Viewer Beware, You’re In For a Scare
“The weirdest things you’ve ever seen
The Haunted Pumpkin of Sleepy Hollow
Are gonna walk the Earth this Halloween
And you’ll be scared, yeah
Too scared to swallow, cause
There’s something spooky in Sleepy Hollow!”
Halloween is a time for fear. Night comes sooner, the air chills, and masked figures wander the streets. It’s the perfect time to watch a horror movie. But what about the younger viewers? There’s no need to traumatize tykes with blood and guts when you can watch a family friendly horror movie.
The best family friendly horror movies are spookier than “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!”, but more tame than Jaws. Ghastly ghouls and wicked witches instead of gory slashers if you will. We’re aiming for ages five to ten, but still fun for grown-ups. So what are the top 5 family friendly horror movies? Let’s find out… if you dare!
Scene Select
#5 Family Friendly Horror Movie: Addams Family Values
Starring: Raul Julia, Christina Ricci, Christopher Lloyd, Anjelica Huston
Morticia: “You have gone too far. You have married Fester, you have destroyed his spirit, you have taken him from us. All that I could forgive. But, Debbie…”
Addams Family Values
Debbie: “What?!”
Morticia: [looks at her outfit] “…pastels?”
Some people take to horror easier than others. From family friendly horror movies to nightmarish anthologies, they can’t get enough of the macabre. Some will think they’re weird and make them outcasts. We think they’re neat, sweet, and possibly petite.
Synopsis: Morticia gives birth to a baby named Pubert. The Addams Family hires a nanny named Debbie, unaware that she’s a black widow after their fortune. She seduces Uncle Fester and convinces the parents to send Wednesday and Pugsley to summer camp against the children’s wishes.
Debbie’s disruptions make Pubert sick, threatening to turn him into a mundane child. Fester remains oblivious to assassination attempts while the children struggle to endure the saccharine summer camp. Can the Addams reunite and stop Debbie?
Why This Movie?: Addams Family Values has a better grasp on the characters than the first movie. Gomez and Morticia balance their hopeless romanticism against their splintering family. Fester is on top of his game, effortlessly frustrating Debbie by refusing to die.
The children steal the show. Wednesday and Pugsley are miserable at camp, surrounded by aggressively cheerful camp staff and outcast for being strange. They make friends with another creepy kid and start undermining the camp from within. In many ways, their subplot feels like a rough draft for Netflix’s Wednesday.
Scariest Scene: Debbie trying to murder The Addams Family in electric chairs.
#4 Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman
Alvin: “There’s gotta be a cure for being a werewolf, right?”
Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet The Wolfman
Madame Raya: “Well for one thing, you can SHOOT HIM WITH A SILVER BULLET!”
Simon: “But t-then… wouldn’t he be… y’know?” [mimes slitting a throat]
Madame Raya: “Dead? Yeah! But he would be cured.“
Choosing a family friendly horror movie can be difficult. Can you be sure the film will be tame enough without being boring? Luckily, some franchises are already tame enough that mild scares won’t make them too spooky.
Synopsis: Alvin has become obsessed with horror and believes that monsters are real. When an animal bites Theodore, Alvin becomes convinced that their new neighbor Mr. Talbot is a werewolf. He forces his other brother Simon to help investigate.
Theodore grows stronger, but becomes arrogant. One night, he transforms into a werewolf. Alvin and Simon discover that if Theodore isn’t cured before the next full moon, the curse will become unbreakable. Can the Chipmunks save their brother?
Why This Movie?: Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman is a charming throwback. Alvin’s monster-crazed antics and Theodore’s new rude personality will keep the kids laughing while adults can enjoy Simon’s snark and Dave Seville’s attempts to be a good father.
The werewolf scenes start out toothless. Theodore behaves like a humanoid puppy, but slowly grows more threatening as the curse progresses. The wolfman is a serious threat, willing and able to attack anyone he catches.
Scariest Scene: The wolfman intentionally transforming and trying to murder David Seville.
#3 Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
Starring: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr.
Wilbur: “Don’t let ‘em do it to you, Frankie! It’s a bad deal. I’ve had this brain for thirty years and it ain’t worked right yet!”
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
Every kid eventually learns about the classic monsters. Dracula, the wolfman, Frankenstein, and other creepers can give them the jeepers. The original movies are tame enough, but why not start kids with a family friendly horror movie pitting malicious monsters against a legendary double act?
