If Your Family Loves These Halloween Movies, They’ll Freak Out for These Spook-tacular Books

by Devon A. Corneal

Goblins, ghosts, and ghouls, along with a significant number of Reys, Captain Americas, and Harry Potters, are getting ready for the spookiest night of year. Before we greet trick-or-treaters, my family spends the month of October huddled under blankets watching classic Halloween movies and reading our stash of Halloween books. Some of the stories scare the pants off us, others make us laugh, but all of them put us in the mood to roam the neighborhood, race skittering leaves, and shake our neighbors down for sugary treats. If you don’t have time to curate your own Halloween book list, and wonder what titles you might like, we’ve done it for you. Read on to see Brightly’s best book recommendations based on Halloween movies you know and love.

If Your Little Ones Eagerly Await “The Great Pumpkin”…

If you scour television listings for “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” with its sweet, yet slightly zany take on Halloween traditions, or you have little ones who aren’t yet ready for scarier fare, you might like:


If “Hocus Pocus” Stirs Up Family Fun…

Image credit: Hocus Pocus, Walt Disney Pictures
Image credit: Hocus Pocus, Walt Disney Pictures

If “Hocus Pocus” and a Halloween filled with spells, black cats, and brooms is more your style, you might like:


If Your Kids Are Fans of the Friendly Ghost…

If you like “Casper,” with its mischievous spectral characters and ghostly pranks, you might like:


If You Like Your Nightmares Before Christmas…

Image credit: The Nightmare Before Christmas, Touchstone Pictures
Image credit: The Nightmare Before Christmas, Touchstone Pictures

If you prefer dark, creepy, and extremely quirky movies such as “The Nightmare Before Christmas” or “The Corpse Bride,” you might like:


If You’ve Spent Some Time at “Hotel Transylvania”

If you always dress like a mummy, vampire, or monster for Halloween and have seen “Hotel Transylvania” at least ten times, you might like:


If Your Kids Enjoy Some “ParaNorman” Activity…

Image credit: ParaNorman, Focus Features
Image credit: ParaNorman, Focus Features

If you enjoy “ParaNorman” or “Monster House” and want your tricks balanced with a whole lot of funny, you might like:


If You’re Tempted to Say ‘Beetlejuice’ Three Times Fast…

If you like “The Addams Family” or “Beetlejuice,” your family’s Halloween is offbeat and unexpected, so you might like:


If Your Older Kids Aren’t Scared (or Too Scared) by “A Nightmare on Elm Street”…

Image credit: A Nightmare on Elm Street, New Line Cinema
Image credit: A Nightmare on Elm Street, New Line Cinema

If you like “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” you’re a true horror aficionado, scared of nothing, so you might be ready to take on:

Let us know how we did and feel free to share your own book recommendations in the comments. Happy Halloween to one and all!