastical events occur in the most unexpected places, Jack Black and two-time Academy... [More]

Starring: Jack Black, Cate Blanchett, Owen Vaccaro, Renée Elise Goldsberry

Directed By: Eli Roth

#31

The Black Cauldron (1985)
55%

#31

Adjusted Score: 56.82%

Critics Consensus: Ambitious but flawed, The Black Cauldron is technically brilliant as usual, but lacks the compelling characters of other Disney animated classics.

Synopsis: Another of Disney's animated features, this one is perhaps not as well known and certainly not a classic, but still... [More]

Starring: Grant Bardsley, Susan Sheridan, Freddie Jones, Nigel Hawthorne

Directed By: Ted Berman, Richard Rich

#30

The Watcher in the Woods (1981)
48%

#30

Adjusted Score: 49.158%

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: This chiller represents one of Disney's first attempts at a more serious horror movie as it chronicles the travails of... [More]

Starring: Bette Davis, Carroll Baker, David McCallum, Lynn-Holly Johnson

Directed By: John Hough, Vincent McEveety

#29

Little Monsters (1989)
50%

#29

Adjusted Score: 36.334%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Lonely 11 year old Brian (Fred Savage) makes an unusual new friend when he captures Maurice (Howie Mandel), the mischievous... [More]

Starring: Fred Savage, Howie Mandel, Daniel Stern, Margaret Whitton

Directed By: Richard Alan Greenberg, Richard Greenberg

#28

Return to Oz (1985)
52%

#28

Adjusted Score: 54.002%

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: This '80s follow-up to The Wizard of Oz is based upon two of L. Frank Baum's later Oz books. In... [More]

Starring: Fairuza Balk, Nicol Williamson, Stewart Larange, Jean Marsh

Directed By: Walter Murch

#27

Casper (1995)
46%

#27

Adjusted Score: 47.875%

Critics Consensus: A meandering, mindless family movie that frequently resorts to special effects and transparent sappiness.

Synopsis: Based on the popular cartoon character, this family-oriented "ghost story" is about a not-so-scary spirit who bonds with a little... [More]

Starring: Christina Ricci, Bill Pullman, Cathy Moriarty, Eric Idle

Directed By: Brad Silberling

#26

Toy Story of Terror! (2013)
94%

#26

Adjusted Score: 63.416%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: What starts out as a fun road trip for the Toy Story gang takes an unexpected turn for the worse... [More]

Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Carl Weathers

Directed By: Angus MacLane

#25

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)
93%

#25

Adjusted Score: 94.692%

Critics Consensus: This Disney two-fer may not be the most reverent literary adaptation, but it's remarkably crafted and emotionally resonant.

Synopsis: Ichabod and Mr. Toad is a two-part Walt Disney cartoon feature based on a pair of well known stories. The... [More]

Starring: John McLeish, Basil Rathbone, Eric Blore, J. Pat O'Malley

Directed By: James Algar, Clyde Geronimi, Jack Kinney

#24

Halloweentown (1998)
80%

#24

Adjusted Score: 25.952%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: In this chiller, a young woman discovers that she, like her ancestors, is a witch. Using her newfound powers, she... [More]

Starring: Debbie Reynolds, Judith Hoag, Kimberly J. Brown, Joey Zimmerman

Directed By: Duwayne Dunham

#23

Labyrinth (1986)
71%

#23

Adjusted Score: 74.913%

Critics Consensus: While it's arguably more interesting on a visual level, Labyrinth provides further proof of director Jim Henson's boundless imagination.

Synopsis: Fifteen-year-old Sarah resents her baby brother Toby and secretly wishes that he will just disappear. Her wish comes true when... [More]

Starring: David Bowie, Jennifer Connelly, Toby Froud, Shelley Thompson

Directed By: Jim Henson

#22

Frankenweenie (2012)
87%

#22

Adjusted Score: 94.954%

Critics Consensus: Frankenweenie is an energetic stop-motion horror movie spoof with lovingly crafted visuals and a heartfelt, oddball story.

