Being frightened around Halloween is a favorite family tradition and, since nearly all children like a good, gentle scare now and then (as long as they're safe at home), here is a short list of family-friendly films guaranteed to create some PG-rated chills without causing nightmares in the little ones. Trick or treat!

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
(1958) 34 minutes Unrated
Originally released in 1949 as part of an anthology, this animated tale is a wonderful introduction to the ghost stories of Washington Irving (1793-1859), the enormously popular author of this classic adventure, first published in 1819. Bing Crosby narrates the story of awkward teacher Ichabod Crane, whose affection for Katrina van Tassle brings out the mischief in her boyfriend, Brom Bones, who terrifies Ichabod with stories about ghosts and the Headless Horseman. May be too intense for the youngest viewers but most children will love the mild thrills offered in this gentle fable.

Ghostbusters
(1984) 105 minutes Rated PG
Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis star as Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz and Egon Spengler, three Columbia University scientists who go into business as ghost exterminators when New York City is suddenly overrun with unfriendly spirits under the control of an ancient Sumerian God named Gozer. PARENTAL WARNING: although some of the ghosts are a little scary and some of the language is a little rough, most older children should love the humor and the non-gory special effects in this hilarious comedy.

The Addams Family
(1991) 99 minutes Rated PG-13
Raul Julia, Angelica Huston and Christopher Lloyd star in this live-action version of Charles Addams' beloved cartoons. Living in a haunted house is normal for this comically bizarre family who welcome back Uncle Fester after an absence of 25 years. But is he the real thing or an imposter interested only in the family fortune? Creepy fun for the whole family, but especially for the little boys and ghouls in your own family.

The Nightmare Before Christmas
(1993) 76 minutes Rated PG
This stop-motion fantasy has a magical quality to it that children seem to love, as they take part in the adventures of Jack Skellington, the pumpkin king of Halloweentown. Bored with Halloween, he decides to kidnap Santa Claus and use all of his goblins and ghouls to help him deliver some slightly scary Christmas presents to unsuspecting children all over the world. Although it sounds creepy, this nightmare is actually an admittedly off-center fairy tale that still manages to be a sweet, old-fashioned family fable.

Casper
(1995) 100 minutes Rated PG
When afterlife expert Dr. James Harvey (Bill Pullman) is hired to exorcise the ghosts from a spooky old mansion, he and his daughter, Kat (Christina Ricci), discover Casper, the sad ghost of a young boy who just wants a friend. But Casper's uncles, Stretch, Fatso and Stinkie, take pleasure in scaring all "fleshies" away until Harvey and Kat discover a way to help the ghosts cross over to the other side.

Filled with great special effects and warm characters, this ghost story also has a bittersweet side that may make some youngsters sad. But in the end, "Casper" is still the charming story of "the friendliest ghost you know."

Halloweentown
(1998) (TV) 84 minutes Unrated
On Halloween, Aggie Cromwell (Debbie Reynolds) comes to visit her daughter, Gwen, and her three grandchildren, Marnie, Dylan and Sophie. Aggie offers to begin Marnie's witch training before she turns 13 and loses her powers forever. But Aggie also has another reason for her visit: something evil is growing in Halloweentown and Aggie needs help from her magical family to destroy it. Gwen and the children follow Aggie back to Halloweentown, where they discover that Merlin's Wand is being used by the evil Mayor Kalabar and it will take all the magic Aggie's family can conjure up to stop him, once and for all. A minimum of scares and a maximum of laughs help to make this TV-movie a treat for even the youngest goblin in the house.

Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
(2004) 93 minutes Rated PG
When the crime-solving members of Mystery, Inc. - Fred, Daphne, Velma and Shaggy - are invited to be the guests of honor at the grand opening of the Coolsville Museum of Criminology, a masked villain shows up and uses a mysterious ray to bring the gang's old foes, the Black Knight Ghost, Pterodactyl Ghost, Skelemen and the 10,000 Volt Ghost back to life. While the gang tries their best to get to the bottom of this ghostly mystery, TV journalist Heather Jasper-Howe (Alicia Silverstone) tries her best to make our heroes look like fools and fraidy-cats Shaggy and Scooby try their best to save the day in this feel-good adventure film that the whole family should enjoy.