This Halloween, many families have big plans to stay home and watch a scary movie. Which scary movie should you watch? That all depends on the age of your kids and their tolerance for witches, ghosts and monsters. Will zombies give them nightmares? How about zombies dressed as high school cheerleaders singing musical numbers?

There are plenty of “scary” movies your kids can watch without getting nightmares afterward. Or, you can up the ante and see if your kids enjoy a little spookiness. My kids surprised me. For instance, I found Coraline terrifying, but my kids loved it. They also didn’t get scared watching Hocus Pocus or any of the Harry Potter movies. Meanwhile, 35 years after I saw Poltergeist, I am still scared of clowns.

I asked everyone to share their favorite scary movies for kids and then I put together a list by age (based on what’s recommended by Common Sense Media) from 3+ to 16+. I left out the whole teen horror movie genre and slasher movies like Halloween, Friday the 13th, and Nightmare on Elm Street, because those are really movies you should not be watching with your parents. I went with more family friendly fare, even in the scariest category.

Not Too Scary (Ages 6 and under)

1) Room on the Broom

Where to watch: Netflix

Recommended age: 3+

2) Curious George: A Halloween Boo Fest

Where to watch: Hulu

Recommended age: 3+

3) It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Where to watch: Apple TV+

Recommended age: 4+

4) Super Monsters Save Halloween

Where to watch: Netflix

Recommended age: 4+

5) Monsters Inc 

Where to watch: Disney+

Recommended age: 5+

6) Toy Story of Terror

Where to watch: Disney+

Recommended age: 6+

7) Hotel Transylvania

Where to watch: Hulu

Recommended age: 7+

 

Slightly More Scary (Ages 7+)

8) Coco 

Where to watch: Netflix, Disney+

Recommended age: 7+

9) The Addams Family (2019)

Where to watch: Prime Video, Hulu

Recommended age: 7+

10) Halloweentown

Where to watch: Disney+

Recommended age: 7+

11) Scoob!

Where to watch: HBO Max

Recommended age: 7+

12) The Little Vampire (2018)

Where to watch: Netflix

Recommended age: 7+

13) Nightmare Before Christmas

Where to watch: Disney+

Recommended age: 7+

14) E.T. 

Where to watch: Prime Video (rent for $3.99)

Recommended age: 7+

15) Little Monsters (1989)

Where to watch: Prime Video

Recommended age: 8+

16) Zombies 

Where to watch: Disney+

Recommended age: 8+

17) The Spiderwick Chronicles

Where to watch: Prime video

Recommended age: 8+

18) Labyrinth

Where to watch: Prime Video (rent for $3.99)

Recommended age: 8+

19) Casper

Where to watch: Hulu

Recommended age: 8+

20) Goosebumps

Where to watch: Netflix

Recommended age: 9+

21) Don’t Look Under the Bed

Where to watch: Disney+

Recommended age: 9+

22) Coraline 

Where to watch: Hulu

Recommended age: 9+

23) Harry Potter Series 

Where to watch: Peacock TV, Prime Video (rent for $3.99)

Recommended age: 7+ through 12+

 

Scarier, But Still Not Really that Scary (Ages 10+)

24) Hocus Pocus 

Where to watch: Disney+

Recommended age: 10+

25) Monster House

Where to watch: Hulu

Recommended age: 10+

26) Haunted Mansion

Where to watch: Disney+

Recommended age: 10+

27) ParaNorman

Where to watch: Netflix

Recommended age: 10+

28) FrankenWeenie

Where to watch: Disney+

Recommended age: 10+

29) Into the Woods

Where to watch: Prime Video

Recommended age: 10+

30) The Corpse Bride 

Where to watch: Hulu

Recommended age: 10+

31) The Witches (2020)

Where to watch: HBO Max

Recommended age: 10+

32) Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting

Where to watch: Netflix

Recommended age: 11+

33) The House With A Clock in It’s Walls

Where to watch: Hulu

Recommended age: 11+

34) Ghostbusters (1984) 

Where to watch: Prime Video (rent for $2.99)

Recommended age: 11+

35) Ghostbusters (2016) 

Where to watch:

Recommended age: 11+

36) The Addams Family (1991) 

Where to watch: Netflix

Recommended age: 12+

37) The Vampire’s Assistant

Where to watch: Netflix

Recommended age: 12+

38) Gremlins

Where to watch: Netflix, Disney+

Recommended age: 12+

39) The ‘Burbs

Where to watch: Hulu

Recommended age: 13+

40) Drop Dead Fred

Where to watch: Hulu

Recommended age: 13+

41) Edward Scissorhands

Where to watch: Hulu

Recommended age: 13+

42) Fun Size

Where to watch: Prime Video

Recommended age: 13+

43) Hubie Halloween

Where to watch: Netflix

Recommended age: 13+

44) Beetlejuice

Where to watch: Prime Video (rent for $3.99)

Recommended age: 13+

 

Scary (Ages 14+)

45) Poltergeist (1982)

Where to watch: Netflix

Recommended age: 14+

46) The Sixth Sense

Where to watch: Prime Video

Recommended age: 14+

47) Scream

Where to watch: Prime Video

Recommended age: 16+

48) Dark Shadows

Where to watch: Hulu

Recommended age: 14+

49) The Village

Where to watch: Prime Video

Recommended age: 14+

50) The Others 

Where to watch: Hulu

Recommended age: 14+

51) The Shining

Where to Watch: Amazon Prime

Recommended Age: 16 +

55) Blair Witch Project

Where to Watch: Amazon Prime

Recommended age: 16+

What’s your favorite scary movie to watch as a family?