MomSkoop
One classic cartoon about a mystery-solving dog wrapped up its original run on October 31, 1970, which is honestly perfect timing. Another show on this list aired across five nights in a row in November 2014, like a spooky storybook told in chapters. The picks below stretch from a 1963 Saturday morning cartoon to an animated fantasy that ended in 2023.
That means grandparents, parents, and kids can each find a favorite in the same stack. I love that a single October lineup can please a preschooler, a tween, and a grandparent who still hums the old theme songs. The real trick is matching the scare level to the youngest person on the couch. Ahead, you’ll find goofy monsters, friendly ghosts, and a few mysteries that get a little shadowy around the edges.
1. Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
Rubber masks have never been more dramatic.
In this 1969 Hanna-Barbera cartoon, the villain usually turns out to be a regular person in a costume, which keeps the scares safe for small viewers.
Created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears, the show follows Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and a talking Great Dane.
They cruise around in the Mystery Machine, a green van with flowers painted on the side.
The voice cast is a treat for grown-ups, too.
Casey Kasem voiced Shaggy, Don Messick voiced Scooby, and Frank Welker voiced Fred.
Fun timing detail: the original run ended on October 31, 1970.
A Halloween finale feels like the show winked at its own audience.
For young or nervous kids, the formula is the best part.
The monster chases, the gang sets a trap, and the unmasking proves the ghost was never real.
Try pausing before the big reveal and letting everyone guess the culprit.
You’ll turn a simple cartoon into a family detective game with very loud opinions.
In the U.S., the series has streamed on HBO Max and Tubi, and the complete series is on Blu-ray and DVD.
Check your service before movie night, since streaming lineups shift often.
2. The Addams Family
Snapping fingers counts as a family activity here.
The 1964 sitcom, based on Charles Addams’ cartoons, ran for 64 black-and-white episodes on ABC.
The Addams clan adores creepy things and has no clue that the neighbors find them odd.
That gap is where the comedy lives, and it never needs a jump scare.
Carolyn Jones played the calm, elegant Morticia, while John Astin played the gleeful Gomez.
Jackie Coogan was Uncle Fester, and Lisa Loring played a young Wednesday.
Ted Cassidy pulled double duty as Lurch, the towering butler, and as Thing, the helpful hand.
That bit of casting trivia is great for impressing kids who know the newer versions.
Speaking of which, plenty of children have met Wednesday through recent movies or series.
Watching the original lets them see where those characters began.
The show also sends a sweet message under the cobwebs.
Gomez and Morticia are devoted to each other and proud of their kids, quirks included.
Black-and-white TV can feel strange to modern kids at first.
Start with one episode and point out the silly gadgets and props.
In the U.S., the series has streamed free on Tubi, The Roku Channel, and Pluto TV.
3. The Munsters
Living at 1313 Mockingbird Lane comes with a few surprises.
Herman Munster looks like Frankenstein’s monster, his wife Lily is a vampire, and Grandpa is Count Dracula himself.
The CBS sitcom premiered on September 24, 1964, just six days after another spooky family debuted on ABC.
Halloween fans got two monster households in a single month.
Fred Gwynne played big, lovable Herman, and Yvonne De Carlo played Lily.
Al Lewis brought Grandpa to life, and Butch Patrick played Eddie, the couple’s werewolf-like son.
The joke flips the usual horror story upside down.
The monsters think they’re a perfectly ordinary family, and they worry about their normal-looking niece Marilyn instead.
Kids tend to giggle at this kind of role reversal.
It also opens an easy chat about how ‘normal’ depends on who’s looking.
Here’s a trivia bit for sharp-eyed viewers.
Marilyn was played by Beverley Owen at first and by Pat Priest later, so you can spot the switch.
The show ran for 70 episodes over two seasons, so there’s plenty to binge.
In the U.S., it has streamed on Peacock and The Roku Channel, and reruns air on channels like Cozi TV and FETV.
4. Goosebumps
R.L.
Stine’s paperback covers jumped off the shelf and onto TV in the fall of 1995.
The Goosebumps series ran from October 27, 1995, to November 16, 1998, adapting his stories one episode at a time.
Since it’s an anthology, each tale brings new kids and a new mystery.
One week it’s a haunted mask, and another week it’s a creepy ventriloquist dummy.
The scares land a notch above a cartoon.
Expect eerie music, odd creatures, and twist endings, but rarely anything gory.
That makes it a solid next step for tweens who’ve outgrown Scooby-Doo but aren’t ready for grown-up horror.
Younger kids may want an adult nearby for the final minutes.
