Do you have a teen or tween that loves horror movies and is looking for a Halloween movie that is geared towards those tweens age of 10 to 13 year olds that isn’t too scary? Well, I have a list of some of the best scary movies for 13-14 year olds, some horror movies for 12 year-olds, scary movies appropriate for 11 year olds, and even some scary movies for 10 year olds are truly the best scary movies for tweens. Halloween movies geared towards younger kids and older tweens—ones that aren’t rated PG-13 or R—are so hard to find these days. Horror films and the horror genre are usually geared towards adults and older kids, but rest assured, I have collected a list of the best appropriate scary movies for tweens.
If you enjoyed this list of the best scary movies for tweens, check out these other articles: sports movies on Disney Plus, best mental illness movies, best witch movies on Netflix, most disturbing horror movies.
Best Scary Movies for Tweens
Hocus Pocus (1993)
Plot: After moving to Salem, Mass., teenager Max Dennison explores an abandoned house with his sister Dani and their new friend, Allison. After dismissing a story Allison tells as superstitious, Max accidentally frees a coven of evil witches, who call themselves the Sanderson sisters, who used to live in the house. Now, with the help of a magical cat, the kids must steal the witches’ book of spells to stop them from becoming immortal.
Star Cast: Omri Katz, Thora Birch, Vinessa Shaw, Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy
The Addams Family (1991)
Plot: When a man claiming to be Fester, the missing brother of Gomez Addams, arrives at the Addams’ home, the family is thrilled. However, Morticia begins to suspect the man is a fraud, since he cannot recall details of Fester’s life. With the help of lawyer Tully Alford, Fester manages to get the Addams clan evicted from their home. Gomez realizes the two men are conspiring to swindle the Addams fortune and that he must challenge Fester.
Star Cast: Christopher Lloyd, Raul Julia, Anjelica Huston, Dan Hedaya
ParaNorman (2012)
Plot: Young Norman Babcock has the ability to speak with the dead — and he often prefers their company to that of the living. Norman receives word from his strange Uncle Prenderghast that a centuries-old witch’s curse on their small town is real and about to come true — and that only Norman can stop it. When zombies rise from their graves, Norman must summon all his courage and compassion and push his paranormal abilities to the limit to save his fellow townspeople.
Star Cast: Kodi Smit-McPhee, John Goodman
The Haunted Mansion (2023)
Plot: A woman and her son enlist a motley crew of so-called spiritual experts to help rid their new home of supernatural squatters.
Star Cast: Rosario Dawson, Owen Wilson, Tiffany Haddish, LaKeith Stanfield, Jamie Lee Curtis
Haunted Mansion (2003)
Plot: Workaholic real estate agent Jim Evers is accused by his wife, Sara, of neglecting his son and daughter, so he takes the family on a vacation. Along the way, the family stops off at a sinister mansion that Jim has been asked to sell, only to discover it’s haunted by Master Gracey ; his stern butler, Ramsley ; and two other servants who need some help breaking a curse.
Star Cast: Eddie Murphy, Marsha Thomason, Marc John Jefferies, Nathaniel Parker, Terence Stamp, Aree Davis
The Witches (1990)
Plot: While staying at a hotel in England with his grandmother, Helga, young boy Luke inadvertently spies on a convention of witches. The Grand High Witch reveals a plan to turn all children into mice through a magical formula. When they find that Luke has overheard, the witches test the formula on him. Now, with the help of Helga and the hotel manager, Mr. Stringer, Luke the mouse must fight back against the witches. Based on the Roald Dahl story.
Star Cast: Mai Zetterling, Jasen Fisher, Anjelica Huston, Rowan Atkinson
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Plot: The film follows the misadventures of Jack Skellington, Halloweentown’s beloved pumpkin king, who has become bored with the same annual routine of frightening people in the “real world.” When Jack accidentally stumbles on Christmastown, all bright colors and warm spirits, he gets a new lease on life — he plots to bring Christmas under his control by kidnapping Santa Claus and taking over the role. But Jack soon discovers even the best-laid plans of mice and skeleton men can go seriously awry. The film is a Disney cult classic and was directed by Tim Burton.
