I love Halloween, largely because it really ushers in the holiday season. We go all out celebrating it here at the Ferrier house, from the decorating to the after-school snacks to the bedtime storybooks… to the movies.

I’ve spent the last ten years raising kids and watching pretty much every family Halloween movie ever made, and a few (a VERY few) really stand out. Here are our ten favorites.

Hocus Pocus isn’t the least bit scary and it’s funny and entertaining. My daughter watched it for the first time last year at age six and loved it. You will, too.

It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is a true Halloween staple. It’s only 30 minutes, so you can watch it with the kids on a school night, and for me, it really ushers in the holiday season. I love the memories it brings back of tuning in to watch it each year on network television. Those were the days…

Monster House was a surprise favorite of ours — It’s scary enough to keep little ones riveted (although I wouldn’t recommend it for children who are easily terrified) without giving them a sleepless night. Both my children have seen it (Punky has seen it several times) and they were riveted. The adults of the house had fun watching it as well.

Nothing, NOTHING will ever top Something Wicked This Way Comes, which is the best scary movie for kids ever made. We watch it every single Halloween and it never, ever gets old!

Sure it has Christmas in the title, but y’all, The Nightmare Before Christmas has a lot of Halloween goodness in it, too, and it’s another great one to kick off the start of the Halloween season. Our entire family adores this movie.

This was a surprise hit — Casper the Friendly Ghost, The Complete Collection has just been released on DVD. My kids scored a copy and they’ve been watching it every chance they get. Friends who come over to play are drawn into it, too. It’s a perfect non-scary Halloween watch for little ones. Check it out for yourself and you will be AMAZED by how much your kids love a cartoon that aired back in the 50s!

All of the Wallace and Gromit cartoons are wonderfully entertaining, and The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is no exception. This movie is another good non-spooky option that will keep your whole family enthralled.

Beetlejuice is a great one for older kids, and Halloween is a perfect time to watch it! As one commenter noted, there is an F-bomb toward the beginning (I didn’t catch it the last time I saw it) and a few minor curse words.

If you haven’t seen The Witches, starring Anjelica Huston, you need to! It’s fantastic- The book by Roald Dahl was one of my favorites as a kid, and I have to say the movie is just as good!

The Watcher in the Woods is another great Disney film that has just the right amount of “scare” in it. (How can an elderly Bette Davis NOT be terrifying?!) If you haven’t seen this one, you will be pleasantly surprised.

What are your Halloween family movie faves?

Top image via Delilah Jenkins/Flickr

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