Horror-Free Halloween Flicks

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Grace Tucceri

Not into slasher films? Sit back and relax with Coraline, Jack, Winnifred, and… Spookley?!?!

Grace Tucceri, Writer

Not everyone (myself included) can handle clowns holding red balloons hiding in sewers, psychos running around with chainsaws, and stalkers in cheap ghost masks. However, there are plenty of Halloween films featuring, well, less terrifying circumstances in general. Here are 8 PG and yes, G-rated Halloween films for those who don’t want to have nightmares on October 31st. The list descends from “borderline horror movie” to “toddler entertainment”, so enjoy!

Coraline (2009)

It’s freaky, it’s twisted, and every single shot in this film is downright gorgeous! Unfortunately for Coraline, she finds herself in the midst of a literal nightmare where the sinister “Other Mother” wants to trap her in the alternate dimension forever… and stitch buttons into her eyes!

Laika’s 2009 stop-motion film Coraline tells the story of an eccentric young girl and a dark hidden world. (Flickr/Creative Commons)

Hocus Pocus (1993)

The cult classic follows a recently resurrected trio of kooky witches who just want to eat a bunch of children – and it’s up to a Max, Allison, and Dani to stop them from destroying Salem! Absolutely amazing in every single way. Be sure to check out Misha and Fiona’s recent review of the all-new sequel, too!

Frankenweenie (2012)

A kid friendly take on Frankenstein follows a young Victor whose dog dies in a car accident. But when he resurrects Sparky, chaos (obviously) ensures! The black-and-white aesthetic adds a spookier tone to the film, making it slightly higher up than other animated films in terms of creepiness. 

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Even though it has Christmas in the title, Tim Burton’s stop motion picture can be seen as a Halloween staple as well. Jack the Pumpkin King performs some show-stopping numbers and the animation is unreal considering it was made back in the 90s.  

Invisible Sister (2015)

I’m ashamed to say it, but this Disney Channel Original Movie is not half bad. The story follows a younger sister who accidentally makes her older sister invisible following a science project accident. Maybe I like it more than others since I have a younger sister, but who knows!

Hotel Transylvania (2012)

The Drac Pack’s first outing has a few laughs in it and features some great voiceover work from the iconic Adam Sandler. Nothing about it is scary (or groundbreaking, to say the least), but it cemented itself as a solid choice for families to watch together

The fourth and final installment of the Hotel Transylvania franchise was released earlier this year as a Prime Video exclusive. (Peakpx/Creative Commons)

It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)

People young and old love it and it’s been a tradition for many decades now to watch the Peanuts gang go trick or treating. Absolutely nothing scary happens, but I still despise the fact that Charlie only gets rocks instead of candy to this day. 

Spookley the Square Pumpkin (2004)

Congratulations! You made it to the wimpiest film on this list! I dare you to go on Netflix and spend 47 minutes suffering through some of the worst dialogue and music imaginable. Find out for yourself if Spookley wins “Pick of the Patch” while learning about teamwork!

Read more about these films on a specially curated Letterboxd list: https://letterboxd.com/gmtucceri/list/halloween-for-wimps/