The scariest night of the year is here, but you don’t want your little ones to get goosebumps by watching terrifying horror flicks. Well, do not worry, as here we discuss the 10 best horror movies that can turn Halloween 2025 into a heartfelt and bonding time for your family. From silly monsters to goofy ghosts, this article talks about the top horror movies you can watch with your kids.
1. Hotel Transylvania
- Release Date: September 28, 2012
- Director: Genndy Tartakovsky
- Cast: Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, Fran Drescher, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, David Spade, CeeLo Green
The horror genre has introduced us to many classic monsters and ghosts, and Hotel Transylvania allows us to meet their goofy versions. I mean, have you seen Count Dracula, Frankenstein, and Mavis Dracula in their fun-filled versions? No, right? Hotel Transylvania lets you experience that. Moreover, it might be a horror animated movie in the first place, but when you dig deeper, you will find out that the story is all about love, family, and letting go. Besides that, the movie’s slapstick humour and the clever jokes will make the scary night a little wholesome for the viewer.
Hotel Transylvania follows Count Dracula, who is not your typical deadly vampire, by the way. He is just a loving dad who owns a hotel that caters to monsters and demons to let them relax with no humans around. One day, when a human enters the premises of the hotel and falls for Mavis, the chaos begins.
2. Monster House
- Release Date: July 21, 2006
- Director: Gil Kenan
- Cast: Steve Buscemi, Nick Cannon, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Kevin James, Jason Lee, Catherine O’Hara, Kathleen Turner, Fred Willard
Monster House is one such movie that can give you chills while also maintaining that smile on your face with every scene. It’s spooky but also involves humour and heartfelt moments, making it a perfect watch for audiences of all ages. Besides everything, the film harbours a really cool animation and an exciting story that your kid will surely fall in love with.
Monster House follows a 12-year-old kid named DJ, who discovers that the house of his not-so-friendly neighbor Horace Nebbercracker is actually a living monster. After his grumpy neighbour gets a heart attack, DJ, along with his two friends, Chowder and Jenny, decides to take matters into their own hands and stop the monster from destroying in their vicinity.
3. Casper
- Release Date: May 26, 1995
- Director: Brad Silberling
- Cast: Christina Ricci, Bill Pullman, Cathy Moriarty, Eric Idle
Casper introduces us to the cutest ghost ever and gives us a story to cherish for a long time. It blends the themes of loss, love, and letting go in a perfect manner. Also, Casper is a ghost film that is overall cute. Instead of freaking you out, the ghost of the film will make you smile a little more with his kindness.
The film follows a ghost named Casper who desires to have a friend. He lives in a big mansion, making the atmosphere a bit spooky. But he doesn’t want to scare humans; he just wants to befriend them. So, one day, when the paranormal expert Dr. James Harvey shows up to talk to him, Casper builds an unlikely relationship with his daughter, Kat, who accompanies her father to the mansion.
4. Goosebumps
- Release Date: May 26, 1995
- Director: Rob Letterman
- Cast: Jack Black, Dylan Minnette, Odeya Rush, Amy Ryan, Ryan Lee, Jillian Bell
If you are a Jumanji and Ghostbusters fan but haven’t yet watched Goosebumps, you’re surely missing out on huge things. Based on R. L. Stine’s horror novel series, Goosebumps gives a fresh take on monsters that your little ones will enjoy watching. On the other hand, if you’ve read the books, the film will also become your favorite. With the unique and fast-paced adventure and witty humour, the horror film will also give you a nostalgic feel.
Goosebumps follows Zach, who unknowingly unleashes the monsters from R.L. Stine’s books into real life. Now, he must team up with Stine and his daughter to stop all the chaos and send these outwardly creatures back to where they have come from.
5. Frankenweenie
- Release Date: October 5, 2012
- Director: Tim Burton
- Cast: Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short, Martin Landau, Charlie Tahan, Atticus Shaffer, Winona Ryder
Frankenweenie is a must-watch for all the dog lovers out there. That’s because it is a story that sheds light on the love between a boy and his pet dog. It is one such animated film that will make you weep every now and then with its emotional depth. It also doesn’t fail to pay homage to classic horror stories, especially Frankenstein, by taking inspiration from it. Frankenweenie consists of black and white visuals, setting a perfect tone for Halloween. On the same hand, it doesn’t ever get too spooky for kids to watch.
