As so many of my stories do, this one starts in the kitchen, where I add the final touches to our meal. We fill our bowls or plates and gather. Not around the table, as one might think, but in front of the television. Why? Because it’s October, and it’s family movie night.
My family loves stories. We adore them. From books, to movies, to telling silly family stories around the living room or a campfire, the art of story and storytelling is in our blood.
I think that’s one reason why I get so excited when the final quarter of the year rolls around. There are so many reasons to be together, which almost always results in some form of storytelling or story-watching. And when it comes to story-watching, October offers so many options for watching with the season.
My children are all grown, but we still love our family movie nights. We don’t eat every meal in front of the TV, in fact, eating around the table is a family value we hold dear. But we also make exceptions to the rule, and our movie nights, especially now that my children are grown, are one of those.
Here are some of our favorite October-ish (but not too scary) movies. I hope you find some inspiration for your next movie night this month!
The Haunted Mansion
Ms. Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
Harry Potter series
The ‘Burbs
Nightmare Before Christmas
Beetlejuice
Batman (Tim Burton/Michael Keaton version)
Hocus Pocus
Hocus Pocus 2
Edward Scissorhands
The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown
Rebecca Meek 