Star Cast: Danny Elfman, Catherine O’Hara, Chris Sarandon
A Quiet Place (2018)
Plot: If they hear you, they hunt you. A family must live in silence to avoid mysterious creatures that hunt by sound. Knowing that even the slightest whisper or footstep can bring death, Evelyn and Lee are determined to find a way to protect their children while desperately searching for a way to fight back.
Star Cast: Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe
The Ring (2002)
Plot: It sounds like just another urban legend — a videotape filled with nightmarish image of a young girl leads to a phone call foretelling the viewer’s death in exactly seven days. Newspaper reporter Rachel Keller is skeptical of the story until four teenagers all die mysteriously exactly one week after watching just such a tape. Allowing her investigative curiosity to get the better of her, Rachel tracks down the video and watches it. Now she has just seven days to unravel the mystery.
Star Cast: Naomi Watts, Pauley Perrette, Daveigh Chase, Brian Cox
Goosebumps (2015)
Plot: Upset about moving from the big city to a small town, young Zach Cooper finds a silver lining when he meets his beautiful neighbor Hannah. The teen is surprised to learn that Hannah’s mysterious father is R.L. Stine, the famous author of the best-selling “Goosebumps” series. When Zach accidentally unleashes the monsters from the fantastic tales, it’s up to Stine, his daughter and Cooper to return the beasts back to the books where they belong. Based on the popular book series.
Star Cast: Dylan Minnette, Odeya Rush, Jack Black
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Plot: Young Cole Sear is haunted by a dark secret: he sees dead people. Cole is frightened by visitations from those with unresolved problems who appear from the shadows. He is too afraid to tell anyone about his anguish, except child psychologist Dr. Malcolm Crowe. As Dr. Crowe tries to uncover the truth about Cole’s supernatural abilities, the consequences for client and therapist are a jolt that awakens them both to something unexplainable.
Star Cast: Haley Joel Osment, Bruce Willis, Toni Collette
The House with a Clock in its Walls (2018)
Plot: Ten-year-old Lewis goes to live with his oddball uncle in a creaky old house that contains a mysterious `tick tock’ noise. He soon learns that Uncle Jonathan and his feisty neighbour, Mrs Zimmerman, are powerful practitioners of the magic arts. When Lewis accidentally awakens the dead, the town’s sleepy facade suddenly springs to life, revealing a secret and dangerous world of witches, warlocks and deadly curses.
Star Cast: Jack Black, Eli Roth, Cate Blanchett
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)
Plot: This classic “Peanuts” tale focuses on the thumb-sucking, blanket-holding Linus, and his touching faith in the “Great Pumpkin.” When Linus discovers that no one else believes in the creature, he sets out to prove that the Pumpkin’s no myth—by spending the night alone in a pumpkin patch.
Star Cast: Bill Melendez, Peter Robbins, Sally Dryer
Monster House (2006)
Plot: No adults believe three youths’ assertion that a neighboring residence is a living creature that means them harm. With Halloween approaching, the trio must find a way to destroy the structure before innocent trick-or-treaters meet ghastly ends.
Star Cast: Mitchel Musso, Spencer Locke, Sam Lerner
Happy Death Day (2017)
Plot: Tree Gelbman is a blissfully self-centered college student who wakes up on her birthday in the bed of a student named Carter. As the morning goes on, Tree gets the eerie feeling that she’s experienced the events of this day before. When a masked serial killer suddenly takes her life in a brutal attack, she once again magically wakes up in Carter’s dorm room unharmed. Now, the frightened young woman must relive the same day over and over until she figures out who murdered her.
Star Cast: Jessica Roth, Israel Broussard, Rachel Matthews
Ghostbusters (1984)
Plot: After the members of a team of scientists lose their cushy positions at a university in New York City, they decide to become “ghostbusters” to wage a high-tech battle with the supernatural for money. They stumble upon a gateway to another dimension, a doorway that will release evil upon the city. The Ghostbusters must now save New York from complete destruction.
Star Cast: Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Sigourney Weaver
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019)
Plot: The shadow of the Bellows family has loomed large in the small town of Mill Valley for generations. It’s in a mansion that young Sarah Bellows turns her tortured life and horrible secrets into a series of scary stories. These terrifying tales soon have a way of becoming all too real for a group of teens who stumble upon Sarah’s spooky home on Halloween night.
