Most Family Friendly of the Horror Comedy Genre
In the bonus material to my copy of The Ghost Breakers (1940), screenwriter Larry Karaszewski said that while he and Scott Alexander were writing the screenplay for Goosebumps (2015), they wanted to write a family friendly horror comedy hybrid. They had looked for a movie with the right balance to use as their inspiration, and to get it right. He said that he was surprised how few they were, and that they had to go back to the Abbott and Costello films and others. (The ones he mentioned by name are marked by an *. The Abbott and Costello films are marked by **.) Using that as a starting point, and no “R” rated films on this list, and “PG13” is borderline, which of these films from the horror comedy genre is the most family friendly, or, in other words, would you show a 5 yr old without scaring him half to death?
If you got one to suggest that is not “R” rated or worse, but is horror comedy genre that is family friendly, (check the keywords), offer them here for consideration.
If you got one to suggest that is not “R” rated or worse, but is horror comedy genre that is family friendly, (check the keywords), offer them here for consideration.
List activity
216 views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
35 titles
- DirectorGeorge MarshallStarsBob HopePaulette GoddardRichard CarlsonA radio broadcaster, his quaking manservant and an heiress investigate the mystery of a haunted castle in Cuba.*
- DirectorElliott NugentStarsBob HopePaulette GoddardJohn BealWhen an eccentric family meets in their uncle's remote, decaying mansion on the tenth anniversary of his death for the reading of his will, murder and madness follow.*
- DirectorGeorge MarshallStarsDean MartinJerry LewisLizabeth ScottFleeing a murder charge, a busboy and a nightclub singer wind up on a spooky Caribbean island inherited by a young woman.*
- DirectorArthur LubinStarsBud AbbottLou CostelloRichard CarlsonAfter inheriting a fortune from a gangster, two dim-witted service station attendants find themselves stranded in a haunted house.**
- DirectorCharles BartonStarsBud AbbottLou CostelloMarjorie ReynoldsA psychiatrist stays in a mansion haunted by prankish ghosts from the Revolutionary War.**
- DirectorCharles BartonWalter LantzStarsBud AbbottLou CostelloLon Chaney Jr.The Wolf Man tries to warn a dimwitted porter that Dracula wants his brain for Frankenstein monster's body.* **
- DirectorCharles BartonStarsBud AbbottLou CostelloBoris KarloffTwo employees of a secluded hotel investigate a murder on the premises in which the goofy bellboy is the prime suspect.**
- DirectorCharles LamontStarsBud AbbottLou CostelloNancy GuildTwo bumbling private eyes help a man, wrongly accused of murder who has become invisible, to clear his name.**
- DirectorCharles LamontStarsBud AbbottLou CostelloBoris KarloffTwo bumbling American cops hunt for the mysterious Mr. Hyde in London, England.**
- DirectorCharles LamontStarsBud AbbottLou CostelloMarie WindsorTwo bumbling Americans stumble on the discovery of a lifetime when their search for a mummy leads them to a sacred medallion that holds the key to buried treasure.**
- DirectorJoe DanteStarsZach GalliganPhoebe CatesHoyt AxtonA young man inadvertently breaks three important rules concerning his new pet and unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous monsters on a small town.*
- DirectorRob LettermanStarsJack BlackDylan MinnetteOdeya RushA teenager teams up with the daughter of young-adult horror author R.L. Stine after the writer's imaginary demons are set free on the town of Madison, Delaware.*
- DirectorJoe DanteChuck JonesStarsZach GalliganPhoebe CatesHowie MandelThe Gremlins are back, and this time, they've taken control of a New York City media mogul's high-tech skyscraper.
- DirectorTim BurtonMike JohnsonStarsJohnny DeppHelena Bonham CarterEmily WatsonWhen a shy groom practices his wedding vows in the inadvertent presence of a deceased young woman, she rises from the grave assuming he has married her.
- DirectorJules DassinNorman Z. McLeodStarsCharles LaughtonRobert YoungMargaret O'BrienThe descendent of a ghost imprisoned for cowardice hopes to free the spirit by displaying courage when under duress.
- DirectorGil KenanStarsMitchel MussoSam LernerSpencer LockeThree teens discover that their neighbor's house is really a living, breathing, scary monster.
- DirectorAri SandelStarsWendi McLendon-CoveyMadison IsemanJeremy Ray TaylorTwo young friends find a magic book that brings a ventriloquist's dummy to life.
