Spooky Halloween Films For People Who Don’t Like Scary Movies

Halloween is the perfect time for horror movie fans — but not everyone likes watching a scare-fest. Maybe you want to chill out to something more family-friendly with your kids. Or maybe you want to watch something that gives off spooky vibes but isn't going to leave you petrified of the dark. Whatever the reason, this is the perfect list for you. These are the perfect non-traumatizing, scary(ish) movies to watch this Halloween.

1. Hocus Pocus

Hocus Pocus shows up all the time on Disney Channel, so you know right off the bat that it’s not very scary. But it is smart, silly, and very, very popular. Despite it receiving bafflingly poor reviews upon its release in 1993, it has fast become a cult classic. And the good news is that if you like this movie, now there's a sequel that you can watch right after!

2. Scary Movie

Scary Movie unashamedly pokes fun at horror movies in the most outrageous (and dumb) ways possible. Obviously, this is not one to watch with the kids, but it’s a good one to let you luxuriate in the tropes of the slasher genre without all the scares. Plus, there are so many easter eggs from actual horror movies that it’s like being visited by a Halloween Easter Bunny. 

3. Casper

Casper is the perfect Halloween movie for children or the easily scared — his nickname is Casper the friendly ghost, after all. Although the film gives a darker backstory to Casper than the one in the original Harvey Comics stories, the movie still has many more laughs than true scares. It was also, fact fans, the first-ever full-length film to star a completely computer-generated main character.

4. Donnie Darko

Before director Richard Kelly had shot a frame of his cult classic Donnie Darko, he’d been told that the movie would be impossible to market. The logic here, as Kelly told Forbes in 2016, was that “it didn’t fit into any category.” It is, after all, set in October, ends at a Halloween party, and features a horrific-looking rabbit — but it isn't technically a horror film. It will make you think, though.

5. The Addams Family

Anjelica Huston has called the shooting of The Addams Family "long and arduous," and director Barry Sonnenfeld said there was a "tremendous amount of stress" on set. Yet the finished movie is a joy from start to finish and ended up earning $190 million in box-office receipts. It was so widely beloved that there was even a sequel.

6. Practical Magic

Practical Magic, a witchy romance starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as sisters, received bad reviews when it first came out in 1998. Critics called the movie a mess of a film that didn’t know whether it wanted to be a rom-com or a horror flick. Well, it was both… and it’s undergone considerable re-evaluation over the years. Now, it’s considered a fantastic Halloween movie, and one with a surprisingly feminist twist for the time, too.

7. Young Frankenstein

Young Frankenstein — or should that be Fronkonsteen? — is one of the most celebrated films to come from the mind of Mel Brooks. The 1974 horror-comedy follows the adventures of the original Dr. Frankenstein’s grandson, played by Gene Wilder, who wants nothing to do with the mad science his family is famous for. It’s a loving spoof of classic monster movies, without any real scares at all, and Brooks considers it the best film he’s ever made.

8. The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Comedy-horror musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show can be enjoyed at any time of the year, but it works particularly well for Halloween. The 1975 cult classic has picked up such a following that to this day, interactive performances of the movie remain popular. Fans at public screenings even dress up as their favorite characters, mouth along to the script, and throw things at the screen. So, if you’re looking for a fun alternative to trick-or-treating…

9. Hocus Pocus 2

A sequel 29 years in the making, Hocus Pocus 2 finally hit Disney Plus in September 2022. And just three days later, it became the most widely watched premiere on the streaming platform in the United States. The New York Times said the movie "manages to capture the same hokey magic of the original while creatively updating its humor." And it seems that audiences agree.

10. Muppets Haunted Mansion

If an entire movie is too long for your little ones to sit through, you could consider plopping them in front of Muppets Haunted Mansion. It's the Muppets' Halloween special from 2021, and it runs a sprightly 49 minutes. Grown-ups can enjoy a plethora of celebrity cameos, kids can laugh at the bonkers slapstick humor, and everyone can appreciate its heartfelt message.

11. Ghostbusters

As fun as the sequels are, Ghostbusters towers over them like a giant Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. Of course, it coined the classic phrase “Who you gonna call?” And who could forget, among other things, Bill Murray’s witty performance as Ghostbuster Peter Venkman? The literal ghosts and ghouls filling the screen make it perfect for this time of year, too.

12. Zombieland

You wouldn’t think zombies and comedy would be a good match, but in Zombieland, they go together hand-in-severed-hand. Sure, in this film, the apocalypse has dropped and mankind has been forced to survive against hordes of flesh-hungry undead... but that doesn’t mean the characters can’t have a little fun with it. Zombie kill of the week, anyone?

13. Goosebumps

The children’s horror-book series Goosebumps was a childhood staple for many. “The books themselves are legitimately scary, but they’re legitimately funny, and we try to capture that,” Goosebumps director Rob Letterman announced at Comic-Con San Diego in July 2014 according to CBR.com. And the filmmakers succeeded: the movie brought in $150 million, earned good reviews, and spawned a sequel a few years later.

