Halloween Films for the Whole Family

Kids love Halloween. It's a great excuse to dress up in a fancy costume and then obviously there's the chocolate and sweets. There are also some great Halloween films out there to get the family in the mood; but what's a good choice for the family? There are many Halloween films out there full of blood, guts and gore which obviously aren't suited for children (or a lot of adults), but there is also a large choice suitable for children of all ages. On this lens I have collected together some great Halloween films, all of which are rated PG or under.

Photo of 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' courtesy of www.Amazon.co.uk

Now twenty years old and still a Halloween favourite, Hocus Pocus is about a trio of witches (Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy and the wonderful Bette Midler) who are resurrected in Salam, Massachusetts at Halloween, and the three children (and immortal cat) who must stop them.

It's spooky and funny, and kids will love the music and the fact that it's down to children to save the day.

Photo of 'Hocus Pocus' courtesy of www.Amazon.com

This was the first film I ever went to see at the cinema and it's great. Starring Bill Pullman and a young Christina Ricci, Casper is a friendly ghost who, along with his three uncles (Stretch, Stinkie and Fatso), haunts a large mansion in Maine. Pullman is the paranormal therapist called by the manor's new owner to help the ghosts move over, while Ricci plays his daughter, Kat, who befriends Casper.

The computer generated ghosts might be a bit scary for extremely little ones, but otherwise this is a great, family-friendly film and kids will love the antics of Casper's three uncles.

Casper photo courtesy of Amazon

A stunning stop-motion film directed by Tim Burton, this is another film that the entire family will enjoy. Jack Skellington from Halloween town discovers a portal into Christmas town and decides that he wants to celebrate Christmas instead of Halloween. Kidnapping Santa Claus, Jack attempts to bring Christmas to the world, but doesn't entirely understand it himself.

The Nightmare Before Christmas is a beautifully crafted film, full of interesting characters to look at, funny jokes and a fantastic score by Danny Elfman including songs such as 'This is Halloween' (which featured on the 'Just Dance 3' game) and my favourite, 'What's This?' sung by Jack when he first discovers Christmas town.

The film is quite dark, so again some very young children might find it quite scary, but in general this is great for most ages.

Photo of 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' courtesy of Amazon

This is still one of my favourite films of all time and the perfect Halloween film for the entire family. Starring Dan Ackroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson as the Ghostbusters alongside Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis, it tells the tale of three ex-Columbia University parapsychologists who set up a ghost extermination business in New York City.

Ghostbusters is a vey funny film (ranked 28th in the AFIs list of comedy films) so great for adults and the kids will enjoy watching the ghosts (especially Slimer and Stay-Puft the marshmallow man).

Some of the bits are quite scary though, so no good for really small children. (The library scene at the beginning still makes me jump).

Ghostbusters 2 is also a good film and Ghostbusters 3 is heavily rumoured currently.

Photo of Ghostbusters' Ecto 1 courtesy of Chad Davis - wikimedia commons

For a slight twist on Halloween, why not try Batman Forever. Starring Val Kilmer, Jim Carrey, Nicole Kidman and Tommy Lee Jones this is the third Batman film of the Tim Burton series and the first one to be rated PG.

The film is notably campier than the previous two and definitely more family-friendly. Kilmer makes a decent Bruce Wayne, while Jones and Carrey provide interesting bad guys and Kidman, a beautiful love interest.

Photo courtesy of Amazon.

My favourite song from The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Bette Midler singing 'I put a Spell on you' from Hocus Pocus.

The song Ghostbusters from the movie.

Which is your favourite family Halloween film? Are there any good ones I have missed out? Have your say below.