This is a topic that I could ramble on and on about. The spooky, creepy-old-house, dark-and-stormy-night setting is my very favorite, and it has been terribly difficult to pick just a few to recommend. We’ll have to make this a regular Halloween-season tradition, alright? The movies that follow are all family friendly. As you may notice, all but one of them are from the peak of Hollywood’s golden age, the 1940s; this means clean language and minimal gore. Very little ones might get a bit scared, but these are all quite mild and non-graphic.

1. Hold That Ghost (1941)
   • If “trope” is a word that has any positive connotations, this Abbott & Costello movie is definitely the best of the spooky, haunted-house trope. Throw in some darling musical numbers by Ted Lewis and the Andrews Sisters, and you’ve got a winner here. I suggest viewing this one with Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. (Try it–one of my favorite childhood memories is of doing exactly this on a rainy Friday afternoon.)
2. Sherlock Homes Faces Death (1943)
   • Basil Rathbone’s definitve Sherlock Holmes, a creepy mansion, and a confusing riddle . . . Combine this with an on-the-side love story, and what more could you ask for?
3. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
   • One of my favorites. Ghoulish, definitely. Surprising, for sure. But the surprise never wears off and it never gets old, so I’m always up for rewatching this Cary Grant classic.
4. Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
   • While not a typical Halloween movie, this vintage gem takes place over the course of four seasons, and thus never seems inappropriately timed. I give it special consideration for Halloween, however, as a fairly pivotal moment between the two love interests occurs on Halloween night.
5. Miss Willoughby and the Haunted Bookshop (2022)
   • This one is like an elevated, more well-thought-out Hallmark movie. It’s not super hard to guess who done it, but the atmosphere and backstory is everything. Picture the English countryside, an old bookstore, an intelligent heiress, and a perplexing problem to solve. Kelsey Grammer is particularly enjoyable in this cozy cinematic diversion.