My Favorite Halloween Movies that Aren’t Scary

My house last year.

I love Halloween. I decorate my house, we have my daughter’s birthday party, and I love that we get trick-or-treaters of every age. But I don’t like truly scary movies. The only horror movies I really dig, are the old Hammer Horror from the sixties. Here are 10 of my favorites. Not all of these are set at Halloween, but they all would be fun watching during the month of October.

Michael Keaton in BEETLEJUICE (1988)
  1. Halloweentown (1998) and sequels – seriously, who doesn’t want to see dear Debbie Reynolds as a sweet senior witch. Yes, I know these are kids’ movies, but I like them.
  2. Beetlejuice (1988) – a couple of scary moments sort of, but overall a delight.
  3. Coco (2017) – the music is wonderful, the colors gorgeous, the design amazing, the story heartfelt.
  4. The Corpse Bride (2005) – another stop motion tour-de-force. It’s funny how the same people keep cropping up.
  5. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) – Jack Skellington and his musical peeps – although little kids can be scared of the odd creatures. I knew one kid who was alarmed by the walking bathtub.
  6. Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) – yes it’s a Christmas movie, but it’s also a Halloween movie. Who’s the most horrible?
  7. An American Werewolf in London (1981) – those FX hold up pretty well actually.
  8. All the Ghostbusters – old, new, sequels. Marathon, anyone?
  9. Young Frankenstein (1974) – it’s alive.
  10. Quatermass and the Pit (1967) – just some very rational British scientists dealing with aliens at Hob’s End.
Margaret O’Brien in MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (1944)

Happy Halloween.

A Halloween Luminary