13 spooky films for Halloween!
AJ on Oct. 23, 2023
With Halloween comes treats and trickery but also a tonne of our favourite Halloween themed films. Here we’ve listed a mixture of Halloween, supernatural and terrifying shows and films that you and your whānau can enjoy – if you dare!
We have added some information below and links to our short guides which break down the content warnings and age ratings, so you can have a safe viewing experience this spooky season.
Parental controls are your hack to making sure that your whānau can safely browse for something to watch or play. Find out how you can set them up here.
Hotel Transylvania
PG | Some scenes may scare very young children
- Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky (Samurai Jack, Hotel Transylvania 2)
- English language
- Runtime: 91 minutes
- First film in the Hotel Transylvania franchise
- Staring Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Kevin James, and Selena Gomez
Dracula runs a paradise for monsters away from the human world. But when a boy discovers the hotel, Dracula does his best to hide their true identity, and keep him away from his daughter.
Hotel Transylvania 2
PG | Violence & scary scenes
- Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky (Samurai Jack, Hotel Transylvania)
- English language
- Runtime: 85 minutes
- Staring Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Kevin James, and Selena Gomez
Dracula and his friends return to try and awaken the monster in his half human, half vampire grandson.
Hotel Transylvania 3: A Summer Vacation
PG | Violence & scary scenes
- Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky (Samurai Jack, Hotel Transylvania)
- English language
- Runtime: 97 minutes
- Staring Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Kevin James, and Selena Gomez
Dracula gets dragged by his daughter and friends to a cruise to relax and spend some quality family time. However, their cruise isn’t as friendly as they thought, as the boat is owned by the famous monster hunter Van Helsing family.
Hotel Transylvania: Transformania
PG | Violence & scary scenes
- Directed by Derek Drymon and Jennifer Kluska
- English languages
- Runetime: 84 minutes
- Starring Andy Samberg and Selena Gomez
Dracula’s human son-in-law finds a way to turn into a monster to get his father-in-law Dracula to hand over the keys to the hotel. But after Dracula accidently turns himself and his friends into humans, they journey to South America to collect a crystal to change themselves back.
The Haunted Mansion
PG | Some scenes may scare very young children
- Directed by Rob Minkoff (The Lion King, Stuart Little 2)
- English language
- Runtime: 88 minutes
- Based on Walt Disney’s theme park attraction of the same name
- Starring Eddie Murphy, Terence Stamp and Wallace Shawn
A real estate agent, along with his wife and kids, gets invited to a spooky mansion. As they try escape, the realtor notices how much he's been ignoring his family and learns that spending time with them is important.
Monsters, Inc.
G
- Directed by Peter Docter (Up, Inside Out)
- English language
- Runtime 92 minutes
- Starring Billy Crystal, John Goodman, and Steve Buscemi
Monsters enter the human world to scare children so that they can collect their scream to power the city Monstropolis. All is well for the top two monster employees of Monsters Inc … until they come across a human child.
Coco
PG
- Directed by Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3) and Adrian Molina
- English language, also in reo Māori language and Spanish language.
- Runtime: 105 minutes
- Animated film by animation house Pixar (Inside Out, Soul, Luca)
Miguel longs to become a musician, but his family forbids it. After a series of events, he finds himself in the Land of the Dead, where he teams up with Hector to uncover the truth about his family's past.
Hocus Pocus
PG | Violence
- Directed by Kenny Ortega (High School Musical 3: Senior Year, Michael Jackson’s This is It)
- English language
- Runtime: 96 minutes
In the town of Salem, the Halloween festivities are underway. A young boy, spiteful of the supernatural, ignorantly lights a cursed candle that resurrects a trio of diabolical witches. Together with his sister and high school crush, they seek to undo his mistake and save the town.
Hocus Pocus 2
PG | Scary scenes
- Directed by Anne Fletcher (The Proposal)
- English language
- Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy and Doug reprise their roles from the original 1993 film
Three friends accidentally resurrect the Sanderson sisters back to modern-day Salem. They must figure out how to stop the witches from killing children and casting the ultimate spell to take revenge on Salem.
The Nightmare Before Christmas
PG
- Directed by Henry Selick (Coraline, James and the Giant Peach)
- English language
- Runtime: 76 minutes
- Starring Catherine O’Hara, Danny Elfman and Chris Sarandon
Jack Skellington, a resident of Halloween Town, stumbles upon Christmas Town and becomes captivated by its charm.
Frankenweenie
PG | Scary scenes
- Directed by Tim Burton (Alice in Wonderland, Corpse Bride)
- English language with some Japanese dialogue
- Runtime: 87 minutes
- Inspired by the Frankenstein tale
When a boy’s beloved dog passes away suddenly, he does the unimaginable and pushes the boundaries between life and death through the power of electricity.
Spirited Away
PG | Supernatural themes
- Directed by Hayao Miyazaki (Howl’s Moving Castle, My Neighbor Totoro)
- Japanese language or English dub
- Runtime: 125 minutes
- Animated film by Studio Ghibli (My Neighbor Totoro, Ponyo, Princess Mononoke)
- Won the Academy Award for the Best Animated Feature at the 75th Academy Awards.
A young girl and her parents wander into a world ruled by gods, witches, and spirits. She must rely on her determination, newfound friends, and kindness to return home.
Kiki’s Delivery Service
PG | Violence
- Directed by Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle)
- Japanese language or English dub
- Runtime: 103 minutes
- Animated film by Studio Ghibli (My Neighbor Totoro, Ponyo, Princess Mononoke)
A young witch embraces an independent life but finds fitting into a new community in the city tricky. To adjust to the busy and vibrant city life, she embarks on an exciting venture - running a courier service by air.
List of the 13 films
- Hotel Transylvania 1 - content guide
- Hotel Transylvania 2 - content guide
- Hotel Transylvania 3: A Summer Vacation - content guide
- Hotel Transylvania: Transformania - content guide
- The Haunted Mansion - content guide
- Monsters, Inc. - content guide
- Coco - content guide
- Hocus Pocus - content guide
- Hocus Pocus 2 - content guide
- The Nightmare Before Christmas - content guide
- Frankenweenie - content guide
- Spirited Away - content guide
- Kiki’s Delivery Service - content guide
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