Believe me, I love a good horror movie as much as the next guy. I also recognize that watching scary movies like Pet Semetary and Poltergeist with your young children probably isn’t such a bright idea. Netflix is filled with plenty of scary movies — many of the cheesy, B movie variety — but you’ll also find some fun Halloween movies for kids to watch too. If you’re looking for a spooktacular Halloween and would rather stay at home out of an abundance of caution, consider adding some of these flicks to your Netflix list.

For Younger Kids (Under 7 Years Old)

Not all monsters have to be terrifying for you to have a good time. The following Halloween movies for kids are generally accessible from a kids profile in Netflix, so they should be appropriate for children under the age of seven or so. They’re all animated too, and mostly feature characters your little goblins may already know.

StarBeam: Halloween Hero just came out earlier this week. My daughter is already a big fan of StarBeam, the 8-year-old superhero, so I’m sure this special program will be a real treat for her. Captain Fishbeard is stealing all the candy for himself, so it’s up to StarBeam to save Halloween for everyone.

A Go! Go! Cory Carson Halloween follows the familiar trick-or-treat theme for young ones. Are Cory, Chrissy and Freddie willing to venture to the spooky part of town to land some king-sized candy bars?

Spookley the Square Pumpkin is rated G, but doesn’t show up in the kids mode for some reason. It’s about, you guessed it, a square pumpkin. He’s got to save the day when a storm terrorizes his pumpkin patch.

Super Monsters: Dia de los Monsters comes out tomorrow (October 9). It takes us to Vida’s hometown to celebrate Dia de los Muertos with some new friends and fun parade. It follows last year’s entry, Vida’s First Halloween. There’s also Super Monsters Save Halloween from 2008, plus the whole Super Monsters series itself.

Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein offers a bit of nostalgia for us parents of a certain generation, in case you wanted to step away from some of these “newer” Halloween movies for kids. Like Spookley, you won’t find this under the kids profile, so you’ll need to use your grown-up Netflix profile to watch.

For Older Kids (Over 7 Years Old)

When you need something with a bit more of a scare factor but still appropriate for younger audiences, you’ve got Halloween movies for kids who are a bit older. These are still animated films, but they’re definitely more intense than what you’d get out of Super Monsters and StarBeam.

Coraline is one of those stop-motion animated movies that gives off a bit of a Tim Burton vibe. What happens when a bored and adventurous girl discovers a secret door in her new home? She finds a twisted parallel world with an alternate reality.

Hotel Transylvania is owned and run by Dracula as a place where monsters can relax away from the human world. The count gets protective when a boy shows interest in Dracula’s teenage daughter. For some reason, this first film and the third in the series, Summer Vacation, are on Netflix, but the second movie is not.

Monster House takes the haunted house motif to another level, because the house itself is a living, breathing monster. This is one of the spookier, more intense Halloween movies on this list, so you’ll probably want to skip this if you have younger kids.

Spirited Away isn’t technically a Halloween movie, per se, but it’s literally got spirits in the title. And truth be told, it’s probably my favorite film by Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. Chihiro’s parents are turned into pigs at what they think is an abandoned amusement park. While you’re at it, work your way through all the other Ghibli films that recently joined Netflix.

DreamWorks Spooky Stories consists of three shorter stories, starting with Shrek and crew staying at Lord Farquaad’s haunted castle. We continue with the ghost of Lord Farquaad before finishing with mutant pumpkins set in Monsters vs. Aliens. There’s also a Volume 2 with four more episodes, featuring more Monsters vs. Aliens and Shrek, plus Megamind.

More Halloween Movies for Kids

Of course, you can keep poking around on Netflix for more Halloween movies, some more appropriate for kids than others. Some notable highlights include:

  • Captain Underpants Hack-a-Ween
  • Pocoyo Halloween
  • Goosebumps and Goosebumps 2
  • Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
  • Monster Family
  • Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Go ahead, pop some spooky popcorn, dim the lights, and enjoy a couple Halloween movies with the kids. What do you have planned this year?