31 Spook-tacular PG Halloween Movies

Finding the right Halloween movie for a family movie night can be surprisingly tricky. Some films are far too frightening for younger viewers, while others barely feel spooky at all.

Fortunately, the PG rating contains a wonderfully strange middle ground filled with witches, ghosts, vampires, haunted houses, talking monsters, stop-motion skeletons, supernatural mysteries, and just enough darkness to make an October evening feel special.

The 31 movies below are U.S. PG-rated feature films. That does not necessarily mean every movie is suitable for every child. The Motion Picture Association describes PG as “Parental Guidance Suggested,” meaning some material may not be appropriate for young children.

That distinction is especially important with older PG movies such as Beetlejuice, Ghostbusters, The Witches, and Something Wicked This Way Comes. Several contain stronger scares, language, suggestive humor, or disturbing imagery than parents might expect from a modern PG movie.

For younger viewers who need something gentler, you may also want our G-Rated Halloween Movies for Family Fun.

🎃 Quick Guide to 31 PG Halloween Movies

#	Movie	Year	Halloween Appeal	Scare Level
1	Hocus Pocus	1993	Witches, Salem, Halloween night	Moderate
2	Hocus Pocus 2	2022	Witches, magic, Salem	Mild–Moderate
3	The Nightmare Before Christmas	1993	Halloween Town, monsters, skeletons	Mild–Moderate
4	Beetlejuice	1988	Ghosts, afterlife, dark comedy	Moderate
5	Casper	1995	Friendly ghosts, haunted mansion	Mild
6	The Haunted Mansion	2003	Haunted house, ghosts, curse	Mild–Moderate
7	Coraline	2009	Dark fantasy, alternate world	Strong
8	ParaNorman	2012	Ghosts, zombies, witch’s curse	Moderate
9	Monster House	2006	Living haunted house	Moderate
10	Corpse Bride	2005	Gothic romance, skeletons, afterlife	Mild–Moderate
11	Frankenweenie	2012	Frankenstein themes, reanimated pets	Moderate
12	Hotel Transylvania	2012	Dracula and classic monsters	Mild
13	Hotel Transylvania 2	2015	Vampires and monster family	Mild
14	Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation	2018	Monsters and Van Helsing	Mild
15	Hotel Transylvania: Transformania	2022	Monster transformations	Mild
16	Goosebumps	2015	Monsters come to life	Moderate
17	Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween	2018	Halloween night, monsters, Slappy	Moderate
18	The Addams Family	2019	Macabre family comedy	Mild
19	The Addams Family 2	2021	Spooky family adventure	Mild
20	The House with a Clock in Its Walls	2018	Witchcraft, warlocks, haunted house	Moderate
21	The Witches	1990	Evil witches, transformations	Strong
22	The Witches	2020	Witches, magic, transformations	Moderate–Strong
23	The Spiderwick Chronicles	2008	Goblins and magical creatures	Moderate
24	Scoob!	2020	Mystery, monsters, supernatural adventure	Mild
25	The Little Vampire	2000	Vampires and friendship	Mild–Moderate
26	Ghostbusters	1984	Ghosts, supernatural comedy	Moderate
27	Ghostbusters II	1989	Ghosts, possessed paintings	Moderate
28	Something Wicked This Way Comes	1983	Sinister carnival, dark magic	Strong
29	The Watcher in the Woods	1980	Supernatural mystery	Strong
30	The Black Cauldron	1985	Undead army, dark sorcery	Moderate–Strong
31	Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone	2001	Witches, wizards, ghosts	Moderate

🧙 1. Hocus Pocus (1993)

Few movies capture Halloween quite as completely as Hocus Pocus.

Teenager Max Dennison accidentally resurrects the Sanderson Sisters—Winifred, Mary, and Sarah—after moving to Salem, Massachusetts. With the witches determined to regain their youth, Max, his sister Dani, Allison, and the immortal cat Binx must stop them before sunrise.

Pumpkins, trick-or-treaters, costumes, graveyards, spell books, black cats, witches, and an actual Halloween-night setting make this one of the easiest choices for an October movie marathon.

The movie does contain some creepy ideas involving children, death, witchcraft, and resurrection, along with language and jokes that younger viewers may not understand.

Best for: Families wanting a quintessential Halloween movie with comedy, magic, and moderate scares.