Star Cast: Zoe Colletti, Austin Abrams, Dean Norris
Hotel Transylvania (2012)
Plot: When monsters want to get away from it all, they go to Count Dracula’s Hotel Transylvania, a lavish resort where they can be themselves without humans around to bother them. On one special weekend, Dracula invites creatures like the Invisible Man, the Mummy and others to celebrate the 118th birthday of his daughter, Mavis. However, an unforeseen complication unfolds when an ordinary human unwittingly crashes the party and falls in love with Mavis. This animated film is full of fun frights!
Star Cast: Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg
The BFG (2016)
Plot: Ten-year-old Sophie is in for the adventure of a lifetime when she meets the Big Friendly Giant. Naturally scared at first, the little girl soon realizes that the 24-foot behemoth is actually quite gentle and charming. As their friendship grows, Sophie’s presence attracts the unwanted attention of Bloodbottler, Fleshlumpeater and other giants. After traveling to London back to the human world, Sophie and the BFG must convince Queen Victoria to help them get rid of all the bad giants once and for all.
Star Cast: Mark Rylance, Ruby Barnhill, Rebecca Hall
1408 (2007)
Plot: Mike Enslin is a successful author who enjoys worldwide acclaim debunking supernatural phenomena — before he checks into the Dolphin Hotel, that is. Ignoring the warnings of the hotel manager, he learns the meaning of real terror when he spends the night in a reputedly haunted room. Based on the stephen King short story.
Star Cast: John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, Mary McCormack
Coraline (2009)
Plot: While exploring her new home, a girl named Coraline discovers a secret door, behind which lies an alternate world that closely mirrors her own but, in many ways, is better. She rejoices in her discovery, until Other Mother and the rest of her parallel family try to keep her there forever. Coraline must use all her resources and bravery to make it back to her own family and life. A stop motion animation film which is based on the Neil Gaiman novel and directed by Henry Selick.
Star Cast: Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, Jennifer Saunders
Frankenweenie (2012)
Plot: Young Victor Frankenstein is a science nerd and outsider at school, but he does have one best friend: his dog, Sparky. But then, tragedy strikes, and Sparky shuffles off this mortal coil. Victor is heartbroken, but his science teacher gives him an idea of how to jolt old Sparky back to life. The experiment is successful, and all goes well, until Victor’s fellow students steal his secret and use it to resurrect other dead animals — with monstrous consequences.
Star Cast: Charlie Tahan, Martin Landau, Martin Short, Winona Ryder
Beetlejuice (1988)
Plot: After Barbara and Adam Maitland die in a car accident, they find themselves stuck haunting their country residence, unable to leave the house. When the unbearable Deetzes and teen daughter Lydia buy the home, the Maitlands attempt to scare them away without success. Their efforts attract Beetlejuice, a rambunctious spirit whose “help” quickly becomes dangerous for the Maitlands and innocent Lydia.
Star Cast: Geena Davis, Alec Baldwin, Catherine O’Hara, Jeffrey Jones, Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton
Ghost Stories (2020)
Plot: The winning team of LUST STORIES unite to tell some spine – chilling tales. Ghost Stories is an upcoming 2020 Indian anthology horror film, consisting of four short films.
Star Cast: Mrunal Thakur, Sobhita Dhulipala, Janhvi Kapoor
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Plot: In Wes Craven’s classic slasher film horror movie, several Midwestern teenagers fall prey to Freddy Krueger, a disfigured midnight mangler who preys on the teenagers in their dreams — which, in turn, kills them in reality. After investigating the phenomenon, Nancy begins to suspect that a dark secret kept by her and her friends’ parents may be the key to unraveling the mystery, but can Nancy and her boyfriend Glen solve the puzzle before it’s too late?
Star Cast: Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, Johnny Depp
Gremlins (1984)
Plot: A gadget salesman is looking for a special gift for his son and finds one at a store in Chinatown. The shopkeeper is reluctant to sell him the `mogwai’ but sells it to him with the warning to never expose him to bright light, water, or to feed him after midnight. All of this happens and the result is a gang of gremlins that decide to tear up the town on Christmas Eve.