Those twist endings are half the fun.
Pause before the last scene and ask everyone how they think the story will wrap up.
Book lovers can turn this into a reading challenge.
Pick an episode, find the matching book, and vote on which version is spookier.
The 74 episodes have streamed on Netflix in the U.S., and the series has also turned up on Peacock and Prime Video.
You can buy episodes on iTunes as well.
5. Are You Afraid of the Dark?
A campfire, a circle of kids, and a handful of sparkly dust tossed into the flames.
That’s how the Midnight Society kicked off each story on this Nickelodeon classic.
Created by D.J.
MacHale and Ned Kandel, the show aired its pilot as a Halloween special on October 25, 1991.
The regular series ran in the U.S. from August 15, 1992, to February 3, 1996.
Each episode features a different tale of ghosts, curses, or strange happenings.
The campfire setup gives viewers a little distance, since it’s all framed as a story told by friends.
That said, some episodes get properly shadowy.
It’s better suited to tweens and teens than preschoolers, so preview one if you have a sensitive viewer.
The format also makes a fun family tradition.
Turn off the lights, grab a flashlight, and let each person tell a short spooky story after the credits roll.
Fans who finish the original can explore revivals that aired from 1999 to 2000 and from 2019 to 2022.
The newer versions shift the style but keep the storytelling spirit.
The original seasons are available on DVD, and the show has aired on Nickelodeon, TeenNick, and Nicktoons.
Your local library may carry the DVD sets, too.
6. Sabrina the Teenage Witch
Turning sixteen usually means a driver’s permit, not magic powers.
Sabrina Spellman gets the second surprise, and her high school life never quite recovers.
Melissa Joan Hart starred as Sabrina in the sitcom created by Nell Scovell.
It premiered on ABC on September 27, 1996, then moved to The WB before ending in 2003.
Sabrina lives with her 600-year-old witch aunts, Hilda and Zelda, played by Caroline Rhea and Beth Broderick.
Their talking cat Salem, voiced by Nick Bakay, steals plenty of scenes with sarcastic one-liners.
The spooky stuff stays light and bouncy.
Spells backfire, homework turns into chaos, and lessons usually land by the end of the half hour.
That easygoing tone makes it a strong pick for mixed ages.
Tweens connect with the school drama, while adults get a fun hit of late-1990s nostalgia.
Need a dinner table conversation starter?
Ask what spell each person in your family would cast, and expect wild answers about chores.
With seven seasons, this one can stretch well past October.
In the U.S., it has streamed on Disney+, Hulu, and Paramount+, and you can buy it on Prime Video.
7. The New Casper Cartoon Show
Not every ghost wants to say boo.
Casper, the friendly ghost, would much rather make a friend, which is a sweet twist for little viewers.
The New Casper Cartoon Show premiered on ABC’s Saturday morning lineup on September 7, 1963.
New material aired until February 1964, and reruns kept going until 1970.
Seymour Kneitel directed the cartoons, which featured characters from the Harvey Comics world.
Norma MacMillan voiced both Casper and Wendy the Good Little Witch.
The mischievous Ghostly Trio supplied the trouble, with Bradley Bolke voicing them.
Spooky the Tuff Little Ghost also popped in to stir things up.
This is about as mild as Halloween TV gets.
The ghosts are mostly misunderstood, and kindness wins out in the end.
For preschoolers who feel nervous about ghosts, Casper can be a helpful starting point.
Afterward, ask why people kept running from him and whether that seemed fair.
Finding the original takes a little digging, since it aired on ABC and later in syndication rather than on a major streamer.
Check classic cartoon collections or digital stores, and keep an eye out for news about a new live-action Casper series in development for Disney+.
8. Hotel Transylvania: The Series
Dracula leaves town, and a teenage vampire gets the keys to the hotel.
What could possibly go wrong?
This prequel to the Hotel Transylvania film premiered on Disney Channel in the U.S. on June 25, 2017.
It follows a younger Mavis and her friends Hank N.
Stein, Pedro, and Wendy Blob.
While Dracula is away on ‘Official Vampire Business,’ Mavis tries to keep the place running.
Her strict Aunt Lydia has other ideas, and their clashes power plenty of plots.
Bryn McAuley voices Mavis, and David Berni takes over as Dracula.
Sony Pictures Animation and Nelvana produced the series.
Kids who liked the movies will recognize the slapstick style.
The monsters are goofy, the colors are bright, and the scariest thing might be Aunt Lydia’s rulebook.
It works nicely as a bridge between preschool shows and spookier mysteries.
