Family Movie Night: Spooky Edition

A while ago I posted what some of my favorite fall activities to do with my family. Today I am going to go into some detail on the fall Movie Marathon idea. I like to think of myself as a movie buff and one of my favorite things to do is to watch and share some of my childhood favorites with my kids. So here is ten movies or movie series that you can enjoy with your little ones during this Spooky season.

*Disclaimer: I may let my kids watch scarier movies than others. My kids know that movies are fake, but that's what is so great about having your own kids, you get to decide what is appropriate for them! So some of these movies might not fit your guidelines, but my kids loved them.

1. Ghostbusters

Maybe cigarette smoking, ghost catching hustlers we remember as kids may not be exactly the perfect role model for our little ones, but my kids absolutely love them as much as I did when I was a kid. When my first born son was really little for Halloween his father and I went as Venkman and Spangler and our baby was a little Stay puff Marshmallow man! We have been long time fans of the series, and even my two year-old recently saw the latest installment and learned a new word. Check him out on my Instagram being adorable. "Mama Gooshed"

2. Hocus Pocus

The Sanderson sisters made a huge comeback this year when Disney plus release the long awaited sequel to the 1994 Halloween classic Hocus Pocus. Bet Middler and her silly sisters just keep coming back to be plagued by modern teenagers. The three sisters attempt to hunt down some local children, all while the kids are getting help from a talking immortal cat that has dedicated it's life to stopping the witches. I mean all they wanted was to live forever from consuming the souls of all the young children in town...what's the big deal?

3. Little Monsters

Does anyone remember Howie Mandel before he was a germaphobe judge on America's Got Talent? Well I do, in this mischievous feel good comedy, Howie plays a under bed monster that likes to make mischief during all hours of the night, but once he's caught by the very popular child actor Fred Savage they team up to pull pranks until the sun comes up. That is until Fred's little brother (literally I think it was his real little brother Ben) gets kidnapped by a not so fun monster and they have to rescue him! My boys loved this movie, by five year-old identified with the main character immediately and proclaimed that he would protect his baby brother if and when ever he got kidnapped!

4. BeetlleJuice

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, BEETLEJUICE! Say his name three times and he will show up and cause chaos. This ghostly comedy was a hit with my boys, the gothic humor and songs were hilarious. Some of the make up, and of coarse the giant scary sand worm, may have scared my two year-old a bit but he seemed more excited than really frightened. Michael Keton and Winona Rider star in this classic dark comedy that is a must see during the Halloween season.

5. The Adams Family

The Adams Family and it's sequel the Adams Family Values were and honestly still are some of my absolutely favorite movies. The loving relationship between Morticia and Gomez hit core family dynamics with on overall theme of loyalty and comradery with quirky twists on what the Adams family finds normal. I found these movies so entertaining as a kid that I knew my kids would like them as well. Although my kids seem to enjoy the more recent animated versions more, I think it's only a matter of time before they appreciate the original films for their brilliance.

6. Harry Potter

I know, I know, but Harry Potter isn't a Halloween movie or story. Well it's about witch and wizard children who attend school in a giant magic castle with floating candles, ghosts, and talking pictures. The kids all drink pumpkin juice or butter beer, where cloaks and often do battle with monsters, trolls, or other mythical and magical creatures. This series gets a little more intense as the main characters get older, but my kids love the magical world of Harry Potter.

7. Casper

There wasn't a girl alive when I was a kid that didn't have a crush on the little boy who played Casper the friendly ghost! Yes you only saw him for like three minutes at the end of the film when get gets to dance with kat, but that was enough. This funny family film features a father and daughter who move into a haunted house. The ghosts that live there are of coarse Casper and his three very vulgar uncles. Then you have you typical greedy villain who is after some long lost family treasure. It's a heartwarming movie and my boys really enjoyed the vulgar uncles, maybe a little too much.

8. The Nightmare Before Christmas

Some might argue that this is a Christmas film, but I would beg to differ. This Tim Burton classic is a great alternative to yet again another animated movie. I know these songs word for word, and my kids think I'm pretty silly for singing along with Jack and Sally, at least they aren't embarrassed of my...yet. The movie is entertaining for children and adults as the inhabitants of Halloween Town decide that this year they were going to be in charge of Christmas. They kidnap the real Santa and spend most of Christmas eve scaring the living daylights out of all the expecting children and families with their "improved" Christmas toys! The pumpkin king eventually sees the error of this ways and they find there is still time to save Christmas, while Jack and his friends resolve to stick to their own holiday, Halloween.

9. The Witches

This movie features a little boy name Luke who finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. While on a trip with his grandmother he stumbles upon a group of children eating witches who turn him into a mouse! While some parents might think this is too scary for little kids, but I love the prosthetics and cinematography of a good Jim Henson movie. This is an older grainy movie and the lack of realistic CGI that made my kids laugh and see it as silly. Also not all witches are bad and the movie has a happy ending.

10. Gremlins

Gremlins and the sequel are two movies that I used to watch way back on VHS tapes and they always gave me a laugh. I get nostalgia just by sharing these films with my kids. The movie features a creature named gizmo that comes with a certain set of rules. Don't feed him after midnight and what ever you do, don't get him wet! Obviously those two rules get broken and hilarious chaos ensues. This movie might be on the cheesy side, but my kids find it entertaining, and even after all these years, it still gives me a laugh too.

There you have it my top ten family friendly spooky movie night picks! Enjoy!