My Favorite Childhood Halloween Movies

Since Halloween is this weekend, I thought I’d take a stroll down memory lane.


As a kid, I was terrified of horror movies— as I imagine most kids probably are. However, there were some Halloween movies that I still love and watch to this day.


  1. “Halloweentown” (1998)

I cannot express the excitement I felt as I watched Disney Channel the week before Halloween waiting for this movie to come on. The idea of there being this secret Halloween village to explore heightened my kid imagination. However, I was not a fan of “Return to Halloweentown.” I was attached to the specific actors and characters from the first 2 “Halloweentown” movies.

  1. “Monster House” (2006)

I was lucky enough to see this movie in theaters when it came out in 2006. I was only 6-years-old, so it was a little frightening to me. However, “Monster House” has become a classic Halloween movie for me as I’m sure it is for others of my generation. 

  1. “Corpse Bride” (2005)

In general, I’m a huge Tim Burton fan. Burton has always had a way of creating a chilling cinematic experience with often upbeat undertones. Most everyone is familiar with Burton’s ability to make his characters physically stand out and “Corpse Bride” is no different. As a young girl watching this movie, I was put in a trance and could not look away.

  1. “The Nightmare Before Christmas”(1993)

Continuing my love for Tim Burton’s style brings me to “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” Once again, this movie put me in a trance and I loved the musical numbers in this movie, which have become popular Haloween-time tunes. Although some people argue that this can also be considered a Christmas movie, I lean on the side of it being a Halloween movie. 

  1. “Scary Godmother” (2003)

“Scary Godmother” is a movie that I stumbled across by accident. I was watching TV once when this movie came on and I fell in love with it. I just recently learned that this film was once a children’s storybook. Although this isn’t my favorite Halloween movie, it is a great family-friendly tale. 


If you haven’t seen these Halloween movies, I highly recommend them. However, if you’re more into the gory/sinister side of Halloween, then I would suggest something more in the “horror” genre. Sometimes it’s nice to take a break from murder and screams and reminisce on what Halloween felt like as a child. 


   


   

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