25 Spooky Non-Horror Halloween Movies

Hey, Everyone! I wanted to sneak in a Halloween-themed post before this last week leading up to the holiday ends.

If you’re like me, then you LOVE Halloween, especially watching spooky movies. Spooky movies, yes! Horror movies, no thank you! Horror and extreme gore creep me out in all the wrong ways, but I get that perfect chill when I’m watching a classic scare, like Bram Stoker’s Dracula, or a family-friendly favorite like Hocus Pocus.

Each year, I like to make lists of all the movies I want to watch for the holidays, and this year, I’d like to share the one I’ve created for Halloween. There are a billion more titles that I could add to it, but these are the ones I tend to try and cross off first—and no, I never get to them all, sadly! Some of them do verge on horror, but I find that they do so in a more tasteful manner, with only the occasional scene that makes you jump.

I’d love to hear what titles make it on your list, as I’m always looking for new Halloween films to watch. Let me know in the comments, and have a Hauntingly Happy Halloween! 🎃

1. Dracula (1992)

This is my all-time favorite adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, an annual must-see. It’s pretty darn creepy, even with some of the obvious special effects like when Dracula scales his castle wall or transforms into an enormous wolf in order to have sex with Lucy, Mina’s best friend. Terrifying!

2. It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)

All three of the original Charlie Brown holiday specials are the last things I watch on each corresponding day. It’s so nice to end the night with the sweet and steadfast Linus sitting in the pumpkin patch awaiting the Great Pumpkin. You go, Linus!

3. Haunted Mansion (2003)

Based on the equally amazing ride at Disney World, this film follows the story of a murdered bride whose death is framed as a suicide. Not wanting to live without his love, the master of the house also kills himself, and the mansion becomes haunted. Along comes Eddie Murphy, a realtor, and his family to break the curse and add a few laughs.

4. Ghost Busters (1984)

One of the strangest—and coolest—ghost films out there, Ghost Busters has long been in the canon of iconic Halloween movies. The characters literally just ride around in their awesome car (which I saw in real life once because I used to live near the guy who bought it!) and trap ghosts. It never gets boring!

5. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Here’s a staple that’s for the whole family. Arguably the most well-known stop-motion film, Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas is incredibly visually stimulating. The story of a Halloween character trying to take over Christmas is equally brilliant.

6. Hocus Pocus (1993)

The Sanderson sisters are everyone’s favorite witches, woken when the new kid on the block lights the forbidden candle. They begin brewing a potion that will allow them to suck the souls of all the children so they can remain young forever.

7. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994)

Created and then abandoned by inventor Frankenstein, the Creature must roam the earth looking for a way to make sense of his life. This is my favorite movie adaptation of the famous novel.

8. Interview with the Vampire (1994)

My second favorite vampire film after Dracula, this movie is based on the brilliant novel by Anne Rice. Follow the lives of two very different vampires as they wander around New Orleans for several centuries.

9. Frankenweenie (2012)

This is a family-friendly, adorable take on the story of Frankenstein, featuring instead an intelligent boy who wants to bring his dog back from the dead. Their bond is so sweet, and I think we can all relate to wanting to save that one special pet.

10. Corpse Bride (2005)

Murdered on her wedding night, this jilted bride is out for her second chance with love. The only problem is her groom, who is coincidentally already engaged to someone else, hails from the land of the living!

11. The Addams Family (1991)

The Addams aren’t your typical suburban family. They’ll have to work together to weed out the false Uncle Fester who’s trying to weasel his way into their money. With a severed hand for a servant and a love for all things macabre, I guess it’s true that the family that spooks together stays together!

12. Warm Bodies (2013)

This film isn’t for everyone, but I absolutely love it. It’s a zombie romance, for crying out loud! R (because he can’t remember his actual name) remembers what it’s like to feel again and slowly discovers a cure for zombification. On a side note, the soundtrack is awesome!

13. Dark Shadows (2012)

This is another very strange film, but Johnny Depp makes the bizarre main character, Barnabas, the perfect mix of creepy and comical. He’s a vampire with a love-hate relationship for the witch who cursed his family line.

14. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

You could really watch any Harry Potter film around Halloween, but the third in the series is my favorite. It’s got everything: a werewolf, an Animagus, and a creepy old shrieking shack—perfect for Hallow’s Eve!

15. Hamlet (1996)

By far my favorite film adaptation of Hamlet, Kate Winslet’s portrayal of Ophelia is beautiful and Kenneth Branagh makes the perfect Hamlet in this complex play featuring murder and madness.

16. The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Why include The Wizard of Oz on my Halloween list? Because it has one of the most awesome witches ever: the Wicked Witch of the West. She’s green, she’s mean, and she’s coming for your little dog too!!

17. Monster House (2006)

This film is about a house inhabited by the spirit of a woman who died long ago and became a permanent part of its foundation—literally. The creepy house will stop at nothing to keep the neighborhood kids from intruding and helping her former husband/current house owner, the old Mr. Nebbercracker.

18. The Witches (1990)

I will admit right now that this is the single movie on this list I haven’t seen. I love Roald Dahl’s book, The Witches, on which the film is based, so I was over the moon when I discovered this 90s film this year. The story is about witches that disguise themselves as regular women in order to eat children. I read that the fabulous Jim Henson is responsible for the creepy masks, so I will definitely be watching this before next week!

19. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

Let’s do the Time Warp again! This cult classic, one of the best musicals ever created, never gets old. What other sci-fi horror comedy do you know of that stars an alien transvestite parading around as a mad scientist? Genius.

20. Van Helsing (2004)

This film is a bit cheesy in terms of special effects, but it’s so fun to watch Hugh Jackman run around slaying Dracula’s concubines. With its mix of characters from both Dracula and Frankenstein, this is a must-see!

21. Beetlejuice (1988)

How does one even begin to describe Beetlejuice? With a cast of spectacular actors and actresses like Winona Ryder, Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, and Michael Keaton, this movie is among the best. After a sweet couple dies, they must learn to navigate their newfound state of (non)being when a snooty couple and their gothic daughter move into their house.

22. Young Frankenstein (1974)

This is the best Halloween comedy, in my opinion, directed by Mel Brooks and starring the brilliant Gene Wilder as Dr. Frankenstein. This spoof on the classic story is hilarious!

23. Goosebumps (2015)

Here’s a new film that made it onto my list this year, as I only recently watched it for the first time. Jack Black plays the cooky/creepy R. L. Stine whose created book monsters come to life to terrorize the town. At times campy, it’s still a charming story that brings to life a bunch of Stine’s characters we all knew and loved as children.

P.S. Stine, himself, makes a cameo at the end of the film!

24. Dorian Gray (2009)

Of course, no film beats Oscar Wilde’s novel, but this is a worthy adaptation of the story. The whole cast does a great job of portraying one of my favorite stories, where the beautiful Dorian remains youthful and perfect while all the evil things he does are transferred to his portrait, which turns into a grotesque monster.

25. Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Watching Johnny Depp as Ichabod Crane solve the mystery of the string of murders in Sleepy Hollow is great fun. Add to that Christopher Walken’s super creepy performance as the headless horseman, and you’ve got yourself a great Halloween movie!

 

I hope this list will leave you with some spooky movie ideas as we approach Halloween next week. Again, I’d love to hear what makes it on your own list! Let me know in the comment section below.

And again, Happy Halloween! 👻