Halloween Fun for Kids

1. Halloween is almost here!
It's that time of year. The cooler weather, changing leaves, fun commercials, the yard decorations, and stores' aisles of cool Halloween stuff all mean autumn is here!

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. It is a magical mix of adventure, horror, fun,creativity, and excitement. And, who could forget: CANDY! It is the time of year when everyone expresses their fears, and faces them head on. And, since I am obsessed with movies, I have very strong opinions about Halloween movies.

Halloween movies are one of the best ways for groups to celebrate the holiday, in my opinion. Halloween movies express things brilliantly in a way that no other art form can. I love Halloween music, decorations, and visual arts, as well. But, movies capture the magic better than anything else because of a combination of music, visuals, character, and storytelling. All these elements combine to tap into our fears, fantasies, and nightmares.

Also, everyone has a different approach to Halloween movies. To some, it simply means "scary." To others, they think of hardcore horror movies. Yet others with kids think of classic children's entertainment around Halloween, like The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! (One of my favorites) Or, the Garfield Halloween Special. (Absolutely genius. And, I use the word "genius" very rarely)


I have even had friends ask me in past years for my recommendations about what movies to watch in their Halloween parties. This kind of hung me up, because there are so many possibilities and expectations when it comes to Halloween movies.

2. Halloween Movie Categories
My solution: I decided to take the nerdy approach, and break Halloween movies down into different categories. Then, I will give you my favorite movies for each of those Halloween categories. This allows us to unpack these Halloween movies in a more organized way, and discuss them.


3. The Best Halloween Movies For Kids
My first category that I am blogging about is the kid category. There are many wonderful children's Halloween movies out there. And, there are some horrible ones. The tricky thing is, you may rent or borrow a movie thinking that it is safe for your kid(s), only to be shocked and appalled that it is, indeed, horribly inappropriate for your kids.

(Take, for example, my experience of recommending the original The
Wicker Man flick, starring Christopher Lee, to a high school teacher friend of mine. I had not seen it in a long time, and I recommended that she show it to a group of high school students because she asked me for a recommendation for a movie related to "cults" that she could show to her students. She called me a few days later, angry and appalled that I had recommended that movie because of nudity, violence, and overall inappropriateness. She didn't screen the movie beforehand because she trusted me. AWKWARD! I got burned on that one, big time.)

I learned my lesson from that awkward incident, and now I want to share with you parents some movies that are not only safe and appropriate for kids, but they are wonderful, creative, and entertaining movies for adults. This is my first Halloween movie category: Halloween fun for kids. And, of course, it's the top 13 Halloween movies for kids!

1. Casper (1995) Age range: 8 to 15 Buzz Certified FFA (Fun For Adults)
2. Ernest Scared Stupid (1991) Age range: 5-12
3. The Addams Family (1991) Age range: 12-15 Buzz Certified FFA (Fun For Adults)
4. Hocus Pocus (1993, PG) Age range: 8-15
5. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002, PG) Age range: 8 and up
6. Coraline (2009, PG) Age range: 10-15
7. Scooby Doo (2002, PG) Age range: 7-14
8. Garfield in Disguise / It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! (1985, 1966 TV-G) Age range: 4 and up Buzz Certified FFA
9. Beetlejuice (1988, PG-13) Age range: 14 and up Buzz Certified FFA
10. Halloweentown (1998, TV-G) Age range: 6-13
11. The Monster Squad (1987, PG-13) Age range: 10-15
12. Corpse Bride (2005, PG) Age range: 10-15
13. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993, PG) Age range: 8 and up Buzz Certified FFA

4. A Final Warning
Please remember, you must be careful to research any movie before showing it to kids. The Buzz is offering an experienced, educated opinion about what movies are most appropriate and fun for your kids. However, the ultimate responsibility is with you! Please leave comments with your own opinions, questions, or anything! Thank you for reading!

More Halloween top 13's Coming Soon...IF YOU DARE!...