#–A–B–C–D–E–F–G–H–I-J-K–L–M–N-O-P-Q-R–S–T–U-V–W-X-Y-Z

A

The Addams Family duology
BBFC Rating: PG
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Released: 1991/1993
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Synopsis: The Addams are a tight-knit, ghoulish family, and from the intense love shared between parents Gomez (Raul Julia) and Morticia (Anjelica Huston) to the dangerous shenanigans of children Wednesday (Christina Ricci) and Pugsley (Jimmy Workman), there’s a lot of fun to be had. In The Addams Family, a con-artist impersonates Uncle Fester, and in Family Values, Wednesday and Pugsley are sent to a goody-goody summer camp while Uncle Fester marries a duplicitous widow.
Verdict: The Addams family are quite synonymous with all things dark and creepy (and kooky, mysterious and spooky), and a perfect fit for daytime viewing with plenty of humour balanced with a little creepy gothicky goodness.

C

Casper
BBFC Rating: PG
MPAA Rating: PG
Released: 1995
Director: Brad Silberling
Synopsis: Casper (voiced by Malachi Pearson), a friendly ghost, haunts a mansion along with his not-so-friendly uncles. When teenager Kat (Christina Ricci) moves in to the mansion with her father James (Bill Pullman), a paranormal therapist, Casper befriends her and protects her and her father from his scheming uncles and a villainous human duo who will stop at nothing to find the treasure hidden within the mansion.
Verdict: Another fun movie that was a particular staple of 90s kid’s Halloween watching worldwide. It boasts everything horror lovers could want about living in a haunted house with fun hidden secrets and cheeky spirits. If you’re after something light-hearted to get the heads ball rolling for Halloween, this is a good one to kick off with. 3/5

Coco
Released: 2017
BBFC Rating: PG
MPAA Rating: PG
Directors: Lee Unkrich, Adrian Molina
Synopsis: Young music lover and aspiring musician Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez) keeps his guitar playing a secret from his music-loathing family, until on the Day of the Dead he finds himself in the Land of the Dead and searching for his great-great-grandfather, in the hopes that he can help him to convince the family that music is not the evil thing they believe it to be.
Verdict: Coco is a vibrant film that celebrates life, death and music in a way that is enjoyable and inspiring. It has wonderful songs that adults and children alike can enjoy, and the emotional journey of Miguel and his family underscores the excitement of celebrating the Day of the Dead. 4/5

Coraline
BBFC Rating: PG
MPAA Rating: PG
Released: 2009
Director: Henry Selick
Synopsis: When Coraline (Dakota Fanning) moves to a new house in a new town with her parents, she decides her life is entirely too boring. That is, until she discovers a strange door that transports her to her fantasy life. As much as Coraline wishes to remain in her fantasy life, in order to do so, she must make some unimaginable sacrifices in her real life.
Verdict: The use of stop-motion always makes for a good creepy film, and it is used well in Coraline, a film that calls for many fantastical and frightening elements. It is quite dialogue heavy at times and can drag a little, verging on getting stagnant, but the story has plenty of depth for adults as well as a simple enough plot for children to follow. 3/5

Corpse Bride
BBFC Rating: PG
MPAA Rating: PG
Released: 2005
Directors: Tim Burton, Mike Johnson
Synopsis: Victor (Johnny Depp) is soon to marry the lovely Victoria (Emily Watson), and so he works on practicing his wedding vows. However, his unfortunate decision to rehearse his vows at the unmarked grave of Emily (Helena Bonham Carter), a murdered bride, results in her resurrection and the misunderstanding that his vows were intended for her. Victor has to find his way back to Victoria and to help Emily back to her rest.
Verdict: Another excellent stop-motion production from Tim Burton, Corpse Bride is full of the filmmaker’s classic gothic vibe that creates a dark atmosphere for a pretty dark story. Nevertheless, it is an easy watch for kids with minimal frights, perfect for fans of Coraline and The Nightmare Before Christmas. 4/5

G

Ghostbusters franchise
BBFC Rating: PG
MPAA Rating: PG
Released: 1984 – present
Directors: Ivan Reitman (1 & 2), Jason Reitman (3), Paul Feig (4 – reboot), Gil Kenan (5)
Synopsis: A service known as ‘Ghostbusters’ tackles and protects people ghouls and monsters.
Verdict: Although Ghostbusters has grown into a bigger franchise since the ’80s, the classic duology cannot be beaten. They are fun movies that do veer more on the adult side of comedy, but they have enough humour and mild scares to be enjoyed by older children too. The later sequels and reboot are questionable, but frankly, you can’t go wrong with the original films. 3/5

H

Halloweentown
BBFC Rating: U
MPAA Rating: G
Released: 1998
Director: Duwayne Dunham
Synopsis: On her thirteenth Halloween, Marnie (Kimberly J. Brown) finds out that she is the latest in a line of witches in her family. When she and her brother follow their grandmother, Aggie (Debbie Reynolds), they discover that she lives in Halloweentown, a place for all manner of supernatural things. Rather than send them home, Aggie begins training Marnie and eventually needs her help to defeat an evil demon.
Verdict: Perfectly family-friendly, Halloweentown is an enjoyable little adventure story (and the first in a franchise) that will get kids (and adults!) well in the mood for the Halloween season. 3/5

