02 Oct 31 Kid-Friendly Halloween Movies + Easy Popcorn Recipes for Family Movie Night
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Is your family ready for a month of spooky fun? 🎃
This October, we’re doing something special: 31 nights of kid-friendly Halloween movies paired with creative popcorn recipes!
As a homeschool mom, I’m always looking for ways to make simple moments magical. Movie nights (and afternoons, and mornings!) are one of our favorite things, and October is the PERFECT time to cozy up with blankets, popcorn, and some not-too-scary Halloween films.
I’ve put together a complete list of age-appropriate Halloween movies (perfect for kids 7 and up, but many work for younger kids too!) along with super easy popcorn mix ideas you can make with your kids.
What makes this list special?
- ✅ All movies are kid-friendly (no nightmares here!)
- ✅ No repeated movies (31 unique films!)
- ✅ Movie series go in order (but not on consecutive nights)
- ✅ Simple popcorn recipes with ingredients you probably already have
- ✅ Each popcorn mix pairs with the movie’s theme
Grab your Popsmith popcorn maker (we’re serious about our popcorn!), print this list, and let’s make October magically spooky! 🍿✨
THE COMPLETE 31-NIGHT MOVIE & POPCORN LIST:
OCTOBER 1st
🎬 Movie: Hocus Pocus
🍿 Popcorn: Witches’ Brew
Recipe: Butter + white melting wafers tinted purple + green sprinkles
Why we love it: The perfect kickoff to October! This Disney classic is funny, magical, and just spooky enough.
OCTOBER 2nd
🎬 Movie: Hotel Transylvania
🍿 Popcorn: Vampire Fangs
Recipe: Double batch! Ranch (garlicky to ward away those vampires) popcorn + mini marshmallows (vampire fangs!)
Why we love it: Hilarious animated comedy about monsters running a hotel. Perfect for all ages!
OCTOBER 3rd
🎬 Movie: Monsters, Inc.
🍿 Popcorn: Monster Munch
Recipe: Butter + M&Ms + mini chocolate chips
Why we love it: Not technically Halloween, but monsters make it perfect for October! Plus, it’s a Pixar classic, can’t go wrong!
OCTOBER 4th
🎬 Movie: Casper (1995)
🍿 Popcorn: Friendly Ghost
Recipe: White chocolate drizzle + mini marshmallows
Why we love it: The friendly ghost we all grew up with! Sweet storyline about friendship.
*We caught this one on the big screen last year!
Pro tip: pack your toppings in snack bags and mix them into the theater popcorn. Instant Friendly Ghost, no extra concession-stand cost.
OCTOBER 5th
🎬 Movie: It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
🍿 Popcorn: Pumpkin Patch
Recipe: Butter + cinnamon sugar + candy pumpkins
Why we love it: A classic! Short and sweet at just 25 minutes… perfect for younger kids or busy weeknights, keep this one in your back pocket for a busy day!
OCTOBER 6th
🎬 Movie: Monster House
🍿 Popcorn: Spooky Cheddar
Recipe: White cheddar + orange cheddar mix
Why we love it: Animated adventure about a creepy house. A little spookier but still kid-appropriate!
OCTOBER 7th
🎬 Movie: ParaNorman
🍿 Popcorn: Zombie Brain
Recipe: Kettle corn + sour gummy worms
Why we love it: Stop-motion animation about a boy who can talk to ghosts. Surprisingly heartwarming!
OCTOBER 8th
🎬 Movie: Halloweentown
🍿 Popcorn: Magic Potion
Recipe: Butter + Reese’s Pieces (M&Ms for my fellow nut-allergy moms) + pretzel pieces
Why we love it: Disney Channel classic! A girl discovers she’s from a family of witches. Pure nostalgia!
*We swapped the pretzels for vanilla melts last year. Also delicious!
OCTOBER 9th
🎬 Movie: Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island
🍿 Popcorn: Mystery Mix
Recipe: Caramel corn + graham cracker pieces (Scooby Snacks if you can find them!)
Why we love it: The best Scooby-Doo movie! Actual scares but nothing too intense.
OCTOBER 10th
🎬 Movie: The Addams Family (2019)
🍿 Popcorn: Creepy Caramel
Recipe: Caramel popcorn + chocolate chips
Why we love it: The animated version of everyone’s favorite kooky, spooky family! Wednesday steals every scene, and it’s just the right amount of creepy for little ones.
OCTOBER 11th
🎬 Movie: Hotel Transylvania 2
🍿 Popcorn: Bat Bites
Recipe: Butter + dark chocolate chips + sea salt
Why we love it: The sequel! Drac becomes a grandpa. Just as fun as the first.
