Buzz
Alongside the annual October obsession with horror films, there's a milder yet notable fascination with spooky yet family-friendly movies.
USDish recently embarked on a quest to identify the most popular kid-friendly spooky films. They curated a list of G- and PG-rated movies and analyzed Google Trends data to pinpoint each state's top search. The study revealed that the 2002 live-action Scooby-Doo is a nationwide favorite, dominating searches in 13 states. (However, it's uncertain if some searches were mistakenly aimed at 2020’s
Coraline, the 2009 film adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s同名儿童中篇小说, claimed the top spot in 10 states. This stop-motion fantasy was directed by Henry Selick, who also helmed 1993’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. Surprisingly, this cult classic is absent from the findings, possibly due to low search volume or its exclusion from USDish’s study. (While the Tim Burton-created tale is undeniably eerie, some argue it’s more of a Christmas movie.)
Another Tim Burton classic, Beetlejuice (1988), also appeared on the map, securing the top spot in Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, South Dakota, and Vermont. However, it wasn’t the leading ’80s film—1984’s Ghostbusters dominated eight states, spanning from Idaho to New Hampshire.
Oregon’s favorite pick from the list was Halloweentown (1998), likely due to its filming location in St. Helens. The town hosts an annual weeks-long “Spirit of Halloweentown” festival to honor this legacy.
Discover your state’s most-loved spooky kids’ movie below, and check out the full list here.
