PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Growing up, when the holidays came, so did the 5 million specials directed at kids to finish a long night of trick-or-treating. It was all planned accordingly, and it always worked. In those days, Halloween was embraced with extreme love; now that love has started to fade, times are different, and parents worry more about worst-case scenarios. Kids are no longer allowed to be kids. However, it doesn’t have to be that difficult to turn back the clock for your own kids and show them that not everything has to be really scary.
Here is my personal list of movies my kids and I can all enjoy over spooky season… Or, every day if you are like me.
10: Halloweentown
Yeah, that’s right, I can get right down with these movies; my oldest is a big fan, so it’s on even on Christmas. Halloweentown is quite possibly the least scary thing in the world; however, to kids, it gives them that little voice in their head telling them not to be scared. After years of total trash, Disney specials will always be at the top of the food chain, even if it has slacked off for at least 20 years.
9. Under Wraps
Long before the remake, this movie was the movie to watch that October, even though it does not stand the test of time and had to be revived. It was just too good a movie to keep pinned down, keeping it hostage on streaming. Give it a try if your kids love to laugh. Under Wraps came at the end of a trek through the Disney Original ranks.
8. The Halloween Tree
One of the most wholesomely scary movies I know of. The Halloween Tree sits on the edge of “Nowhere near scary” for most, but upon that first watch, there is a hint of magic in the air, filling my kids with spooky spirit. This is one of the first specials we watched together; I expected the worst but got completely blind sided with how much my kids enjoyed it. This special turned them into ravenous, albeit not too scary, fans.
7. It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown
OK, we knew this movie would make this list eventually, so here it is. One of the most iconic specials in our history. Take the half hour to introduce your kids to a treasured basic cable TV Halloween special. Now you can stream whatever you need, which is great, but it came with a price. Other than once a year, you never hear about this movie. It fades back into the darkness, forever living in infamy. There was a certain magic to Halloween specials; they didn’t dare pass certain scare points that were wide open for terror.
6. Mad Monster Party
Rankin Bass ruled Christmas, but not too many folks know about their TV Halloween special. This movie has anything you could ever want in a single movie. My kids find it absolutely hilarious, just like me. We don’t share too much in common, but we all know when it’s time for my wife and me to relive our childhood, they just come along for the ride.
5. When Good Ghouls Go Bad
Remember Fox Family Channel? They released one of my favorite not-too-spooky movies. It provides a great story of comedy, tragedy, and hope… Oh, and zombies too. What could possibly go wrong? Starring Christopher Lloyd, the movie didn’t do so well and faded from the light; However, you can still find it on YouTube (You didn’t hear it from me). For me, it was absolutely wonderful, and a few lessons about bullying are also brought to the table.
4. Witch’s Night Out
DO NOT skip this movie if you haven’t seen it. The movie has been a staple for decades, and I refuse to let it fade away. (You also didn’t hear it from me) You can find a lot of these specials on YouTube, not lets get back to legal things. Witch’s Night Out was a go-to movie for Disney Halloweens of my childhood. It even has one of the greatest opening songs I have ever heard, one that takes me right back to watching TV in front of my grandparents’ home. Now that it is mine, I hold every moment and memory close.
3 .Mr. Boogedy
OK, so Mr. Boogedy had a monster that looks absolutely terrifying, until you find the silliness. Sure, the monster was scary, but what wasn’t back then? In the ’80s, our parents’ goal was to desensitize us to being afraid of ghosts, goblins, or even other humans.
2. WNUF Halloween Special
First, walking into this movie, no matter how innocent it seems and it has awesome commercials, it also has its aspects of terror. The ending triggered some of us. Thought it’s a recent movie; you can find it on Shudder, proceed wth a bit of caution; there are some things your kids may hide under the covers from, but that’s what makes these movies what they are. If you like found footage and want to test your kids’ guts, jump right in. There isn’t cursing or any drug use, no nudity, no nothing. Just a spooky good time.
1. Garfield Halloween
My ultimate Favorite Halloween Special of all time. When I was a kid, I was obsessed with Garfield, and it was only natural that this movie spoke to me. I started watching horror movies at way too young an age; it didn’t stop me; I had a passion. VBI was also a child, and I knew when the leaves started, the Halloween season began. This was one of the movies you could find on any channel through the end of September and October. It’s a pure, innocent special and will hit you right in the childhood. Long live Garfield!
Take this list and run with it! I know you won’t be disappointed, and neither will your kids. Go have some family fun, relive the magic we knew. Halloween was sacred to us; now you get treats from a car trunk. Take a trip back to your own childhood; explaining how much these movies and specials influenced today
