We’ve already brought you plenty of spooky, ghoulish, and ghastly top 13 lists this Halloween season, so why not wrap up October with something that speaks to your inner child. No matter how much of a grizzled horror fan you are, there’s something about these seasonal favorites that has made us want to revisit them year after year ever since we were kids. Whether it’s a made-for-TV Disney Channel original or a seasonal spin on a well-established franchise, there’s guaranteed to be at least one entry on this list that tugs at your heartstrings or inspires nostalgia
[customfont1]Under Wraps [/customfont1]
One of the earliest Disney Channel Original Movies, Under Wraps is a movie about a couple of kids and the undead mummy they found. It’s pretty by the books as far as stories go, but it’s a fun bit of 90s made-for-TV campiness. It will definitely land better with those who watched it as a kid, but if you’re looking for a mummy themed and family friendly movie, then look no further. [AP]
[customfont1]Tower of Terror[/customfont1]
This kid-friendly take on the Twilight Zone-inspired concept features a young Kirsten Dunst as her character, along with her father, decide to investigate a creepy old hotel where some folks mysteriously vanished half a century earlier. With the tagline, “Guests check in…but they don’t check out,” Tower of Terror screams Disney-friendly Halloween fun. [FS]
[customfont1]Mom’s Got a Date with a Vampire[/customfont1]
I have never made a $2 Amazon purchase quite this rewarding. This childhood staple features Caroline Rhea (who you might recognize from Sabrina the Teenage Witch) as a single mom who’s kids accidentally set her up with, that’s right, a vampire, in an attempt to distract her while they sneak out of the house despite being grounded. This film has no redeeming qualities other than pure nostalgia, so I don’t recommend it to those without fond memories. [FS]
[customfont1]Coraline[/customfont1]
When young Coraline discovers a new world similar to her own, yet strangely idealized, she thinks she has hit the jackpot. A loving mother, a cool dad, and a less annoying version of her new friend. It all seems strangely perfect. But Coraline soon realizes that everything is not as it seems in this “utopian” reality. This is a film I somehow slept on until now, but I can absolutely see it becoming a yearly Hallo-watch. [FS]
[customfont1]Don’t Look Under the Bed[/customfont1]
Another made-for-TV movie, this one left me legitimately terrified after initial viewing. The premise of this film is that when you out-grow your childhood imaginary friends, they don’t simply stop existing. Oh no, it’s far more disturbing than that. They actually turn into boogeymen that live under your bed and drag you down into their evil realm should you leave a limb precariously dangling as you sleep. Like I said, horrifying. Maybe keep this one away from your kids if you don’t want to give them never-ending nightmares. [FS]
[customfont1]Corpse Bride[/customfont1]
Death is a tricky thing. Especially when misplaced love and marriage is involved. In Corpse Bride, a murdered woman—now a corpse ghost—becomes enamored with Victor, a living man. As Victor tries to escape the underworld, he learns about the dead—and their lives after death. However, his exploration is cut short when he learns his live love, Victoria, may fall victim to the clutches of an evil man. [AS]
[customfont1]Addams Family Values[/customfont1]
If we’re being honest, this isn’t a Halloween movie. But what list would be complete without America’s First Family of all things creepy, kooky, and altogether ooky? Addams Family Values revisits the 1991 version of the family. The summer camp plot of Wednesday and Pugsley is brilliant and runs alongside a love story for Fester with a woman who has some darker intentions. This is a great watch any time of the year, but it’s especially fun on Halloween. [AP]
[customfont1]Ernest Scared Stupid[/customfont1]
This one… maybe shouldn’t be on this list. Even as an adult the troll monster from this horror comedy still scares me a bit. Between the creepy monster design and the goofiness of Jim Varney’s Ernest character, this movie is a charming piece of terror that you can watch with the kids. Probably. [AP]
[customfont1]Scooby Doo and the Ghoul School[/customfont1]
This old-school Scooby movie will undoubtedly put you in the Halloween spirit as the gang, sans Fred, Daphne, and Velma, but PLUS Scrappy Doo, visit a school for ghosts and monsters. When a few of the students are kidnapped, it’s up to the Doo family to find and rescue them from their captors. [FS]
[customfont1]Frankenweenie[/customfont1]
This is an adorable what-if scenario that gives us a child version of Victor Frankenstein that still tampers with the dead. As his reanimation experiment is discovered, things go awry all over town and at the local science fair. It’s about as Tim Burton as you can get in terms of story and visuals, and wonderfully so. [AP]
[customfont1]Hotel Transylvania[/customfont1]
A much more modern addition to the list, Hotel Transylvania is an animated film surrounding the Dracula family, who run a high-end resort for monsters. When Count Dracula’s teenage daughter finds herself with a potential suitor, the Count goes into overprotective dad-mode in order to try to thwart the suitor’s attempts. Made for kids, but appreciated by all, it’s nice to see that films like this are still being made. [FS]
[customfont1]Paranorman [/customfont1]
This is a film I hadn’t had the pleasure of seeing until this April at the Overlook Film Festival. A charming and welcome palate cleanser after a weekend of non-stop horror, this impressive stop-motion animation follows a misunderstood boy with strange abilities who must save his town from danger when a witch’s curse threatens to cause everything to come crumbling down. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll wonder why you waited so long to check this one out. [FS]
[customfont1]Monster House[/customfont1]
Monster House is a 3D animated film from 2006. It’s an inventive take on a classic idea: the local-legend style haunted house on the block. How did it get that way? What’s inside? Monster House explores all of this and in a really creative way. [AP]