When I was young I loved that a television station would play holiday movies each night of the month of December leading up to Christmas. I always looked forward to what might be on each night. As an adult I find myself going to the television, sometimes, searching for a great holiday movie. But I rarely find one. It’s usually nothing or something super CHEESY or just plain lame.
Well, this year for Halloween I decided to put together a list of movies that are fun to watch and are sure to get you into the spirit of Halloween. And you better believe that I’ll be putting together a list of movies to watch for Christmas as well. It just pains me that they don’t do this any more, at least on public television. (My husband and I choose not to have cable TV, there’s too much junk on cable that we don’t want to have readily available in our home.)
These are all family fun “scary” movies that aren’t so scary, but may potentially frighten little littles. I am not one who likes to be scared with adult horror movies. I feel like there are enough scary things going on in the real world, I don’t want to waste my time on horror movies that will add fear to my life. YES, I am afraid of ghosts and satanic things.
So, I chose my favorite movies that are best watched around Halloween, and my children had to add a few of their’s as well. October tends to sneak up on us so I feel that beginning in the middle of the month will be perfect for us.
*Each of these movies have an affiliate link which means if you click on a link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!*
OCTOBER MOVIE COUNTDOWN:
15th-
Hocus Pocus– This is one of my favorite Halloween movies. Three witches from the 17th century (whose acting is over the top) are accidentally conjured by some kids. The kids need to figure out how to get rid of the witches before they cast a spell on the town and regain their youth forever.
16th
– Earnest Scared Stupid– My kids enjoy watching this silly show where Ernest, a slow-witted guy, accidentally unleashes a demon who is destroying things all over town. Earnest has to defeat the troll before it’s too late.
17th-
Scooby Doo– Such a fun movie! They did a great job creating the characters from the good old Scooby cartoons from when I was young. The team is brought back together to solve a mystery on a spooky island where youth go to party.
18th- 
Ghostbusters- whether you choose new (2016 Ghostbusters) or old (1984 Ghostbusters) , this one is a “gotta see” in October. When ghosts and goblins run amuck SOMEONE’s gotta get rid of them. The original can be a little scary for little ones. Watching either one with kids, my personal opinion is to have the remote handy- to bleep out parts they don’t need to see or crude humor no one needs to hear. The 2016 version is on VidAngel, a great way to edit movies with just that little bit of unnecessary crap.
19th-
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad– I LOVE Bing Crosby so how can I pass up this one with Bing’s voice (that’s like melted chocolate) as the narrator. When I put this on, my young ones are mesmerized by the songs and exciting story of the headless horseman.
20th- 
Pirates of the Caribbean– Any of the Pirates movies are great around Halloween but Curse of the Black Pearl is my favorite. I love Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp does and excellent job) who drags Will Turner and Elizabeth Swan into a the middle of a dispute he has with Captain Barbossa.
21st-
Monster’s Inc.– Mike and Sully are the best scarers at Monster’s Inc. collecting screams of children. One day a little girl sneaks into their world and they work hard to secretly put her back before any other monsters notice her.
22nd- 
Bugs Bunny Halloween– Believe it or not, my kids put this on the list of their favorites. Who doesn’t love Bug’s Bunny? See what happens when Bugs Bunny runs into witches and vampires, you are sure to come out laughing.
23rd-
The Haunted Mansion– Eddie Murphy makes this movie so hilarious. A real-estate agent who is eager to make a deal, drags his family to a mansion that, unbeknownst to him, is haunted. They have to figure out how to break the curse that is upon the mansion. The ride at Disneyland will mean so much more after watching this one.
24th-
Harry Potter– The whole series of Harry Potter is even more fun when watched around Halloween. Each movie has magic, unusual creatures, spirits and suspense. What more can we ask for in a great Halloween movie?
25th-
Hotel Transylvania– With “no humans allowed”, Dracula’s castle is a great place for monsters to live-it-up. But what happens when an ordinary human stumbles upon the place? Really fun story with monsters galore.
26th- 
The Nightmare Before Christmas– Jack Skellington is tired of the same old scare routine and goes in search of something more. He comes upon Christmas town and is delighted at what he finds. He decides to help spread Christmas joy in place of Santa, but maybe he should just stick with what he does best.
27th-
It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown– This one is a classic. Linus believes that The Great Pumpkin will rise on Halloween to give all the children gifts. He plans to stay in the pumpkin patch to wait for The Great Pumpkin to arrive, while all the other kids Trick-or-Treat and party.
28th- 
Monsters vs Aliens-When aliens attack, an unlikely group of monsters are recruited to help save earth.
29th-
Casper- This is such a cute story about a friendly ghost who just wants a buddy. He is excited when a man and his daughter move into the home that he and his uncles haunt.
30th- 
Monster House-A boy and his friends figure out that their neighbor’s house is a living, breathing thing.
31st- 
Mr. Boogedy – Ok this one is a really old Disney that’s tradition for us to pull out on Halloween. I watched this with my siblings when I was young and it’s just a “have to” watch for my family. It’s old and cheesy with terrible acting and even more terrible special effects but we love to laugh at it and the kids get a kick out of watching something from “the olden days”.
I hope this fun list brings joy and the spirit of Halloween to your family this October. I would love for you to comment with your favorite movie to watch around Halloween?
SEE THE HAPPY!!
