It’s still September but the Halloween season has definitely begun! The candy, decorations and costumes have made their way into store aisles. The weather is getting colder, at least by a few degrees this morning anyway. Theme parks are opening their gates in hopes to terrify and delight guests this weekend or the following weekend. Oh it’s definitely Halloween time!
As you ready for yourself for the onslaught of costume shopping, pumpkin patches, hay rides, home haunts and the like, there’s nothing like sitting down and having a spooky family movie night to get everyone in the spirit.
Here is a short list of some newer movies mixed in with some classics and peppered with some of my personal favorites:
The Black Cauldron
I remember that this movie scared me to death as a child. My brother had the LP with the read along book and every time he played it, I would beg him to turn it off. Nowadays kids aren’t as easily scared but the Black Cauldron would be a great intro to dark movies. It’s not the most intriguing thing that Disney has put out but it’s nice to share a bit of nostalgia with your kids.
Hocus Pocus
A cult favorite that seems to be making a surge amongst pop culture. This film is everything that I love about Halloween-costumes, comedy, creepy things, monsters, witches and kids. It’s a movie that I quote regularly all year long. Amok amok amok….
Any of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps series or the Goosebumps movie
Some of the stories are a little intense for little ones but I think that they are great for kids 5 years old and above. They’re short so if your kids (or husbands) have an attention span of a gnat on crack, they should be able to make it through a whole story or two. Bonus…the books are amazing as well so don’t stop at watching the movies! Like everything else, the books are even better.
The Addams Family
duh duh duhduh *snap snapp* duh duh duhduh *snap snap*
What little girl doesn’t want to be just like Wednesday Addams? What woman doesn’t long for a love like Morticia and Gomez? Ok, maybe not the general population but the gen pop doesn’t read my column so this is a reminder to put this in your cue this season. I appreciate both the Addams Family and Addams Family Values. Creepy and kooky family goals for sure.
The Monster Squad
This film has one of my all time favorite movie quotes, “WOLFMAN’S GOT NARDS!” Which should indicate that this movie isn’t for toddlers because it includes all sorts of innuendos and mature themes. However it does have Count Dracula and all of the other monsters that we have come to know and love. If you haven’t seen it or it’s been a minute since you’ve watched it, I would suggest viewing it without the kids first to see if your family is ready for it. I’d recommend it for kids 10 and older unless you want your 5 year old running into kindergarten yelling about Wolfman’s nards. Trust me on this one.
The Worst Witch
Before Harry and Hermione there was Mildred and her cast of witches at Cackle’s Academy. This poor dear can’t seem to get anything right and shenanigans ensue. It culminates with an amazing appearance from the Grand Wizard, Tim Curry. I won’t lie, this was my introduction to one of my first crushes-Mr. Curry. The Worst Witch was originally a TV movie that was later made into a feature. I have only seen the tv version that my mom recorded for me as a child. I watched it for years (probably stopping, rewinding and playing the Tim Curry parts) until the tape broke, try explaining that to kids nowadays. I’m dying to get my hands on a copy so I can transport myself back to the first boarding school that I ever wanted to attend.
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
A lot of people think that this is a Halloween staple. Linus along with his sad, stinky blue blanket waiting in a pumpkin patch for the Great Pumpkin doesn’t exactly make for riveting, edge of your seat excitement but we make sacrifices for our kids. This is one of them.
Nightmare Before Christmas
I am conflicted about including this movie on my list. We generally don’t watch it until October 31st after trick or treating. To me it signifies that Halloween is coming to an end but we don’t have to stop our enthusiasm for everything orange and black. We watch it numerous times in between October 31st and January 1st. Often times we watch it so much that the kids don’t request it again until April or so. However, it is a nice introduction into scary movies that aren’t too scary for kids.
ET
This was the first movie that I saw in a theater. I was just a little girl who was excited to go to a movie theater with my mother and grandmother. A little girl who was highly entertained by the child actors. And a little girl who was quickly wrapped up in the story of a lovable alien that didn’t scare me too much. However the feelings of intrigue, love and awe that I experienced quickly left the building when the image of my new best friend, ET, lying dead in a ditch appeared on that silver screen. I ran out screaming, hysterically crying and was inconsolable. The teenager at the concession stand tried his best to assure me that ET got better. After much urging to go back in by all parties involved, we made it back into the dark theater just in time to see ET leave in the ship. At which time I started crying again because WHAT….E.T. LEFT! So why on earth would I include this on my family Halloween movie list? Because the trick or treating scene reminds me of what Halloween was like when I was a kid. Running wild like a banshee through the streets, no supervision, no rules, no cares in the world. Just my brother, my friends and I dragging giant pillow cases while racing from house to house; collecting the inevitable haul of every kind of candy imaginable. We never had a cute alien with a light up finger dressed as a sheet ghost though. But if we did I know I wouldn’t have let that little guy out of my sight for fear that I’d find him blue, cold and in a ditch somewhere. It still upsets me and makes me cry.
When we watch ET now I quietly make an excuse towards the end to unload the dishwasher or do laundry or “hey look at the time, I should go upstairs and get some writing done.”
Enjoy the season and all it has to offer but don’t forget to take a few hours and enjoy something simple as a family. I can’t wait to pop some popcorn, dim the lights and get in some quality family time celebrating our favorite time of the year. These movies and several more will be on our tv from now until November 1st. But let’s be honest, Halloween is a lifestyle at our house so these types of movies have no true season for us.
*I did not include Gremlins because that is clearly a Christmas movie. Period. End of story*
