HalloweenBargains.com - Family fright night: 10 Halloween movies for kids

With Halloween approaching frighteningly fast, it's a great time to pop popcorn, turn down the lights and watch spooky movies with the kids. The classics must be shared with the next generation, and some of the creepier titles still haunt us from our own childhoods. By their nature, these movies contain some scenes that may be frightening for very young children, so sit close. Here are 10 haunting, yet kid-friendly, choices:

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)

It just wouldn't be Halloween without watching this critically acclaimed and popular animated television special based on the comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. On Halloween night, Linus van Pelt, Charlie Brown's security-blanket-toting best friend, eagerly awaits the arrival of the mysterious Great Pumpkin, who he believes travels around the world each Halloween giving toys to all the good children like Santa Claus does at Christmas. The rest of the gang celebrates Halloween in a more traditional manner, going door-to-door in search of treats. Everyone gets candy, except for poor ol' Charlie Brown. After each stop, he mutters his famous sad line: "I got a rock." Not rated.

Hocus Pocus (1993)

In this hilarious movie, Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker play resurrected witches who wreak havoc on Salem, Mass., 300 years after they originally were hanged for practicing witchcraft. The evil and often goofy trio sets out to cast a spell on the town and claim immortality, flying about on vacuum cleaners instead of brooms. But, to do so, they must outwit three kids and a talking black cat who are onto the witches' evil plan to suck the life out of the town's children, a spooky plot, especially coming from Disney, but great fun, with loads of laughs. Rated PG.

Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)

One of Ray Bradbury's most popular and intriguing novels of good and evil comes to life in this spine-tingling picture. A carnival, led by the evil Mr. Dark, who preys upon the vanities, delusions and regrets of the townspeople by granting their wishes, arrives in a small Illinois town. But the townspeople's wishes are granted at the expense of their souls. The town's meek librarian becomes Mr. Dark's unlikely nemesis when his son, Will, and his best friend, Jim Nightshade, discover the evil secret. Filled with suspense, this movie will captivate the entire family. Rated PG.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

This is a heartfelt tale of Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town and all things that go bump in the night. Bored with the same old tricks and treats, he yearns for something more fulfilling and, when he discovers the glorious magic of Christmas Town, Jack decides to bring this joyful holiday back to Halloween Town. But his dream to fill Santa's shoes unravels as "sleigh" is confused with "slay" and "stockings" become "stalkings." A wonder in stop-motion animation, this film is a masterpiece of art direction, set design and good old-fashioned storytelling. Rated PG.

Tower of Terror (1997)

Buzzy Crocker is a hard-luck photojournalist whose unexpected encounter with an old woman leads him to investigate the unexplained disappearance of five people 60 years earlier. On Halloween night 1939, five partygoers, including a Shirley Temple-like child star, vanished in the elevator of the Hollywood Tower Hotel. Since then, their ghosts have remained trapped inside the hotel. Buzzy teams with his young niece to solve the mystery, save their own lives and capture the biggest story of the year. Not rated but suggested for kids age 8 and older. Which came first, the movie or the ride? The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, a popular free-fall thrill ride, opened at Disney-MGM Studios in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., in 1994 and at Disney's California Adventure Park in Anaheim in 2004.

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)

This Disney DVD contains two cartoon shorts based on the classic tales The Wind in the Willows and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The latter telling is great for Halloween, but the ending will have young children burying their heads in the couch cushions. Washington Irving's story of a stuffy, spindly schoolmaster and his attempts to win the love of the fair Katrina from her brutish suitor was Disney's 11th animated film. Hearts will be thumping when Ichabod comes across the fabled Headless Horseman in the dark forest, and during the film's hair-raising climax. Bing Crosby supplies the narration, character voices and songs. Rated G.

Monster House (2006)

The kids will love watching this scary house come to life. The home is occupied by mean old Mr. Nebbercracker, who takes any toys that land in his yard. He's protective of his house, which embodies the spirit of his dead wife. When DJ, a 12-year-old who lives across the street, sneaks over to retrieve a basketball, Nebbercracker chases the boy and soon collapses. An ambulance takes him away, and then the house starts calling DJ. He and his friends keep watch and try to convince the sitter that something is up. When they can't convince her or the police, they develop a plan to stop the house so that kids trick-or-treating don't get eaten up. Your kids will tense up while the on-screen kids lurk through the old house and discover lost toys. Rated PG.

Halloweentown (1998)

This is the first of four Halloweentown movies from Disney, and frankly it's the best. This one focuses on Halloween-loving 13-year-old Marnie, who is always at odds with her mom, Gwen, about going out on Halloween. Gwen fears Halloween because she's guarding a family secret. Of course, that secret is revealed shortly after Grandma Aggie, played by Debbie Reynolds, shows up for a rare visit and shares a story about Halloweentown. Marnie is intrigued, so she and her siblings follow Grandma. They land in Halloweentown, where trolls, witches, werewolves and other Halloween characters live. They're mesmerized, but soon after they arrive, an evil force, who gives them a fright, tries to take over the magical place. Grandma and Mom are frozen by a spell, so the kids have to save Halloweentown by activating Merlin's wand and placing it in the big pumpkin in the town square. Rated PG.

Corpse Bride (2005)

This story follows Victor Van Dort, a nervous groom voiced by Johnny Depp, who, after a terrible wedding rehearsal, practices his vows in a cemetery. It just happens he says them to the Corpse Bride and accidentally ends up married to her. She takes him to the underworld, where she gives him a wedding gift - his old dead dog, Scraps. He wants to get back to his Victoria, but her parents decide to marry her to a mysterious Lord Barkis Bittern, who has a connection to the Corpse Bride. Little kids may be startled by a few moments, but this well-done stop-motion animated film is a wonderfully produced musical starring a bunch of skeletons and corpses. Rated PG.

Beetlejuice (1988)

A nice couple die and learn they are ghosts trapped in their home. Soon a strange New York family moves in and the new ghosts don't like it, so they try to scare the family out. After being possessed to sing and dance to Harry Belafonte's Banana Boat Song, the freakish family and its friends think it's cool to have ghosts. Then Beetlejuice comes along for frights and laughs. Rated PG.