Best Family-Friendly Films To Get Into The Spirit of Halloween

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I’m coining the term Horro-medy, or Corror (I’m still deciding) to describe the genre of Asian Horror / Comedy films that I grew up with as a kid. It’s strange what sticks with you after all this time but I can vividly remember the first time I saw Chinese vampires in one such Horro-medy movie – they were painted white with black circles around their eyes, with bright red lipstick and horrible fangs sticking out of their mouth. The funniest part is that they jumped around with both feet, which clearly wasn’t as frightening as it was hilarious.

Horro-medy films are probably all that most of our young kids can handle right now, since true horror films will likely give them nightmares. Heck, even some supposedly kid-friendly films that are categorized under Family and Fantasy made my kid unable to sleep for a week! (It was Roald Dahl’s The Witches (2020) with Anne Hathaway rated R) So for now, let’s stick with these Horro-medy films that will illicit more laughs than scares.

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Mr Vampire (1985)

This movie franchise is iconic in both Chinese and world cinema and often credited with popularizing the Asian Comedy / Horror genre. The Rotten Tomatoes plot line best sums up the movie: “Hong Kong denizens fend off vampires by holding their breath and brandishing coagulated rice.” Yes it’s quite as silly and funny as it sounds.

Shaolin Popey II: Messy Temple (1994)

These Shaolin monk kid actors were propelled to fame thanks to this bestselling series! Epitomizing the classic odd couple mash-up with one serious, rule-abiding kid monk and his indolent, anything-goes peer, the movie sets up lots of laughs amid the action sequences (actually performed by the kid himself!).

Journey to the West (2013)

Featuring a top cast of renowned actors, this modern retelling of one of the most famous Chinese story plots – a monk who travels to the West to retrieve sacred scrolls while accompanied by the Monkey King, Pigsy and Sandy – is both comedic, dramatic and romantic.

You can find these films with English subtitles for free on Chinese streaming sites like iQiyi and Pumpkin Movies, which you can find out all about in this article by Jingkids student correspondent Xuefei Liu.

If you’re looking for more familiar content, the following English PG rated films will definitely get the whole family ready for the spirit of Halloween!

Gremlins (1984)

A blast from the past that no modern filmmaking can recreate, Gremlins is a family-friendly fantasy film that’s a great cautionary tale for not following the rules… Remember, don’t feed them after midnight!

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

As Rotten Tomatoes says it, “This is a stunningly original and visually delightful work of stop-motion animation.” It’s also a two-in-one since it does revolve around Christmas as well, which is just around the corner!

Coraline (2009)

Despite the PG rating, this Burton film may be better suited to kids older than 8, as there are some disturbing scenes (SPOILER: buttons for eyes anyone?) and overall disturbing ideas (SPOILER: a spider woman pretending to be your mom?).

The Adams Family (2019) & The Addams Family 2 (2021)

Both these films are very fun animated, modern remakes of the classic Addams Family films. Plus, you can’t go wrong with Charlize Theron, Oscar Issac, and Chloe Grace-Moretz in the cast!

Images: Pexels, Rotten Tomatoes

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