Halloween media

Halloween may be the most difficult holiday when it comes to finding movies and books that support your values. Everyone has different ideas of what is or isn’t appropriate. I try to stay away from anything that glorifies violence, celebrates evil, or generally causes the Spirit to leave.

Here are some ideas:

*Dia de los muertos is the day after Halloween, a holiday that is all about celebrating ancestors who are dead. The animated movie “Coco” revolves around this holiday. You could even throw a party with this theme. Decorate with old photos of loved ones. Read stories of your family’s history! Visit a cemetery. Have reverence for those who have come before.

*Harry Potter has enough fantastical creatures and suspense to work as Halloween stories or movies, and hosting a Harry Potter themed Halloween party could be a fun family tradition!

*The classic Scooby Doo cartoons are fun mysteries where the supernatural elements always end up being not so scary after all.

*There is a 20 minute Toy Story Halloween cartoon that is very fun, humorously referencing scary movie tropes for the adults while keeping it not very scary for the kids. Fans of Toy Story would love it!

*Keep the focus on autumn and harvest celebrations. Apples, pumpkins, squash, corn mazes, scarecrows, etc.

*Skeletons aren’t so scary when you remember it’s our anatomy. Halloween is a great time to celebrate the miracle of our human bodies, and the fact that we will all be resurrected. Learn the song “Dem Bones”. Read the picture book “Skulls!”

*The Wizard of Oz, with its good and bad witches, flying monkeys, a scarecrow, a wizard, and magic shoes, is a good book or movie option for Halloween.

*If older kids want to watch a movie that is suspenseful without being gory, try a black & white movie like Wait Until Dark, Rear Window, or The Maltese Falcon.  If you want some humor to lighten up the horror, try watching Arsenic and Old Lace.



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