Since my daughter was born, I haven’t been the horror buff I once was. My husband and I used to have to see every horror movie that came out; but once I became pregnant and started having nightmares that included my daughter after watching scary films, I knew I couldn’t handle them anymore. I’ve since watched a couple of scary movies, and not only do the nightmares happen—“daymares” do as well. So no more scary movies for me, at least not until my daughter’s older or the “daymares” stop!

That said, I still adore Halloween; it’s my all-time favorite holiday and always has been. Watching Halloween movies is still part of the fun. Here are ten not-so-scary Halloween movies that even couples can enjoy together without getting too scared. (Note: these are not necessarily family friendly films. I will cover those in another post.)

10. Ghostbusters I & II

There’s something cheesily good about the old Ghostbusters movies. The second one was chillier to me than the first, but they’re both just scary enough to make you grin, not gasp.

9. Monster House

This weird animated film sort of grows on you. It’s definitely creepy—to scary for kids, I think—and has some super strange storylines. At first I hated it, but when I watched it again with my husband it was fun to see.

8. The Addams Family

Isn’t this one of the most fun movies in history? I know many people didn’t like it (or its subsequent sequels, which admittedly are progressively worse as they go along), but my family and I adore it. My favorite part is when Wednesday (so wonderfully played by Christina Ricci) asks the girl scout selling cookies, “Are they made from real girl scouts?”

7. Legend

Remember this gem with Tom Cruise, before his teeth were fixed and his brains were scrambled? It’s got unicorns, the devil, creatures, and plenty of other Halloween critters to satisfy your holiday film needs without actually scaring you.

6. Troll

This was one of my favorites as a kid, and I now know that it probably wasn’t appropriate for me back then! There are definitely scary elements as well as plenty of fantasy, but it’s the kind of funny, tongue-in-cheek horror that doesn’t make you want to hide your eyes.

5. Return to Oz

I don’t know why they always play The Wizard of Oz at Christmastime, when it seems like it’s more Halloween appropriate to me. Both the original and The Return to Oz are fun to watch, though the second film definitely seems darker—with a headless woman, people with wheels for hands, and perhaps the scariest thing of all, electroshock therapy (nearly) administered to a young girl. The first Oz is definitely the better of the two by far—but the second one is still fun to revisit.

4. Edward Scissorhands

This one isn’t actually a Halloween movie, really, but it’s dark enough and has enough fantasy to give you that nice, other-worldly, fairytale feel.

3. Gremlins

Oh, I love Gremlins, don’t you? I even had a “Gizmo” as a child. I don’t remember Gremlins 2 very much—I think I only saw it once—but the first one was just a classic Halloween film that was fun all the way through.

2. The Neverending Story

You know, I could watch this one every day of the year and not get sick of it. I may have actually done that as a kid. I usually equate this one with Halloween because my little sister used to always get scared of Gmork (she still does, actually, and she’s 22; she’ll love that I just shared that fun fact with the world!), but it’s filled with lots of Halloween-y critters and a fabulous fantasy storyline, too. (Don’t bother with the sequels; they are monstrously horrible.)

1. Beetlejuice

What can I say? Halloween isn’t Halloween without a crotch-grabbing, undead Michael Keaton trying to marry your daughter. All joking aside, we absolutely have to watch this one every year; it’s a tradition!