Star Cast: Zach Galligan, Phoebe Kates, Corey Feldman
The Dark Crystal (1982)
Plot: Jen, raised by the noble race called the Mystics, has been told that he is the last survivor of his own race, the Gelflings. He sets out to try to find a shard of the dark crystal, a powerful gem that once provided balance to the universe. After the crystal was broken, the evil Skeksis used sinister means to gain control. Jen believes that he can repair the dark crystal and bring peace back to the world, if he can only find the remaining shard.
Star Cast: Stephen Garlick, Jim Henson, Frank Oz
Casper (1995)
Plot: Casper is a kind young ghost who peacefully haunts a mansion in Maine. When specialist James Harvey arrives to communicate with Casper and his fellow spirits, he brings along his teenage daughter, Kat. Casper quickly falls in love with Kat, but their budding relationship is complicated not only by his transparent state, but also by his troublemaking apparition uncles and their mischievous antics.
Star Cast: Malachi Pearson, Bill Pullman, Christina Ricci
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Plot: Found video footage tells the tale of three film students who’ve traveled to a small town to collect documentary footage about the Blair Witch, a legendary local murderer. Over the course of several days, the students interview townspeople and gather clues to support the tale’s veracity. But the project takes a frightening turn when the students lose their way in the woods and begin hearing horrific noises.
Star Cast: Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, Michael C. Williams
Corpse Bride (2005)
Plot: Victor and Victoria’s families have arranged their marriage. Though they like each other, Victor is nervous about the ceremony. While he’s in a forest practicing his lines for the wedding, a tree branch becomes a hand that drags him to the land of the dead. It belongs to Emily, who was murdered after eloping with her love and wants to marry Victor. Victor must get back aboveground before Victoria marries the villainous Barkis Bittern.
Star Cast: Johnny Depp, Emily Watson, Richard E. Grant
The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)
Plot: A fantasy film of the three Grace children, Jared has always been thought of as the troublemaker. So when strange things happen after his family’s move to a relative’s dilapidated estate, sister Mallory, twin brother Simon and their mother assume that Jared is behind it all. However, magical creatures roam the grounds, and they all want a special book that Jared has found: a field guide to fantastic creatures, penned by Arthur Spiderwick.
Star Cast: Freddie Highmore, Sarah Bolger, Seth Rogen
Signs (2002)
Plot: Everything that farmer Graham Hess assumed about the world is changed when he discovers a message – an intricate pattern of circles and lines – carved into his crops. As he investigates the unfolding mystery, what he finds will forever alter the lives of his brother and children,. A unique story that explores the mysterious real-life phenomena of crop signs and the effects they have on one man and his family.
Star Cast: Mel Gibson, Rory Culkin, Abigail Breslin, Joaquin Phoenix
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
Plot: Doctor Strange teams up with a mysterious teenage girl from his dreams who can travel across multiverses, to battle multiple threats, including other-universe versions of himself, which threaten to wipe out millions across the multiverse. Directed by Sam Raimi.
Star Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Xochitl Gomez, Elizabeth Olsen
Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
Plot: Meek flower shop assistant Seymour pines for co-worker Audrey. During a total eclipse, he discovers an unusual plant he names Audrey II, which feeds only on human flesh and blood. The growing plant attracts a great deal of business for the previously struggling store. After Seymour feeds Audrey’s boyfriend, Orin, to the plant after Orin’s accidental death, he must come up with more bodies for the increasingly bloodthirsty plant.
Star Cast: Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Steve Martin
Monster Squad (1987)
Plot: Five youngsters find themselves up against the combined might of Dracula, the Mummy, the Gill Man, and Frankenstein’s Monster who arrive in town in search of a magic amulet.
Star Cast: Andre Gower, Robby Kiger, Ashley Bank
Some of these scary movies for tweens may have been on your kids reading list, and they have already read the book, like Goosebumps. Some of the scary movies for Tweens have mied reviews and come out of popular film studios like Warner Bros. Some of the scary movies for tweens on Netflix, yet you will find many on Amazon Prime Video and Disney+. Regardless, this list of the best scary movies for Tweens are the best horror movies for the whole family. Enjoy this list of scary movies for tweens!