The Ultimate 31-Day Halloween Movie Marathon Watchlist
By: The Kid’s Directory Family Resource Guide – Houston
September 2026 on kids-houston.com
Halloween Movie Marathon Watchlist
Halloween and movies go together like pumpkins and porch lights—or candy and the mysterious disappearance of candy that you definitely bought for trick-or-treaters.
If your family loves a good Halloween movie night, why settle for one spooky evening when you can turn the entire month of October into a 31-day Halloween movie marathon?
We’ve put together a month-long watchlist that starts with sweet, silly, kid-friendly favorites and gradually gets a little spookier for older kids and teens. There are witches, ghosts, monsters, magic, talking pumpkins, and enough Halloween mischief to keep the whole family entertained.
Pro Tip: Don’t feel obligated to watch these in order. October is not the time for unnecessary rules. If someone wants to watch Hocus Pocus three times, we won’t tell.
Day 1: It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
Target Audience: Young children & families
Kick off the month with one of Halloween’s most beloved classics. Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the gang celebrate Halloween with costumes, trick-or-treating and the eternal disappointment of getting rocks instead of candy. It’s short, sweet and practically a Halloween tradition.
Day 2: Curious George: A Halloween Boo Fest
Target Audience: Preschoolers & young children
Curious George gets into his usual brand of adorable trouble during a Halloween celebration. It’s gentle, funny and just spooky enough for little ones who aren’t quite ready for monsters jumping out of closets.
Day 3: Room on the Broom
Target Audience: Preschoolers & young children
A friendly witch, her cat and several unlikely passengers take a magical broomstick ride. This charming animated story proves that witches don’t have to be scary—and that there may actually be room for one more on the broom.
Day 4: The Addams Family
Target Audience: Kids, tweens & families
Meet the wonderfully weird Addams family in this animated adventure. Wednesday and Pugsley are delightfully creepy, Gomez is enthusiastic about practically everything, and Morticia somehow makes being spooky look elegant.
Day 5: Hotel Transylvania
Target Audience: Young children, older kids & families
Count Dracula runs a monster hotel where humans are definitely not on the guest list. Then, naturally, a human shows up. Cue chaos, comedy and a surprisingly sweet story about parents learning to let their kids grow up.
Day 6: Casper
Target Audience: Kids, tweens & families
Casper is the friendly ghost who just wants a friend. When a teenage girl and her father move into his haunted home, they discover that not every ghost is interested in sending people screaming from the house.
Day 7: Halloweentown
Target Audience: Kids & tweens
A young girl discovers that her grandmother is a witch and that Halloweentown is a very real place. Suddenly, her ordinary Halloween becomes a magical adventure. Because apparently finding out your grandma is a witch is considerably more exciting than finding out she makes really good pumpkin bread.
Day 8: Hocus Pocus
Target Audience: Tweens, teens & families
Three mischievous Salem witches are accidentally resurrected on Halloween night, and one very long evening begins. It’s funny, spooky and packed with memorable characters. A Halloween movie marathon without Hocus Pocus would be like Halloween without candy: technically possible, but why?
Day 9: Hocus Pocus 2
Target Audience: Tweens, teens & families
The Sanderson sisters are back, and Salem once again has a witch problem. New characters join the Halloween mayhem in this sequel that brings back plenty of the original movie’s magical fun.
Day 10: Goosebumps
Target Audience: Tweens & teens
R.L. Stine’s famous monsters escape from their books and wreak havoc in the real world. It’s spooky without going too far into horror, making it a fun choice for kids who have graduated from cartoon ghosts but aren’t ready for full-on scary movies.
Day 11: ParaNorman
Target Audience: Tweens & teens
Norman can communicate with the dead—which sounds cool until the entire town needs him to save them from a centuries-old curse. It’s funny, creepy and surprisingly thoughtful, with a message about kindness and accepting people who are different.
Day 12: Coraline
Target Audience: Older tweens & teens
Coraline discovers a mysterious alternate version of her home where everything seems better—at first. This stop-motion adventure is imaginative, eerie and definitely more unsettling than your average talking-pumpkin movie.
Parents’ note: This one can be genuinely creepy for younger or sensitive kids.
Day 13: The Nightmare Before Christmas
Target Audience: Kids, tweens, teens & families
Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King, discovers Christmas Town and decides he should probably give Christmas a try. What could possibly go wrong? Quite a lot, actually. This Tim Burton classic is part Halloween, part Christmas and 100% wonderfully weird.
Day 14: Frankenweenie
Target Audience: Tweens, teens & families
Young Victor uses science to bring his beloved dog back to life. Naturally, things don’t go exactly according to plan. This quirky stop-motion film is funny, touching and a little creepy.
Day 15: The Haunted Mansion
Target Audience: Tweens, teens & families
A family moves into a mansion that turns out to be considerably more crowded than expected—with ghosts. This supernatural adventure mixes comedy, mystery and spooky fun.
Day 16: Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge
Target Audience: Kids & tweens
Return to Halloweentown for another magical adventure involving witches, spells and a little Halloween trouble. It’s a fun follow-up for kids who enjoyed the first movie and aren’t ready to leave the magical world behind.
Day 17: The Witches
Target Audience: Tweens & teens
A young boy discovers that witches are real—and that they have a rather unpleasant plan for children everywhere. This fantasy adventure has a darker edge, so it’s better suited to older kids.
