9 Family Movies we are watching This Halloween

There are just eighteen days in the calendar until it’s Halloween. At this stage shops have stocked up all their decorations, costumes, scary ghosts and much more. To get into the spirit before Halloween night, we like watching Halloween themed movies all of October. The last two weekends have been a bit manic. As we are “promised” a hurricane this weekend, I think it will be a weekend indoors.

I might actually get hubby to allow me to put up some Halloween decorations on the mantelpiece. It seems to be so much cosier watching movies in the Halloween light. This means I have to go into the attic and get everything down. I want to upgrade some of our decorations as Homestore and More currently has some lovely stuff.

Below you will find all the family movies we will watch this Halloween. Note: All movies listed below are suitable for all ages.

Monster House (2006)

We have watched this movie multiple times.

The teenage DJ is observing his neighbor Nebbercracker on the other side of their street in the suburb that destroys tricycles of children that trespass his lawn. When DJ’s parents travel on the eve of Halloween and the abusive nanny Zee stays with him, he calls his clumsy best friend Chowder to play basketball. But when the ball falls in Nebbercracker’s lawn, the old man has a siege, and soon they find that the house is a monster. Later the boys rescue the smart Jenny from the house and the trio unsuccessfully tries to convince the babysitter, her boyfriend Bones and two police officers that the haunted house is a monster, but nobody believes them. The teenagers ask their video-game addicted acquaintance Skull how to destroy the house, and they disclose its secret on the Halloween night.

Halloweentown (1998)

Marnie, Dylan, and Sophie Piper have their first out of many adventures! On Halloween, while Marnie is arguing with her mother Gwen, the kids’ grandmother Aggie comes to visit. Aggie wants to start Marnie’s witch training before her 13th birthday or Marnie will lose her powers forever. But there is another reason for Aggie’s visit. Something dark & evil is growing in Halloweentown & Aggie wants help to defeat it. While Aggie & Gwen are arguing, Aggie uses magic which Marnie observes. After Aggie leaves to return to Halloweentown, Marnie, Dylan and, unknown to Marnie and Dylan, Sophie follow her onto the return bus. Soon afterwards, Gwen follows the children to Halloweentown. While there, Aggie & Gwen are attacked by the dark force in a movie theater. Marnie, Dylan & Sophie race to get the ingredients to activate Merlin’s Wand to stop the evil.

Ghostbusters (1984)

Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz and Egon work at the University where they delve into the paranormal and fiddle with many unethical experiments on the students. As they are kicked out of the University do they really understand their knowledge of the paranormal and go into business for themselves. Under the new snazzy business name of ‘Ghostbusters’, and living in the old firehouse building they work out of, they are called to rid New York City of paranormal phenomenon at everyone’s whim…. for a price. They make national press as the media thinks and pressures everybody the Ghostbusters are the cause of it all. Thrown in jail by the EPA, the mayor takes a chance and calls on them to help save the city. Unbeknownst to all, a long dead Gozer worshiper (Evo Shandor) erected downtown apartment building is the cause of all the paranormal activity. They find out the building could resurrect the ancient Hittite god, Gozer, and bring an end to all of humanity. Who are you gonna call to stop this .

The Haunted Mansion (2003)

Married realtors Jim and Sara with their children go to Gracey Manor and Mr. Gracey is enamored with Sara and they discover that Sara looks like Mr. Gracey’s old girlfriend, Elizabeth, who died young and they think it was a suicide but discover something more sinister.

Double, Double Toil and Trouble (1993)

Alongside Hocus Pocus, this was my second favourite movie as a child. I recently found it again and I can’t wait to watch it with the kids.

The Farmer family is in big debts; they might lose their house soon. The seven year old Farmer twins, Kelly and Lynn, decide not to let this happen. They discover that somebody really mean and shrewd is responsible for all the problems of their family: it’s their aunt Agatha! She has supernatural abilities but unfortunately uses them to do bad things. She is malicious and loves injuring others, even her own family. The girls must take the magic stone from Agatha …

Casper (1995)

Furious that her late father only willed her his gloomy-looking mansion rather than his millions, Carrigan Crittenden is ready to burn the place to the ground when she discovers a map to a treasure hidden in the house. But when she enters the rickety mansion to seek her claim, she is frightened away by a wicked wave of ghosts. Determined to get her hands on this hidden fortune, she hires afterlife therapist Dr. James Harvey to exorcise the ghosts from the mansion. Harvey and his daughter Kat move in, and soon Kat meets Casper, the ghost of a young boy who’s “the friendliest ghost you know.” But not so friendly are Casper’s uncles–Stretch, Fatso and Stinkie–who are determined to drive all “fleshies” away. Ultimately, it is up to Harvey and Kat to help the ghosts cross over to the other side.

When Good Ghouls Go Bad (2001)

In October of 1981, Curtis Danko, the creepy kid from the small town of Walker Falls, was killed in a mysterious accident. He left behind a warning to the town: “If you ever have another Halloween again, I will return and destroy you all!” Curtis was buried in a locked crypt, along with a sculpture so evil, that unearthly fates were said to await anyone who looked at it. Now, 20 years later, the Walker men have returned to Walker Falls. They start a chain of events that unleashes an army of zombies on the town. Has Curtis Danko risen from the grave to exact his revenge? And will the people of Walker Falls make it through the night?

Hocus Pocus (1993)

This has to be my all time favourite. I never get sick of it. If no movie gets you into the Halloween spirit, then this one definintely will.

300 years have passed since the Sanderson sisters were executed for practicing dark witchcraft. Returning to life thanks to a combination of a spell spoken before their demise and the accidental actions of Max, the new-kid-in-town, the sisters have but one night to secure their continuing existence.

Hotel Transylvania (2012)

There are two of these but I find the first one still better.

In 1895, Dracula builds a resort in Transylvania, hidden from the humans, to raise his beloved daughter Mavis in a safe environment. In the present, the place is the Hotel Transylvania, where monsters bring their families to vacation far from the frightening humans. Dracula invites his friends – Frankenstein and his wife Eunice; Wayne and Wanda, the werewolves; Griffin, the invisible man; Murray, the mummy; Bigfoot, among others – to celebrate the 118th birthday of Mavis. When the party is ready to start, the 21-year-old Jonathan is walking through the forest and stumbles upon the hotel. Dracula sees Jonathan and disguises him as a monster to hide Jonathan from the guests. But Mavis also sees Jonathan and Dracula forces him to pose as a monster. Soon Mavis believes that Jonathan is the “zing” of her life despite the advice of her father about humans

What will you be watching this Halloween?

Disclaimer: Description credits go out to imdb