It’s also a smart pick when siblings can’t agree on how scary is too scary.
The second and final season wrapped in 2020.
The show aired on Disney Channel in the U.S. and Teletoon in Canada, and some first-season episodes streamed on Netflix in the U.S.
9. Vampirina
Moving to a new town is hard enough without being a vampire.
Vee Hauntley’s family trades Transylvania for Pennsylvania and opens a Scare B&B for visiting ghouls and goblins.
Created by Chris Nee, Vampirina premiered on Disney Junior and Disney Channel on October 1, 2017.
It’s based on the Vampirina Ballerina books by Anne Marie Pace.
The voice cast packs some surprises for parents.
Lauren Graham voices Vee’s mom, Oxana, and James Van Der Beek voices her dad, Boris.
Wanda Sykes also appears as Gregoria, a gargoyle with plenty of attitude.
Isabella Crovetti voices Vee herself.
Aimed at preschoolers, the show keeps the creepiness cute.
Expect friendly ghosts, catchy songs, and a heroine learning that being different is okay.
It’s a thoughtful choice for little ones starting a new school or meeting new neighbors.
The idea of fitting in without hiding who you are comes through clearly.
With three seasons and 75 episodes, there’s lots to watch through October.
In the U.S., Vampirina streams on Disney+ and DisneyNOW.
10. Gravity Falls
Summer vacation at a tourist trap sounds dull until the gnomes show up.
Twins Dipper and Mabel Pines learn that fast after landing at Grunkle Stan’s Mystery Shack in Oregon.
Alex Hirsch created the show, and he also voices Grunkle Stan.
Jason Ritter voices Dipper, Kristen Schaal plays Mabel, and Linda Cardellini voices Wendy.
The twins investigate strange creatures using a mysterious journal.
Episodes add clues to a bigger mystery, so watching in order pays off.
Hidden codes in the credits add extra fun for families who like puzzles.
Keep a notebook handy and see who cracks a message first.
The show premiered on Disney Channel in June 2012 and ended in 2016 after two seasons.
That short run makes it easy to finish without a huge commitment.
Some later episodes get intense, so younger kids may need a grown-up nearby.
Tweens and teens will likely enjoy the mix of jokes, suspense, and sibling loyalty.
Fair warning: you may start seeing secret messages on cereal boxes afterward.
Gravity Falls streams on Disney+ in the U.S., and you can also buy it from Apple TV, Fandango at Home, and Google Play.
11. Over the Garden Wall
Ten short episodes, five nights, and one very strange forest.
Over the Garden Wall first aired on Cartoon Network from November 3 to November 7, 2014.
Patrick McHale created the miniseries about half-brothers Wirt and Greg, lost in a woodland called The Unknown.
A bluebird named Beatrice joins them, and a shadowy Woodsman warns them about The Beast.
The voice cast is a delightful surprise.
Elijah Wood voices Wirt, Christopher Lloyd plays the Woodsman, and John Cleese shows up too.
The spookiness comes from mood rather than shocks.
Old folk tale touches, misty autumn landscapes, and odd characters create an eerie, dreamlike feel.
Older kids and adults tend to appreciate it most.
Very young viewers might find The Beast unsettling, so preview the final episodes first.
Each episode runs about 11 minutes, so the whole story fits into a single evening.
A rainy Saturday makes an ideal backdrop.
Look for it on Disney+ in the U.S., or buy it from Apple TV and Google Play.
Pair it with apple cider and a blanket for a fall night that feels like reading an old storybook aloud.
12. The Owl House
A portal, a witch, and a tiny demon who calls himself King.
Luz Noceda’s life takes a wild turn when she stumbles into the Boiling Isles.
Dana Terrace created this Disney Channel series, which premiered on January 10, 2020.
It ended on April 8, 2023, after three seasons.
Sarah-Nicole Robles voices Luz, a confident human teen who dreams of becoming a witch.
Wendie Malick plays Eda, the rebellious witch who takes her in, and Alex Hirsch voices King.
Gravity Falls fans may notice that Hirsch name.
He’s a fun link between two of Disney’s spookier animated shows.
The Boiling Isles are packed with magic, demons, and some creepy imagery.
The show blends horror-comedy with darker storylines, so it suits tweens and teens best.
At its heart, though, the story centers on adventure and found family.
Luz, Eda, and King build a home out of three very different personalities.
Ask your kids which magic track they’d choose if they enrolled at a witch school.
In the U.S., The Owl House streams on Disney+ and sells on Apple TV and Google Play, so your next family debate is only a click away.