We're getting nearer and nearer to Halloween, and we're eager to get into the spirit of the holiday. This time around, we want to watch some scary Halloween movies with the tweens in our homes on Disney+, so let's go do just that.Â
Tweens are in that gray area between children and teenagers, where you know they can handle situations that are a bit scary, as well as some bad language.Â
Of course, we're not going for guts and blood and scares that will give them nightmares for a month, but we're certainly going to go one step higher than we went when we looked at Halloween movies even smaller kids could watch.
Here are some of the movies you'll be able to watch on Disney+ with your tweens.Â
Best for ages: 10+. Parents aren't that wild about the violence and language used in the movie, but they do think it has some high points like a positive message.
Cast: Eddie Murphy, Terence Stamp, Nathaniel Parker, Marsha Thomason, Jennifer Tilly.
Plot: The Haunted Mansion is a supernatural film that mixes in horror and comedy. Featuring Eddie Murphy and Marsha Thomason, the two play two parents, both successful realtors, who travel to Gracey Manor in the Louisiana bayou, trying to strike a deal. After a storm forces them to stay the night in the house, they encounter ghosts, disturb the house's undead residents when visiting the crypt, and solve the mystery of the death of the house's owners from a century prior. On top of the obvious scares, ghosts, demons, and zombies, the movie handles topics like suicide and uses some profanity.
Rating: The Haunted Mansion comes with a 5/10 stars rating on IMDB, out of close to 42,000 reviews, while Rotten Tomatoes critics give it a 14% score. Audiences are a bit more generous, offering a 30% score.
Best for ages: 10+. Parents welcome the positive message and role models in the movie, but they also note it features some violence, tobacco depictions, and bad language.
Cast: Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimi.
Plot: Hocus Pocus is one of those legendary Halloween films. Even if it wasn't that well-received initially, it has been on TV hundreds of times across the world, becoming a cult classic. The film features three sisters - Winifred, Sarah, and Mary - all of them witches, who suck out the youth of children to regain their own. Three hundred years after they are vanquished, they return to life and try to get back their youthfulness. Ultimately they are once more defeated, but there are a few gross moments throughout the film, references to virginity and other mild sexual references.
Ratings: IMDb gives Hocus Pocus 6.9/10 stars, while Rotten Tomatoes critics give it a 37% rating. Audiences, however, are more generous and offer it a 71% rating.
Best for ages: 9+. Parents believe the film offers a positive message and some great role models, but the movie also features some violence and bad language.
Cast: Winona Ryder, Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short, Charlie Tahan.
Plot: Frankenweenie is a cool stop-motion animated supernatural horror-comedy film based on the famous novel by Mary Shelley. The movie tells the story of Victor Frankenstein and his dog Sparky. As the young boy is encouraged to join a baseball team, Sparky chases a ball and gets hit by a car. Victor brings Sparky back to life with the help of electricity, and once the pup starts roaming the neighborhood, his secret is out. As he is bullied into revealing the method he used, other dead pets are reanimated, and some of them turn to monsters, resulting in mayhem. The movie has some scares, and we see pets dying in the movie, which may be triggering to younger audiences, but could be just fine with your tween.
Ratings: Frankenweenie gets 6.9/10 stars on IMDb and an 87% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
Best for ages: 9+. Parents believe the movie promotes some positive messages and role models, but it does feature a lot of violence and some references to sex, as well as bad language.
Cast: Erin Chambers, Ty Hodges, Robin Riker.
Plot: The movie was made for TV and was released as a Disney Channel original movie back in 1999. The story follows Frances, a young high school student who notices lots of strange things happening in her town. An older boy who's actually an imaginary friend tells her the Boogeyman is framing her. As they try to fight off the Boogeyman, they end up in the Boogeyworld dimension, which exists under her bed. Ultimately, they succeed, and both Frances and her little brother Darwin return home. It's a story that can be spooky on occasion, but it also showcases the love between brother and sister.
Ratings: Don't Look Under the Bed has 6.9/10 stars on IMDb, and the Rotten Tomatoes audience gave it a 68% rating.
Best for ages: 8+. Parents feel like the movie has a positive message and pushes some positive role models, but it also features some scary situations and some bad language. Also, since the movie was filmed in 1980, you can also expect to see the characters drinking and smoking.