OCTOBER 12th
🎬 Movie: Frankenweenie
🍿 Popcorn: Frankenstein
Recipe: Green candy melts + chocolate chips + sprinkles
Why we love it: Tim Burton’s sweet story about a boy and his dog. Surprisingly emotional!
OCTOBER 13th
🎬 Movie: Coraline
🍿 Popcorn: Button Eyes
Recipe: White chocolate (I only had dark chocolate!) + yogurt-covered raisins (I only had regular raisins… use what you have!) + candy eyes
Why we love it: Beautifully creepy stop-motion. May be too scary for sensitive kids under 8. Honestly, I too find this movie creepy… but my 8-year olds like it!
*Fun fact: this was a Grammy movie night! I prepped the popcorn ahead, then Dad and I snuck out for date night. Every one of these mixes takes 5 minutes, so it’s an easy thing to leave for a sitter.
OCTOBER 14th
🎬 Movie: The Addams Family 2 (2021)
🍿 Popcorn: Spooky S’mores
Recipe: Butter + mini marshmallows + graham cracker pieces + chocolate chips
Why we love it: The sequel! The whole family piles into a haunted camper for a cross-country road trip. Our road-schooling hearts loved it.
OCTOBER 15th
🎬 Movie: Goosebumps (2015)
🍿 Popcorn: Slime Time
Recipe: Butter + sour cream & onion seasoning + green food coloring dust, if you can find it! Or just some food coloring or green sanding sugar
Why we love it: R.L. Stine’s monsters come to life! Jack Black is always hilarious and always a good choice.
OCTOBER 16th
🎬 Movie: Monsters University
🍿 Popcorn: College Colors
Recipe: M&Ms + butter popcorn (my all-time favorite mix!) *Bonus: Use orange & black Halloween M&Ms!
Why we love it: The prequel to Monsters, Inc.! Mike and Sulley’s college days.
OCTOBER 17th
🎬 Movie: The Addams Family (1991)
🍿 Popcorn: Creepy Eyeballs
Recipe: Butter + chocolate drizzle + candy eyes
Why we love it: After two animated Addams nights, it’s time for the classic! Kooky, spooky and hilarious, with one-liners the grown-ups will love.
OCTOBER 18th
🎬 Movie: The Nightmare Before Christmas
🍿 Popcorn: Jack’s Delight
Recipe: Orange and black Halloween sprinkles + white chocolate drizzle
Why we love it: Is it Halloween or Christmas? Both, neither, I don’t know! But it is a Tim Burton masterpiece.
OCTOBER 19th
🎬 Movie: Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation
🍿 Popcorn: Tropical Monster
Recipe: Coconut flakes + dried pineapple
Why we love it: The gang goes on a cruise! Fun tropical twist.
OCTOBER 20th
🎬 Movie: Corpse Bride
🍿 Popcorn: Cemetery Dirt
Recipe: Crushed Oreos + gummy worms + butter popcorn
Why we love it: Another Tim Burton gem. Beautiful animation and sweet love story.
OCTOBER 21st
🎬 Movie: Scooby-Doo and the Witch’s Ghost
🍿 Popcorn: Witch’s Worms
Recipe: Butter popcorn + gummy worms + Twizzlers *(Confession: the original plan was purple sugar and chocolate chips, but I used what was in the pantry. The boys didn’t complain once.)
Why we love it: Scooby gang investigates a real witch!
OCTOBER 22nd
🎬 Movie: The House with a Clock in Its Walls
🍿 Popcorn: Tick Tock
Recipe: Peanut butter drizzle (caramel or butterscotch option for nut allergies!) + chocolate chips + toffee bits
Why we love it: Jack Black and Cate Blanchett in a magical mystery. Based on the beloved book (which we have not read… but is on the list!)
OCTOBER 23rd
🎬 Movie: Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween
🍿 Popcorn: Haunted Harvest
Recipe: Kettle corn + dried cranberries + pumpkin seeds
Why we love it: Slappy the dummy returns! Fun sequel with Halloween vibes.
OCTOBER 24th
🎬 Movie: Twitches
🍿 Popcorn: Twin Magic
Recipe: Half caramel, half cheese (split the bowl!)
Why we love it: Disney Channel movie about twin witches. Tia and Tamera Mowry!
*A twin movie for our twin house! Everyone gets their own bowl, no fighting.
