Scary Halloween Movies for Tweens & Teens

In today’s post: Find 20 scary movies for tweens and teens that are perfect for watching on Halloween – without all the blood and gore. These movies deliver lots of fun scares without the violence of horror films.

Once kids get too old to go trick or treating, it’s fun to have a movie night with friends on Halloween instead. The hard part is finding scary movies for tweens and teens that aren’t gory, violent, or otherwise inappropriate for teens and tweens. I know, lots of teens watch horror films, but call me old fashioned–I’m just not thrilled about the idea of my 13 year olds watching people slash each other open. I prefer that the nightmare stay on Elm Street, if you know what I mean.

At the same time, I know my tweens probably don’t want to invite friends over to watch “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.” So I went looking for a compromise between horror films and the Peanuts cartoons, and I think I’ve found it. Here is a list of movies that are scary without being gory. These shows are perfect for tweens and teens. I hope it’s helpful, and let me know in the comments which movies I’ve missed!

Scary movies for tweens to watch on Halloween

NOTE: The movies on this list are not bloody, gory, or overly violent, and many are considered family-friendly Halloween movies. However, that doesn’t mean they are all appropriate for all age ranges. Please do your research and decide which movies are right for your kids. I have noted the rating beside each movie and listed the PG movies first, then the PG-13 movies. All titles are linked to the Amazon prime rental page. Thanks!

The Nightmare Before Christmas rated PG

This darkly comedic stop motion film follows Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin king of Halloween, as he tried to take over Christmas. A little bit scary and more than little bit quirky (thank you Tim Burton), and a lot of fun. Great Halloween movie for teens.

Corpse Bride rated PG

Victor and Victoria are engaged to be married, at least until Victor accidentally marries a corpse. This creepy and clever animated movie is probably too scary for little kids, but will delight tweens. Also from Tim Burton.

The Spiderwick Chronicles rated PG

Three siblings find a secret room, a locked chest, and a book marked “Do Not Read.” The book gets opened (of course!) and ogres, goblins, and more come out. Fairly intense and scary fun for tweens.

Clue rated PG

Six guests show up at a mysterious mansion and find out there’s a murderer amongst them. This movie isn’t actually very scary, but it’s one of the most fun movies you’ll ever watch. Note: there are a few innuendos that will go over most younger kids’ heads.

Jaws rated PG 

This classic movie about attempts to find and kill a giant shark includes what might be the the creepiest music ever. Even though it’s dated, it’s still a fun scary option for tweens and teens. NOTE: out of all the movies on the list, this one could be considered bloody, but it’s pretty tame compared to horror movies of today.

Monster House rated PG

A couple of kids and their babysitter begin to notice increasingly creepy things going on at a house in their neighborhood. And so they decide to go inside…

Hotel Transylvania Rated PG

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Count Dracula and his daughter Mavis run a lavish resort when monsters can get away from it all (and by “all” they mostly mean annoying humans). But when a human hitchhiker stumbles into the hotel, Mavis’ curiosity about the outside world only grows stronger. This movie is more funny that scary, poking fun at scary movies of the past.

Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit Rated G

This is another movie that’s not all that scary, but it’s too fun not to include. The stop motion/claymation format is so well done and the storyline is engaging. Wallace and his dog Gromit are working as bunny catchers, but don’t want to kill the bunnies, so Wallace creates an invention to reprogram their brains instead. Of course, the invention backfires and Were-Rabbit related hilarity ensues. Great movie for kids, but funny enough for tweens too.

Frankenweenie rated PG

Victor doesn’t have many friends – in fact his dog Sparky is his only friend. When Sparky is accidentally run over, Victor decides to experiment on the corpse during a thunderstorm…which leads to all the neighborhood kids trying to bring their dead pets back to life. Fun Halloween movie!

Coraline rated PG

Bored Coraline finds a passageway into an alternate world that mirrors her own, except it’s better! Or is it? This dark fairy tale is strange, spooky, and fun.

Labyrinth rated PG

This one isn’t technically a Halloween movie, but it’s a classic! When Sarah gets tired of her baby step-brother (he gets all the attention and all he does is cry) she wishes goblins would steal him away. When they do, Sarah has to fight her way through the labyrinth and meet the Goblin king (David Bowie) to reclaim her brother.

Goosebumps rated PG

Zach thinks his new neighbor Hannah is being kept prisoner by her dad, the famous author of the Goosebumps books. When Zach sneaks into her house to save her, he also unlocks one of the many manuscripts he finds, and the monster inside it comes to life. Soon all the books have been unlocked and all the Goosebumps monsters are running around town. Fairly clever and funny as well as a bit scary.

Ghostbusters rated PG

Ok, so Ghostbusters is more funny than scary, but this classic is still perfect for Halloween.

Paranorman rated PG

Norman is your average middle school misfit. Except that he can see and speak to the dead. And he lives in a town that was cursed by a witch hundreds of years ago. And zombies are coming. It’s an animated film, but the subject matter is better suited to tweens and above.

Hocus Pocus Rated PG

Three witches from seventeenth century Salem are conjured into the present by a couple of teenagers. This is a goofy, mildly spooky movie that’s been hugely popular. The witches (Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker) sustain their long life by sucking the life out of children, leading to a few scenes that could be scary for younger kids but won’t phase most tweens. However, parents should be aware that one character is teased about being a virgin, and the word virgin is used multiple times throughout the movie. There are a few innuendos as well, so please use parental judgement.

Halloween movies for teens (not gory)

The following movies might be better suited to teenagers as most have a PG-13 rating.

Signs rated PG-13

A farm family finds a mysterious crop circle in their backyard, which obviously means aliens are invading the world. Instead of graphic alien attack scenes, this movie uses subtle effect to build intensity, culminating in moments that will make you jump out of your seat. Plenty of plot holes, but also plenty of scary fun.

The Sixth Sense rated PG-13

  

When a child psychologist meets an 8 year old boy who tells him “I see dead people”, he has no idea how this story will end. This movie actually has one of the greatest twists of all time and it’s plenty scary and creepy without blood, guts, or gore.

The Others rated PG-13

Grace lives in an isolated house with her two children, who have a disorder that requires them to live in the dark. When her daughter begins to see “others” in the house, Grace wonders if the house is haunted. Scary and suspenseful with a twist at the end.

The Village rated PG-13 

From the first scene, you think this is a story of an idyllic village in the late 1800’s where everyone is safe and everyone is happy. But something strange and eerie lives in the woods…or maybe right in the village itself.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows rated PG-13

All of the Harry Potter movies are incredibly enjoyable, and any one of them would make a great Halloween night flick. Even though some of the movies in the series are rated PG-13, they are much more appropriate than your average PG-13 movie, with little to no cursing, sex, or blood.

The X-Files (Fight the Future) rated PG-13

Paranormal mystery: just like the TV show but with a bigger effects budget. Note: this one has more swearing and violence than other movies on the list.

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Alright, I hope you enjoyed this list of Halloween movies for teens and tweens!  If you know any other scary movies that are perfect for tweens and teens, let us know in the comments.