After my autumn movie list, here’s another collection. This time, I’ve compiled a list of 10 of my favourite not-scary films. I hope you’ll enjoy them too. If you’d like to add to the list of the Best Non-Scary Halloween movies, or if you’d like to cross something off it, send me an email or drop me a message on Instagram.
- Hocus Pocus 1, 2
- Coco
- Sleepy Hollow
- E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
- The Addams Family
- Double, Double, Toil, and Trouble
- Casper
- Ghostbusters
- Practical Magic
- The Nightmare Before Christmas
1. Hocus Pocus 1 (and maybe the 2nd)
Everyone says it’s a classic. But I have to admit, I saw it for the first time this year. The story takes place in Salem, one of the most famous sites of medieval witch hunts. On Halloween night, a teenage boy and his sister accidentally bring back three wicked witches from the 17th century. I liked the first film a lot, the second less, but I don’t want to influence anyone, so both are on the list.
2. Coco
I only saw this for the first time this year too… Honestly, I don’t know what’s going on with me. I feel pretty lame for not knowing this one either for so long. It’s such a charming, colourful animated film, actually a musical, full of really great songs. Very important is that you shouldn’t start watching it without a box of tissue. A Mexican boy, Miguel, dreams of becoming a musician. The only problem is that his family thinks music is a curse. But he doesn’t expect that he will have to make a little detour on his way to world fame to meet his musician grandfather in the Land of the Dead.
3. Sleepy Hollow
Tim Burton’s classic is the odd one out in the list of non-scary Halloween movies, because it does have some scary scenes. However, I wouldn’t call it super scary, it’s just like a Timburt movie, gothic and dark. New York detective Ichabod Crane investigates the deaths of three decapitated men in Sleepy Hollow. The villagers fear ancient evil forces, and the detective is rather sceptical at first. Soon, however, another death occurs and a beautiful young girl and a headless horseman appear. No wonder Johnny Depp sometimes faints after all this.
4. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Who doesn’t know the story of ET, the charming alien? You know the one who phones home! In Steven Spielberg’s classic, a young boy named Elliott befriends an alien who he later names ET. Unfortunately, government agents also get to know about the extraterrestrial and they capture ET. It is then up to Elliot and his family to rescue ET so he can leave Earth and go home. Fun fact: Elliott’s little sister is played by 7-year-old Drew Barrymore, and young Erika Eleniak from Baywatch also appears in the film.
5. Addams Family
First of all, let us be clear that I mean the 1991 Addams family film. The first part, not the second, not the series, not the cartoon, and not the remake. I’m sure they’re good, but I prefer the 90s version. The story is about an unusual (you might as well use the word creepy) family. Morticia and Gomez Addams live in a huge mansion with their children and their grandmother (it’s unclear if she’s now a maternal or paternal grandmother). The central event of the film is that con artists try to swindle money out of the family by finding their long-lost uncle. Did you know by the way, that the same actor, Christopher Lloyd plays the bold uncle Fester Addams and Dr. Emmett Brown from Back to the Future?
6. Double, Double, Toil, and Trouble
Double, Double, Toil, and Trouble, Promo Video, ABC
I don’t know about you, but I loved the Olsen twins movies when I was a little girl. And well, shame or no shame, I still watch this one sometimes during Halloween. The story is very simple. The spirited twins are trying to steal their evil aunt Agatha’s magical moonstone (something I’ve always really, really wanted) in order to save their family home and their aunt, Sophia.
7. Casper
This is the first “scary” Halloween movie I’ve ever seen, which I later found out wasn’t scary at all. An afterlife therapist, James and his daughter Kat move into an old family mansion. Casper, the house ghost, befriends the girl and soon falls in love with her. So his only wish is to become human again so that he can win her heart. It’s quite a heartbreaking story, but it’s also a very charming one. I definitely recommend it if you haven’t seen it yet.
8. Ghostbusters
Okay, I have to admit that I didn’t dare to watch this movie alone even a few years ago. I know in my mind that it’s only Bill Murray, I can see that the stunts from the eighties look a bit lame. Yet, I can’t help it, I get scared sometimes. But as I have not met anyone over the age of 14 who is scared of this film, Ghostbusters must be on my list of non-scary Halloween movies. A group of scientists lose their jobs at New York University where they were doing supernatural research. They decide to buy a dilapidated, abandoned fire station and start a ghost-busting business. Oh yeah, and let’s not forget the iconic song, click here if you do or don’t know which one I’m talking about.
9. Practical Magic
Yep, after the list of the best autumn films, this collection also includes the cursed witches sisters. I didn’t mean to overlap, but it’s simply impossible to leave this one off the list of non-scary Halloween movies. Sally and Gillian Owens, descended from a long line of witches. The story is about overcoming an ancient curse, finding eternal love, and banishing evil. A spooky atmosphere is guaranteed (sometimes it’s a good idea to have a pillow ready to cover your eyes 🙂 )
10. The Nightmare Before Christmas
Another Tim Burton classic, and another musical after Coco. It’s the last one on the list because, as the title suggests, it’s also about Christmas 🙂 Jack Skellington is the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town. One day, he finds himself in a Christmas town and, out of pure goodwill, decides to take Santa’s place. The problem is, the spirit of Christmas means something very different to Jack and Santa.