Synopsis: From creative genius Tim Burton comes Frankenweenie, a heartwarming tale about a boy and his dog. After unexpectedly losing his... [More]

Starring: Martin Landau, Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short, Atticus Shaffer

Directed By: Tim Burton

#21

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019)
78%

#21

Adjusted Score: 87.86%

Critics Consensus: Like the bestselling series of books that inspired it, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark opens a creepy gateway into horror for younger genre enthusiasts.

Synopsis: It's l968 in America. Change is blowing in the wind... but seemingly far removed from the unrest in the cities... [More]

Starring: Zoe Margaret Colletti, Michael Garza, Gabriel Rush, Austin Abrams

Directed By: André Øvredal

#20

Goosebumps (2015)
78%

#20

Adjusted Score: 83.742%

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 a big city to a small town, teenager Zach Cooper (Dylan Minnette) finds a silver lining... [More]

Starring: Jack Black, Dylan Minnette, Odeya Rush, Amy Ryan

Directed By: Rob Letterman

#19

Coco (2017)
97%

#19

Adjusted Score: 111.212%

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 baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel (voice of newcomer Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming an accomplished musician... [More]

Starring: Anthony Gonzalez, Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Alanna Ubach

Directed By: Lee Unkrich, Adrian Molina

#18

The Dark Crystal (1982)
79%

#18

Adjusted Score: 83.131%

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: The last of the Gelfings, Jen and Kira join forces and embark on a dangerous journey to "heal" a precious... [More]

Starring: Jim Henson, Stephen Garlick, Kathryn Mullen, Billie Whitelaw

Directed By: Jim Henson, Frank Oz

#17

Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (1998)
86%

#17

Adjusted Score: 39.057%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Scooby and the gang reunite and head to Moonscar Island in the Louisiana bayou to investigate a haunted mansion. After... [More]

Starring:

Directed By: Hiroshi Aoyama, Kazumi Fukushima

#16

Tim Burton's Corpse Bride (2005)
84%

#16

Adjusted Score: 90.312%

Critics Consensus: As can be expected from a Tim Burton movie, Corpse Bride is whimsically macabre, visually imaginative, and emotionally bittersweet.

Synopsis: Tim Burton returns to the dark but fanciful animated style of The Nightmare Before Christmas with this stop-motion black comedy.... [More]

Starring: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Emily Watson, Tracey Ullman

Directed By: Tim Burton, Mike Johnson

#15

Edward Scissorhands (1990)
90%

#15

Adjusted Score: 93.899%

Critics Consensus: The first collaboration between Johnny Depp and Tim Burton, Edward Scissorhands is a magical modern fairy tale with gothic overtones and a sweet center.

Synopsis: Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands opens as an eccentric inventor (Vincent Price) lovingly assembles a synthetic youth named Edward (Johnny Depp).... [More]

Starring: Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest, Anthony Michael Hall

Directed By: Tim Burton

#14

Hocus Pocus (1993)
34%

#14

Adjusted Score: 37.637%

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: The people of Salem capture and execute three witches for practicing witchcraft. Before their deaths, they vow to return to... [More]

Starring: Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, Omri Katz

Directed By: Kenny Ortega

#13

The Monster Squad (1987)
67%

#13

Adjusted Score: 68.332%

Critics Consensus: A fun '80s adventure with a slightly scary twist, The Monster Squad offers tween-friendly horror with just enough of a kick.

Synopsis: A quintet of classic movie monsters invades a small town looking for a lost amulet that will help them rule... [More]

Starring: Andre Gower, Robby Kiger, Stephen Macht, Duncan Regehr

Directed By: Fred Dekker

#12

Beetlejuice (1988)
84%

#12

Adjusted Score: 88.024%

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: Thanks to the carelessness of a cute little dog, newlyweds Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin are killed in a freak... [More]

Starring: Michael Keaton, Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Jeffrey Jones

Directed By: Tim Burton

#11

The Addams Family (1991)
64%

#11

Adjusted Score: 67.191%

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: The eccentric lifestyle of the Addams family is threatened when the family attorney and a greedy mother/son team conspire to... [More]

Starring: Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd, Dan Hedaya

Directed By: Barry Sonnenfeld

#10

ParaNorman (2012)
88%

#10

Adjusted Score: 94.367%

Critics Consensus: Beautifully animated and solidly scripted, ParaNorman will entertain (and frighten) older children while providing surprisingly thoughtful fare for their parents.

