16 Fun Family Halloween Movies Based on Books

The Witches by Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl’s children’s book often skew towards the creepy side, but this one in particular is perfect for Halloween. A little boy and his grandmother come face-to-face with the Grand High Witch and all her evil minions.

When the boy is turned into a mouse, he needs to figure out how he can defeat them and turn back into human form. This classic Halloween movie was recently remade!

Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving

In the secluded glen of Sleepy Hollow, the Headless Horseman haunts the residents. He’s the ghost of a soldier from the Revolutionary War.

New schoolmaster Ichabod Crane encounters the ghoul, and the legend lives on. Disney created a family-friendly Halloween movie based on this book that is appropriate for children.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

This story is quite the classic and it revolves around all things candy! With its creeptastic vibes, it’s also wonderful for Halloween.

Charlie is thrilled when he gets a golden ticket to see inside Willy Wonka’s amazing chocolate factory, but this is no ordinary candy factory. The machines and recipes behind the walls of the factory are what dreams are made of. This is a wonderful read-aloud book and a great Halloween movie.

Casper by Lars Bourne

Casper the Friendly Ghost has delighted comic book lovers for years. His stories aren’t strictly Halloween based, but his ghostly group of friends make for year-round reading.

Casper is great entry point into the world of comic books for kids, especially reluctant readers. This graphic novel made an excellent Halloween movie.

The Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne

Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger, and Christopher Robin have lived in the hearts of children for generations.

This edition features the complete works of A. A. Milne’s stories and is essential for any home library. While most of pooh’s stories aren’t spooky in the least, the Huffalump movie is one of our favorite family Halloween movies based on books for younger kids.

Vampirina Ballerina by Anne Marie Pace

Vampirina wants to be a ballerina, but learning to do ballet is hard for every little girl. It’s even harder for a little vampire girl trying to learn with humans!

Will Vampirina be able to make her dream come true? This cute story isn’t really a Halloween movie, it’s a whole series!

It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown by Charles Schultz

It’s Halloween time and the Peanuts gang is ready to celebrate! Costumes, trick-or-treating, Snoopy’s latest shenanigans, and the wait for the Great Pumpkin are all part of this enchanting storybook that is also an animated Halloween movie.

Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson

A friendly witch takes to the night on her broomstick, but as the wind blows away her hat, her bow, and her wand, she finds some cute friends to join her on her ride.

Will her friends be able to save her from a hungry dragon? I adore the claymation in the Halloween movie based on the book.

Escape to Witch Mountain by Alexander Key

Paranormal orphans Tony and Tia have to run away from evil forces trying to come after them. As they begin to understand their past, they start to understand the root of their powers.

Will they be able to make sense of it all before they are captured? This is one of the most classic family Halloween movies based on books on this list.

Nightmare Before Christmas by Tim Burton

The Nightmare Before Christmas comes to life in this picture book by Tim Burton. Jack Skellington and his crew are sick of Halloweentown so they decide to capture Santa and fill his shoes.

There is some debate about if this is a Halloween book OR a Christmas book. We say keep it out for both holidays! Furthermore, it’s a Halloween movie and a Christmas movie.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K Rowling

I was in university when this book was published and the first four were sitting on my younger brother’s bookshelf before I picked it up to see what the fuss was about. I read all four books in as many days and was married with a child before the final book was published. 

This is the book that introduces us to Harry, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger; our fearless trio.  We also meet the other favorite beloved and detested characters that make the Harry Potter book series so special. After all, what would Hogwarts be without Hagrid, Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, and Draco Malfoy?

There is not a more iconic set of family Halloween movies based on books than this series.

The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy

Mildred Hubble begins her magical adventures at Miss Cackle’s Academy for Witches in the first book of the series.

She is quite a mess as she mixes up spell, crashes her broomstick, and generally causes havoc around the school. Kids will love this series if they are fans of Harry Potter but are on the younger side.

IF you are looking for family Halloween movies based on books, try out the Netflix adaptation of this one. It’s a big hit in my house.

House with A Clock in Walls by John Bellairs

The first in a series of books about orphan Lewis Barnavelt who comes to live with his magician uncle. As Lewis begins learning magic, he accidentally discovers a hidden clock in the wall.

Turns out, the clock was made to destroy every human! Will Lewis be able to stop it? The recent Halloween movie adaptation stars Jack Black.

Goosebumps by R. L. Stine

Is there a child from the 80s and 90s who didn’t read Goosebumps stories? The whole series has different scary stories that are sure to keep your kids up at night.

Beware! Read them at your own risk! After reading, you’ll want to add this Halloween movie based on the book to your to-watch list.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children By Ransom Riggs

This series is full of magic and mystery.  The amazing combination of fiction with antique photographs leads to a truly unique story.

In this story, Jacob travels to a remote island off the coast of Wales and stumbles across the ruins of an orphanage.  But when he steps inside, he finds a thriving community frozen in time. It was recently adapted to the big screen making it the perfect Halloween movie to watch during spooky season.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman’s imagination never ceases to amaze me. In this book, Coraline steps through a door and finds a house just like hers, maybe even better!

She meets another set of parents who want her to be their little girl. Can Coraline escape these parents and get back to her ordinary life? I am so glad we were able to include Neil Gaiman on this list of best graphic novels of all time. It’s one of our favorite Halloween movies based on books too!

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

For years, the Owens women have known that their bad luck is because of a curse. This book is the first book in the Practical Magic series. I just adore this tale of magic, family, and sisterhood. At this point, this is one of the best urban fantasy books and it is truly iconic.

Gillian and Sally are sisters who have been raised by their two aunts. They both want to leave their small Massachusetts town. But, when Gillian gets into trouble, she runs to Sally for help.

The trouble comes back to haunt them and when a hunky police chief comes to town, the sisters try hard to cover up their family secrets. The powerful bond between the Owens sisters brings this story to life and is a must for a list of books about sisters. The Halloween movie is one of my all-time favorites.

If you love adult fantasy books, check out: Practical Magic Books in Order and More Witchy Books for 2023.