During a quarantined Halloween, there’s only so much to do… so I decided to rewatch ten Disney Channel Halloween movies and rate them! I’ll be judging my selection of movies using a 5 spooky pumpkins rating: 1 being horrible and 5 being incredible. This is completely subjective to my personal tastes, and I’ll be keeping in mind the script, cinematography, and overall spookiness. Here we go!
- Hocus Pocus (1993)
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After moving to Salem, Max Dennison (Omri Katz) explores an abandonded house with sister Dani (Thora Birch) and their new friend, Allison (Vinessa Shaw). After Max accidentally frees the Sanderson Sisters (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy), a coven of evil witches, the kids must steal the witches’ book of spells to stop them from becoming immortal.
Hocus Pocus has it all: the comedic flair, for both children and adults; the spookiness, the zombie, and witches; and the scariest of all, the real world and children. The musical scene of “I Put a Spell On You” is a timeless bop. It also features an astounding script and tremendous acting. Not to mention, the Sanderson Sisters are iconic― using a vacuum cleaner as a flying broom? Amazing. As Max says, “It’s all a bunch of Hocus Pocus.” This movie gets 5 out of 5 spooky pumpkins.
- Halloweentown (1998)
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A classic! Marnie Cromwell (Kimberly J. Brown) and her siblings follow their grandma Agatha (Debbie Reynolds) to her home, Halloweentown, and are shocked to find out that they come from a family of witches. On Marnie’s 13th birthday, she finds out that she is a witch as well, and that she and her family have to fight against the evil that is threatening to take over the world.
Halloweentown deserves 5 out of 5 spooky pumpkins too. It’s about a halloween town. What more can you ask for? This Halloween adventure is mostly pure entertainment, but the storyline does include some valuable messages. Compared to other tween-targeted productions, this Disney feature is downright wholesome with a hint of spookiness.
- Twitches (2005)
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Twitches is about previously separated twin sisters Alexandra Fielding (Tia Mowry) and Camryn Barnes (Tamera Mowry) who are reunited on their 21st birthday. Now, they have to use their magic powers to save their kingdom from dark forces.
This movie’s script is quirky and smart, and the magical effects are so clean. The plot and the characters’ diverse backgrounds help make the concept of twin witches seem real. Coventry seems like the new Hogwarts to me! It’s memorable, creative, spooky, and portrays the timeless message that good will always triumph over evil. I give this movie 5 out of 5 spooky pumpkins.
- Haunted Mansion (2003)
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Jim Evers (Eddie Murphy), a workaholic real estate agent, takes his wife and kids on a family vacation, but first, they stop at a mansion that Jim has been asked to sell. Little do they know, the mansion is haunted by the ghosts of its former inhabitants, and the family has to work together to break the curse that keeps them there.
Eddie Murphy was at his comedic peak here. Haunted Mansion is a hilarious movie that actually freaks you out. It doesn’t have everything I was looking for but it shows that families aren’t picture perfect and how, in the end, their love for each other is what matters the most. Not to mention, it’s centered around a Black family, which is always refreshing to see. 4 out of 5 spooky pumpkins!
- Halloweentown High (2004)
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In this Halloweentown sequel, Marnie organizes a student exchange program between her mortal school and the Halloweentown High School, causing magical and real worlds to collide.
Although Halloweentown High isn’t very scary, it has a sweet lesson, and explains that everyone should be accepted for who they are, despite their individual differences, and embrace what makes them unique. However, Mr. Ryan Evans (Lucas Gabreel) from High School Musical playing the warlock assistant-to-the-bad-guy was kind of a downer. 4 out of 5 spooky pumpkins for this one.
- Return to Halloweentown (2006)
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In this movie, Marnie (Sara Paxton) and her new best friend Aneesa (Summer Bishil) arrive at the Halloweentown University, known to everyone as Witch U. The pair finds themselves getting into all kinds of magical mayhem.
With refreshing scenes, magical elements, and a diverse cast of characters, Return to Halloweentown isn’t too bad. However, the original actress that played Marnie was replaced by another one, which really gets a minus 4 spooky pumpkins for this alone. Also, I would have liked to know more about grandma Aggie and Marnie’s sister Sophia, but college life in Halloweentown was fun to see. Overall, 3 out of 5 spooky pumpkins.
- Twitches Too (2007)
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Twin witches Alexandra and Camryn are back in this Twitches sequel, working together to strengthen their magic powers and defeat evil once again.
Even though the original actress portraying the witches’ protector Ileana (Jennifer Robertson) was replaced with another actress (Leslie Seiler), Twitches Too is a decent sequel― the Disney nostalgia is always a plus, and the magical effects are always nice to see. On the other hand, the love interest subplots are unnecessary and they take away from the movie’s overall plot. I give this one a 3 out of 5 spooky pumpkins.
- Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge (2001)
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In this movie, an angry warlock steals a magic spell book and plans to permanently turn humans into whatever costume they’re wearing for Halloween when the clock strikes midnight, so Marnie and company have to get the book back and save everyone.
I have to admit, this is the worst Halloweentown movie. The spooky theme was present, but it didn’t impress, and the gray setting of the movie, which was caused by a spell, took away from it. Additionally, Kal, the son of the original Halloweentown villain Kalabar, was too similar to his father and didn’t bring anything original to the table. Some scenes were so boring that I skipped through them, so this one gets a 2 out of 5 spooky pumpkins.
- Now You See It… (2005)
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This movie follows a TV contest to find the world’s best young magician. Danny Sinclair (Johnny Pacar) is one of three finalists, and, alongside producer Allyson Miller (Aly Michalka), will do whatever it takes to win.
Other than the iconic “Do You Believe In Magic” cover by musical duo Aly and AJ, Now You See It… is far from magical. The concept is a great one, but it was poorly executed. Even though the spooky elements were present, the magic tricks fell short and left me hanging. I wasn’t a big fan of the documentary filming style of the movie either. 2 out of 5 spooky pumpkins for this one too.
- Mom’s Got a Date with a Vampire (2000)
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This movie revolves around the Hansen kids and the mischief they get into when they become suspicious of their mom’s boyfriend, who they think is a vampire.
The early 2000s vibes are strong in this one. The spooky elements were great, but the rest… not. It’s predictable and cliché. Overall, Mom’s Got a Date with a Vampire is so bad that it’s good, but I’m giving it 1 out of 5 spooky pumpkins.
No matter how bad old Disney Channel Halloween films can get, the overall sense of familiarity improves the quality of the movies. They hold up to this day because of the nostalgia they bring to us― the older they are, the better! Personally, marathoning these movies made my Halloween.
Whether you watch them alone or with your friends or family, these movies make you feel at home. They bring people of all ages together, and they motivate you to stick together and put family first. No matter how bad things get, if a vampire tries to get your mom, if a witch tries to eat you, or if a ghost dragon tries to kill you, stick with your family and love will prevail. In the spookiest of times, always remember you are loved.