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7 best kid-friendly Halloween movies for families

"Halloween" and "The Shining" are not on this list.
TODAY Photo illustration / Alamy
/ Source: TODAY Contributor

It’s officially spooky season! While cult classics like “Halloween” and “The Shining” might immediately come to mind, those aren’t exactly family-friendly Halloween movies.

Halloween family movies

Here are the best family friendly Halloween movies to watch this season without fear that your kids will never sleep again:

1. "Halloweentown"

Marnie Piper could never understand why she wasn’t allowed to celebrate Halloween, until her grandma comes to visit and she follows her home to Halloweentown. Here, supernatural beings can lead normal lives and Marnie learns she comes from a family of witches fighting against evil forces. Who will defeat the devilish hooded figure and save the mortal world?

2. "It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown"

The Peanuts gang celebrates Halloween with pumpkin patches, trick-or-treating, clever costumes, a festive Halloween party, and, of course, the Great Pumpkin. “This is a classic that (my son) and I can both enjoy together! Not scary and gets you in the spirit,” says Pennsylvania mom Jorden Smith.

3. "Hotel Transylvania"

Where do monsters go when they want to get away from human civilization and be themselves? Count Dracula’s Hotel Transylvania, of course. When Dracula (played by Adam Sandler) decides to host a party for his daughter and a human crashes, insanity ensues. Madison Obstarczyk, mom to a 2 year-old boy, said “All of the 'Hotel Transylvania' movies have light, but heartfelt themes — family, community, respecting the differences of others — and can be entertaining for both children and adults.”

4. "Casper"

Casper is a friendly ghost at a New England mansion who, alongside his mischievous uncles, is being pushed out by the heiress of the mansion. When a paranormal expert moves in with his daughter Kat, Casper is immediately smitten and a relationship ensues, but what happens when a ghost falls in love with a mortal?

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5. "Hocus Pocus"

When skeptic teenager Max Dennison moved to Salem, Massachusetts, he never expected to conjure witches from the dead by lighting a candle in an abandoned house. With the help of his sister Dani, their friend Allison, and a magical cat, they must turn back the clock or risk a lifetime of evil sorcery. Laura Grudzinski, mom of three girls, said “the girls like that there are real people and not cartoons. There are also kids as leads.”

6. "Spookley The Square Pumpkin"

A square-shaped pumpkin learns it’s OK to be different with the help of a scarecrow, bats and spiders in this animated kid-friendly Netflix movie. “The book was made into a short movie and it’s so cute! Great music and an even better message about being unique and being yourself,” says Sarah Ott, a New Jersey mom of two.

7. "ParaNorman"

Follow Norman Babcock, a kid who can speak to the dead, and his quest to stop a witch’s curse from coming true in this animated movie. Mom of two boys ages 5 and 8, Tiffany Kurzawa said, “The boys were a little scared the first time they watched it, but they think it’s funny, spooky, and love it. I like it for the message in the story about fear and not judging others who may be different than you.”

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