Family Film Fright Fest!
10 Films for a Family Friendly Halloween Fright Fest
With witches, vampires and monsters galore taking over the streets alongside stormtroopers, pirates and ghostbusters, there is no doubt that Halloween is the time when we love to embrace our fears. Along with ghoulish decorations and trick-or-treating, October means scary movies but it doesn’t also have to mean gruesome gore and graphic violence. There are plenty of horror films that are well-suited for children. Here is a program of ten frightening films that you can experience with your kids in your very own Halloween film festival. They’re really not so scary, just only kind of scary.
IT’S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN
More than forty years on after it’s first airing, It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown has more than earned its place alongside jack-o’-lanterns and trick-or-treaters as a Halloween staple. No thrills or chills here to bring on Halloween eve nightmares in the young ones, but it still manages to capture the fun side of this scariest of holidays. Join the Peanuts gang as they celebrate Halloween. Perhaps this year the Great Pumpkin will come. Nostalgia at its best.
Available on DVD.
THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
Despite the name, make no mistake, “this is Halloween, this is Halloween” as much as it us an Xmas tale. Master of the movie macabre Tim Burton presents a truly unique vision for Halloween with this stop-motion animated goth musical. Follow Jack Skellington, the leader of Halloween Town’s annual celebration as he takes a diversion into yuletide cheer in Christmas Town and eventually rediscovers his passion for the frightful fun of All Hallows’ Eve. Scoring that elusive hat trick that turns family films into classics, The Nightmare Before Christmas works as an entertaining and appropriately spooky fable for kids, teens and adults.
GHOSTBUSTERS
From ectoplasm to proton packs and a giant Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, Ghostbusters owned the summer of 1984 as a blockbuster movie and chart topping song. Bill Murray and his buddies go head-to-head against Gozer and all the ghosts in New York City, getting slimed along the way for their troubles. There is enough creepy paranormal activity to give kids some goosebumps as they sit on the edge of their seats but this film is always looking for the laugh first over the scream and ends up getting both in the process. If you are willing to risk having your kids sing the theme song over and over again for the next few weeks, Ghostbusters will deliver the funniest scares that any kid-friendly horror movie can offer.
GREMLINS
They’re cute, cuddly and perfectly safe as long as you follow three very simply rules… but what are the chances that you and your kids could that? Pretty slim, just like the characters in Gremlins, lead by a very young Phoebe Cates and Zach Galligan, who turn a sweet little pet mogwai into an army of mischievous, evil creatures through the not so careful application of bright light, water and an after-midnight snack. For younger kids, Gremlins pushes the limit of its mixture of comedy and terror and could end up the stuff that nightmares are made of but for older kids with a stronger stomach and taste for being terrified, this film is right on target. Make no mistake, this film has its moments of violence but the obvious nature of its puppet villains places it squarely in the realm of it’s-just-a-movie horror fun.
Available on DVD.
THE MONSTER SQUAD
With Dracula, Frankenstein, the Wolf Man and other evil creatures on the march to destroy goodness in the world, the only thing that stands in their way is The Monster Squad, a treehouse club of suburban kids who think they are ready for the fight after watching one too many midnight creature features. The Monster Squad has a great premise that it lives up to it every step of the way, mixing classic monsters and young heroes with wholesome chills and thrills. A must-see.
HALLOWEENTOWN
An original production for the Disney Channel, Halloweentown proved to be a major hit with young viewers and popular enough to spawn three sequels. Setting up it’s own mythology with an alternate universe of witches, magic and monsters existing alongside the real world, this story follows three young siblings as they discover their magical roots in Halloweentown under the tutelage of their grandmother, much to the consternation of their mother who had hope to shield them from this truth. More light-hearted and goofy than actually scary, this is a safe venture intended to make children think they’re watching a horror movie without the risk of any even remotely frightening. While not unbearable for mature viewers, parents will need to find most of their enjoyment from the fun their younger kids will have (but don’t even bother inviting teens to the screening).
Available on DVD.
E.T. THE EXTRATERRESTRIAL
One of Steven Spielberg’s many masterpieces, E.T. The Extraterrestrial might not be the first film that comes to mind when you’re looking for a scary movie but it actually makes for a wonderful Halloween screening. From the initial chase through the midnight forest to the unseen creature lurking in the Eliot’s garage and the close encounter with the, albeit friendly, alien, E.T. has a bona fide foot firmly planted in the creature feature genre. It even portends its own legitimacy as a Halloween staple by dressing E.T. up in costume for a night of trick or treating. However, the cherry on top of this exciting adventure is the heartlight warming moral about the value of friendship and home. This film is a classic that should be shared with all kids and Halloween is a better time than many to do it.
Available on DVD.
WALLACE AND GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT
In this outing, Wallace and Gromit get into the pest control business as they take on responsibility for protecting the produce being grown for the Giant Vegetable Competition. Instead of killing the creatures wreaking havoc in the gardens, Wallace takes a course of humane rehabilitation by brainwashing the bunnies with his Mind Manipulation-O-Matic machine. With such good intentions, what could go wrong? Well, just about everything and soon Wallace and Gromit find themselves hunting the baddest bunny of the bunch – the Were-Rabbit! Yes, this film is just as wild and wacky as it sounds and very much fun all the way through. Filled with eccentric characters, crazy contraptions, great visual gags and unparalleled claymation, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is a more than worthy addition to the Wallace and Gromit filmography and good for all ages.
Available on DVD.
HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCEROR’S STONE
If your kids have not been introduced to Harry Potter yet, they probably ought to be and Halloween is a perfect time to send them an invite to the world of Hogwart’s. This is epic children’s storytelling at its best with the stakes being nothing less than the battle between good and evil. Harry Potter is the good, the prodigal son who returns to the realm of witchcraft and wizardry to fulfill his destiny as the only hope against Lord Voldemort, the evil. J.K. Rowling’s Hogwart’s is an enthralling wonderland for young viewers (and readers) with witches and wizards, goblins and gremlins, spirits and ghosts and mythical, magical creatures of all sorts that never fail to amaze. This is the stuff that Halloween dreams are made of. The Harry Potter saga’s grand narrative is complemented by it’s noble themes of honor, friendship, chivalry, humility and courage. Along with the mystery and adventure, there are valuable lessons to be learned here and it just might inspire your kids to read more.
Available on DVD, Blu-Ray and Blu-Ray omnibus.
MONSTERS, INC.
With a name like Monsters, Inc., this Pixar blockbuster sells itself as a Halloween treat. Kids will finally learn that there really are monsters in the closet, but don’t worry, they may not be so scared after they realize they’re as likable as Mike and Sulley, the stars of Monsters, Inc.. The alternate universe of Monstropolis is powered by the screams that its monsters are able to frighten up on their nightly visits to children’s bedrooms around the world. And Sulley is the best in the business… until he discovers Monsters, Inc.’s dark secret, a plan to kidnap children and extract their screams directly, and sets out with his buddy to save the kids and prove that laughter is the most powerful energy of all. Pixar earned their Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Film with this wonderfully fun story that was both a critical and boxoffice success. Light on fright and big on laughs, Monsters, Inc. is really not so scary, just only kind of scary, as promised.
