Gremlins, The Birds, Bride of Frankenstein. These may be good horror movies for kids, as many articles will tell you.
But, as any parent knows, "kids" is doing a lot of work in that sentence. What's good for a kindergartener isn't the same as a high schooler. In fact, what might be fit for a kindergartener isn’t necessarily the same as what is suitable for older elementary-age students.
In the many ways “horror movies for kids” can be defined, younger kids are frequently left in the dust, or The Mist.
Even though younger viewers probably aren’t ready to watch The Sixth Sense with their middle school sibling, that doesn't mean they should be left out of the October horror movie fun. Here are some spooky spectacles that will hit the mark for kids of almost any age.
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Up until late 2024, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit was the only full-length Wallace and Gromit movie to date. Still, the claymation duo has legions of fans for a very good reason. The storytelling is consistently witty, with clever, sometimes referential, visual gags that can subtly teach kids a lot about how to “read” movies.
Wallace (Peter Sallis) is an inventor and, along with his dog Gromit, their wild contraptions tend to have unexpected consequences. In their debut feature, they set out to help their village with a rabbit infestation that threatens the annual vegetable-growing competition. However, one of the rabbits might be — bum bum bum — a were-rabbit.
Get your copy of Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit on DVD here.
Monster House
This movie never got the amount of love it deserved. Maybe it’s that this type of animation felt somehow off-putting in 2006 or that its plot synopsis sounds a bit rote.
However, it successfully combines familiar tropes to craft something fresh and charming. Three kids, led by the nervous DJ (Mitchel Musso), are scared of an angry old neighbor, who embodies the ”get off my lawn” archetype. But his house winds up being a monster he’s condemned to live inside. It’s a fun movie with a lot of big emotions, small scares, and a surprisingly tender story.
Get your copy of Monster House on Blu-ray here.
Room on the Broom
At just 25 minutes, Room on the Broom is more akin to an episode of TV, but it hits a Halloween sweet spot for younger audiences, particularly kids who have read the popular picture book on which it is based.
Narrated by Simon Pegg, it follows a witch (Gillian Anderson) as she kindly invites animals onto her broom, much to the annoyance of her pet cat. But they all band together after a dragon destroys the broom and threatens to eat the witch. It’s fun, has Halloween themes, and is not attempting to be scary.
Get your copy of Room on the Broom on DVD here.
The Dark Crystal
This 1982 fantasy probably isn’t what you think of when you think about Halloween fare. Nonetheless, the Jim Henson and Frank Oz classic fits the bill. It takes place in a strange world with a creepy factor, even though it’s not meant to scare.
It follows a Gelfling — one of the many species that inhabit this world — named Jen (Henson), who wants to find the missing shard of the Dark Crystal, the breaking of which brought the world into a dark age, ruled by the bird-like Skeksis.
Get your copy of The Dark Crystal on DVD here.
Frankenweenie
Distinctively Halloween-themed, Frankenweenie is a sweet story about the relationship between a young boy (Charlie Tahan) and his dog. But it comes with gothic, Edward Gorey-like animation that is unquestionably Tim Burton.
When Victor’s pet dog Sparky dies, the ingenious little boy plays the role of Dr. Frankenstein and brings his dog back to life. The community is creeped out by the undead dog with bolts in its neck, but Victor is determined to prove that Sparky is just as friendly and lovable as he was before he died. It’s not scary, but it does have the death of a dog and a macabre atmosphere.
Get your copy of Frankenweenie on DVD here.
Coco
Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming a famous musician, just like the popular Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt). However, his family has a perplexing ban on playing music. His determination takes him to the Land of the Dead, where he finds himself embroiled in a sinister plot as he discovers the joyful and sad hidden history of his family.
It’s filled with Day of the Dead imagery, but, despite largely being set in the Land of the Dead, it's not scary. Instead, it’s a tense adventure and celebratory story about the power of music and family.
Get your copy of Coco on DVD here.
Muppets Haunted Mansion
It’s no Christmas Carol, The Muppet Movie, or even Muppets Most Wanted, but there’s still something joyful in the zany adventures of the Muppets.
Here, The Great Gonzo bails on his friends’ Halloween party to prove his mettle by spending the night in a haunted mansion. Despite the spooky encounters, nothing scares him. Or, rather, the traditional creepy happenings don’t scare him, but he does discover what he fears most. It doesn’t have the laughs for adults that other Muppet movies contain, but it’s suitably goofy and Halloween-themed.
Mad Monster Party
This '60s stop-motion movie is a little harder to find, but it rewards the effort. Made by Rankin/Bass — instantly recognizable as the producers of classics like “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Frosty the Snowman” — it centers around a party hosted by Dr. Frankenstein, who is retiring from the monster-making business.
He calls the party to unveil his successor, who is — gasp — a human. That doesn’t sit well with guests like the Hunchback of Notre Dame, the Mummy, the Invisible Man, or Dr. Jekyll. Some subtle adult themes are happening — as well as references to Universal Monsters, Peter Lorre, and Edgar Allen Poe that younger viewers won't catch — but, as you’d expect with Rankin/Bass, it’s aimed at being for the whole family.
It’s a delightfully zany hidden gem for anyone who likes stop-motion or movies that are a little offbeat. Plus, it features the voices of Boris Karloff and Phyllis Diller, as well as a James Bond-esque theme song sung by jazz vocalist Ethel Ennis.
Get your copy of Mad Monster Party on DVD here.
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
This is another older entry that holds up. It’s a single movie release with two separate stories. One is an adaptation of The Wind in the Willows, and the other is The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, which focuses on the gangly, awkward school teacher Ichabod Crane. When he falls in love with Katrina Von Tassel, he gains Brom Bones as an enemy and finds himself in the midst of the legend of the Headless Horseman.
Get your copy of The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad on DVD here.
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