🧹 2. Hocus Pocus 2 (2022)

Nearly three decades after the original, the Sanderson Sisters return to Salem in Hocus Pocus 2.

Teenagers Becca and Izzy accidentally bring Winifred, Mary, and Sarah back once again, resulting in another night of spells, magical chaos, and extremely theatrical witchcraft.

The sequel retains much of the original movie’s Halloween imagery but generally has a lighter, more modern family-adventure tone.

Watching the two Hocus Pocus movies back-to-back makes an easy Halloween double feature.

Best for: Families who love the Sanderson Sisters but prefer a somewhat gentler supernatural adventure.

💀 3. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Is it a Halloween movie or a Christmas movie?

Why choose?

Jack Skellington rules Halloween Town, where ghosts, monsters, witches, vampires, skeletons, and other creatures spend the year preparing for October 31. When Jack accidentally discovers Christmas Town, he becomes fascinated by an entirely different holiday.

His attempt to take over Christmas produces one of animation’s strangest and most memorable holiday mashups.

Despite skeletons, monsters, severed body parts, creepy toys, and the villainous Oogie Boogie, the stop-motion fantasy keeps much of its darkness playful.

Fans of spooky animation can find even more ideas in our guide to 15 Spook-tacular Animated Halloween Movies.

Best for: Viewers who enjoy Gothic animation, music, monsters, and Tim Burton’s distinctive visual world.

👻 4. Beetlejuice (1988)

After Barbara and Adam Maitland die in an accident, they discover that leaving their former home is considerably more complicated than expected.

When an eccentric new family moves in, the Maitlands attempt to frighten them away. Eventually, they seek assistance from an obnoxious and unpredictable supernatural troublemaker named Betelgeuse.

Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice is packed with bizarre ghosts, strange creatures, surreal afterlife bureaucracy, dark comedy, and one of cinema’s most memorable haunted houses.

However, parents should remember that this is a 1988 PG movie. It contains language, suggestive humor, frightening images, death-related material, and jokes considerably edgier than those in most modern PG films.

Best for: Older children and tweens who enjoy weird, macabre comedy.

👻 5. Casper (1995)

Casper may live in a haunted mansion, but he isn’t particularly interested in frightening anyone.

When paranormal therapist Dr. James Harvey and his daughter Kat move into Whipstaff Manor, Kat discovers that one of the resident ghosts is gentle, lonely, and eager to make a friend.

Casper’s troublesome uncles provide most of the movie’s supernatural chaos, while the relationship between Casper and Kat gives the story an unexpectedly emotional center.

There are themes involving death and loss, but much of the movie is funny, warm, and approachable.

Best for: Families looking for ghosts without full-fledged horror.

🏚️ 6. The Haunted Mansion (2003)

Disney’s classic theme-park attraction inspired this supernatural comedy starring Eddie Murphy.

Real-estate agent Jim Evers brings his family to an enormous mansion, expecting to discuss a potential property deal. Instead, they discover ghosts, a mysterious owner, a sinister butler, and a centuries-old secret.

The mansion’s corridors, graveyard, crypts, ghosts, secret passageways, and Gothic architecture deliver plenty of Halloween atmosphere.

Some undead imagery and supernatural sequences may frighten sensitive children, but comedy prevents the story from becoming too grim.

Best for: Families who want an old-fashioned haunted-house adventure.

🪡 7. Coraline (2009)

Coraline may carry a PG rating, but it is one of the creepiest movies on this list.

After moving to a new home, Coraline Jones discovers a hidden doorway leading to an alternate version of her life. At first, the Other World appears brighter, more exciting, and more attentive than reality.

Then Coraline discovers what her Other Mother truly wants.

The stop-motion animation is extraordinary, but button eyes, trapped children, disturbing transformations, and the increasingly frightening Other Mother can be genuinely scary.

Best for: Older children and tweens comfortable with dark fantasy and sustained suspense.

🧟 8. ParaNorman (2012)

Norman Babcock possesses an unusual ability: he can see and speak with dead people.

His gift makes him an outsider until his hometown faces a centuries-old curse involving ghosts, zombies, and the history of a supposed witch.

Rather than using monsters merely for scares, ParaNorman gradually becomes a thoughtful story about fear, bullying, prejudice, and what happens when people refuse to understand someone who is different.

