Top Family Creature Features

Here are some creepy films for a frightfully fun scary movie night at home. So, turn down the lights...and watch one of these creepy classics. Let the scarefest begin!

THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
1993, Rated PG
Tim Burton's affection for the outcast gets the four-star treatment in this heartwarming tale of Jack Skellington's quest to be loved as much as "Sandy Claws." Creepily cool characters--like Sally, Dr. Finklestein, the Mayor of Halloween Town, and the trick-or-treating trio, Lock, Shock, and Barrel--populate Burton's bizarro world. With good intentions, Jack, the Pumpkin King, tries to spread his unique version of Christmas joy, only to end up creating a nightmare. Warning: Catchy tunes like "This Is Halloween!" and "What's This?" will stick in your head for days.

BEETLEJUICE
1988, Rated PG
Just say "Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice" and prepare for a wild adventure through the afterlife. Michael Keaton plays tour guide in this dark comedy about a ghost couple (Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis) who try to rid their home of unsuspecting yuppies.

Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein
1948, Not Rated
This is my absolute favorite Abbott & Costello film, charming and witty but also dark and spooky, with plenty of Gothic sets filled with full moons, flapping bats, cobwebs and lab equipment. Fifty Seven years after it was made this is still a fun film for the entire family to watch. Much of its greatness is attributed to the horror actors playing straight. Lou is the object of ghastly affection as Dracula hopes to transfer his malleable brain to the Frankenstein monster and Larry Talbot is out to stop him. Lots of laughs and creeps.

YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN
1974, Rated PG
This classic Mel Brooks comedy will make you cry "It's alive! It's alive! It's alive!" with nonstop hilarious spoofs of creature features from yesteryear. A young neurosurgeon inherits the castle of his grandfather, the infamous Dr. Victor von Frankenstein. The top-notch cast of Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Madeline Kahn, Cloris Leachman, and Teri Garr combined with the black and white cinematography makes this a must-see for you and your family.

FRANKENSTEIN
1931, Not Rated
The original story of a mad scientist and his abominable creation, Mary Shelley's tale of science and terror brings to the screen an unforgettable performance by Boris Karloff as the monster. Fantastic make-up, excellent production design, and terrific storytelling bring this classic to life.

IT'S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN
1966, Not rated
An annual tradition for many families, this not-to-be-missed Halloween classic follows the adventures of Linus as he sits in the pumpkin patch waiting for the Great Pumpkin to arrive. While the rest of the Peanuts gang trick-or-treats for lots of loot--except poor "I got a rock!" Charlie Brown--Snoopy dreams of becoming a World War I flying ace. Will the Great Pumpkin rise out of the pumpkin patch bearing gifts for all children or will Linus be exclaiming, "Oh, rats!" once again? You'll have to watch and see.

GHOSTBUSTERS
1984, Rated PG
"Something strange in your neighborhood? Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters!" Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis star as three odd-ball scientists who open up a company that fulfills "supernatural elimination needs." When ghosts begin roaming the streets, including the 100-foot Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, the fearsome threesome is called upon to save the Big Apple.

CASPER
1995, Rated PG
When an afterlife therapist (Bill Pullman) is hired to rid a haunted house of ghosts, he and his daughter (Christina Ricci) have a close encounter with Casper, "the friendliest ghost you know." Unfortunately, Casper's got three not-so-friendly uncles, Stinkie, Fatso, and Stretch, who are unbendable in their desire to force the "fleshies" out.

POLTERGEIST
1982, Rated PG
Scarefest 101 for kids. Youngsters will be glued to the TV screen saying those familiar words, ""They're heeerrre!" when poltergeists visit the Freeling family. At first, the noisy ghosts appear friendly, but things take a turn for the worse when daughter Carol Anne (Heather O'Rourke) is "kidnapped."