Non-Scary Movies for Halloween

During the Halloween season many of us prepare recipes with pumpkin, decorating the house for the neighborhood goblins, and watching Halloween movies.

Keep in mind, though, that for younger children horror movies may be overwhelming.

If you decide to watch a horror movie, you should not to let your children see it without your permission and even without your company. When you do give permission, you may want to pre-screen the horror movies as some are not appropriate for young children.

"Some people may like scary movies because they enjoy the adrenaline rush of being scared while being safe," according to Joanne Cantor, Ph.D, Professor Emerita and Outreach Director at the Center for Communication Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. "Some people like anything that gets their minds off their own problems."

Fortunately, there are some great non-scary Halloween movies.

The Halloween movies listed below are family-friendly. They're a great treat for the whole family on a rainy, cold night in autumn. So make it a family night with some blankets, hot chocolate, popcorn, pretzels and pizza.

Non-Scary Halloween Movies:

Hocus Pocus (1993) PG. 96 min.

Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker play the Sanderson sisters, three resurrected witches who wreak havoc on Salem, Massachusetts. This movie is funny, with a good mix of humor, acting, special effects, music and a fun plot line.

Practical Magic (1998) PG-13. 104 minutes.

Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman star as sisters Sally and Gillian Owens who are sent to live with their elderly aunts, who turn out to be witches. Eventually, the two sisters move away from their aunts and grow apart from each other.

Gillian embarks on a string of relationships. Sally's husband dies, leaving her to raise two girls, Kylie and Antonia. The two come together again in a very interesting adventure.

Casper (1995) PG. 100 minutes.

The friendly ghost is a live-action movie starring Christina Ricci and Bill Pullman. Ricci plays Kat, a teenage girl who goes to live in a haunted house with her ghost therapist father, Dr. Harvey (Pullman). This is a ghost-meets-girl love story.

Beetlejuice (1988) PG. 92 minutes.

This classic Halloween movie is about a deceased husband and wife who are haunting their old house. They hire Beetlejuice to scare off the family.

A friendship develops between the deceased couple and Lydia, a neglected and gloomy teenager. This 80s-style movie is heartwarming and hilarious.

It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! (1966) 25 minutes.

This family classic has been around for almost 50 years. It features the whole Peanuts crew. While Linus waits for the Great Pumpkin, the Peanuts gang celebrates Halloween.

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1992) PG. 115 minutes.

This Steven Spielberg movie classic is about a boy befriending a lost alien and helping him find his way home. Your kids will love to see E.T. dress up as a ghost for Halloween.

Other scream-with-laughter movies include:

• The Addams Family

• Monsters, Inc.

• Corpse Bride

• Bedknobs and Broomsticks

• Edward Scissorhands

• The Witches of Eastwick

• Meet Me in St. Louis features a Halloween scene

• The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Disney's animated version

• The Witches, featuring Anjelica Houston

• Elvira: Mistress of the Dark

• Shaun of the Dead

• The Nightmare Before Christmas

• Scary Movie series: 1, 2, 3 and 4

• Sleepy Hollow, with Johnny Depp

What is your favorite Halloween movie?

Sources:

"Why Some People Love Horror Movies While Others Hate Them." Psych Central.com. Web. 13 Oct. 2014.
http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/10/31/why-some-people-love-horror-movies-while-others-hate-them

"19 Best Halloween Movies for Kids." Parenting. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.
http://www.parenting.com/article/halloween-movies-for-kids

Reviewed October 15, 2014
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith

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