Directed by Tim Burton, Frankenweenie revolves around Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist. He uses science to bring his pet dog Sparky back to life after he is killed in an accident. Everything goes smoothly until Victor’s classmates revive other creatures from the dead and push their town into chaos.
6. ParaNorman
- Release Date: August 17, 2012
- Director: Sam Fell, Chris Butler
- Cast: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Tucker Albrizzi, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Leslie Mann, Jeff Garlin, Elaine Stritch, Bernard Hill, Jodelle Ferland, Tempestt Bledsoe, Alex Borstein, John Goodman
ParaNorman is a thought-provoking film that resonates with every age group of the audience. It is spooky, entertaining, and also a project that evokes strong emotions in the viewers. With its mature themes and a perfect animation style, ParaNorman deserves all your love. Above all, it introduces you to a set of well-developed characters who force you to embrace their journeys.
The film’s protagonist is an 11-year-old outcast named Norman Babcock, who was born with a gift of talking to the dead. His family and neighbours see him as a weird kid. However, when an old curse of a witch starts causing havoc in the town, he and a group of outcasts set out on a mission to save everybody.
7. Nightbooks
- Release Date: September 15, 2021
- Director: David Yarovesky
- Cast: Winslow Fegley, Lidya Jewett, Krysten Ritter
Nightbooks is a perfect family-friendly horror film that keeps you hooked entirely. With its incredible visuals, great script, and strong performances, the film has everything that makes it one of the best horror movies of all time. You should definitely consider watching it this Halloween. Also, it comes with a strong message about self-acceptance and makes you realize that no matter what, you should never feel guilty for being your true self.
Based on a children’s book named Nightbooks, the film follows Alex Mosher, who is passionate about writing scary stories. One day, after overhearing his parents’ worries, he decided to give up his obsession with writing horror stories. However, before he can burn his Nightbook, he mysteriously happens to reach an apartment that belongs to a witch. She asks her to read a horror story to her every night. Alex comes across Yasmin, a girl who has been trapped in the place for years. So, together they decided to outsmart the witch and free themselves from the prison.
8. Beetlejuice
- Release Date: March 30, 1988
- Director: Tim Burton
- Cast: Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Jeffrey Jones, Catherine O’Hara, Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton
Beetlejuice features a great mixture of dark comedy and spooky vibes. It is one of the most popular horror films that, despite being scary for a while, can be a kid-friendly movie. With its humorous and light take on death and the afterlife, the film doesn’t keep away from entertaining you with several over-the-top, weird yet fun events.
Beetlejuice follows a couple, Adam and Barbara Maitland, who, even after dying, get trapped in their home as ghosts. After a new family moves in and decorates the house as per their desires, the ghost couple calls out for a freelance ghost bio-exorcist to scare the humans and force them to leave the house. However, they didn’t have an idea of the chaos that would follow once Beetlejuice arrived. If you like this, you can also watch Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the sequel, which was released last year.
9. Halloweentown
- Release Date: October 17, 1998
- Director: Duwayne Dunham
- Cast: Debbie Reynolds, Judith Hoag, Kimberly J. Brown, Joey Zimmerman, Phillip Van Dyke, Emily Roeske, Robin Thomas
Halloweentown is one of the most loved Disney horror classics that features a lot of magic, horror, and light moments. It is also a film that you’ll enjoy watching the most from that cozy corner of your room. Also, as the name suggests, it is a Halloween film that involves broomsticks, pumpkins, and every required element that makes it eligible to sit on this list.
Halloweentown revolves around a 13-year-old Marnie Piper, who, after following her grandma to Halloween town, finds out about the biggest secret that her family holds. She discovers her witch origin and that she and her family must fight the evil force that desires to take control of the human world.
10. The Addams Family
- Release Date: November 22, 1991
- Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
- Cast: Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd
Now, who doesn’t know about the Addams Family? The saga that arrived on the screens for the first time in 1991 and grabbed a lot of attention from the fans worldwide. However, the popularity of the spooky family skyrocketed when Wednesday was released on Netflix in 2022. So, now it is surely a film that you should make your kids watch on Halloween 2025, if you haven’t already.
The Addams Family sees a fraudulent man entering the lives of the Addams as Fester. However, as he spends time with them, Morticia and Gomez begin to suspect him. Later, the man brings a lawyer and tries to acquire all their fortune. However, things get complicated when Gomez and the family members stand in his way to protect what belongs to them.
So, now you have a list of scary but horror movies to watch this Halloween day, which one are you picking?
Aparna Ukil