There are plenty of zombies and creepy scenes, but humor and heart balance the darker material.

Best for: Tweens who like horror imagery with a meaningful story underneath.

🏠 9. Monster House (2006)

What if the creepy house across the street really were alive?

Three young friends become convinced that their neighbor’s house is not simply frightening—it is an actual monster capable of swallowing anything that enters its yard.

Naturally, Halloween night is approaching.

Monster House delivers more genuine tension than many animated family movies, particularly when the children enter the building and uncover its history.

The combination of trick-or-treating, a haunted neighborhood, childhood adventure, and a literally monstrous house makes it especially well suited to October.

Best for: Kids who want a real scare without moving into PG-13 horror.

💐 10. Corpse Bride (2005)

Victor Van Dort accidentally finds himself engaged to a dead woman after practicing his wedding vows in the wrong place at the wrong time.

That mistake pulls him into a surprisingly colorful Land of the Dead.

Corpse Bride uses skeletons, graveyards, corpses, Gothic architecture, and macabre humor to create a beautifully strange supernatural romance. Despite the imagery, the story is ultimately more melancholy and romantic than frightening.

The stop-motion animation and Danny Elfman’s musical score also make it a natural companion to The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Best for: Families who enjoy Gothic fantasy more than conventional horror.

⚡ 11. Frankenweenie (2012)

Young Victor Frankenstein is devastated after losing his beloved dog, Sparky.

Inspired by a classroom science lesson, Victor conducts an experiment that brings Sparky back to life. Unfortunately, other children soon learn what he has done—and begin conducting experiments of their own.

Tim Burton filmed Frankenweenie in black and white as an affectionate tribute to classic monster cinema, particularly Frankenstein.

The movie contains themes involving the death of a pet, reanimation, monsters, and some surprisingly intense creature action.

Best for: Animal-loving older children who can handle the emotional beginning and monster-filled finale.

🧛 12. Hotel Transylvania (2012)

Count Dracula has created an elaborate hotel where monsters can escape from humans.

His guests include werewolves, mummies, Frankenstein’s monster, the Invisible Man, and numerous other creatures who would ordinarily populate horror movies.

Everything changes when an ordinary human named Jonathan accidentally discovers the hotel—and becomes interested in Dracula’s daughter, Mavis.

Rather than asking children to fear classic monsters, Hotel Transylvania turns them into eccentric families with ordinary problems.

Best for: Younger viewers ready to meet vampires and monsters in a silly, colorful setting.

🦇 13. Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015)

The second Hotel Transylvania movie expands Dracula’s unusual family.

Dracula becomes concerned that his young grandson Dennis may not have inherited his vampire abilities, leading to a series of misguided attempts to awaken the boy’s monster side.

The familiar werewolves, mummies, vampires, and other creatures return, but scares remain secondary to comedy and family relationships.

Best for: Kids who loved the first movie and want more cheerful monster mayhem.

🚢 14. Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018)

Even Dracula needs a vacation.

The monster family boards a cruise ship, where Dracula unexpectedly develops feelings for Captain Ericka. Unfortunately, her family history makes the romance considerably more complicated.

This third movie is less Halloween-centered than the original, but Dracula, Frankenstein, werewolves, monsters, and the Van Helsing legacy give it plenty of spooky-season appeal.

Best for: Families seeking a very light Halloween movie with more comedy than scares.

🧪 15. Hotel Transylvania: Transformania (2022)

A mysterious invention turns Dracula and several of his monster friends into humans while transforming Jonathan into a monster.

Naturally, nobody is particularly happy with the arrangement.

The fourth Hotel Transylvania movie sends the characters on another colorful adventure while playing with one of horror’s oldest themes: transformation.

Best for: Younger viewers who prefer goofy monsters to ghosts and haunted houses.

📚 16. Goosebumps (2015)

R.L. Stine’s famous monsters escape from the page in this fast-moving supernatural comedy.

Teenager Zach discovers that his mysterious neighbor is author R.L. Stine—and that the creatures in Stine’s manuscripts can become real. When the books are accidentally opened, monsters begin invading the town.

Slappy the Dummy, the Abominable Snowman, werewolves, giant insects, and other creatures create plenty of action.

