Cord Cutter Halloween: Age-by-Age Guide to the Best Movies

Streaming services offer several advantages for families during Halloween:

• Cost-effective: Streaming services often offer more affordable entertainment options compared to cable. Instead of paying a high monthly fee for a cable package, families can choose a more affordable streaming service that fits their budget. This is especially beneficial for families with multiple children who want to watch different shows or movies at the same time.
• Variety: A wider selection of movies is available on-demand. Streaming services offer a vast library of Halloween movies, from classic favorites to new releases. This means families can find something to watch for everyone, regardless of age or interest.
• Convenience: Watch anytime, anywhere, and easily pause/rewind for bathroom breaks or snack refills. Streaming services allow families to watch movies and shows at their own convenience. They can start and stop watching whenever they want, and they can easily pause and rewind if they need to take a break or go to the bathroom. This flexibility is especially helpful for families with young children who may have shorter attention spans.
• Parental Controls: Most services have parental control features to manage what kids can access. Parental controls allow parents to set viewing limits, block specific titles, and create separate profiles for different family members. This helps parents ensure that their children are watching age-appropriate content and protects them from potentially harmful or disturbing material.

By taking advantage of these benefits, families can enjoy a more affordable, convenient, and safe Halloween movie experience with streaming services.

Streaming Services Spotlight:

• Disney Plus: A treasure trove of Halloween content, from classics to new releases.
• Netflix: Always has a mix of family-friendly Halloween movies and shows.
• Hulu: Offers a combination of classic and newer Halloween films.
• Amazon Prime Video: A growing library with some Halloween gems included with Prime membership.
• Apple TV Plus: Home to "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" and other family-friendly options.
• Paramount Plus: Has some classic Halloween movies and Nickelodeon content.
• Peacock: For families who love the classic Universal monster movies (though some might be too scary for very young children).

Movie Categories (with Age Recommendations):

For Little Ghouls (Ages 2-5):  Focus on  gentle themes, not scares.

• "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" (Apple TV Plus): A timeless classic!
• "Room on the Broom" (Netflix): A charming animated story about friendship and acceptance.
• "Spookley the Square Pumpkin" (Amazon Prime Video): A heartwarming story about being different.
• "The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About Halloween!" (PBS Kids): Educational and entertaining.
• "Boo! Madea's Halloween" (Netflix): A silly, lighthearted Halloween adventure with Madea. (Note: Some slapstick humor may not be suitable for all preschoolers.)

Slightly Spookier Fun (Ages 6-9): Introduce some mild spooky elements.

• "Hotel Transylvania" series (Amazon Prime Video): Monster-themed fun for the whole family.
• "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (Disney Plus): A Halloween/Christmas classic with a unique visual style.
• "Halloweentown" (Disney Plus): A Disney Channel original about a family of witches.
• "Casper" (Paramount Plus): A friendly ghost story with a heartwarming message.
• "ParaNorman" (Amazon Prime Video): A stop-motion animation that tackles themes of acceptance and understanding.

Thrills for Tweens & Teens (Ages 10+):

• "The Addams Family" (1991) (Paramount Plus): A funny and spooky classic with quirky characters.
• "Hocus Pocus" (Disney Plus): A Halloween essential with a mix of humor and spooky moments.
• "Goosebumps" (Netflix, Disney Plus): Based on the popular books, this movie has a good mix of scares and laughs.
• "Coraline" (Netflix): A visually stunning stop-motion film that's a bit creepy but with a strong message. (Note: May be too intense for younger or sensitive viewers in this age group.)
• "Monster House" (Netflix): An animated movie with some genuinely spooky moments and a suspenseful plot.

Parental Controls:

Most streaming services have parental controls that allow parents to manage what their children watch. These controls can be used to set viewing limits, block specific titles, and create separate profiles for different family members. This helps parents ensure that their children are watching age-appropriate content and protects them from potentially harmful or disturbing material.

Here are some of the parental control features that are available on popular streaming services:

• Netflix: Netflix allows parents to create separate profiles for different family members and set maturity ratings for each profile. Parents can also block specific titles and set viewing limits.
• Disney Plus: Disney Plus has a "Kids Profile" that only shows age-appropriate content. Parents can also set viewing limits and block specific titles.
• Hulu: Hulu allows parents to set maturity ratings for different profiles and block specific titles.
• Amazon Prime Video: Amazon Prime Video allows parents to set maturity ratings for different profiles and block specific titles.
• Apple TV Plus: Apple TV Plus allows parents to set maturity ratings for different profiles and block specific titles.

In addition to these features, many streaming services also offer parental controls that allow parents to manage what their children watch on other devices, such as smartphones and tablets. My Streaming Life enjoys movies such as these. I hope you enjoy them too.