- DirectorEli RothStarsJack BlackCate BlanchettOwen VaccaroA young orphan named Lewis Barnavelt aids his magical uncle in locating a clock with the power to bring about the end of the world.
- DirectorKenny OrtegaStarsBette MidlerSarah Jessica ParkerKathy NajimyA teenage boy named Max and his little sister move to Salem, where he struggles to fit in before awakening a trio of diabolical witches that were executed in the 17th century.
- DirectorLee UnkrichAdrian MolinaStarsAnthony GonzalezGael García BernalBenjamin BrattAspiring musician Miguel, confronted with his family's ancestral ban on music, enters the Land of the Dead to find his great-great-grandfather, a legendary singer.
- DirectorHenry SelickStarsDanny ElfmanChris SarandonCatherine O'HaraJack Skellington, king of Halloween Town, discovers Christmas Town, but his attempts to bring Christmas to his home causes confusion.
- DirectorJames AlgarClyde GeronimiJack KinneyStarsBing CrosbyBasil RathboneEric BloreAn animated adaptation of "The Wind in the Willows" followed by an adaptation of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow".
- DirectorBarry SonnenfeldStarsAnjelica HustonRaul JuliaChristopher LloydCon artists plan to fleece an eccentric family using an accomplice who claims to be their long-lost uncle.
- DirectorGreg TiernanConrad VernonStarsOscar IsaacCharlize TheronChloë Grace MoretzThe eccentrically macabre family moves to a bland suburb where Wednesday Addams' friendship with the daughter of a hostile and conformist local reality show host exacerbates conflict between the families.
- DirectorBrad SilberlingStarsBill PullmanChristina RicciCathy MoriartyAn afterlife therapist and his daughter meet a friendly young ghost when they move into a crumbling mansion in order to rid the premises of wicked spirits.(Suggested by toney_mathew)
- DirectorHenry SelickStarsDakota FanningTeri HatcherJohn HodgmanWandering her rambling old house in her boring new town, an 11-year-old Coraline discovers a hidden door to a strangely idealized version of her life. In order to stay in the fantasy, she must make a frighteningly real sacrifice.(Suggested by toney_mathew)
- DirectorPete DocterDavid SilvermanLee UnkrichStarsBilly CrystalJohn GoodmanMary GibbsIn order to power the city, monsters have to scare children so that they scream. However, the children are toxic to the monsters, and after a child gets through, two monsters realize things may not be what they think.(Suggested by toney_mathew)
- DirectorGenndy TartakovskyStarsAdam SandlerKevin JamesAndy SambergDracula, who operates a high-end resort away from the human world, goes into overprotective mode when a boy discovers the resort and falls for the count's teenaged daughter.(Suggested by toney_mathew)
- DirectorTim BurtonStarsWinona RyderCatherine O'HaraMartin ShortWhen a boy's beloved dog passes away suddenly, he attempts to bring the animal back to life through a powerful science experiment.(Suggested by toney_mathew)
- DirectorChris ButlerSam FellStarsKodi Smit-McPheeAnna KendrickChristopher Mintz-PlasseA misunderstood boy takes on ghosts, zombies and grown-ups to save his town from a centuries-old curse.(Suggested by toney_mathew)
- DirectorRichard GreenbergStarsFred SavageHowie MandelDaniel SternA boy discovers an incredible and gruesome world of monsters under his bed.
- DirectorUli EdelStarsJonathan LipnickiRollo WeeksRichard E. GrantA lonely American boy living in Scotland makes a new best friend, a fellow nine year-old who happens to be a vampire.This has an animated remake you might want to consider: The Little Vampire 3D (2017).
- DirectorRaja GosnellStarsMatthew LillardFreddie Prinze Jr.Sarah Michelle GellarAfter an acrimonious break up, the Mystery Inc. gang are individually brought to an island resort to investigate strange goings on.
- DirectorWilliam BeaudineStarsLeo GorceyHuntz HallLloyd CorriganA ghost helps the Bowery Boys capture a gang of crooks led by a mad doctor.Suggested by ACT_1
- DirectorEdward BerndsStarsLeo GorceyHuntz HallBernard GorceyThe Bowery Boys enter a creepy house where they engage in slapstick with the Gravesend Family, comprising a creepy butler, two mad scientists, a crazy old woman with a man-eating plant, a savage gorilla, an 8' robot, and a vampiress.Suggested by ACT _1 (The film was inspired by Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948). But by including a gorilla in the film, it also pays homage to The Gorilla (1939) which was a play that had leaped from the stage to the screen.)