We love Halloween in our family and one of our favorite ways to celebrate throughout October is by turning the lights down low and watching scary movies together. And as huge fans of horror flicks, we’ve been looking forward to watching something more hair-raising than Hotel Transylvania with our tweens. The problem is that so many movies are way too disturbing or explicit to watch with middle school aged kids.
Thankfully, there are tons of movies for middle schoolers that are frightfully festive yet won’t leave your tweens covering their eyes or unable to sleep for weeks.
We’ve done the spine-chilling homework and found a great list of age-appropriate movies, some scarier than others, that are sure to get the whole family in the Halloween spirit.
Grab a few blankets, pop some popcorn, and lock your doors…
Related: 15 of The Best Movies On Netflix for Teen Boys
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20 of the Best Halloween Movies to Watch with Tweens
Goosebumps
Inspired by R.L. Stine’s worldwide best-selling books, the series follows a group of five high schoolers as they embark on a shadowy and twisted journey to investigate the tragic passing of a teen three decades earlier – while also unearthing dark secrets from their parents’ past.
Related: Keep Halloween Alive: Easy Ways to Make a Boo Basket for Teens
Warm Bodies
This post-apocalyptic cult favorite follows a zombie who saves a living girl from an attack. The two form a relationship that sets in motion events that might transform the entire lifeless world.
Hocus Pocus
Three witches, the Sanderson sisters, are accidentally resurrected on Halloween night in Salem Massachusetts. They must be stopped before they can become immortal by draining the life force of children.
Casper
Friendly ghost Casper really wants a pal, but he always seems to scare people away from his mansion — until a therapist and his teen daughter move in.
A Quiet Place
If they hear you, they hunt you. In this terrifyingly suspenseful thriller, a family must navigate their lives in silence to avoid mysterious creatures that hunt by sound.
Beetlejuice
A recently deceased couple who are trapped haunting their home must contend with a new family who moves in. When their attempts to scare the family away fail, they enlist the help of a mischievous and dangerous ghost named Beetlejuice.
Related: Teens and Tweens Halloween Photo Scavenger Hunt
Disturbia
Under house arrest, a troubled youth is unsure if his neighbor is really a serial killer or if his suspicions are the result of a captive and overactive imagination.
Five Nights at Freddy’s
Based on the popular video game, this movie follows a troubled security guard who starts a job at an abandoned pizzeria where he discovers its animatronic mascots are possessed by the souls of murdered children.
Arachnophobia
When a venomous species of South American spiders hitches a ride to the U.S. in the coffin of a photographer it’s killed, the deadly predator begins to wreak havoc. Now, an arachnophobe and an exterminator must team up to stop the infestation.
Werewolf by Night
A secret society of monster hunters gathers at the Bloodstone Temple for a memorial for their deceased leader where they are forced into a competition to win a powerful relic.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
A boy befriends an extraterrestrial he names E.T. who has been stranded on Earth. Along with his friends and family, he must find a way to help E.T. find his way home.
Ghostbusters
Three parapsychologists start a ghost-catching business in New York City after being fired from their university jobs. Business takes off and they eventually face a major supernatural force that threatens the city.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
Set decades after the events of the original, it follows a single mother and her children who move to an Oklahoma farm they inherited from her estranged father Egon Spengler, a member of the original Ghostbusters.
Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark
A group of trick-or-treating teenagers hide in a local haunted house and discover a trove of chilling tales unfolding within.
Poltergeist
A family’s home becomes the center of paranormal activity that opens a doorway to the other side. With help, they must cross over to get their daughter back.
The Goonies
A group of kids in Oregon, known as the “Goonies,” discover an old treasure map in an attic. They embark on a quest to find the treasure of the legendary pirate One-Eyed Willy to save their homes from being demolished for a country club.
The Ring
A journalist discovers a cursed videotape that causes its viewers to die seven days later. Disclaimer: this movie may not be appropriate for younger tweens as it is terrifyingly suspenseful and contains some disturbing images.
The Haunted Mansion
In this horror-comedy, a real estate agent who, with his family, becomes trapped in a haunted mansion.
The Gate
The film follows two young boys who accidentally release a horde of demons from their backyard through a large hole in the ground.
The House with a Clock in Its Walls
The movie follows a young orphan named Lewis who goes to live with his eccentric uncle and discovers that his uncle and their neighbor are both warlocks. They must work together to find a mysterious clock hidden in the house that has the power to end the world.
Parenting teens and tweens is hard, but you don’t have to do it alone. These posts can help:
8 Fun and Unique Birthday Party Ideas For Teenagers
The Best Holiday Movies to Watch with Your Middle Schooler on Amazon Prime
10 Fun Alternatives to Trick-Or-Treating for Teens
Some Teenagers Just Need a Little Push to Join the Holiday Magic
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