The film is spooky, but Jack Black’s exaggerated performance and frequent comedy keep the monster invasion fun.

Best for: Tweens who enjoy the Goosebumps books or want a lively introduction to monster movies.

🎃 17. Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween (2018)

The sequel goes even further into Halloween territory.

Two boys discover an unpublished R.L. Stine manuscript and accidentally release Slappy the Dummy. Before long, Halloween decorations, costumes, monsters, and other creepy creations are coming to life.

The Halloween setting gives the movie an especially festive atmosphere, and its creatures are generally designed for thrills rather than genuine terror.

Best for: A Halloween-night family movie when you want lots of monsters without serious horror.

🕷️ 18. The Addams Family (2019)

Gomez, Morticia, Wednesday, Pugsley, Uncle Fester, and the rest of the Addams clan return in animated form.

Their gloomy mansion and enthusiasm for everything macabre clash spectacularly with a bright, carefully planned community nearby.

The Addamses may love spiders, explosives, torture devices, cemeteries, and death-related jokes, but their bizarre behavior is presented with affectionate comedy rather than horror.

Unlike the popular 1991 live-action film, which is PG-13, this 2019 animated version is PG.

Best for: Families seeking funny Gothic imagery with very mild scares.

🧳 19. The Addams Family 2 (2021)

Gomez becomes concerned that Wednesday is growing distant from the family, so the Addamses embark on a road trip.

Naturally, an Addams family vacation involves considerably more chaos than an ordinary sightseeing trip.

The sequel retains the franchise’s macabre humor while focusing heavily on family relationships and Wednesday’s questions about where she belongs.

Best for: Kids who enjoyed the 2019 animated movie and want another spooky-but-silly adventure.

🕰️ 20. The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018)

After losing his parents, young Lewis Barnavelt goes to live with his eccentric Uncle Jonathan.

Lewis quickly discovers that Jonathan is a warlock, his neighbor Florence is a witch, and the enormous old house contains a mysterious ticking sound coming from somewhere inside its walls.

Magic, necromancy, creepy dolls, a graveyard, sinister sorcery, and a genuinely threatening villain give the film more intensity than its whimsical beginning suggests.

Best for: Older children and tweens who enjoy magical adventures with real scares.

🐭 21. The Witches (1990)

Roald Dahl’s story becomes an unusually frightening children’s movie in this 1990 adaptation.

A boy discovers that witches are real—and that a group of them has gathered at a hotel to plan the elimination of children.

Anjelica Huston’s Grand High Witch is particularly memorable, and the witches’ true appearances remain startling decades later.

This is another film where the PG label should not be interpreted as “gentle.” Transformations, grotesque makeup, danger to children, and frightening scenes make it better suited to viewers comfortable with stronger scares.

Best for: Older children who genuinely want to be frightened.

🧙‍♀️ 22. The Witches (2020)

Robert Zemeckis directed this newer adaptation of Roald Dahl’s novel, starring Anne Hathaway as the Grand High Witch.

Once again, a boy and his grandmother discover a gathering of witches plotting against children.

Modern visual effects replace much of the practical creature work of the 1990 version, but enormous mouths, claws, transformations, rats, mice, and menacing witches can still be unsettling.

Families could even watch both versions and decide which Grand High Witch is creepier.

Best for: Viewers who like fantasy adventures with a darker edge.

📖 23. The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)

When the Grace family moves into an old estate, Jared discovers a mysterious field guide documenting magical creatures.

Unfortunately, knowing about the hidden magical world also makes the family a target.

Goblins, ogres, protective circles, strange creatures, and an atmospheric old house make The Spiderwick Chronicles a strong choice for Halloween even though it isn’t specifically about the holiday.

The creature attacks become fairly intense, so this is better suited to children comfortable with fantasy violence and suspense.

Best for: Fans of magical creatures, secret worlds, and fantasy adventures.

🐕 24. Scoob! (2020)

Scooby-Doo has been associated with ghosts and monsters for generations, making almost any Mystery Inc. adventure a natural fit for Halloween.

Scoob! explores how Shaggy and Scooby first met before sending the familiar gang into a much larger supernatural adventure involving the ghostly dog Cerberus.

The animated style and frequent comedy keep things approachable even when monsters and supernatural threats appear.

