As long as I can remember, I have been a fan of the Disney Channel Halloweentown movies and have been watching them every October. Filled with skeleton cab drivers, haunted highschools, and the Cromwell witches; this series was my introduction to all things witchy and whimsical and kickstarted my love of Halloween. So to get myself in the spirit of Halloween (and have an excuse to rewatch all the movies) I decided to rank all four of the Halloweentown movies to prove once and for all which is the best.
- Return to halloweentown
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Okay, we knew that this would be in last place. The main problem here is that the original Marnie and icon herself Kimberly J. Brown is not in this movie and instead is replaced (not that Sara Paxton is bad per say, she just isn’t the Marnie we know and love). Also Debbie Reynolds as the original witch herself Aggie Cromwell is barely in this movie, instead appearing in a few scenes through a witch’s glass like she’s cameoing in a music video. Also not to mention that the youngest Piper sibling, Sophie is only mentioned and does not actually appear in the film. Sophie is undoubtedly one of the best parts of the series with her sassy wit and she can’t even appear for just a second in this film? Not to mention that the plot for this film is all over the place, I feel like the writers saw the love for the third installment: Halloweentown High and wanted to ride that wave but in a college setting and just went from there. I do appreciate the worldbuilding of Halloweentown itself and we get to meet a bunch of new different types of characters but overall this movie is definitely a letdown and seems to be more of a cash grab than anything. And why the hell is Dylan a dog?
- halloweentown ii: Kalabar’s Revenge
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As far as sequels go, this movie is actually really good. It expands on our favorite family of witches who try to find a good balance between normal lives and the world of Halloweentown along with bringing in some new characters that add to the plot. This movie is when you can really see the kid actors grow into their roles with Kimberly J. Brown gave a seriously good and heartfelt performance. The setting of this movie is great, with the Grey Spell curse making what was once everything wacky and bright in Halloweentown boring and mundane. The twist in the movie Kal being Kalabar’s son is pretty predictable but is still fun to watch and Kal serves as a good villain who Marnie actually has some chemistry with. The best part of this movie is obviously Luke (a goblin from the first film) and Marnie’s friendship (though I think they would be the perfect pair) and adventure in trying to recover Aggie’s spellbook and save Halloweentown. Also for some reason the “Trappa” spell is hella catchy.
- Halloweentown high
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This movie may be my favorite Halloween movie of all time. It’s got fun characters, family drama, relationships, witches, and a magical highschool, that is the perfect combination. I have always been a sucker for cheesy highschool movies and adding witches and monsters into the mix feels like this film is made for me. I really like how this movie just jumps right into the plot and forces us to catch up with how Marnie has been working to unite the regular world and Halloweentown by creating a highschool exchange program. Honestly the best part about the movie is the characters, us getting to see so many types of new monsters from trolls to fairies and getting to watch them experience the human world. This movie is so cheesy it’s fun but also kinda scary (I remember being terrified of the eyes in that knight costume). Overall, campy fun halloween highschool movie with good social commentary
- halloweentown
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The one that started it all. Sometimes when I go back and watch this movie I am amazed with how it really started the trend of Disney Channel original movies. This was our first introduction to the Cromwell family and right off the bat they are really fun and well-fleshed out characters from the know-it-all skeptic of Dylan to the teenage rebellion full of wonder Marnie. Also the villain in this movie is actually pretty well done, he has good motives and a strong plan and I remember watching the reveal for the first time as a kid and being absolutely mind blown, This movie is just pure fun. You have all these bright colors and amazing monsters and this whole new world. It is also filled with so much heart and joy and that classic 90s nostalgia. Overall, this is the perfect Halloween movie to curl up on the couch with loved ones young and old and welcome the spooky season with.