Halloween for tweens
A list by Nora
These spooky-but-gentle Halloween movies are perfect for a 9-year-old who wants to get into the holiday spirit without any scary violence or intense frights.
- 1
Halloweentown
Movie · 1998
“Nostalgic 90s Disney magic about a tween witch discovering her powers—charming for little kids, but painfully dated for everyone else.”
IMDb 6.5RT 83% - 2
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Movie · 1993
“Tim Burton's stop-motion gothic masterpiece where Halloween tries to steal Christmas—visually stunning, genuinely spooky, and surprisingly deep.”
IMDb 7.9RT 95% - 3
Scary Godmother: Halloween Spooktacular
Movie · 2003
“A little girl gets ditched in a spooky house by her mean cousin, then gets rescued by a theatrical witch and thrown a party on the Fright Side.”
- 4
Little Vampire
Movie · 2020
“A lonely vampire kid sneaks out of his haunted manor with a bulldog named Phantomato to find a friend who isn't already dead.”
- 5
Double, Double Toil and Trouble
Movie · 1993
“Twin sisters scheme to steal a magic moonstone from their miserable aunt to save their family home on Halloween night.”
- 6
Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge
Movie · 2001
“Disney Channel sequel where Halloween monsters and humans swap places—charming for nostalgic millennials, painfully dated for everyone else.”
- 7
Hotel Transylvania
Movie · 2012
“Dracula runs a monster resort where no humans allowed—until one crashes the party and falls for his daughter. Classic monsters meet rom-com chaos.”
IMDb 7.0RT 45% - 8
Hotel Transylvania 2
Movie · 2015
“Dracula's old-school vampire dad shows up and chaos ensues in this colorful sequel about accepting your half-human grandson's life choices.”
IMDb 6.6RT 57% - 9
ParaNorman
Movie · 2012
“A misunderstood kid who talks to ghosts must save his town from a witch's curse—spooky, smart, and surprisingly deep.”
- 10
Frankenweenie
Movie · 2012
“Tim Burton's heartfelt stop-motion ode to boy-and-his-dog love—with lightning bolts, reanimation, and just enough spooky to earn that PG.”
- 11
The Halloween Tree
Movie · 1993
“Ray Bradbury narrates four kids traveling across 4,000 years of history and myth to save their friend Pipkin on Halloween night.”
- 12
Coraline
Movie · 2009
“Visually stunning stop-motion fantasy that's equal parts imaginative wonder and legitimate childhood nightmare fuel—button eyes haunt forever.”
IMDb 7.8RT 91% - 13
Casper
Movie · 1995
“A friendly ghost befriends a lonely teen in this 1995 effects showcase that hasn't aged as gracefully as its transparent protagonist.”
IMDb 6.2RT 59% - 14
Twitches
Movie · 2005
“Twin witches reunite on their 21st birthday to save a magical kingdom in this peak-2000s Disney Channel movie that's exactly as cheesy as you remember.”
- 15
Halloweentown High
Movie · 2004
“The third Halloweentown movie brings monsters to high school with a tolerance message so obvious you could see it from the mortal world.”
- 16
Girl vs. Monster
Movie · 2012
“Disney Channel's 2012 Halloween flick: teen discovers her parents hunt monsters, cue musical numbers and mild spookiness.”
The list creator says4/5mostly enjoyable - 17
Hocus Pocus
Movie · 1993
“Three resurrected Salem witches wreak Halloween havoc in this 90s Disney cult classic that's more nostalgic for parents than thrilling for kids.”
IMDb 6.9RT 42% - 18
Hocus Pocus 2
Movie · 2022
“The Sanderson sisters are back for a nostalgia-fueled sequel that's fine family Halloween viewing but won't cast any new spells.”
IMDb 6.0RT 65% - 19
Zombies
Movie · 2018
“Disney musical where zombies and cheerleaders team up to fight prejudice—think High School Musical meets The Walking Dead's kid-friendly cousin.”
The list creator says2/5 - 20
The Book of Life
Movie · 2014
“Gorgeous Mexican folklore adventure where a young man literally dies to prove love conquers all—it's deeper and more beautiful than you'd expect.”
IMDb 7.2RT 82%
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