Well, here we are, closing in on Halloween. And your family’s movie interests may be turning to pics with a bit more character, more, uh, bite as you think about the season’s festivities.
Of course, that doesn’t mean you have to suffer through the latest Terrifier or Smile flick over at the movie house. In fact, in my humble movie-reviewing opinion, I’d say that those pics aren’t a grin-worthy choice for anybody over the age of 2. (One-year-olds will likely sleep right through them if the volume’s kept low enough. And babies are used to screaming.)
There are, however, plenty of fun films packed with thrills, and even a few chills, that you can find on a streaming service near you. And Plugged In is here to give you a few suggestions. As always, we’d encourage you to read our full reviews of anything you’re interested in as well, just to make sure there aren’t any surprises lurking somewhere in the story.
So, if you’re in the mood for a movie to howl over, for instance, why not start with a few classics?
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948, NR)
The kids may have never heard of the wackadoodle comedy duo of Abbott and Costello, but the whole family will be in for a treat with this old school monster pic. The boys play a couple of hapless luggage porters who get pulled into a scheme by Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi) to zap the Frankenstein monster back to life. (And even Lon Chaney Jr.’s Wolfman claws his way into the chaos.) It’s classic creepers and comics in one of the most enjoyable films to ever grace a Halloween party. (Right now, you can stream this on Prime and TCM, or rent and purchase on Apple TV, Google Play and Fandango At Home.)
The Wizard of Oz (1939, NR)
This classic, Judy Garland-starring rendition of the Oz story is fun, funny and sweet as teen Dorothy gets swept up into the sky by a twister and lands in a very magical place. There’s a witch here, too. But she’s the cackling, villainous sort whom mom can point to as reason enough to stay away from brooms, pointy hats and too much makeup. (Right now, you can stream this pic on Max, Hulu and Prime, or rent or purchase it on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, and Fandango At Home.)
Encanto (2021, PG)
Encanto focuses on a family whose members all have special magic gifts … except for one. Mirabel is the lone member of the family who doesn’t appear to be all that special at all. Until you get to know her, that is.
Our reviewer, Paul Asay, said that “Encanto is a great movie, almost any way you slice it.” You can check out his review and read about all of his reasons why. (Right now, you can stream this pic exclusively on Disney+, or rent or purchase it on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, and Fandango At Home.)
The Princess Bride (1987, PG)
This pic turns to magic of a fairytale sort. When a young boy stays home from school because he’s sick, his grandpa comes over to read him a fantasy story about a farm boy-turned-pirate who sets off to find his “one true love,” a young woman kidnapped by an evil lord. It’s a mushy story that the sniffling kid is sure he couldn’t possibly enjoy. Or could he?
Swashbuckling adventure and goofy humor fill the screen here, and your family will likely be so enchanted that the popcorn (and screentime) will magically disappear before you know it. (Right now, you can stream this pic on Disney+, or rent or purchase it on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Prime, and Fandango At Home.)
The Iron Giant (1999, PG)
While exploring the woods near his house, 9-year-old Hogarth discovers a robot … a HUGE robot. And the unlikely pair becomes fast friends. But where did this iron giant come from? Is he a good robot or a bad one? And most important of all, how can Hogarth hide him from his mom!?
This Brad Bird-directed animated pic gets its viewers to think about what, exactly, makes someone good, kind and heroic, even when they don’t look that way. The only clunky metal caveat here is some potty humor and a splash of language that might keep younger tykes at bay. (Right now, you can rent or purchase this film on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, and Fandango At Home.)
Gifted (2017, PG-13)
OK, let’s toss in one more nice pic that doesn’t have monsters, magic, huge robots or an inconceivable fantasy. In fact, this is a sweet film that mom and dad might enjoy all on their own on a comfy sweater-clad fall evening.
Frank Adler is having a tough time keeping up with his child prodigy charge. He’s raising his deceased sister’s kid, Mary, who just happens to be a mathematical genius. And sometimes it’s a little difficult to make out who is teaching whom.
This film has a handful of headshake-worthy bits (including the implication of a drunken tryst and a lone f-word) that Chris Evan’s affable Uncle Frank would likely not have his young charge ever hear or see. But beyond that, this is an incredibly sweet story that illustrates how becoming a parent and forming a family can transform your life in wonderful ways. Oh, and young Mckenna Grace has the best, most lovable frown-face ever!!! (You can stream this on Prime and purchase on Apple TV, Google Play and Fandango At Home.)
7 Responses
My favorite Halloween movie is Arsenic and Old Lace. While it is a bit of a macabre comedy that revolves around murder and has a few short tense moments, it’s undeniably hilarious watching Cary Grant get more and more frantic trying to cover up the fact that his sweet old aunties have a dozen bodies buried in the cellar.
