13 Halloween movies for people who don’t like scary movies
By Jeremy Dick
Are you looking to celebrate the Halloween season with a scary movie, but you don’t want the typical jump-scares and gratuitous gore? Look no further.
When horror movies are brought up, typically most people will think about the genre’s most well-known stereotypes: excessive nudity, over-the-top gore, cheesy dialogue/acting, and ridiculous jump-scares. For hardcore fans of the genre, these things are par for the course.
If you’re a more casual movie just looking for something thematically-correct for Halloween, this list of 13 films may offer a lighter alternative. Although they range from family films to R-rated flicks, all will provide excellent Halloween season viewing without crossing any lines.
13. Hocus Pocus
Made all the way back in 1993, Kenny Ortega’s family Halloween film has stood the test of time. It is regularly played every October on television. Freeform is even doing a marathon of it this year. Recently there have even been rumblings of a remake of the movie, which is a testament to how popular it continues to be.
If you haven’t seen the film, here’s the gist of the story: Three sibling witches from Salem, the Sanderson sisters, arrive in the present (90s) day, where they must be stopped from becoming immortal. Setting it during the Halloween season gives it that delightful spooky feel, though obviously, the film is much more humorous than it is scary.
Playing the Sanderson sisters are Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker. The three ladies are dynamite together and still have people dressing up as them for Halloween. Despite its age, the fun movie remains entertaining all these years later.