The Haunted Mansion
BBFC Rating: PG
MPAA Rating: PG
Released: 2003
Director: Rob Minkoff
Synopsis: Workaholic Jim (Eddie Murphy) means to make amends with his family by taking them to Gracey Manor, a mansion in the bayou. While there, the family become trapped, and they work their way through dark events to get out and lift the curse on the house.
Verdict: Coming soon

The Haunted Mansion
BBFC Rating: 12A
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Released: 2023
Director: Justin Simien
Synopsis: Widowed mother Gabbie (Rosario Dawson) moves to Gracey Manor with her son to open a bed and breakfast. On discovering it’s haunted, she calls upon multiple people for help to rid the house of its ghosts… and demons.
Verdict: Coming soon

Hocus Pocus duology
BBFC Rating: PG
MPAA Rating: PG
Released: 1993/2022
Director: Kenny Ortega
Synopsis: In Hocus Pocus, teenager Max (Omri Katz) accidentally lights a candle in the old Sanderson cottage, awakening the Sanderson sisters, three witches who seek immortality. In Hocus Pocus 2, the Sanderson sisters return with the same vendetta in mind, only this time two teenage girls are tasked with stopping them from becoming immortal.
Verdict: The first film is a great Halloween romp, with it being set mostly at night on Halloween and really playing up the withces of Salem bit with the hate-to-love Sanderson sisters. The second movie is a tad more dull where the kids are involved, however it does retain that fun and spooky Halloween setting, and the Sanderson sisters are just as fun as ever.
Read the Tiny Tapes Hocus Pocus 2 review.

K

K-Pop Demon Hunters
BBFC Rating: PG
MPAA Rating: PG
Released: 2025
Directors: Chris Appelhans, Maggie Kang
Synopsis: Girlband Huntr/x perform to their thousands of fans while moonlighting as demon hunters. Soon, they come up against boyband Saja Boys who are not the humans they appear to be, and Huntr/x’s Rumi (Cho) has to face her own past and current situation.
Verdict: This might not be your first thought for a Halloween film, with its bright colours, songs and upbeat vibes, but its storyline of demon hunting makes it perfect spooky season viewing for the youngsters, with some extra solid humour for the adults. 4/5
Read the Tiny Tapes K-Pop Demon Hunters review.

R

Return to Oz
BBFC Rating: PG
MPAA Rating: PG
Released: 1985
Director: Walter Murch
Synopsis: After her first stint in Oz, Dorothy (Fairuza Balk) is sent to a sanatorium. She escapes and finds herself back in the Land of Oz, now ruled by the savage Nome King, and Dorothy, along with some new friends, must find a way to save Oz and return it to its former glory.
Verdict: Where The Wizard of Oz was a mildly scary (flying monkeys!) yet enchanting musical, Return to Oz is a darker fantasy, with nary a musical number to be heard. Dorothy’s new nemeses include a stop-motion evil king, creepy ‘Wheelers’ and a princess who can remove her head. It is perfect for kids who enjoy something a little more adventurous and frightening, and adds a new dimension to the Land of Oz for adults. 4/5

S

Scooby-Doo duology
BBFC Rating: PG
MPAA Rating: PG
Released: 2002/2004
Director: Raja Gosnell
Synopsis: The famous mystery investigators Fred (Freddie Prinze Jr.), Daphne (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Velma (Linda Cardellini), Shaggy (Matthew Lillard) and Scooby-Doo (voiced by Neil Fanning), otherwise known as Mystery Inc., or the ‘meddling kids’, kick-off their live-action adventures by investigating some hauntings at a horror-themed resort. The gang return in Monsters Unleashed to solve the mystery of a thief stealing objects from an exhibition dedicated to the gang themselves.
Verdict: Coming soon

T

Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas
BBFC Rating: PG
MPAA Rating: PG
Released: 1993
Director: Henry Selick
Synopsis: Jack Skellington (Chris Sarandon) is bored with the same old drudgery of being the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town and celebrating Halloween year after year. Wanting to spice things, he stumbles across Christmas Town, and resolves to bring Santa Clause to Halloween Town, but other citizens of Halloween Town have other ideas for “Sandy Claws”.
Verdict: A classic Halloween movie, on par with the likes of Dracula and Casper. It is of course very much about Halloween, with its main theme, This is Halloween, played continuously in reality throughout the season. It has creepy aspects to it, but for the most part it is family-friendly and a great movie to get into the spirit (and doubles nicely as a Christmas movie). 3/5

W

Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
BBFC Rating: PG
MPAA Rating: TV-PG
Released: 2005
Directors: Nick Park, Steve Box
Synopsis: Wallace (voiced by Peter Sallis) and his loyal dog Gromit work as pest control agents. They are called to a town where the annual Giant Vegetable competition is about to take place, except the town is under siege as a giant ‘were-rabbit’ begins to destroy their vegetables.
Verdict: A fun romp for the kids that has much of the British humour and entertainment that Wallace and Gromit are famous for. It’s perhaps not quite as good as the original trilogy of W&G films that adults grew up with, but there’s more than enough for the kids to enjoy. 3/5