Day 18: Monster House
Target Audience: Tweens & teens
Three kids discover that the creepy house across the street is actually alive. And hungry. This animated movie is funny, creepy and surprisingly suspenseful.
Parents’ note: The house is genuinely scary, so younger children may want to sit this one out.
Day 19: Scooby-Doo
Target Audience: Kids, tweens & families
Scooby, Shaggy and the gang reunite to investigate mysterious happenings at a spooky island resort. Expect goofy humor, ridiculous disguises and plenty of “ruh-roh!” moments.
Day 20: Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
Target Audience: Kids, tweens & families
The Mystery Inc. gang is back, and this time their old villains appear to have come to life. It’s a fun, silly choice when the family wants Halloween atmosphere without too much actual frightening.
Day 21: The Nightmare Before Christmas
Target Audience: Tweens, teens & families
Yes, we’re putting it on the list twice. Halloween movies are allowed to have encores.
If your family didn’t watch it on Day 13, tonight’s the night. If you did watch it, congratulations—you’ve discovered one of the official rules of October: repeated viewings don’t count.
Day 22: Beetlejuice
Target Audience: Teens & parents
A recently deceased couple discovers that being a ghost doesn’t necessarily mean people will listen to you. Enter Beetlejuice, a wildly unpredictable character who makes everything considerably worse.
Parents’ note: This one has darker humor, mature themes and some language, so it’s best for older teens and families who know their movie comfort level.
Day 23: Ghostbusters
Target Audience: Older tweens, teens & families
Four paranormal investigators start a ghost-catching business in New York City. Business is slow at first—until it very much isn’t. It’s funny, spooky and one of the ultimate supernatural comedy classics.
Day 24: Ghostbusters II
Target Audience: Older tweens, teens & families
The Ghostbusters are back, this time dealing with a mysterious pink slime and another supernatural threat. Because apparently one encounter with ghosts wasn’t enough.
Day 25: The Addams Family Values
Target Audience: Tweens, teens & families
Wednesday Addams gets sent to summer camp, which sounds like a terrible idea for everyone involved. Her dry humor and wonderfully macabre personality make this sequel a favorite for older kids and teens.
Day 26: Edward Scissorhands
Target Audience: Teens & adults
A gentle young man with scissors for hands is brought into suburban society and discovers that fitting in isn’t always easy. It’s more fantasy and dark fairy tale than traditional Halloween movie, but the gothic atmosphere makes it perfect for late-October viewing.
Day 27: The Craft
Target Audience: Older teens & adults
Four teenage girls become involved with witchcraft and discover that having supernatural powers comes with consequences. It’s darker and deals with mature themes, making this strictly an older-teen selection.
Day 28: Practical Magic
Target Audience: Older teens & adults
Two sisters from a family of witches try to break a generations-old curse while dealing with love, family and a little supernatural chaos. It’s magical, funny and wonderfully atmospheric.
Day 29: The Sixth Sense
Target Audience: Older teens & adults
A young boy who can see dead people seeks help from a child psychologist. This supernatural thriller is much more suspenseful and emotionally intense than the family-friendly movies earlier in the month.
Parents’ note: Definitely save this one for older teens and adults.
Day 30: Scream
Target Audience: Older teens & adults
A masked killer begins terrorizing a small town while a group of teenagers tries to figure out who is behind it. This is a slasher movie, so it’s not intended for children and is best reserved for mature teens and adults.
Day 31: Hocus Pocus
Target Audience: Tweens, teens & the entire family
End the month exactly where Halloween belongs—with witches, candy, costumes and a little Sanderson-sister chaos.
Besides, Halloween night is the perfect excuse to watch Hocus Pocus one more time. Consider it less of a movie and more of an October requirement.
A Halloween Movie Marathon for Every Age
Not every child thinks “scary” means the same thing. One kid may giggle at a skeleton while another considers a talking pumpkin grounds for sleeping in Mom and Dad’s bed until Thanksgiving.
Here’s a quick way to choose:
For little ones:
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, Curious George: A Halloween Boo Fest, Room on the Broom and Hotel Transylvania are good starting points.
For elementary-age kids:
Try The Addams Family, Casper, Halloweentown, Scooby-Doo and The Nightmare Before Christmas.
For tweens:
Hocus Pocus, Goosebumps, ParaNorman, Monster House and The Haunted Mansion add a little more spooky fun.
For teens:
Beetlejuice, Ghostbusters, The Addams Family Values, Edward Scissorhands and some of the darker selections can take the Halloween movie night up a notch.
For older teens and adults:
That’s where movies like The Craft, Practical Magic, The Sixth Sense and Scream come in.
Make It a Family Halloween Tradition
You don’t need elaborate decorations, a movie-theater-sized television or enough Halloween candy to supply a small nation. Pick a movie, pile everyone onto the couch and make some popcorn.
You could even give each family member a night to choose the movie, with one important rule: the person who chooses the movie does not get to complain about everyone else’s choice.
Add Halloween pajamas, blankets, homemade popcorn mixes or a bowl of candy and you’ve got yourself a pretty solid October tradition.
And if you don’t make it through all 31 movies?
That’s okay.
There is always next October.
And Hocus Pocus will still be there.
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