Synopsis: Bumbling baggage clerks Chick and Wilbur deliver monstrous wax statues to a museum, unaware that Frankenstein’s statue is the monster’s corpse and Count Dracula hitched a ride. The vampire steals Frankenstein’s body, planning to put a fool’s brain in it to enslave the monster.
Wilbur is kidnapped by a mad scientist working for Dracula. Chick is alerted to the danger by Lawrence Talbot, a monster hunter cursed to become a werewolf. They break into Dracula’s castle, but can Chick and Wilbur escape the mad monsters?
Why This Movie?: Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein knows when to laugh and when to shriek. The titular duo trade zingers, with Costello constantly running into monsters that Abbott doesn’t believe in. They also make plenty of jokes about Talbot, who plays their straight man before becoming a wolfman.
This movie was the last hurrah for Universal’s monsters. Frankenstein got the title and wolfman is debatably the hero, but Count Dracula steals the show. Bela Lugosi returns to his most famous role and manipulates everyone for his plan to conquer the world.
Scariest Scene: Frankenstein and a mad scientist attacking the heroes while Dracula fends off a berserk wolfman.
#2 Family Friendly Horror Movie: The Nightmare Before Christmas
Starring: Chris Sarandon, Catherine O’Hara, Ken Page, Danny Elfman
“There’s children throwing snowballs instead of throwing heads
The Nightmare Before Christmas
They’re busy building toys and absolutely no one’s dead
There’s frost at every window, oh, I can’t believe my eyes
And in my bones I feel the warmth that’s coming from inside…”
Christmas comes sooner each year. Disgusting. It should arrive no sooner than November. But if Christmas can gain ground during earlier months, there’s no reason why this family friendly horror movie can’t invade the winter celebration!
Synopsis: Jack Skellington is the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town who has grown bored with the yearly celebrations. He discovers a portal to Christmas Town, a similar locale dedicated to that holiday. Jack becomes obsessed with the holiday and decides to take it over.
Jack convinces his fellow monsters to celebrate Christmas by presenting its leader as the monstrous Sandy Claws. They begin making horrific toys, unaware that local boogieman Oogie Boogie plans to kill Santa Claus and ruin Christmas.
Why This Movie?: The Nightmare Before Christmas celebrates both holidays while poking fun at them. Jack embraces the cozy charm of Christmas despite not knowing how to filter it through his skillset. Everyone else loves the harmless scares of Halloween and try to reignite that adoration within him.
The Halloween crowd corrupting Christmas blends the two holidays into a twisted twosome. Special mention goes to an increasingly frustrated Santa Claus putting up with Oogie Boogie’s flashy cruelty.
Scariest Scene: Jack Skellington skinning Oogie Boogie alive and incinerating him.
#1 Scooby Doo and the Witch’s Ghost
Starring: Scott Innes, Frank Welker, Mary Kay Bergman, B.J. Ward, Tim Curry
“Dreadful darkness, hear my cry
Scooby Doo and the Witch’s Ghost
Bring back one who cannot die
Let the witch who perished here
LIVE AGAIN AND REAPPEAR!”
There’s one name everyone thinks of for family friendly horror movies. Your favorite flick may differ from ours, but there’s one question on everyone’s lips: Scooby Doo, where are you?!
Synopsis: Horror novelist Ben Ravencroft seeks out Mystery Inc. A small town is haunted by his ancestor Sarah’s ghost. He wants to prove that she was a wiccan killed by pilgrims, not an evil witch. They agree to help and investigate the town.
The ghost attacks Scooby and the gang several times. Clues slowly stack up, but who is behind the attacks? The shady mayor? The local goth rock band? Or could the ghost be… real?
Why This Movie? Scooby Doo and the Witch’s Ghost strikes a perfect balance between comedy, fear, and action. The witch’s sinister spells are deadlier than anything the gang has faced before. Despite moments of darkness, the movie remembers to be funny and light-hearted.
The supporting cast are stand-outs. Ben Ravencroft is out of his depth with Scooby and Shaggy’s antics, but clever in his own right. In many ways, he’s a legal-friendly stand-in for Stephen King. This movie also introduces The Hex Girls, a gothic eco-rock band that has reappeared in later Scooby movies.
Scariest Scene: Mystery Inc trying to survive a mad necromancer and the ghostly witch.
What is your favorite family friendly horror movie? Which get you in the mood for the spooky season? Tell us in the comments.
Image: Courtesy Warner Bros.
Jared Bounacos has written for Movie Rewind since 2016.
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