Looking for Family Friendly Halloween films? We get it. You have kids. Or you’re scared of the dark, or whatever. Here’s ten movies for you and your tinies for when you’re ready to take a break from the Hocus Pocus marathon playing on ABC’s Freeform!
SCOOBY DOO
The Scooby Doo movie is perfect. That’s all there is to it. It’s a wonderful, lovely, hilarious movie that DEFINITELY deserved a sequel. Using “Who Let the Dogs Out” by The Baha Men in the soundtrack was a subtle, nuanced choice that just exemplifies the tact behind every other decision made while filming. The cartoon characters are ACTUALLY brought to life – literally, not figuratively – by the cast. Plus, it’s where Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinz Jr. fell in love. Probably. Which makes it a classic of the early 2000s.
EDWARD SCISSORHANDS
Throw a dart at a list of Tim Burton movies and any one of them could fit right into a Halloween list. Of all of Burton’s creations, Edward Scissorhands is one of the most recognizable, but also one that fans don’t find time to watch very often. It’s a beautiful film about a young Johnny Depp and Winona Rider falling in love over snowflakes, before things turned upside down. Along the way, Johnny Depp gives some suburban housewives much better hairstyles and Nick Carter makes a cameo. And that’s all I’d like to say about that.
THE ADDAMS FAMILY
Everyone’s family is a little weird, except for the Addams family. The Addams Family takes you back to a time when Angelica Huston’s matriarch reigned supreme. Though tiny Christina Ricci’s portrayal of Wednesday Addams as displeased with the sun and pretty much everything else in the universe is brilliantly sadistic, Lurch is the clear winner of best character by a landslide. Or a Lurch. There’s a pun there.
THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
You knew we’d mention it at some point. Is it a Christmas movie? Is it a Halloween movie? Who knows. Throw away your preconceived notions and your Hot Topic fingerless gloves and just put the movie in already. Because there are few who deny at what it does it is the best and its talents are renowned far and wide. When it comes to surprises in the moonlit night this film excels without ever even trying. With the slightest little effort of its ghost-like charms it has seen grown men give out a shriek. With the wave of its hand and a well-placed moan it has swept the very bravest (toddlers) off their feet.
HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE
Harry Potter is the best movie for all holidays, and yet it seems the most appropriate on Halloween and Christmas. It might be the only thing (besides both being on this list) that Sorcerer’s Stone and Nightmare Before Christmas have in common, besides a plethora of products at, you guessed it, Hot Topic. Keep an eye out for trolls in the dungeon and the inevitable eight part movie marathons.
IT’S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN
Linus Van Pelt proves he’s not just a philosophy spouting mouthpiece but a kid after all as he believes in The Great Pumpkin; an Easter-Bunny-meets-Santa-Claus rip-off that only Linus seems to believe in. If you see someone wearing a ghost sheet with multiple eye holes all over, it’s from this. Or if you’re in need of a simple, last minute Halloween costume.
GHOSTBUSTERS
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International film star Rick Moranis blows audiences away in another of his classic roles, as the guy who lives down the hall from Sigourney Weaver. Don’t cross the streams, and also don’t think about the stay puft marshmallow man. And also if someone asks if you’re a god, you say yes, Ray. You say yes. Can you believe this movie is 30 years old?
BEETLEJUICE
While Beetlejuice is a great movie to get into the Halloween spirit, this entry might be better suited for your slightly older little ones. Ghosts are the cutest and Michael Keaton is the cutest and Winona Rider makes her second appearance on this list! Win-win-win!
CASPER
Speaking of second appearances. Christina Ricci graces our list once again in the 1995 classic Casper, and 90s babies swooned everywhere when the tiniest Devon Sawa uttered his most famous and not at all creepy line, “Can I keep you?” Even if you aren’t introducing your kids to it, this movie is definitely worth a rewatch for nostalgia’s sake alone.
PARANORMAN
Kid talks to dead people. Puritans were bonkers. Classic pun name. Don’t live in New England. Moral of the story? Bullying isn’t nice.
