With Halloween coming up, it’s the perfect time to queue up some family-friendly films that capture the spirit of the spookiest time of year. Here are a few favorites to stream this October.
‘Hotel Transylvania’ (2012)
Rated: PG
Streaming: Hulu
An overprotective dad — who just happens to be Count Dracula (Adam Sandler) — builds a lavish hotel to keep his daughter Mavis (Selena Gomez) and his monster pals safe from humans. But when a human accidentally stumbles into the hotel and sparks fly between him and Mavis, Dracula’s plans unravels fast.
‘Goosebumps’ (2015)
Rated: PG
Streaming: Amazon Prime Video, Peacock, YouTube TV
When Zach (Dylan Minnette) moves to a new town, he befriends his mysterious neighbor Hannah (Odeya Rush). But her dad (Jack Black) has a secret. He’s R.L. Stine, the author of the “Goosebumps” books. When Stine’s monsters escape from his manuscripts, it’s up to the kids to stop the chaos before the town is overrun.
‘Hocus Pocus’ (1993)
Rated: PG
Streaming: Disney+
New kid Max (Omri Katz) accidentally awakens three witch sisters from 1693 Salem on Halloween night. Now Max has to protect his little sister and the rest of the kids in Salem from the trio of witches getting the meal they’ve missed for the past 300 years: the souls of children.
‘The Addams Family’ (2019)
Rated: PG
Streaming: Amazon Prime Video, Paramount+, YouTube
When Gomez (Oscar Isaac) and Morticia (Charlize Theron) move their dark family to New Jersey, reality-TV host Margaux Needler (Allison Janney) tries to drive them out. But the Addams family won’t go down without a fight and will do what they do best: show everyone what it means to be an Addams and that it’s good to be different.
‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’ (1982)
Rated: PG
Streaming: Netflix
Ten-year-old Elliott (Henry Thomas) and a stranded alien forge an unlikely friendship when the young boy vows to help the alien find his way home. Together with his siblings, he hides E.T. from the adults as they try to help the alien get home.
‘Practical Magic’ (1998)
Rated: PG-13
Streaming: Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Hulu,
Sisters Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gillian (Nicole Kidman) Owens were raised by their witchy aunts in a seaside Massachusetts town. They face prejudice — and a family curse that dooms their love lives — until magic and a little romance help them combat the curse.
‘Twitches’ (2005)
Rated: PG
Streaming: Disney+
Separated at birth, twin sisters Alex (Tia Mowry) and Camryn (Tamera Mowry) discover on their 21st birthday that they’re witches from a magical realm. Together, they must embrace their powers to save their birth mother, and their world, from the looming Darkness.
‘Halloweentown’ (1998)
Rated: TV-G
Streaming: Disney+
When Marnie (Kimberly J. Brown) discovers her Grandma Aggie (Debbie Reynolds) is a witch from a magical world called Halloweentown, she follows her there — only to uncover an evil force threatening the town. It’s up to Marnie and her siblings to save the day before midnight strikes!
‘Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride’ (2005)
Rated: PG
Streaming: HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, The Roku Channel
A young couple is engaged to be married, but the groom panics and flees to practice his vows in the woods. In a “grave misunderstanding,” the groom marries the corpse bride instead. Now torn between two worlds, and two brides, he must decide where his heart truly belongs.
‘Frankenweenie’ (2012)
Rated: PG
Streaming: Disney+
After Victor’s (Charlie Tahan) beloved dog Sparky is hit by a car, he uses a lightning-powered experiment to bring him back to life. However, Sparky’s newfound life causes a town-wide panic. Victor must prove that Sparky is still the loyal canine he once was.
‘Monster House’ (2006)
Rated: PG
Streaming: Peacock
DJ (Mitchel Musso) appoints himself as the neighborhood watch after he suspects something strange about his neighbor’s creepy old house — and he’s right. With the help of his friends Chowder (Sam Lerner) and Jenny (Spencer Locke), he must uncover the truth before the “monster house” devours the entire neighborhood.
‘Scooby-Doo’ (2002)
Rated: PG
Streaming: HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube TV
After a bitter breakup, Scooby Doo and the rest of the Mystery Inc. gang reunite to investigate strange happenings on Spooky Island. As they follow the clues, they uncover a supernatural surprise that’s more than just another guy in a mask.
‘Coraline’ (2009)
Rated: PG
Streaming: The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Tubi
Coraline (Dakota Fanning) discovers a mysterious door leading to a perfect “other world” that mirrors her own — except everything seems a little too perfect. When she realizes the truth behind her button-eyed “other mother,” she must escape before she’s trapped forever.
‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ (1993)
Rated: PG
Streaming: Disney+, SlingTV
Is it a Halloween movie or a Christmas movie? Why not both? When Jack Skellington (Chris Sarandon), the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, stumbles into Christmas Town, he tries to bring Christmas cheer to his spooky world — with hilariously haunting results.
‘Casper’ (1995)
Rated: PG
Streaming: Hulu, Netflix
Casper (Devon Sawa), “the friendliest ghost you know,” finally finds a friend in Kat (Christina Ricci), whose dad has been hired to cleanse Casper’s haunted mansion. But not all ghosts are so friendly — Casper’s uncles are on a mission to drive all the “fleshies” away. Kat and her dad are on a mission to help the spirits find a little closure and to help them cross over to the other side.
‘Ghostbusters’ (1984)
Rated: PG
Streaming: Sling TV, or available to rent on Amazon Prime Video
Who you gonna call? When paranormal activity sweeps through New York City, the Ghostbusters step in with proton packs, ready to help. When they’re blamed for the chaos, the team must prove they’re the city’s only hope against a supernatural invasion.
‘ParaNorman’ (2012)
Rated: PG
Streaming: Available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video or Apple TV
Norman (Kodi Smit-McPhee) can see ghosts — a talent that makes him an outcast. But when the dead rise and a centuries-old curse threatens his town, he and his friends must use his gift to save everyone.
‘Monsters vs. Aliens’ (2012)
Rated: PG
Streaming: Available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video or Apple TV
When Susan (Reese Witherspoon) is struck by a meteorite and turned into a giant, she’s captured and hidden away with other “monsters.” But when aliens invade Earth, the government calls on these unlikely heroes to save the planet.