Best for: Younger viewers who want a colorful mystery with familiar characters.

🧛‍♂️ 25. The Little Vampire (2000)

Tony is a lonely young boy living in Scotland when he befriends Rudolph—a child who happens to be a vampire.

Instead of portraying vampires simply as monsters, The Little Vampire turns the mythology into a story about friendship, acceptance, and helping a supernatural family.

There are villains, danger, flying vampires, coffins, and spooky nighttime imagery, but the movie keeps a distinctly child-centered tone.

Best for: Kids curious about vampires but not ready for scarier vampire movies.

🚫👻 26. Ghostbusters (1984)

Three scientists in New York City decide to turn their interest in the paranormal into a business.

Soon the Ghostbusters are capturing spirits with proton packs—and uncovering a supernatural threat far larger than they expected.

Slimer, the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, the library ghost, possessed characters, and countless apparitions make Ghostbusters practically irresistible during Halloween season.

Parents should once again remember the film’s age. Its 1984 PG rating predates the modern expectations many families associate with the category, and the movie contains language, suggestive material, smoking, and several frightening sequences.

Best for: Older children and tweens ready for a classic supernatural comedy.

🖼️ 27. Ghostbusters II (1989)

Five years later, the Ghostbusters discover that New York City still has a paranormal problem.

This time, strange supernatural energy is connected to a sinister portrait of Vigo the Carpathian and a river of mysterious slime beneath the city.

The sequel brings back much of the original cast while mixing comedy, ghosts, possessions, and supernatural action.

Vigo and several ghost sequences can be creepy, though comedy continues to dominate the film.

Best for: Families who enjoyed the original Ghostbusters and want a double feature.

🎪 28. Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)

A mysterious carnival arrives in a small Midwestern town—and it isn’t offering ordinary entertainment.

Two boys discover that the sinister Mr. Dark can tempt people with their deepest wishes while demanding a terrible price in return.

Based on Ray Bradbury’s novel, Something Wicked This Way Comes has nearly everything needed for an atmospheric Halloween movie: autumn streets, a traveling carnival, darkness, magic, childhood fears, and an unsettling villain.

Despite being released by Disney and rated PG, this is one of the darkest selections here.

Best for: Older children and adults who want an atmospheric, genuinely eerie Halloween story.

🌲 29. The Watcher in the Woods (1980)

A family moves into an old English country house and soon encounters a supernatural mystery connected to the disappearance of a girl decades earlier.

Mirrors, strange lights, a mysterious woman, dark woods, occult imagery, and unexplained events create an atmosphere much closer to traditional ghost stories than family comedy.

Bette Davis adds considerably to the film’s unsettling mood.

This is another Disney PG film from an era when children’s entertainment could become surprisingly frightening.

Best for: Older viewers who appreciate slow-building supernatural mysteries.

🧙‍♂️ 30. The Black Cauldron (1985)

Disney animation took a dramatically darker turn with The Black Cauldron.

Young Taran becomes involved in a quest to prevent the terrifying Horned King from obtaining a magical cauldron capable of creating an undead army.

Dark castles, skeletal warriors, witches, magic, frightening creatures, and a villain who looks as though he wandered in from a horror movie make this one of Disney’s most unusual animated adventures.

It is not technically a Halloween movie, but its Gothic fantasy atmosphere fits beautifully into October.

Best for: Older children who enjoy darker fantasy and classic animation.

⚡ 31. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)

The first Harry Potter movie may not be a Halloween film, but few PG fantasies create a better October atmosphere.

Harry discovers that he is a wizard and enters Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a world filled with ghosts, potions, spells, enchanted objects, magical creatures, secret passages, enormous castles, and candlelit feasts.

The film even includes a memorable Halloween sequence involving a mountain troll loose inside Hogwarts.

Several later Harry Potter movies moved into PG-13 territory, but Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is rated PG.

Best for: A long, cozy autumn movie night filled with witches, wizards, ghosts, and magic.

🍿 Which PG Halloween Movies Are the Least Scary?

For families wanting the gentler end of the PG spectrum, good starting points include:

Hotel Transylvania
Hotel Transylvania 2
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation
Hotel Transylvania: Transformania
The Addams Family (2019)
The Addams Family 2
Scoob!
Casper
The Little Vampire

These films contain monsters, ghosts, vampires, or macabre humor without building their stories primarily around frightening the audience.

