As Taylor Swift once said, "It's October, aka the month when the horror movie ads start and at any moment a dead doll or corpse ghost could pop up on my TV."
If, like me, you enjoy spooky season but can't handle scary movies, finding a seasonal movie to watch can be a challenge. However, have no fear — here are 19 non-scary Halloween movies to watch if you're a big scaredy cat:
1. Corpse Bride (2005)
In this stop-motion musical, Victor Van Dort runs away from his own wedding rehearsal after forgetting his vows and accidentally marries Emily, a dead woman who spirits him away to the Land of the Dead.
Part musical, part murder mystery, and part tragic romance, this movie is, in my opinion, Tim Burton's best work.
Watch the trailer below:
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2. Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996)
After being sent to live with her aunts in Riverdale, Sabrina Sawyer finds out she's a witch on her 16th birthday.
This movie was sort of the unofficial pilot for the TV series, which premiered later the same year. It's a cute coming-of-age story, and Ryan Reynolds plays one of Sabrina's love interests.
Watch the trailer below:
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3. Halloween Is Grinch Night (1977)
Before the Grinch stole Christmas, every Halloween in Whoville was Grinch Night. After accidentally meeting the Grinch, Euchariah, a young Who, tries to stall him to keep him from terrorizing the town.
This is a prequel to How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966), so it's perfect for when you're in the not-quite-yet-Christmas spirit.
Here's a trailer:
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4. Beetlejuice (1988)
After their untimely deaths, Adam and Barbara Maitland recruit the chaotic and untrustworthy ghost Beetlejuice to help them scare away their beloved home's new inhabitants.
The original movie is *almost* as good as the Broadway musical if you ask me. However, I'm still holding out hope for a pro shot of the stage version starring Alex Brightman.
Watch the trailer here:
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5. The Haunted Mansion (2003)
On the way to their family vacation, workaholic realtor Jim Evers makes his wife and kids take a pit stop at Gracey Manor, a big house with strange residents and a dark past. After a storm traps them there for the night, the family accidentally gets caught up in the mansion's secrets and the atrocities its residents are willing to commit to keep them hidden.
IDK anything about the 2023 version, but the Eddie Murphy version of this movie is severely underrated. It gets a bad rap, but it's such a fun, campy adventure!
Check out the trailer below:
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6. Halloweentown (1998)
In this absolute Disney Channel classic, Marnie Piper finds out she comes from a family of witches and then follows her magical grandmother to her home in Halloweentown, where she gets caught up in the mystery of monsters who've gone missing.
This entire franchise (apart from the final installment where they recast Marnie for no apparent reason) is truly peak Disney magic. It's perfect for a family-friendly Halloween movie marathon.
Here's a clip from the movie:
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7. Casper (1995)
When Whipstaff Manor, the home Casper and his three uncles haunt, falls into the hands of a spoiled heiress, both sides try to get rid of the other. However, Casper convinces the heiress to bring in a paranormal therapist, who brings along his teenage daughter and an all-consuming desire to contact the spirit of his dead wife.
This movie has a charming campiness and a creepy cuteness, and the old-school SFX make it so fun to watch. It's also surprisingly heartrending, and it stars Christina Ricci.
Here's the trailer:
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8. Casper Meets Wendy (1998)
An evil warlock is out to get Wendy the Good Little Witch, so her three aunts take her into hiding at a resort. There, Wendy meets Casper, who's on vacation with the Ghostly Trio, but their friendship is threatened by the fact that ghosts and witches don't get along.
This is the Casper movie I remember watching the most growing up because it always played on Disney Channel. Anything with Hilary Duff is a win in my book!
Here's the trailer:
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9. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)
You've probably seen this one a million times before — Linus writes a letter to the Great Pumpkin and then spends Halloween night waiting for him in the pumpkin patch, even though he's the only one who believes.
It's cute, it's charming, and it's a classic for a reason.
