Top 10 Halloween Movies for Kids ...

by Zachary Jones

Whether you're a kid at heart, have a child or children of your own, or you're babysitting tonight here are the top ten best Halloween movies for kids.

1. The Nightmare before Christmas

This 90's classic by Tim Burton made parents reel when the zombie head is pulled out of the Christmas box. Jack, the Pumpkin King of Halloweentown, finds doors in the woods to other holidays. He then enters a world where it is always Christmas. Watch the creepy and weird happenings as Halloween and Christmas are meshed together. Rated PG.

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2. Corpse Bride

In this macabre love story, a patient young woman and a shy young man find love after death. Created by Tim Burton. Rated PG.

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3. Casper

This mid 90's kids' classic, starring a teenage Christina Ricci, is about a quirky single dad and his teenage daughter who move to Maine. Kat, the girl, is an outcast and bullied at school, but when her high school classmates find out she lives in the creepy mansion up the hill, the school's Halloween party finds its venue. What happens next will leave viewers both laughing and crying. Rated PG.

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4. The Witches

Based on Roald Dahl's children's book, The Witches, which I strongly recommend any child ages ten and up to read, it features Luke, a British-Norwegian boy. When on holiday, as the Brits say, to Norway, his paternal grandmother tells him about witches and how they are real. Like all children in Dahl's books, his parents suddenly die (this time it's driving off of a cliff). So, he and his Norwegian grandmother, for reasons you'll have to read and watch, end up going on holiday for the rest of the summer to a seaside hotel in England. There Luke, much to his dismay, discovers all of England's witches are attending a meeting. Hilarious, adorable, cleverly written and acted, with great puppetry this is one of the best woven Halloween tales around. The book's ending is very different from the movie, so be sure to check out both. The only major downfall to the movie, that the kids probably won't care about, is they made the parents and Luke American, yet they don't describe why they are living in England. In the book, Luke's dad is Norwegian who took a job in England. Starring Angelica Huston in an outrageously creepy outfit. Rated PG.

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5. It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown

Generations of Peanuts' fans have sat around the television after dinner to watch this short classic of Charlie, Linus, Sally, Pigpen, Snoopy, and the rest of the gang celebrate Halloween while Linus looks for the great pumpkin. Rated G.

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6. The Addams Family

Are you clicking your fingers already? Can you believe the first movie came out in 1991? Angelica Huston stars in this movie as well. An outrageously weird family with a moving hand as a cousin and two psychopathic children and a baby you think must have come from the land of doom. It's just a bunch of Halloween weirdness, but it works. Rated PG.

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7. Ghostbusters

Every kid needs to see this movie just so they simply can sing and hum the tune. It's one of the most famous in movie history. Starring Dan Aykroyd, who actually does believe in ghosts, this all time classic has four nerdy guys trying to rid New York City of some nasty ghosts. Rated PG.

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8. Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie

A cute and gentle Halloween movie for the little ones about trick or treating for the first time. Rated G.

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9. ET

Starring Drew Barrymore when she was not even in kindergarten yet, a single mother with three children moves to a new location when Elliot, her middle son, discovers an alien has crash landed. He asks his brother and sister to not tell anyone about ET, but ET doesn't keep quiet himself. They must hash a plan to save ET. This movie is so famous the ending scene with Elliot biking across the moon with ET, has been used by Amblin Entertainment as their logo for decades. Created by the mastermind Steven Spielberg. Rated G

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10. Hocus Pocus

Saving the best for last, this is a classic worth watching again and again year after year. Three witches in 1693 Salem, Massachusetts have murdered Emily Binks and turned her brother Thackery (not Zachary) into a black cat. Skip ahead three hundred years to 1993 and you have a California teenager new in town, the local girl he has a crush on, and his pesky eight year old sister accidentally bring them back. They must devise a plan to permanently kill the witches, help Billy the Butcher go back into the grave, and save the townsfolk of Salem from dancing their lives away. Starring Sarah Jessica Parker in her most hilarious role, this movie comes with some awesome music. Rated PG.