Synopsis: The new 3D stop-motion comedy thriller from animation company LAIKA, reteaming the company with Focus Features after the groundbreaking Academy... [More]

Starring: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Tucker Albrizzi, Casey Affleck, Anna Kendrick

Directed By: Sam Fell, Chris Butler

#9

Monster House (2006)
75%

#9

Adjusted Score: 80.191%

Critics Consensus: Monster House welcoms kids and adults alike into a household full of smart, monstrous fun.

Synopsis: A suburban home has become physically animated by a vengeful human soul looking to stir up trouble from beyond the... [More]

Starring: Steve Buscemi, Nick Cannon, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jon Heder

Directed By: Gil Kenan

#8

Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)
95%

#8

Adjusted Score: 100.933%

Critics Consensus: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is a subtly touching and wonderfully eccentric adventure featuring Wallace and Gromit.

Synopsis: Eccentric inventor Wallace (voice of Peter Sallis) and his faithful if often perplexed dog Gromit are back in their first... [More]

Starring: Peter Sallis, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Peter Kay

Directed By: Steve Box, Nick Park

#7

Coraline (2009)
91%

#7

Adjusted Score: 99.614%

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: Coraline Jones is a girl of 11 who is feisty, curious, and adventurous beyond her years. She and her parents... [More]

Starring: Dakota Fanning, Dawn French, Ian McShane, Jennifer Saunders

Directed By: Henry Selick

#6

Gremlins (1984)
85%

#6

Adjusted Score: 90.183%

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: "Don't expose him to bright light. Don't ever get him wet. And don't ever, ever feed him after midnight." This... [More]

Starring: Zach Galligan, Hoyt Axton, Frances Lee McCain, Phoebe Cates

Directed By: Joe Dante

#5

Poltergeist (1982)
85%

#5

Adjusted Score: 90.659%

Critics Consensus: Smartly filmed, tightly scripted, and -- most importantly -- consistently frightening, Poltergeist is a modern horror classic.

Synopsis: With Poltergeist, directed by Tobe Hooper, Steven Spielberg had his first great success as a producer. Released around the same... [More]

Starring: JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson, Beatrice Straight, Dominique Dunne

Directed By: Tobe Hooper

#4

The Witches (1990)
97%

#4

Adjusted Score: 99.041%

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: A little boy and his kindly grandmother thwart the efforts of a coven of witches to rid Britain of children... [More]

Starring: Anjelica Huston, Mai Zetterling, Jasen Fisher, Rowan Atkinson

Directed By: Nicolas Roeg

#3

Ghostbusters (1984 Original) (1984)
97%

#3

Adjusted Score: 102.849%

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: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson star as a quartet of Manhattan-based "paranormal investigators". When their government... [More]

Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Sigourney Weaver

Directed By: Ivan Reitman

#2

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)
94%

#2

Adjusted Score: 95.303%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: This animated production features Charlie Brown and his friends. It's Halloween again, and everyone goes trick-or-treating except for Linus. He... [More]

Starring: Peter Robbins, Christopher Shea, Sally Dryer, Cathy Steinberg

Directed By: Bill Melendez

#1

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
95%

#1

Adjusted Score: 102.717%

Critics Consensus: The Nightmare Before Christmas is a stunningly original and visually delightful work of stop-motion animation.

Synopsis: Despite having recently presided over a very successful Halloween, Jack Skellington, aka the Pumpkin King, is bored with his job... [More]

Starring: Chris Sarandon, Catherine O'Hara, Glenn Shadix, Danny Elfman

Directed By: Henry Selick, Tim Burton