For those of you who aren’t into gory horror or scary monsters that keep you up at night, these movies are for you. Scroll below for 20 not-so-scary films to watch this October!
Coco
Starring: Anthony Gonzalez, Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Alanna Ubach
Día de los Muertos is at the end of October/early November! Celebrate with the story of an aspiring young musician who enters the Land of the Dead to find his great-great-grandfather, a legendary singer, only to discover his true family history.
Monsters, Inc.
Starring: John Goodman, Billy Crystal, Steve Buscemi
They scare because they care! In Monstropolis, monsters harness children’s screams to power the city, and children are considered toxic. However, after one of the top scarers discovers a little girl running amuck, he begins to question everything they know about kids.
Hotel Transylvania
Starring: Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg, Adam Sandler, Kevin James
Visit Hotel Transylvania, where the most famous monsters will gather for Dracula’s daughter’s 118th birthday… but the party and the hotel’s future is in danger when a human traveler stops by.
Coraline
Starring: Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, Jennifer Sauders, Dawn French
Based on the creepy novella of the same name, the film follows Coraline who, bored of her parents and new home, discovers a seemingly perfect parallel world hidden behind a secret door. But not all is what it seems as this other world contains sinister secrets...
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Starring: Chris Sarandon, Catherine O’Hara, Paul Reubens, William Hickey
Is it a Halloween movie or is it a Christmas movie? Why not both? Watch the Pumpkin King, Jack Skellington, discover Christmas and try to bring his new favorite holiday to Halloween Town.
Corpse Bride
Starring: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter
Find out what happens when a man accidentally marries a corpse after practicing his vows and gets whisked away to the Land of the Dead.
The Addams Family
Starring: Anjelica Huston, Christina Ricci, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd
They may be creepy and kooky, but the Addams family are also gullible when two con artists use an accomplice to pretend to be their long-lost Uncle Fester. *Also recommended: The Addams Family Values and 2019’s The Addams Family.
Zombieland
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin
A zombie comedy? Yes, please! After a zombie epidemic hits the world, four surviving humans reluctantly join forces to share survival rules and strategies to make it to Los Angeles.
Hocus Pocus
Starring: Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, Doug Jones
Required October viewing! After 26 years, this Disney favorite about three sister witches who try to absorb children's youth and become immortal continues to cast a spell on kids and adults alike.
Casper
Starring: Christina Ricci, Devon Sawa, Bill Pullman, Cathy Moriarty, Eric Idle
A ghost therapist and his daughter move into a haunted mansion with the mission to help a friendly 12-year-old spirit and his grotesque uncles cross over to the other side.
Beetlejuice
Starring: Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis
With its unique style, great performances, and one of the most memorable dinner scenes of all time, this fun Tim Burton classic about a recently deceased couple trying to drive away new homeowners never gets old.
Warm Bodies
Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, Dave Franco, John Malkovich
Add a little romance to your spooky season with the story of a lonely zombie who saves a woman from an attack, and the relationship they form to protect one another.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Starring: Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Meat Loaf
The ‘70s cult classic (and longest-running movie release in film history) has it all: a creepy mansion, a mad scientist, sex, aliens, elaborate song and dance numbers, fun costumes, and Susan Sarandon.
The Haunted Mansion
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Terence Stamp, Marsha Thomason, Jennifer Tilly
Inspired by the iconic Disney attraction, a realtor takes his family to a mansion for a business deal disguised as a family vacation. They soon realize that there’s much more to the home than they had anticipated...
Practical Magic
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Sandra Bullock, Stockard Channing, Dianne Wiest
Grab a margarita and sit down with two witch sisters who attempt to break the family curse which causes any man they fall in love with to die.
What We Do in the Shadows
Starring: Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement, Jonathan Brugh, Ben Fransham
Watch 2014’s mockumentary that inspired the 2019 FX series about vampire housemates that struggle with the mundane tasks of modern life.
Goosebumps
Starring: Jack Black, Dylan Minnette, Odeya Rush, Jillian Bell
When R.L. Stine characters escape from their books and begin to wreak havoc in the real world, it’s up to a teenager, his friends, and Stine himself to stop them.
The Craft
Starring: Fairuza Balk, Robin Tunney, Neve Campbell, Rachel True
“Light as a feather, stiff as a board...” A group of teenage girls pursue witchcraft for their own gain but soon encounter repercussions. *The sequel, The Craft: Legacy, arrives on October 28, 2020.
Halloweentown
Starring: Debbie Reynolds, Kimberly J. Brown, Judith Hoag
Go to a town where supernatural beings can live a “normal life.” A young girl learns she is a witch like her grandmother, and together they help save Halloweentown from an evil force.
ParaNorman
Starring: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Jodelle Ferland, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, Leslie Mann
Described as "John Hughes meets John Carpenter,” this stop-motion film has a lot of heart and humor; following a young boy with the ability to speak to the dead as he tries to save his town from an old witch’s curse.
