Top 15 Family-Friendly Halloween Films to Enjoy This Season

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1. Coraline (2009) // 171

2. Spirited Away (2001) // 145

3. Beetlejuice (1988) // 137

4. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) // 127

5. Ghostbusters (1984) // 122

6. Goosebumps (2015) // 113

7. Corpse Bride (2005) // 112

8. Hotel Transylvania (2012) // 110

9. Hocus Pocus (1993) // 108

10. The Witches (1990) // 108

11. The Dark Crystal (1982) // 106

12. ParaNorman (2012) // 104

13. The Addams Family 3 (2023) // 104

14. Monster House (2006) // 103

15. Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018) // 103

Sally and Jack Skellington from 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' (1993).

Choosing a movie that satisfies everyone in a group, especially when the age range is wide, is no easy feat. This challenge becomes even more daunting when the selection is limited to Halloween-themed films. While it’s essential to avoid intense horror movies to protect younger viewers, you also don’t want to pick something so childish that it bores the adults.

To strike the perfect balance, Parkdean Resorts, a UK-based holiday park operator, recently developed a method to evaluate spooky movies for their suitability for families. The team started by curating a list of G and PG-rated films, along with some milder Halloween-themed TV specials like 'It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown' and the 1998 Disney Channel Original Movie 'Halloweentown.'

Each film was then scored based on several criteria: the Rotten Tomatoes critics’ rating, and the average star ratings from both parents and children on Common Sense Media. The total number of reviews on Common Sense Media also played a role in determining the final scores.

Coraline (2009) claimed the top spot with a score of 171, leading by 26 points over the second-place film: Hayao Miyazaki’s 2001 masterpiece Spirited Away. However, a high score doesn’t guarantee it’s the ideal choice for every group. Several child reviewers on Common Sense Media described being “terrified” by Coraline, with the site summarizing it as a “stylish yet eerie animated fantasy that may be too intense for younger viewers.” Its position at the top was likely bolstered by having over 1000 reviews on the platform—far more than any other film in the study.

In essence, the study isn’t flawless. However, the list is a valuable resource for those seeking Halloween entertainment with mildly spooky themes that won’t leave viewers utterly terrified. Check out the rest of the top 15 films below.