Here's the original trailer:
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10. Hocus Pocus (1993)
While trying to impress his crush, teenager Max Dennison accidentally resurrects the Sanderson sisters, a trio of witches who cursed the town when they were hanged for witchcraft three centuries ago.
This is probably the most iconic Disney Halloween movie. The sequel is cute, but it doesn't hold a black candle to the original.
Here's the trailer:
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11. Twitches (2005)
On their 21st birthdays, Alex and Cam discover two secrets — they're twins who were separated at birth, and they're secretly witches!
This was definitely my favorite Halloween movie growing up, and I wish it had as many sequels as Halloweentown!
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12. Phantom of the Megaplex (2000)
In this very loose adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera, Pete Riley is the teenage assistant manager at the local movie theater, which is rumoredly haunted by a "phantom." While the employees are preparing for a big premiere, someone begins sabotaging all of the other movies that are playing, so Pete and the younger siblings he's stuck babysitting must find out who and stop them.
This is definitely the most random movie on the list — and definitely not the best — but it's bound to be nostalgic for anyone who grew up watching Disney Channel. It's perfect if you want a mystery that's easy to follow while you scroll on your phone.
Here's the trailer:
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13. Scary Godmother: Halloween Spooktakular (2003)
Annoyed that he has to spend Halloween taking his younger cousin, Hannah Marie, trick-or-treating, Jimmy tries to scare her into going home by convincing her that if she doesn't leave candy inside the local abandoned house, then the monsters who live there will have to eat kids. Inside, however, Hannah meets the Scary Godmother and her fun, spooky friends, who help her get revenge on Jimmy.
This movie feels like a fever dream, but it used to air on Cartoon Network every year. The animation isn't, like, the best quality, but it's cute and nostalgic.
Watch the trailer below:
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14. The Addams Family (1991)
When Gomez Addams's lawyer, Tully Alford, realizes that Gordon, the son of the con artist he's indebted to, looks like Gomez's missing brother Fester, he has him pretend to be Fester so he can find the family's secret vault.
With the popularity of Wednesday on Netflix, this movie is worth revisiting!
Here's the trailer:
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15. Ghostbusters (1984)
After losing their jobs as parapsychology professors, Egon, Peter, and Ray start their own paranormal investigation company.
This movie is iconic, and there are enough sequels and remakes to make it into a weekend-long movie marathon.
Check out the trailer below:
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16. Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (1998)
After going their separate ways, the Mystery, Inc. team reunites to go on a haunted location road trip. In New Orleans, they expect to find more crooks in costumes, like always, but this time, the monsters are real.
There have been a lot of Scooby Doo adaptations over the years, but, IMO, the direct-to-video animated movies from the late '90s and early '00s are top tier.
Watch the trailer below:
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17. Double, Double, Toil and Trouble (1993)
After learning that their evil great aunt Agatha banished her kind twin sister Sophie to the netherworld, seven-year-old twins Lynn and Kelly Farmer set out to save her.
Honestly, what's not to love about a Mary-Kate and Ashley movie?
Watch the trailer below:
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18. Hotel Transylvania (2012)
Dracula built his monsters-only hotel to keep his daughter, Mavis, safe from the humans who killed her mother, so when an unexpected human named Johnny checks into the hotel, Drac tries to keep his species a secret from the other guests. However, things get complicated when Johnny and Mavis fall in love at first sight.
This cute and surprisingly funny animated film has an absolutely stacked voice cast, including Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg, and Fran Drescher.
Check out the trailer below:
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19. And finally, Mean Girls (2004)
When 16-year-old Cady Heron's family returns from Africa, she finds out that she fits in more with the outsiders at her new school than the popular crowd. However, her new friends convince her to infiltrate the Plastics so they can take down queen bee Regina George.
Okay, this isn't technically a Halloween movie, but the Halloween scenes are pretty iconic. And Mean Girls: The Musical will be out before next Halloween!
Here's the trailer:
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What are your favorite non-scary Halloween movies? Share your suggestions in the comments!
EXmas, starring Leighton Meester and Robbie Amell, is streaming now for free on Freevee.
