Halloween Movies

Since it's October, I wanted to take a moment to talk about good halloween movies to show your kids.  First, let's go over what halloween promotes.  Scariness of course is one of the first things that come to mind, and scariness goes hand in hand with fear.  It's also the celebration of all things evil, encourages naughtiness, promotes disobedience, glorifies the overindulgence of candy, and fixates on death.  Actually, the characteristics of  halloween are the exact thing we as parents intentionally avoid when showing our children movies... 

Most people celebrate halloween because that's what their friends and family have always done.  Today I encourage you to reevaluate where your family stands on halloween.  Do the values halloween promotes align with your family's values?  And if they don't, isn't celebrating halloween sending a mixed message to your children?  I know celebrating it is the popular thing to do, but just because something is popular doesn't mean it's good for your family; just look at some of the latest children's movies and tv shows.

As a Christian, halloween's celebration of evil was enough reason for my family to never celebrate it.  That means we don't watch any halloween movies, and I have no plans to write any halloween movie reviews.  If you came here looking for reviews, my opinion is there's no such thing as a halloween movie that's appropriate for children.  Even ignoring religion, halloween simply promotes a plethora of bad things that parents disapprove of. 

There's many families that try to find a balance somewhere in the middle by doing their best to avoid certain aspects of the holiday while participating in others (typically trick or treating).  This halfway approach sounds good on paper, but in reality it sends a greatly mixed message to children; halloween is simultaneously embraced and promoted while also being condemned and discouraged.  Meanwhile, others will use the opportunity to reach out to their neighbors with a religious message or for a good cause.  This can work well, but many people simply use it as an excuse to continue participating when they feel they shouldn't be. 

Wherever you land, be sure that it's consistent with your family's values regardless of any peer pressure.  Most halloween holiday aspects are easy to not participate in by simply skipping the event and staying home, including school classroom parties.  If you don't want trick or treaters, leaving your porch and front door lights off is the universal signal you aren't participating.  Additionally, invitations to parties and questions from others can be used as an opportunity to talk about your family's values.  

I find that most people haven't thought about halloween through the lens of their family's values, including most religious people.  Today I encourage you to try it for yourself, and to share those thoughts with your friends and family.

 

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