14. Labyrinth

It’s perhaps not surprising that an oddball ’80s musical starring David Bowie as a goblin king ended up becoming a cult favorite. And few films can boast the sheer creativity of Jim Henson’s Labyrinth, nor anything like the dark fantasy world, populated by strange creatures, that he helped bring to life. Even today, Labyrinth-themed masquerade balls still appear around the globe, populated by fans still looking to get lost in the maze.

15. What We Do in the Shadows

Created by Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, 2014’s What We Do in the Shadows was a brilliantly silly mockumentary about vampire housemates. Its budget was so low that some of the people appearing in it weren’t even real actors! But the movie was still a success, eventually earning several times what it had cost to make. That popularity was in no small part down to some wonderful dialogue. All together now: “Werewolves, not swearwolves.”

16. Corpse Bride

Corpse Bride is everything a Tim Burton fan could want: it’s creepy (but not too creepy), well-designed, and beautifully filmed. Oh, and Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter both star in it, of course. Directed by Burton and Mike Johnson, the film tells the story of a Victorian gentleman who finds himself accidentally married to the bride in question. It was widely praised by reviewers, with The Houston Chronicle calling it the “best-looking stop-motion animation film ever.”

17. Jaws

We’ll never know how many grown-ups are still afraid of the sea because they saw Steven Spielberg’s movie when they were a little too young... but times have changed. These days, the special effects in Jaws are unlikely to cause anybody too much trauma. The film itself is still one of the best movies ever made, though, so people can enjoy the minor scares and have a darn good time while doing it.

18. Monster House

Monster House, released in 2006, was originally intended to be a live-action movie. But instead, it ended up being an early adopter of performance-capture technology, where the actors did all their work while hooked up to recording sensors. Still, the movie was lauded as a smart, emotional children’s movie and was compared to The Goonies by more than one critic.

19. Beetlejuice

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetle... well, you know what happens when you say his name three times in a row. The quaint town of Corinth, Vermont, served as the location for all of the outdoor scenes for Michael Keaton's bio-exorcist. That's right — this movie wasn't actually shot in the Netherworld. But Tim Burton still brings the thrills, spills, and chills you want from a not-too-scary Halloween flick.

20. Edward Scissorhands

Is Edward Scissorhands a Christmas movie? It does end in the snow, after all. But in terms of its sensibilities, it’s much more suited to Halloween. Johnny Depp stars as the film’s titular character, an artificially created human with scissors where his hands should be who seeks to fit into American suburbia. The film has themes of loneliness and isolation, but despite its gothic nature, it’s never really full-on scary.

21. The Haunted Mansion

The Haunted Mansion, starring Eddie Murphy, wasn’t especially well received upon its release. Although the film was a success financially, it was panned by critics. When placed against the juggernaut that was Disney’s other theme-park property, Pirates of the Caribbean, it seemed to be soon forgotten about. Nonetheless, it does hold up as a fun Halloween film for kids — and there's a remake coming in 2023.

22. The Witches

Roald Dahl hated the 1990 film version of his book The Witches because his original dark ending was changed into a happy one. Everything else, however, was kept as Dahl intended, including the horrific form of the Grand High Witch. For the moment, then, the happy ending prevents The Witches from being traumatic rather than just creepy.

23. ParaNorman

ParaNorman was a big hit for the stop-motion studio Laika. The 2012 comedy-horror movie, the first to use 3D color printer technology for its characters, ended up being nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Feature. It was well deserved, especially as the film’s purpose wasn’t to scare children but rather to promote a message of equality. It had another first to its name, too: the first mainstream animation to feature an openly gay character.

24. Shaun of the Dead

As soon as the zombie spoof movie Shaun of the Dead was released in 2004, critics knew it was something special. The “rom-zom-com” blended genres to create something seemingly new — an incredibly funny horror comedy with a bit of romance thrown in. As well as catapulting Simon Pegg to stardom, the film was such a big success that it has since topped lists of the best British, best horror, and best comedy films of that decade.

25. Addams Family Values

What better way to celebrate Halloween than with the Addams Family? They may be mysterious, spooky, and altogether kooky, but they’re also a close-knit and loving bunch. Addams Family Values, released in 1993, showcased them at their best. Weirdly, although the film gained an Oscar nomination for its art direction and a Golden Globe nomination for Anjelica Huston, it wasn’t a huge box-office success. And more sadly, star Raúl Juliá passed away shortly after the movie came out.

26. Little Shop of Horrors

What could make a better musical than the story of a human-eating alien plant? That’s the premise of Little Shop of Horrors, the 1986 movie starring Rick Moranis and Ellen Greene. The special effects required to create “Audrey II” were extraordinary for the time, requiring endless experimentation and manpower, and they paid off. Viewers who watch the plant in action today will be more awestruck than scared, knowing that no CGI was used in the vast majority of the shots.

27. Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

British stop-motion icons Wallace and Gromit were introduced to the U.S. on a grand scale in 2005 via a feature-length movie called The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. It was a very silly and extremely funny ride through some classic horror tropes, and audiences loved it on both sides of the Atlantic. The film even ended up with the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

28. The Nightmare Before Christmas

Not only one of the best Christmas films of all time, The Nightmare Before Christmas also holds the distinction of being probably the best Halloween film of all time. Despite Disney’s initial fears that the movie would be too frightening for children, it instead became a beloved family classic. Jack Skellington, the film’s protagonist, still adorns countless pieces of merchandise even two decades after the film was released.

29. Colossal

Director Nacho Vigalondo’s Colossal scores a – ahem – colossal 80 percent “certified fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The site’s critical consensus states that the movie is “well worth the ride.” Yet the sci-fi comedy only just about made a fifth of its budget back at the box office. There’s no word on why this came to be, but perhaps the fact that the movie was only released in 327 theaters had something to do with it.

30. Grindhouse

In 2007 directors Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez teamed up to bring the world Grindhouse. It was an exploitation double feature that achieved an 83 percent “certified fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes — but this didn’t help the horror movie attract a sizeable audience right off the bat. But the movie was a hit with audiences, and its mix of gore and humor makes it ideal for anyone looking for a fun time at the movies on Halloween.

31. Beloved

If one person should have ensured butts on seats for Jonathan Demme’s Beloved, it was its star, Oprah Winfrey. But even Winfrey’s enduring popularity couldn’t convince people to turn out for what critics called a “powerful” and “emotional” movie. But this is a chilling movie, despite its title, with supernatural elements that really work to bring out the movie's powerful themes.

32. Triangle

It may not have had the biggest budget in the world, but the unique 2009 thriller Triangle does more than most films with four times as much money behind them. The basic premise of the movie is a simple one — a boat trip that goes horrifyingly wrong — but it's just skimming the surface of this multi-layered flick. Given Triangle’s plot’s temporal loops, alternate timelines, and twists and turns around every corner, it’s exactly the sort of feature that requires multiple viewings to really grasp its complex narrative.

33. Shutter Island

Although he’s mostly known for his stylish crime flicks, director Martin Scorsese turned his attention to the horror-thriller genre for 2010’s Shutter Island. The movie follows two U.S. Marshals who have been sent to an isolated insane asylum to investigate the disappearance of one of the facility’s patients. But, as you may already know, all is not what it seems on the island. Shutter Island’s watchability comes from its clever use of suspense and intrigue — and that plot twist at the end is sure to have you coming back to join the dots up.

34. Mulholland Drive

If you’ve ever seen Mulholland Drive, chances are that you were both delighted and confused. In a plot that meanders between dream and reality, aspiring actress Betty moves to LA and meets Rita, a beautiful stranger with amnesia who needs Betty’s help. That’s one interpretation, anyway. But the David Lynch film’s foggy narrative has perhaps boosted its cult appeal, as fans watch it again and again in search of new clues and hidden meanings.

35. Coco

Coco tells viewers that you shouldn’t forget your principles while chasing your dreams. In the 2017 release, Miguel, a 12-year-old inadvertently sent to the Land of the Dead, discovers that his father Ernesto abandoned him to pursue his own ambitions of becoming a musician. “One cannot deny what was meant to be,” claims Ernesto. Its setting makes it a Halloween treat, too.

36. Gremlins

Gremlins starts out with the insanely cute mogwai Gizmo — but things soon turn dark and a little bit violent. But it never gets too violent, and it always leans heavily on the laughs. This is a PG-13 flick, after all! The good thing is that if you don't get around to watching Gremlins at Halloween, you can always stick it on at Christmas.

37. The Birds

What part of an Alfred Hitchcock movie featuring birds pecking people to death sounds like it should be a PG? The Birds was released in 1963, ruffling a few feathers as its unsuspecting younger audience were given ornithological nightmares for years to come. But we are made of stronger stuff these days, and this classic flick works more as a thriller to modern audiences.

38. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

You'll need an Apple TV+ subscription to enjoy the Peanuts gang these days, but it's probably worth it for this and A Charlie Brown Christmas alone. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is a stone-cold classic that has been a traditional Halloween watch in family households since it was first released in 1966. It would be hard to come up with a more perfect 25 minutes of entertainment.

39. The House With a Clock in its Walls

Director Eli Roth has been behind some of the nastiest, most vicious horror movies ever made, so it came as a surprise to everyone when he signed on to direct the children’s film The House With a Clock in its Walls. “When you see the movie, you’ll see stuff from my other movies — just done in the PG version of it,” he told Vulture in 2018. Roth wasn’t wrong. The movie has moments of fear, but by and large, it is very kid-friendly.

40. Return to Oz

When Return to Oz first came out in 1985, critics seemed horrified at the effect it might have on kids. The Chicago Reader labeled it “bleak, creepy, and occasionally terrifying,” words that were echoed in other reviews. It was also a box office flop, not even making back its $28 million budget. And yet in later years, the children who’d been scared of Return of Oz came back to it as adults and loved the film. Now, it’s considered a cult classic.