Halloween and Horror

The Nightmare Before Christmas Image
The Nightmare Before Christmas Image

A list of films on Into Film+ and Into Film+ Premium that focus on a combination of films for both Primary and Secondary students.

For younger students, the holiday of Halloween can be a rich platform for learning. Monsters and ghosts are exciting and fun but they also often come from a place of mythology and legend. Halloween is also a fantastic opportunity for younger students to explore their fears and discuss them in a safe environment with their peers, here represented by short films, animated films and live-action features.

For secondary students, the horror genre is studied throughout literature but is also an integral part of film history. Many great filmmakers have used the genre to explore social issues and filmmaking techniques and the mediums represented here range from animation to found footage to comedy hybrids. 

Spellbound
Available to stream on Into Film+

CertUnclassified

Age group5–11

Duration4 mins

Spellbound(2020)

A lonely girl looking for a friend to spend Halloween with is amazed when the pumpkin she carves suddenly comes to life.

Trick or Treating is a tradition around the world that many children look forward to every year. This gentle short film aims to capture that excitement and contains many recognisable elements of Halloween such as pumpkins, witches and bats whilst also touching upon themes of friendship and acceptance.

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Zing
Available to stream on Into Film+

CertUnclassified

Age group7–14

Duration8 mins

Zing(2011)

The sinister Mr. Grimm harvests soul after soul, but everything changes with a knock on the door.

The grim reaper has been portrayed in many films and this spooky short paints him as a gleeful old man who loves his job. Whilst this film does deal with slightly heavy themes such as death, it also has an incredible cute edge to it and sidesteps most of its scares in favour of lighthearted humour.

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Pixar Shorts Volume 1: Mater and the Ghostlight
Available to stream on Into Film+

CertU

Age group5–11

Duration7 mins

Pixar Shorts Volume 1: Mater and the Ghostlight(2006)

Short film spin-off of Pixar’s “Cars” which sees prankster Mater haunted by a mysterious blue light.

The Pixar animation studio have always excelled at including spooky moments in their films without them being overtly scary. Mater and the Ghostlight takes the idea of the Halloween campfire story and turns it into something light, accessible and relatable.

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The Nightmare Before Christmas
Available to stream on Into Film+

CertPG

Age group7–14

Duration74 mins

The Nightmare Before Christmas(1993)

Brilliantly dark and amusing stop-motion animation - Jack Skellington attempts to change his sinister ways and celebrate Christmas on a huge scale.

It takes a special film to be considered both a Halloween and Christmas classic but this iconic stop-motion animation is played from October to December every year. With an extravagant cast of ghouls, monsters and all manner of creepy creeps, it also acts as an absorbing story of struggling to fit in, no matter where you go.

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The Muppet Christmas Carol
Available to stream on Into Film+

CertU

Age group5–14

Duration85 mins

The Muppet Christmas Carol(1993)

Kermit, Gonzo and the rest of the Muppet gang appear in this fun musical take on the classic Charles Dickens story.

Another film that combines ghosts and ghouls with the festive spirit, Charles Dickens' tale has often been lauded as one of the most eerie and atmospheric Christmas stories. Thankfully, we have the silliness of the Muppets accompanying us to make sure things don't get too chilling...

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Frankenweenie
Available to stream on Into Film+ Premium

CertPG

Age group7–14

Duration83 mins

Frankenweenie(2012)

When Victor loses his beloved pet, he conducts an experiment to bring him back to life. When he succeeds, things escalate beyond Victor's control.

Stop-motion animation has always had a fun relationship with the horror genre and this pet-project from Tim Burton takes the classic Gothic tale of Frankenstein and turns it into something for a younger audience, featuring a bright but midguided child and his zombie dog. With its beautiful black and white pallet, this film is a great introduction to classic horror.

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The Nightmare Before Christmas
Available to stream on Into Film+

CertPG

Age group7–14

Duration74 mins

The Nightmare Before Christmas(1993)

Brilliantly dark and amusing stop-motion animation - Jack Skellington attempts to change his sinister ways and celebrate Christmas on a huge scale.

It takes a special film to be considered both a Halloween and Christmas classic but this iconic stop-motion animation is played from October to December every year. With an extravagant cast of ghouls, monsters and all manner of creepy creeps, it also acts as an absorbing story of struggling to fit in, no matter where you go.

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Addams Family Values
Available to stream on Into Film+

CertPG

Age group11+

Duration90 mins

Addams Family Values(1993)

Great gothic comedy following an extraordinary family adapted from the much-loved television series.

The Addams Family are one of fiction's weirdest creations - are they human or are they monsters?! Either way, this Gothic tale of a family on the fringes of society is an incredibly kooky and occasionally spooky adventure. The production design in the film alone is a great example of horror and gothic imagery that will appeal to younger secondary students in particular.

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The Witches
Available to stream on Into Film+

CertPG

Age group7–14

Duration87 mins

The Witches(1990)

A brilliantly creepy Roald Dahl adaptation about a 9 year-old orphan who has a run in with some witches during a holiday with his grandmother.

Roald Dahl has often had a scary edge to some of his well-known stories but this is maybe most evident in his story The Witches, brought to life here for the big screen. The titular witches in this film are grotesque creatures of the night so it is even more triumphant when they are finally defeated by the forces of good.

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Unfriended
Available to stream on Into Film+ Premium

Cert15

Age group14+

Duration81 mins

Unfriended(2014)

An online group-chat between five teenage friends takes a sinister turn when an account belonging to their dead classmate joins the conversation.

A new generation of horror fans will be familiar with the sub-genre of ScreenLife horror that has proven to be both popular and terrifying in equal measure! With a large portion of our lives now focused around screens, this morality tale of bullying and facing the consequences of your actions is a unique take on horror and discussions around social media.

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A Quiet Place
Available to stream on Into Film+ Premium

Cert15

Age group14+

Duration90 mins

A Quiet Place(2018)

After the world is invaded by creatures who sense their prey by sound alone, a family of four must remain completely silent in order to survive.

Part science fiction and part horror, the first film in the Quiet Place franchise is a masterclass in tension. Using its central premise of sound being the enemy, students can focus on aspects of sound design, direction, acting and special effects to determine how successful this film is at scaring its audience.

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Get Out
Available to stream on Into Film+

Cert15

Age group16+

Duration104 mins

Get Out(2017)

An African-American young man fears for his life upon meeting his Caucasian girlfriend’s mysterious family for the first time.

One of the most critically acclaimed films of the 2010s is also considered to be a major touchstone in modern horror. Although the director Jordan Peele began life as a comedian, he uses his knowledge of the horror genre to dig into the subject of race in America and the horrors faced by the Black community.

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