Halloween movies for kids: Hocus Pocus, Halloweentown, Harry Potter...
Nothing better than a Halloween themed movie for kids exhausted from trick or treating. Here's a brief selection for younger family members.
The popularity of Halloween is now truly a global phenomenon with many countries outside the US now truly embracing pumpkins, trick or treating, Halloween costumes and catch a movie on 31 October.
So popular have kids Halloween movies become over the years, some films are now on their third or fourth versions, so here's a brief overview of five Halloween themed films for the youngest ghouls and demons in the household.
Halloweentown
The first installment of Halloweentown hit the silver screens in 1988 and this Disney Channel Original Movie was a huge success starring the the late, great Debbie Reynolds is probably the pick of the four incarnations. The last version of the Halloweentown (Return to) came out in 2006 and all four can be streamed via on Disney+.
Hocus Pocus
Fans of the original Hocus Pocus have been forced to wait almost 30 years for the sequel but this October, the follow up finally gets a release and will see Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy reprising their roles from the first film. Both the 1993 original and the 2022 return of the Sanderson sisters can be seen on Disney+
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas is a visually spectacular tour de force of Gothic styles and themes, bound around a simple children's tale as Halloween Town resident Jack Skellington, finds Christmas Town and is instantly captivated. The plot thickens when his new-found obsession with Christmas leads him to abduct Santa Claus. The 1993 classic can be streamed via Amazon Prime.
Corpse Bride
Another animated effort from Tim Burton as Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp voice over main characters Emily and Victor with the film apparently based actual events that occurred in 19th century Russia, at a time when anti-Semitism was widespread in Eastern Europe. This 2015 release can be streamed via Amazon Prime.
Harry Potter
Aimed at the teenage demographic, the Harry Potter film series were based on the novels by English author J. K. Rowling and consists of eight fantasy films, beginning with Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and culminating with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The books chronicle the lives of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, all students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
The movies can be streamed now via HBO Max.