Hey kids! Halloween has arrived and Wellington City Libraries has some spooktacular DVDs in the collection for your viewing pleasure and frightful night in.
Check out the following movies for kids that is guaranteed to make you scream… sometimes of fear or laughter!
Let the scare fest begin!
Enjoy!… and Happy Halloween!
1. Harry Potter (and the philosopher’s stone) (and the chamber of secrets).
An oldie but a goodie, watch Harry Potter and the philosopher’s stone and relive the magic where Harry learns on his eleventh birthday that he is the orphaned son of two powerful wizards and possesses unique magical powers of his own, becoming a student at Hogwarts, an English boarding school for wizards and having to battle some “enemies” along the way.
In the Chamber of Secrets, Harry finds the second year more challenging with flying cars, trees fighting back, duelling clubs and a fifty year old secret that threatens to destroy Hogwarts.
2. The Goonies.
Another oldie but a goodie! Join the Goonies on a swashbuckling adventures! Following a mysterious treasure map into a spectacular underground realm of twisting passages, outrageous booby-traps and a long-lost pirate ship full of golden doubloons, the kids race to stay one step ahead of bumbling bad guys… and a mild-mannered monster with a face only a mother could love. A family adventure classic from start to buccaneering finish.
Upset about moving from a big city to a small town, teenager Zach Cooper finds a silver lining when he meets the beautiful girl, Hannah, living right next door, and makes a quick friend in Champ. But every silver lining has a cloud, and Zach’s comes when he learns that Hannah’s mysterious dad is in fact R.L. Stine, the author of the bestselling Goosebumps series. As Zach starts learning about the strange family next door, he soon discovers that Stine holds a dangerous secret.
In the sequel, the antagonist from the original film, Slappy is released and it is up to three friends to lock the evil puppet and his creatures back into Stine’ book before he takes over.
4. Coraline.
When Coraline walks through a secret door, in her new home and discovers an alternate version of her life. This parallel reality is eerily similar to her real life, but much better. But when her adventure turns dangerous, and her counterfeit parents, including the Other Mother, try to keep her forever, Coraline must count on her resourcefulness, determination, and bravery to get back home – and save her family.
5. Hotel Transylvania 1, 2 and 3.
The Hotel Transylvania, run by Dracula, is a unique, high-end resort catering only to the finest monsters and their families. Check out The Hotel Transylvania trilogy and watch all three films back to back starting with the original film, where Dracula is preparing for an extra special weekend – his daughter Mavis’s 118th birthday – when trouble arises: a human has stumbled upon the resort for the first time ever! Even worse: the human has taken a liking to Mavis!
In the sequel, everything seems to be changing for the better at Hotel Transylvania. Dracula’s rigid monster-only hotel policy has finally relaxed, opening up its doors to human guests. But behind closed coffins, Drac is worried that his adorable half-human, half-vampire grandson, Dennis, isn’t showing signs of being a vampire.
In third film, A monster vacation, The monster family embarks on a vacation on a luxury monster cruise ship so Drac can take a summer vacation from providing everyone else’s vacation at the hotel. It’s smooth sailing for Drac’s Pack as the monsters indulge in all of the shipboard fun the cruise has to offer. But the dream vacation turns into a nightmare when Mavis realizes Drac has fallen for the mysterious captain of the ship, Ericka, who hides a dangerous secret that could destroy all of monster kind.
6. The Witches.
Adapted from Roald Dahl’s novel, Nine-year-old Luke finds that saving the world from witches is a tall order for a boy who has been turned into a mouse. A film that goes to show that heroes come in all shapes, sizes and species.
7. Monsters (Inc and University).
Mike Wazowski and James “Sulley” P. Sullivan are an inseparable pair, but that wasn’t always the case. From the moment these two mismatched monsters met they couldn’t stand each other. Monsters University unlocks the door to how Mike and Sulley overcame their differences and became the best of friends.
In Monsters Inc, Lovable Sulley and Mike Wazowski are the top scare team at MONSTERS, INC., the scream-processing factory in Monstropolis. When a little girl named Boo wanders into their world, monsters are scared silly, and it’s up to Sulley and Mike to get her back home. But Boo’s presence is more than just a mere accident. Now, Mike and Sulley have to face an enemy within their own ranks. Overall a heart-warming movie where guaranteed to scare and make you laugh.
8. Boxtrolls.
A community of quirky, mischievous creatures who have lovingly raised an orphaned human boy named Eggs in the amazing cavernous home they’ve built beneath the streets of Cheesebridge. The town’s villain, Archibald Snatcher, comes up with a plot to get rid of the Boxtrolls, so Eggs decides to venture above ground, ‘into the light,’ where he meets and teams up with feisty Winnie. Together, they devise a daring plan to save Eggs’ family.
9. The house with a clock in its walls.
This magical adventure tells the spine-tingling tale of 10-year-old Lewis, who goes to live with his uncle in a creaky old house with a mysterious tick-tocking heart. But his new town’s sleepy façade jolts to life with a secret world of warlocks and witches. Based on the beloved children’s classic book.
10. Labyrinth.
When young Sarah cavalierly wishes that goblins would take her crying baby brother away, she gets her wish. Now, she must confront Gareth – ruler of a mystical world one step removed from reality, master of the goblins who abducted her brother… and creator of the treacherous labyrinth that Sarah must solve in order to make things right.