Need some more adult oriented Halloween ideas for once the kiddos are lulled into a candy coma? We’ve got you covered! Set the mood with Five Albums to Flesh Out Your Halloween Playlist, pop in one of The Four Scariest Video Games For Halloween, or huddle under the covers with Netflix and Chilling – Halloween Movie Edition. Have any suggestions? You can let us know on Twitter @SubCultured or come party like its 1599 in our Discord server!
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I know this review is a little late considering the issue has been in shops for a couple of weeks now but I really need to talk about Ghostbusters 101. Since IDW announced the title, I’ve eagerly awaited its release. It marks a big step for Ghostbusters as merges the original team with the team from the 2016 reboot movie in comic form.
Ghostbusters 101 #1 cover
As the intro to a 6-part limited series, the first issue sets the stage perfectly. There’s not much in the way of action, though the first few pages do pull the reader in quite well. They also serve to introduce new readers to the personalities of the original team of Ghostbusters.
From there we get a glimpse at Walter Peck, the Ghostbusters’s government liaison, and the first seeds of the story arc take root. Basically, the team needs to deviate from their paranormal investigation and elimination and go the route of educators to produce additional revenue. I know it sounds very droll, and for the most part it is. But writer Erik Burnham realizes this and takes the time to poke a little fun at it to help lighten the mood.
Before I get more into Burnham’s writing, let me say that I’m a big fan of Dan Schoening’s art. He takes a lot of inspiration from the actors’ looks from the film but interprets them in his own way. This makes the comic characters feel like separate entities even though the comics relies heavily on the lore of the film. To contrast that, he draws the new team in the spitting image of the actresses, which helps pull the realism of the new movie into the comic. Granted, this is probably due more to likeness rights than character interpretation. I’m sure the producers planned heavily on multiple revenue streams with comics being one part of that.
The art also shines in more than just the characters. Schoening knows how to create movement on the page. His panels are dynamic and exciting, which really goes a long way to telling a great story.
Venkman catches a ghost.
The pencils are enhanced by Luis Antiono Delgado’s vibrant colors. All of the detail and depth he puts into the characters and environments adds life to the book. Also, I love the different effects Delgado uses, such as the glow of the ghosts and the proton streams. They go a long way to making the comic feel cinematic and are beautiful touches.
As the sole writer of Ghostbusters at IDW, Erik Burnham has a strong grasp of the characters. Just like Schoening, he takes influence from the movies but also manages to make them his own. Venkman is still flippant with a dry-wit, Spengler the stoic intellectual. But Burnham takes license and veers the characters into unexpected directions, which is fantastic since it makes the stories less predictable.
But again, just like Schoening, he basically carbon copies the new team into the book. Burnham’s dialogue for Tolan, Holtzmann, Gilbert and Yates is so on point that I could practically hear the actresses’ voices saying the words. This is not a complaint. Since most readers may not be as familiar with the new Ghostbusters, this is a perfect introduction for them into the comic book world. In addition, it’s wonderful to see these great characters brought back to life since we probably won’t be getting a sequel due to less than stellar box office turnout for the film.
Holtzmann and Tolan in action.
After that glowing praise for both the writing and the art, there is a glaring drawback of this issue that needs to be addressed. It is heavily steeped in backstory. Characters make many references to previous events which could easily lose readers who haven’t kept up with the IDW series. Without a doubt, this shows how tightly knit Burnham keeps his narrative, that he can make callbacks to the team’s earlier adventures. But the addition of the new team is bound to draw new readers. Younger readers whose first introduction to the Ghostbusters is the 2016 movie. If they have trouble following the story because of these callbacks, then they may be unlikely to keep up with the series. I’m not saying Burnham should have omitted the references completely, but an old-style Editorial Notes showing previous issues may have been helpful.
I feel that it’s an important step in the IDW series because it brings the new team of Ghostbusters into the comics-verse. Given the vitriol the reboot received, all from the fervor that was created by the casting of four women in the lead roles, having this team of Ghostbusters interact with the “classic” team goes a long way in showing the nay-sayers that a reboot doesn’t negate its predecessor; in this case, it enhances it. Needless to say, I’m looking forward to the rest of this series.
Grade: A-
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Leia Calderon
Editor
@ladyvader99
leia@sub-cultured.com
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