We did the play version in high school (I played Aunt Martha) and it’s still one of my favorites.
In my opinion attempts such as these to distract and divert kids’ attention away from monsters, ghosts, ghouls, demons, and other Halloween related images overwhelmingly serve to only reinforce a child’s curiosity about these subjects. My parents were exactly like this when I was young, and on numerous occasions would go to lists such as this to find “Halloween adjacent” films in an attempt to “scratch the itch” without actually engaging with such subject matter. That being said, even before I had 24/7 access to the internet, I could read the newspaper (which regularly published movie reviews, and access the library- where I spent tons of time diving into tales by Edgar Allan Poe, HP Lovecraft, RL Stein, and Darren Shan. The more my parents tried to put red tape and “protect” me from the scary things, the more it poured kerosene on the flames of my curiosity. Inevitably, when many Christian’s joined into the moral panic around slashers, video nasties, and the advent of “t*rture p*rn” and it became all they could talk about with extreme distaste, the more it sparked mine and many of my peers’ interest. As soon as I was old enough to have my own TV and media set, I immediately watched everything my parents were afraid of me seeing; Saw (the entire franchise at this point), Nightmare On Elm Street, Friday The 13th, Halloween, Hostel, etc.
At some point, I thought maybe something was wrong with me for being so drawn to these things that my parents worked overtime to keep me away from. However, I quickly learned that I am merely one out of TONS of people who grew up sheltered from some or many aspects of society that developed a significant interest in “forbidden fruits”.
If you want to really avoid these topics and images being shown in your home, don’t find the most sanitized and barely adjacent forms to engage with. Talk about it. Talk about why people are drawn to scary things, talk about why these stories and images have maintained their appeal since the literal dawn of human civilization, find films made for kids that tackle the spooky contents in age appropriate ways with important lessons to be learned in them such as Coraline, Frankenweenie, Nightmare Before Christmas, Disney’s Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, Creature From The Black Lagoon, Coco (also a great opportunity to talk about grief and different cultural approaches), find an abridged for young readers version of Frankenstein or Dracula. Trying to skirt around the subjects or distract them will only make young people more curious.
Its like beer- if you let a kid take a sip of beer and ask them how they like it- they will almost always look at you in disgust and wonder why anyone would drink such a nasty thing and often rarely/never ask about it again.
The best way to ensure your kid is fiercely interested in the secular world, is hide them from it at every opportunity.
Chris, I am sorry this happened to you as a kid. I was also sheltered in the movies I could watch (and homeschooled) but my family had long conversations about other religions and also about ghosts, etc. Since we’d met a few people who said they were witches, and since my dad had died when I was eight we had many conversations about the afterlife from a Christian perspective. For me there was and still is an itch to read speculative fiction about heaven. I read C.S. Lewis’ The Last Battle and The Great Divorce, both Left Behind series, Frank Peretti, Tolkien, The Door Within, Dragons in Our Midst, and Dante’s Divine Comedy. But I also have enjoyed watching/reading secular supernatural things such as Star Wars, Danny Phantom, Julie and the Phantoms, Harry Potter, DC Comics stuff, and some of the CW’s Supernatural. The secular things force me to clarify my Christian beliefs but, I also worry about scratching the itch as you say.
Thanks for the kind response!
Honestly, if parents want to perma-deter their kids from watching horror just show them The Descent at any before ten and I am certain that will do the trick! (I mean this as a joke lol)
Obviously each family has their own dynamics, quirks, and ways of doing things. However, like you also said- there are better ways to navigate these subjects without resorting to total avoidance/isolation.
Chris, I realize I should have clarified: I didn’t watch/read most of the secular media in this list until I was an adult. It is kind of a line where I want to know something about secular things, but also want to honor God.
I would like to suggest “The Others” (2001) starring Nicole Kidman. It’s not so much a horror movie as it is a psychological thriller, and it kept me guessing all the way to the end. There’s no sex or nudity, very little bad language (being more of a period piece), no gore and not even that much in the way of violence … although it’s amazing how something like a slamming door can make you jump out of your skin. I couldn’t find a review of this spooky little film on Plugged In, which is unfortunate because I’d love to read what you think of it.
My picks for the most family friendly Halloween movies would be Disney’s the nightmare before Christmas and My babysitters a vampire, both Beetlejuice films, and of course the great pumpkin Charlie Brown.
Though I will say I just saw Hocus Pocus 2 on TV tonight and liked it way more than I thought I would. It’s a definite step up from the just OK original.