Children who are ready for a little more suspense might move on to Hocus Pocus, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, Frankenweenie, Goosebumps, or The Haunted Mansion.

😱 Which PG Halloween Movies Are the Scariest?

A PG rating is not a guarantee of gentle entertainment.

The strongest choices on this list include:

Coraline
The Witches (1990)
The Witches (2020)
Something Wicked This Way Comes
The Watcher in the Woods
The Black Cauldron
Beetlejuice
Ghostbusters

Parents of younger or particularly sensitive children may want to preview these films first.

For children moving toward genuinely scarier entertainment, our Top 10 Halloween Movies That Are Perfect for Tweens offers another useful place to start.

🎬 How to Build a PG Halloween Movie Marathon

The easiest way to create a fun Halloween movie marathon is to increase the scare level gradually.

Begin with something playful such as Hotel Transylvania or The Addams Family. Follow it with supernatural comedy like Hocus Pocus or Casper. If everyone still wants something creepier, finish with Coraline, The Witches, or Something Wicked This Way Comes.

You can also build the night around a theme.

Try a Tim Burton marathon with Beetlejuice, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, and Frankenweenie.

Create a monster marathon with Hotel Transylvania, Goosebumps, The Little Vampire, and Monster House.

Or plan a ghost night with Casper, Ghostbusters, The Haunted Mansion, and The Watcher in the Woods.

Add popcorn, cider, Halloween cookies, blankets, dim lighting, and a bowl of candy, and you have everything needed for an October tradition.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

What does PG mean?

PG means Parental Guidance Suggested. According to the Motion Picture Association, a PG movie may contain material parents might not consider suitable for younger children.

It is not an age recommendation guaranteeing that every child will be comfortable with the movie.

Are all of these movies really rated PG?

Yes. The movies in this list carry U.S. PG ratings.

That is an important distinction because many films commonly included on “PG Halloween movie” lists are actually PG-13 or R.

For example, the live-action The Addams Family (1991), Addams Family Values (1993), The Monster Squad (1987), The Mummy (1999), A Monster Calls (2016), and Disney’s Haunted Mansion (2023) do not belong on a strictly PG list.

Why do some older PG movies seem much scarier?

PG standards have evolved, and the PG-13 category did not exist until the 1980s.

As a result, some older PG movies contain material that modern audiences may associate more closely with PG-13 entertainment. A rating alone therefore should not replace a parent’s judgment about an individual child.

What is the best PG Halloween movie for younger children?

Hotel Transylvania is one of the easiest starting points because its vampires, werewolves, mummies, and Frankenstein-inspired characters are primarily comedic.

The Addams Family (2019), Scoob!, and Casper are other relatively gentle choices.

What is the best PG Halloween movie for tweens?

Hocus Pocus, Goosebumps, Monster House, ParaNorman, and The House with a Clock in Its Walls provide a stronger combination of Halloween atmosphere and suspense.

Tweens seeking something genuinely creepy may particularly enjoy Coraline or The Witches.

Is Coraline appropriate for young children?

That depends heavily on the child.

Although Coraline is rated PG, its threatening Other Mother, button-eye imagery, trapped children, transformations, and sustained sense of danger can be considerably more frightening than many other PG animated movies.

Is Beetlejuice really PG?

Yes. The original 1988 Beetlejuice is rated PG.

However, it contains material that may surprise parents accustomed to modern PG movies, including macabre imagery, language, sexual humor, death-related themes, and frightening sequences.

The 2024 sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is PG-13.

🎃 Final Thoughts

PG Halloween movies occupy one of the most entertaining corners of spooky-season cinema.

They can introduce children to witches through Hocus Pocus, ghosts through Casper, classic monsters through Hotel Transylvania, Gothic animation through The Nightmare Before Christmas, supernatural comedy through Ghostbusters, and genuine chills through movies such as Coraline and The Witches.

The trick is remembering that PG covers a very wide range of intensity.

One child may laugh through Monster House while another finds it terrifying. A tween may be fascinated by Coraline while a younger sibling needs something closer to Hotel Transylvania.

Choose the movie that suits your audience, add some popcorn and Halloween treats, turn down the lights—and enjoy a spook-tacular movie night.