This time of year is the perfect opportunity to curl up on the couch with a bucket of popcorn and spend a few hours watching a Halloween movie with the ones you love. But that could prove difficult if you are someone who doesn’t like a good horror flick.
Have no fear — literally — because we have got you covered. Below, we have complied a list of seven throwback films that you can watch this Halloween season that you won’t find listed under horror, suspense or thriller when scrolling through your favorite streaming services.
“Young Frankenstein” (1974)
You can’t go wrong with Mel Brooks. “Young Frankenstein,” directed by Brooks, is a comical take on the Universal Classic Monster movies from the 1930s and ‘40s, particularly “Frankenstein” and “The Bride of Frankenstein.” The film has an all-star cast featuring Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Teri Garr, Cloris Leachman, Madeline Kahn, Marty Feldman and Gene Hackman, and has appeared on countless lists of Hollywood’s funniest films.
“Young Frankenstein” is currently streaming on HBO Max.
“Ghostbusters” (1984)
Few movies epitomize the 1980s’ golden age of action-comedy better than the original “Ghostbusters.” This classic stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson as four New Yorkers who hunt ghosts, demons and otherworldly creatures. You can make it a “Ghostbusters” weekend if you like and combine the original with its 1989 sequel, the 2016 reboot and the recently released “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” for some fun, rather tame scares.
“Ghostbusters” and “Ghostbusters II” are currently streaming on Hulu. “Ghostbusters (2016 reboot)” and “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” are currently available on Amazon Prime.
“The Addams Family” (1991)
The dark comedy “The Addams Family” and its sequel “Addams Family Values” are a pair of films based off the popular ‘60s series about an odd, macabre family. They star Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston as the strange but loving heads of the Addams household — Gomez and Morticia. The first film sees the family reconnect with long-lost Uncle Fester (played by Christopher Lloyd) while the sequel kicks the campiness up to 11 with the introduction of Joan Cusack’s Debbie Jelinsky, a serial killer who marries Fester with plans to murder him for his inheritance.
“The Addams Family” and “Addams Family Values,” as well as the two recent animated films, are currently streaming on Paramount+.
“Death Becomes Her” (1992)
Another comedy classic that is campy in all the right ways, “Death Becomes Her” stars Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn as Madeline Ashton and Helen Sharp, lifelong rivals who both drink a magic potion making them eternally youthful and immortal. The comedy and fantastic special effects, which still hold up 30 years later, really shine after both discover that they cannot kill each other.
“Death Becomes Her” is currently streaming on Paramount+.
“Hocus Pocus” (1993)
Of course we had to include this one and its brand new sequel. Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker play the Sanderson Sisters. In the original, the sisters are resurrected on Halloween night, 300 years after being hanged in Salem, Massachusetts, and three kids must stop them before they steal the souls from children to become immortal. In the sequel, the Sanderson Sisters are resurrected again, 29 years later, and begin to run amok and wreak havoc as they try to get revenge on Salem.
“Hocus Pocus” and “Hocus Pocus 2” are currently streaming on Disney+.
“Casper” (1995)
Dr. James Harvey, a therapist who helps the “living impaired” cross over to the other side, and his daughter Kat (played by Bill Pullman and Christina Ricci) move into a haunted house to help the owner get rid of ghosts so she and her attorney can locate a hidden treasure within its walls. Kat becomes friends with Casper, the house’s friendly ghost, while his three less friendly ghost uncles — Stretch, Stinkie and Fatso — bond with Dr. Harvey.
“Casper” is currently on Peacock.
“The Haunted Mansion” (2003)
Based on the popular Disney attraction, “The Haunted Mansion” stars Eddie Murphy as Jim, a workaholic realtor who brings his family to visit a mansion that turns out to be, you guessed it, haunted. After the family is forced to stay the night in the mansion, they discover that there is more to the house than meets the eye. Jim must uncover the mystery and get his family to safety before it is too late. If you enjoy this one, you can continue your “Haunted Mansion” viewing next year when Disney releases its all-new reboot of the film starring Rosario Dawson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Winona Ryder, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito and Dan Levy.
“The Haunted Mansion” is currently streaming on Disney+.
