Looking to keep the kids entertained this Halloween? Remember: not all movies this spooky season are geared toward grown-ups. Here at Cineworld we've a host of delightful family-friendly offerings, so scroll down to find out more.
1. Coraline (released October 21st)
Kids with a penchant for the macabre and the twisted will get a lot out of this Henry Selick stop-motion animation. Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas) shows pleasing loyalty to Neil Gaiman's source, a bracingly dark yet ultimately sweet story of a strained mother-daughter relationship as filtered through a nightmarish netherworld.
Dakota Fanning voices the bored and rebellious Coraline whose impatience with her parents causes a portal to open in her room. Venturing through, Coraline finds herself in an apparently idyllic alternate reality where she gets everything her heart desires. However, her alternate mother (voiced by Teri Hatcher) has buttons for eyes, and it soon becomes clear that Coraline's presence comes at a price.
The debut feature from Laika Studios, Coraline turns the grotesque into a thing of beauty. Spindly limbs, button eyes, talking animals and a general carnivalesque atmosphere of implicit menace prevail, the tactility of stop-motion transforming the recognisably human into something just left of centre. Imaginative minds are sure to love it.
Click here to book your tickets for Coraline.
2. ParaNorman (released October 28th)
If Coraline tickles your fancy for Laika brilliance, then don't miss the studio's enjoyably morbid (but still kid-friendly) ParaNorman. The rich history of undead movies courses through this affection tale of a young kid, the eponymous Norman (Kodi Smit-McPhee) and his quest to right an ancient wrong in his superstitious small town.
As ever, the level of detail in the animation is astounding and a feast for the eyes, from Norman's spiky hair to the gruesomely crepuscular nature of the movie's zombie apparitions. Yet it's all underpinned by a heartfelt moral message as classic outsider bonds with an apparent monster to heartwarming effect.
Whether it introduces the young 'uns to the legacy of monster movies or simply acts as a ghoulishly entertaining animated ride, ParaNorman is not to be missed.
Click here to book your tickets for ParaNorman.
3. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 20th anniversary (released October 28th) (also showing in 4DX)
The Harry Potter series famously got darker and darker as it went along. However, we shouldn't underestimate the occasional menace and frightful atmosphere of the earlier entries, whether it's the reveal of Voldemort in The Philosopher's Stone or the creature feature danger of The Chamber of Secrets.
As Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) matures and gets older, so, too, does the nature of the threats escalate in intensity. In The Chamber of Secrets, Harry returns to Hogwarts only to be confronted with his deadliest mystery so far. Maximum chills go to the spider sequence, which pushes the family-friendly age rating as far as it will go.
Those of a certain generation: are you bold enough to venture into the Chamber of Secrets again?
Click here to book your tickets for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
What will you be watching at Cineworld this Halloween? Don't forget that if you're looking for more adult-skewing fare, check out our Halloween horror movie preview.
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