Our favorite holiday movies for teens: Halloween and Thanksgiving
Our family loves to watch movies together! We will watch and discuss, and watch another! Finding favorite holiday movies for teens can be challenging since the age range is pretty big. So, we put together this list to help you find a few.
Some of these are old favorites, some are fairly new to the scene, and a couple are recommendations from friends that we cannot wait to try…
My husband makes the BEST popcorn, and oftentimes our favorite night of the week is Saturday. Our rule while the kids were growing up was “Soda Saturdays”. So, a movie, popcorn and soda was a real treat for us all!
Put out some big pillows, get some blankets, and bring out some favorite snacks to enjoy some of these great movies:) You could check out these tabletop movie buff card games for fun as well!
For the holidays, we watch a lot since there are so many days off from school! Here are some of our favorite holiday movie for teens for the upcoming holidays in no particular order… These are definitely for teens! Most are not rated G, so please check the ratings.
Do You Have Our Holiday Planner?
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Favorite Holiday Movies for Teens: Christmas
Head over to our Christmas Movie List for Teens and Young Adults for our Christmas Favorites.
Favorite holiday movies for teens: Halloween
Poltergeist I remember being freaked out with this one way back in the day. A family moves into their new home, and many things begin to happen that are out of the ordinary.
Addam’s Family Values The perfect time of the year to watch this! I think that this is better than the original. Uncle Nestor gets married and the kids are sent to camp. Great cast and lots of really funny scenes.
The Nightmare Before Christmas Another classic Tim Burton. Sort of a mash up of a number of holidays in this one.
Dark Shadows The movie This show is both dark and hilarious. A stellar cast who acts out this “soap opera” of a movie.
Corpse Bride Tim Burton at his finest. The ghoulish wedding of a young man with a “corpse” bride from the underworld, meanwhile his living bride awaits..
Monster House I watched this for the first time last year with my boys. They had seen it before many times. It’s actually pretty creepy! A house that is “alive” and NOT happy!
Beetle Juice Another Tim Burton film Michael Keaton is hilarious in this strange and funny movie about a house trying to be haunted by dead couple.
Ghostbusters The Original Classic!
Ghostbusters 2 (2016) I didn’t think this would be as good as the first. I was wrong, it was even better!!
Edward Scissorhands This is just a quirky trip of a movie. Once again, Tim Burton creates a story with a creepy twist. Another amazing cast!
Hocus Pocus Silly, over-the-top, but so fun to watch. Three sister witches have been brought back to earth for some witchy business. Totally cheesy, but great fun at Halloween time. Did you know that there is an upcoming sequel?
Young Frankenstein A funny spoof of the original movie. Funny cast and great one-liners!
Little Shop of Horrors This is an old, weird, musical romp of a film! Love it!
Buffy the Vampire Slayer I loved this movie. Funny 90’s vampire movie.
It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown No Halloween is complete at our house if we didn’t watch this together as a family.
Favorite holiday movies for teens: Thanksgiving
Free Birds This is a great story of 2 turkeys who go back in time to change history:)
Dan in Real Life We love this movie. I recommended it to a friend and told her that it was funny. She didn’t like it. So, I am going to say that it is a slice of life. Definitely funny overall, but some serious and sad parts as well. All 3 of my boys request this movie many times during the year, not just Thanksgiving.
Home for the Holidays Holly Hunter kills it in this coming home for the holidays. Her parents are hilarious, and her siblings families are as well. Holly plays a grown woman who goes home again to find out that she’s still a child to here parents-aren’t we all?!
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles Classic! This is a must-see every Thanksgiving!
Grumpy Old Men Two old geezers who have an ongoing feud really go at it when a pretty lady moves into the neighborhood. Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon are hilarious. Not to be missed.
By the Light of the Silvery Moon Oldie, but fun to watch:)
The Blind Side Please tell me you have seen this! This is a great true story starring Sandra Bullock. Football and Thanksgiving, what could be better? Dutch-not available for rent or purchase, but try to find it! A different sort of family movie.
Pieces of April My friend recommended this, and I can’t wait to see it. The story of April who is hosting her family for Thanksgiving, but discovers that her oven doesn’t work. She solves this problem in her own quirky, sweet way. The cast looks amazing.
The New World The story of the beginning of America. Another Pocahontas story brought to life.
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving My all-time favorite!
Pocahontas Great movie loosely based on her relationship with Captain John Smith. Fun to rewatch with the big kids occasionally.
What’s Cooking? Four families in a neighborhood each have their own issues, stories and secrets to tell over their Thanksgiving tables. Stories interwoven and connected in ways they don’t even know. Great cast and good nostalgic look at this holiday from the early 2000’s and compare what they considered issues to today’s. Fun to watch:)
Avalon Great story about immigrating and succeeding in America. This follows the lives of 3 brothers and their families. A great historical perspective, and heartwarming story of a family and their love for one another.
Scent of a Woman This is one we hadn’t seen in a long time! A college kid is looking to make money to get home for Christmas. He becomes the caretaker of a retired, and blind, Colonel from the Army. They have quite the adventure together. If you haven’t seen this in awhile, you should.
We hope you have a fun time watching these favorite holiday movies!
Movie Night Add-ons
It's always nice to have some extra props of your own to enjoy watching a great movie.
Bluetooth Projector
These are great for an outdoor movie experience or even a big screen feel in your basement or garage.
Favorite Holiday Movies For Teens: Final Thoughts
Movies are a great way to connect, and it’s one of my family’s favorite indoor activities. Holiday movies for teens covers three holidays, and there are so many fun titles to choose from! Make a bowl of popcorn and settle in for some good family time soon!
Posts related to favorite holiday movies for teens:
Christmas Movie List for Teens and Young Adults
9 Ways to Celebrate New Year’s Eve With Young Adults
Awesome New Year’s Eve Movies!
Fun Ways To Celebrate Halloween in Your Empty Nest!
5 Creative Ways to Celebrate the Holidays With Young Adults
Do You Have Our Holiday Planner?
25 Movies For Valentine’s Day: Movies About Love
The Best Sports Movies to Watch with Your Teen
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