OCTOBER 25th
🎬 Movie: Hocus Pocus 2 (streaming on Disney+)
🍿 Popcorn: Sanderson Sisters
Recipe: Red, orange, and purple candy and/or sprinkles + butter *Last year we used a ghost and pumpkin sprinkle mix instead. Any Halloween sprinkles work!
Why we love it: The sequel 29 years later! New generation meets the Sanderson sisters.
OCTOBER 26th
🎬 Movie: Coco
🍿 Popcorn: Marigold Magic
Recipe: Orange cheddar + marigold-colored goldfish crackers
Why we love it: Not Halloween, but Día de los Muertos! Beautiful, emotional, perfect for October.
OCTOBER 27th
🎬 Movie: Twitches Too
🍿 Popcorn: Double Trouble (the lazy-mom edition!)
Recipe: Store-bought caramel + cheese popcorn mix *We loved the Twin Magic mix so much that we brought it back, but this time I grabbed a bag of caramel & cheese mix from the store. Zero effort, still magical. Some nights that’s the win!
Why we love it: The sequel! The twins face their father’s dark magic.
OCTOBER 28th
🎬 Movie: The Haunted Mansion (2003)
🍿 Popcorn: Mansion Madness
Recipe: Dark chocolate drizzle + crushed cookies of choice + mini marshmallow
Why we love it: Eddie Murphy in Disney’s theme park adaptation. Goofy and fun!
OCTOBER 29th
🎬 Movie: Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge
🍿 Popcorn: Candy Corn Classic
Recipe: Butter + candy corn + honey drizzle
Why we love it: Back to Halloweentown! The sequel continues the magical adventure.
OCTOBER 30th
🎬 Movie: Addams Family Values (1993)
🍿 Popcorn: Kooky Crunch
Recipe: Dark Chocolate Chips + Halloween sprinkles (ours are from Trader Joe’s!)
Why we love it: The sequel to the classic! Wednesday at summer camp is comedy gold, and it’s the perfect night-before-Halloween pick.
OCTOBER 31st – HALLOWEEN!
🎬 Movie: Hotel Transylvania: Transformania
🍿 Popcorn: Monster Ball
Recipe: Rainbow sprinkles + vanilla drizzle + Halloween candy pieces (throw whatever you earned trick or treating in there!)
Why we love it: The perfect finale! Everyone transforms into different creatures. Pure chaos!
*Confession: we skipped the popcorn for our finale. It was Dad’s birthday celebration, so we had cake on the couch with Drac and the gang instead. Movie night rules are made to be broken!
TIPS FOR YOUR HALLOWEEN MOVIE MARATHON:
🍿 Popcorn Making Tips:
- Pop your corn fresh (we use the Popsmith and LOVE it!)
- Add toppings while popcorn is still hot so they stick
- Use a large bowl for easy tossing (or can do it right in your Popsmith, if you have one!)
- Let kids help measure and mix!
- Can’t find (or don’t want to look for) an ingredient? Substitute with what you have!
🎬 Movie Night Tips:
- Create a cozy setup with blankets and pillows
- Dim the lights for ambiance (or not if your kids don’t like the dark!)
- Let your child help pick which night to watch which movie
- It’s obviously okay to skip nights or swap movies around!
- Some movies might be too scary for your child, use google and trust your gut!
📱 Make it Social:
- Take photos of your popcorn creations
- Let kids rate each movie (we do 1-5 ghosts! 👻)
- Share on social media and tag friends to join @messylittlehomeschool
- Print checklist to check off each night
Age Considerations: Most of these movies are appropriate for ages 7+, but every child is different. Movies like Coraline, ParaNorman, and Monster House have scarier moments. Google some reviews if you’re unsure!
BONUS: Printable Checklist
Want a printable version to hang on your fridge? [Download the free checklist here!]
LET’S CONNECT!
Are you doing a Halloween movie marathon this October? I’d LOVE to see your popcorn creations and hear what your kids think of these movies!
📸 Tag me on Instagram: @messylittlehomeschool
👍 Follow on Facebook: Messy Little Homeschool
📌 Save on Pinterest: MessyLittleHomeschool
🎥 Watch on YouTube: @MessyLittleHomeschool
Comment below and tell me: What’s your family’s favorite Halloween movie? 👇🎃
FINAL THOUGHTS:
October is the perfect time to slow down, get cozy, and make memories with your kids. These movie nights don’t have to be perfect, they just have to be fun and they will be!
Some nights you might just do plain buttered popcorn, and that’s not only okay, but perfection! The goal is connection, laughter, and a little bit of spooky magic. ✨
Happy watching! 🎃🍿
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