Hello Disney Channel lovers, Wizards of Waverly Place enthusiasts, Halloween fanatics, and those who are too scared to watch horror movies. In preparation for the best holiday of the year, I have happily revisited my childhood in order to create a list of the BEST Disney channel Halloween movies and TV specials to get you in the spooky spirit!
From tales of monster hunters to stories about haunted hotels, Disney Channel has produced endless content to capture the true essence of Halloween. The amazing spooky sets, detailed costumes, scary music, and suspenseful plots bring forth that trick-or-treat spirit that we all know and love. It is fun to reminisce and relive childhood feelings, thinking of all the stories we’d watch under the blanket on a long Halloween night filled with candy. So kick back, relax, grab a bowl of chocolate bars and a plate of Pillsbury Halloween cookies and fully embrace nostalgia!
Hocus Pocus
In this classic Halloween film, a teenage boy named Max, his sister Dani, and their friend Allison explore an abandoned house in Salem. It is then discovered that an old coven of evil witches used to live in the house and Max, accidentally, frees them into the world. Together, Max, Dani, and Allison receive help from a magical cat to save their town from the witches. The heros make a plan to steal the witches book of spells and stop them from becoming immortal.
A.N.T Farm: Season 1 Episode 14. mutANT farm
This memorable episode of A.N.T Farm presents the audience with an alternate reality. In this version of China’s school, there isn’t an A.N.T program, rather there’s a mutANT program. All of the main characters are classic Halloween monsters: vampires, zombies, Frankensteins, and even a Medusa. It was also the episode where the audience first heard the iconic Halloween bop Calling All the Monsters.
Phineas and Ferb: Season 3 Episode 22. That’s the Spirit
On Halloween night, the kids and Candace go out trick or treating when they discover a house in their neighbourhood that they’ve never seen before. On their way towards it, they meet a boy named Russell who states that the house they’re approaching, (which belongs to him), is haunted. Planning to debunk Russell’s fear, they enter the house only to be confronted by a jack-o-lantern monster that chases them around. They encounter ghosts, zombies, and a were-cow, in an episode that showcases amazing Halloween animation.
Girl Vs Monster
This awesome childhood Halloween film is about a young girl named Skylar who, on the eve of Halloween, discovers that she is a fifth-generation monster-hunter. When a ruthless monster named Deimata, who has dedicated her existence to feeding off both Skylar and her family, is released: Skylar must embrace her fate. She sets out to become a monster hunter, trap Deimata, save her parents, save her friends, and manage to get the guy (Ryan Dean).
Jessie: Season 2 Episode 1. The Whining
This spooky episode of Jessie follows an eventful Halloween night in the New York apartment building. Being warned not to go to the 13th floor by Grimm Holloran the doorman, the Ross children become spooked, spending their entire time trick or treating constantly looking over their shoulders. Deciding to go to the 13th floor anyway, the kids come across some pretty scary things, that leads them to believing Jessie has been possessed by a ghost!
Twitches
Separated at birth for their own safety, these two teen witches one day find each other, discover their powers, and band together to find their way back home to their original family. Together the two rediscover the story of their past, learn about their wizarding lives, and must revisit the world they come from (which is in a different dimension) to save it from the Darkness. The identical twins learn about the importance of family, loyalty, and magic while fighting to save their mother.
Twitches Too
In this sequel to the highly popular Twitches film, Twitches Too follows Camryn and Alex’s attempt to settle down and relax after having just saved their world. Instead, they are led to believe that their father may still be alive, and must team up once more to find him. Butting heads with each other, as Camryn wishes to embrace their royal status and Alex is more interested in starting college, the two must find a way to save their father from the Shadowlands.
Halloweentown
Halloweentown is a truly iconic Disney Channel movie that is extremely deserving of the love it gets. Embodying the true essence of childhood Halloween nostalgia, this film follows the story of Marnie and her siblings following their grandma to the faraway world she lives in: Halloweentown. Entranced with the world of ghouls, ghosts, monsters, and skeleton cab drivers, Marnie joyously discovers that she comes from a family of witches. With this new realization, she must help her witch grandmother protect Halloweentown from evil.
Wizards of Waverly Place: Season 3 Episode 2. Halloween
This fantastic Halloween episode is both nostalgic and a tad spooky (don’t worry, it’s not spooky spooky). Worried that their annual haunted house will shut down, Alex is sent to the wizarding world to hire real ghosts in order to make it scarier. At first the ghosts she grabs aren’t very frightening, being an old woman with skeleton hands, a man with a visible brain, and a spooky deep sea sailor. When Alex is told toget the boogie man named Mantooth, chaos ensues.
The Suite Life of Zack and Cody: Season 1 Episode 19. Ghost of 613
When we were younger, this classic Halloween episode of The Suite Life of Zack and Cody was definitely scary upon first viewing, but now it is one of the most loved Halloween episodes from Disney Channel. After hearing a rumour that there is a ghost in suite 613, Zack and Cody decide to spend the night. Along the way, Maddie, London, and Esteban join them. The hotel room truly does seem haunted as tables move, portraits come to life, and voices can be heard. It’s visually one of the best Halloween episodes on this list, and a well-remembered and deeply loved ‘spooky’ narrative.
There you have it! Hopefully, this list has provided you with a perfect lineup for an excellent Disney channel marathon on Halloween. Who needs horror movies and gore when you can fill the haunted holiday with childhood nostalgia?
Happy Halloween everyone!