Cast: Dick O'Neill, Victor French, Louise Latham.
Plot: The Buxley Military Academy has some financial issues and is forced to merge with a school for girls, which angers the academy's ghosts - General Eulace C. Buxley, Bettina Buxley, and Seargeant Major Chester B. Sweet. The ghosts are further appalled by the fact that women have equal rights, so a battle of the sexes is born. During the movie, you'll see more slapstick hauntings than creepy scares.
Best for ages: 8+. Parents feel like the movie doesn't necessarily have any educational value, but it does have a somewhat positive message. There is, however, plenty of violence and scariness.
Cast: Richard Masur, Mimi Kennedy, Benji Gregory.
Plot: Mr. Boogedy is a short film that was released back in 1986, and it aired as an episode of The Disney Sunday Movie. It tells the story of the Davis family, who moves to Lucifer Falls in New England. Soon enough, they discover the city is haunted by ghosts from the colonial period. The film is full of unexplained noises, various objects moving around, and lots of theatrical thunder and lightning, which makes for a rich environment of scares.
Ratings: IMDb gives this episode 7.1/10 stars out of over 1,300 reviews.
Best for ages: 8+. Parents think the movie has a positive message and some great role models, but it's also rather violent and scary at times.
Cast: Matt O'Leary, Laura Vandervoort, Myles Jeffrey, Charles Shaughnessy.
Plot: The plot of this movie is pretty straightforward, and you can figure it out from the name - Lynette is going out on a date with a vampire. As teenagers Adam and Chelsea are grounded, they'll do whatever it takes to get their mom out of the house so they can sneak out to do what they had planned - Adam has a concert planned, while Chelsea has a date. As they encourage her to go out on a date with Dimitri, little brother Taylor realizes the new man is actually a vampire. Taylor goes on an adventure with Van Helsing to battle Dimitri and release Lynette. The film showcases the importance of collaboration between family members, and the horror elements are mostly played for laughs.
Ratings: IMDb gives the movie 5.9/10 stars out of over 3,500 reviews, while viewers give the movie a 50% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Best for ages: 8+. Parents believe the film has a positive message and some good role models, but it does feature some scary situations and some bad language.
Cast: Mark Rendall, Kat Dennings, Kathy Najimy, Robert Bockstael.
Plot: The movie deals with issues of death and the afterlife in a humorous tone. That doesn't mean that the film doesn't feature lots of ghosts, even some that are not so friendly. Two kids move into their grandfather's home town after he passes and end up helping him to move on to the afterlife. They also break a lot of rules and the law and take risks that they probably should have steered clear of.
Ratings: The Scream Team has a 6.6/10 score on IMDb, while the audience gave it a 57% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Best for ages: 9+. Parents think the movie has a good message and offers somewhat good role models, but it comes with a dose of mild violence and scariness.
Cast: Olivia Holt, Kerris Dorsey, Brendan Meyer.
Plot: Girl vs. Monster was released in 2012 by Disney channel, and it's a fantasy teen comedy with a scary twist. The film follows Skylar, a teenage girl who discovers she's a fifth-generation monster hunter just ahead of Halloween. So, before she starts her "career," monsters step in to try to stop her. Ultimately, the film sees her triumphing. The movie features heartwarming moments, and it celebrates the powers of friendship and family love.
Ratings: Girl. vs. Monster gets 5.5/10 stars on IMDb, while Rotten Tomatoes audiences give it a 57% rating.
Best for ages: 8+. Parents believe this movie has a high educational value as it promotes inclusion and challenges some ingrained stereotypes, pushing on a positive message. It also features some great positive role models, has no violence or notable scariness, and no bad language.
Cast: Milo Manheim, Meg Donnelly, Trevor Tordjman.
Plot: This Disney movie seems to be great for tweens, thanks to the great messages it promotes. The film follows Seabrook residents who once more have to face a round of nonhuman beings. Zombies 2 is a story about self-esteem, identity, tolerance, and inclusion, and pushes these messages loud and clear. There's also a growing love story between the main characters. Be aware that there may be some scares here and there as the werewolves show their force or bare their fangs, but it's nothing serious.
Ratings: IMDb gives this movie 5.9/10 stars, while Rotten Tomatoes critics offer it an impressive 100% rating. Viewers who rated the movie here also give it a 72% score.
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