Halloween is on its way!

With Halloween coming up, there are so many films out there that it may be hard to decide which to share with your kids. While the list below presents good guidelines for which are appropriate for which age, you know your kids best and what triggers them. Ultimately, it is up to your judgment.

Check out some fun films for your Halloween season!

For the little kids

It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Charlie Brown is generally pretty safe when it comes to little kids. This installment is no different. You may also look at Garfield’s Halloween, but a word of caution with that one. The scene where the ghosts come really freaked my kids out.

Curious George: A Halloween Boo Fest

Curious George is another good bet and is designed for little kids. This one isn’t scary, but it does present a fun mystery.

Double, Double Toil and Trouble

As one of the Olsen Twins’ contributions to film, you have Mary Kate and Ashley as they work together to help their family not lose their house. Their aunt is a witch, and the girls must find a way to defeat her. This one is pretty tame but a lot of fun.

Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie

Pooh Bear is another good bet when it comes to little kids. This is a fun one too.

Spookley The Square Pumpkin

This one is similar to the story of Rudolph in that it involves a pumpkin who is different and unaccepted by his peers. He is teased by the other pumpkins for being square, but has a good message in the end.

Monsters Inc. and Monsters University

For mild-mannered monsters, check out Mike and Sulley in these two movies. They are fun, funny and not scary at all.

For Bigger Kids (ages 7-12+)

The Nightmare Before Christmas

I’m at the point of deciding whether or not my kids are old enough for this one. It is a bit darker, so it’s not great for little kids. It features a creepy villain in Oogey Boogey.

Hocus Pocus

Since the witches’ search for children to eat, this is one best left to older audiences. There is also a zombie, which can be creepy. While a funny movie, it’s not exactly appropriate for little kids.

Corpse Bride

Similar to The Nightmare Before Christmas, this one has some spooky stuff that is better for older kids. The premise surrounds a zombie bride, so it deals with death and some other stuff not good for little kids.

Casper

My kids have seen Casper, and they are younger than this age bracket, but there are some things that they don’t understand. The uncles are mean and abusive, and the part with Kat’s dad dying is super heavy, so it’s not great for all little kids.

Goosebumps 1 and 2

Since many parents grew up reading these books, these films are fun to share with your older kids. Some of the elements are pretty scary, and there’s a bunch of danger for the characters, so it’s not for small kids.

The Addams Family

Once kids are in this age group, you can bring out The Addams Family. While there are some more creepy things, it’s also a pretty funny movie.

Frankenweenie

This film is a good fit for kids in this group. It does have some elements of death and reanimation, but it also has a cute dog!

Dracula

This group is also able to handle the original monster films at this point. So classics like Dracula, The Mummy, and The Wolfman are good choices. Whether they are actually interested in them or not is another matter.

Muppets Haunted Mansion

My kids are too little to handle this one because there is some creepy stuff at the beginning. Once they hit this age, this one should be okay.

E.T. The Extra Terrestrial

Another classic from our childhood, ET is a fun one to introduce during this time. Because of some of the scenes, such as when ET is sick, could upset younger children.

For Ages 12+

Beetlejuice

Now we’re heading into the creepier stuff. Beetlejuice can get a bit gruesome since it features death, super gross images, and ghosts.

Ghostbusters 1 and 2

These are also best left for teenagers because of the scary ghost elements.

Gremlins

Some of the scenes here can get scary, so this one is best left for older kids. Some kids in the bracket before this might be able to deal with it, or you could always show the first half with adorable Gizmo and then turn it off.

The Witches

This one with Anjelica Houston is really scary for younger kids since the witches are trying to get rid of children. They are more scary than our Hocus Pocus witches, and the costumes are more gruesome.

Again, you know your kids best, so be sure to take care when picking potentially spooky films.

Be sure to watch or rewatch before you let your kids watch it. Watching these films as a parent is a lot different than watching them before you came one.