Friday, September 30, 2016

10 Movies to Get Your Family in the Halloween Spirit!

Halloween is one of our favorite holidays. While it is mostly known for zombies, horror, and frights, it can also bring families together. From pumpkin carving to trick or treating, Halloween can bring a lot of family fun, especially when it comes to movies!

Here is a list of 10 family friendly Halloween movies to get you into the spooky-but-not-too-spooky spirit!
*The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993): This is our all-time favorite Halloween movie, but really, it can be watched any time between October 1st and December 25th. "The Nightmare Before Christmas" is a beautiful stop-motion animated feature film with cool characters, tons of wonderful songs, and even some ghastly frights, but nothing so terrifying that little kids can't watch it.
*Goosebumps (2015): A complete surprise to us, "Goosebumps" is a super fun monster-themed family adventure film that is an enjoyable ride from start to finish. We had low expectations for this movie, but were blown away by how fast paced, exciting, and action-packed it is and have added it to our Halloween rotation!
*ParaNorman (2012): Another stop-motion animated feature, "ParaNorman" is not just a great zombie-infested family friendly choice, but it also has a fantastic message about understanding those who are different and not responding to fear with violence. It is pretty dark and twisted, but it's also tons of fun.
*The Witches (1990): We think "The Witches" gets lost in the fray, drowned out by other, newer Halloween-related films. It should not be forgotten because of its spooky story, neat, intricate, sometimes gruesome special effects, and frightfully wonderful makeup and costume design. Oh, and Anjelica Huston is incredible here!
*Corpse Bride (2005): Wow, there are a lot of stop-motion Halloween movies! One of Tim Burton's best movies, "Corpse Bride" is dark and melancholy, but it's also beautiful, creepy, and haunting. This stop-motion animated film is sure to become a classic as Burton's vision comes to life, full of excellent music, well made characters and sets, and a fantastic juxtaposition between dark and bright colors.
*Hocus Pocus (1993): 1993 was clearly an excellent year for Halloween movies! Three witches are unleashed and run around a small town, what could go wrong? "Hocus Pocus" is another classic Halloween film and one we still enjoy despite it being 23 years old. Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker make up a perfectly cast witch trio in a movie that might be a little cheesy, but sure is enjoyable.
*Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005): This animated British duo offers a whimsical twist on the classic werewolf legend. Being only G-rated, "Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit" is suitable for even the youngest of kids looking for some Halloween entertainment, and there is enough wit and charm to please the older crowd as well.

*For Families with Older Kids*
*Bettlejuice (1988): Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice!! This film has an 80's PG rating, which means you should expect a couple of curse words and some more mature thematic material, but this comedy classic is great for families with teenagers. Michael Keaton rocks as the titular character in a compelling, mildly horrifying but always hilarious tale.
*The Addams Family (1991): Super twisted and macabre, "The Addams Family" is sure to delight lovers of morbidity. This will definitely please the older kids in your family with its wicked slapstick, its horrific sense of humor, and its fantastic costumes and acting.
*The Monster Squad (1987): Brimming with 1980's nostalgia and camp-factor, the concept for "The Monster Squad" is super rad. Modeling its characters after 1930's-1950's monster movie baddies? Genius! This film has some totally tubular makeup work and is sure to take you on a trip down memory lane. Some bad language involved.

4 comments:

  1. All great selections here. I've never seen Monster Squad though...I think I need to!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! You really should watch Monster Squad this year, it's a great 80's throwback film with a lot of laughter!

      Delete
  2. "The wolfman's got nards!"

    Great list and very similar to mine. Mine also includes Trick 'r Treat.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Petition to get the word "nards" back in circulation? :)

      Thank you for reading! We need to give Trick 'r Treat another chance!

      Delete