Imagine one of the greatest family-friendly Halloween movies of all time, and Hocus Pocus will probably come to mind. The 1993 film stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy as a trio of witches who are about to be outsmarted by a group of clever children. It’s perfect Halloween for viewing, but it’s also not the only movie of its kind out there.
Over the years, tons of films have been produced that are OK for kids to watch but also offer something for viewers of all ages. There are funny tales about vampires, spooky adventures in haunted houses, action-packed battles against ghouls, and more.
For those of us who love popping in Hocus Pocus every Halloween season but are also looking to shake things up a bit, these 20 spooky stories have a similar vibe and will be fun for the whole family to watch.
'The Nightmare Before Christmas'
'Halloweentown'
Rated: TV-G
This Disney Channel original movie follows a girl named Marnie who learns that she’s part of a family of witches, and she’s destined to save their hometown called Halloweentown from the evil lurking just around the corner.
'Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge'
Rated: TV-PG
This sequel to the original Halloweentown again follows newly minted witch Marnie as she tries to stop an enemy who wants to unleash the spirit world into the real world. She gets some help from her grandmother, played by the late Debbie Reynolds.
'The Addams Family'
Rated: PG-13
The original Addams Family feature film from the ’90s stars A-listers like Anjelica Huston as Morticia and Christina Ricci as Wednesday. It follows the hijinks of the spooky Addams family, who think it’s better to be morbid than anything else. There’s also a sequel called Addams Family Values that came out two years later.
'The Haunted Mansion'
This movie is based on the Disneyland ride of the same name and stars Eddie Murphy as a realtor who picks the wrong mansion to step foot in. With his wife and kids by his side, he has to face the ghouls and ghosts that haunt the house, and hope that he comes away the winner.
'The Witches'
Rated: PG
Anjelica Huston is really just queen of Halloween, because, in addition to playing Morticia in The Addams Family, she plays the Grand High Witch in this 1990 movie. The plot follows a young boy who suddenly finds himself at a witch convention where he learns that they’re planning to turn children into mice. He has to stop the witches before they can enact their idea on kids everywhere — only he may become a mouse in the process, too.
'Scared Shrekless'
Rated: TV-PG
This animated short takes the characters from Shrek that everyone loves and sets them on a Halloween adventure. In this TV tale, Shrek and his friends have to spend the night in Lord Farquaad’s haunted palace, and the evening is filled with family friendly spooky scares.
