There’s no end to the Halloween treats to be streamed on Disney Plus this spooky season. After all, Disney might be known for its sugary fairy tales, but in reality the studio has been scaring kids silly for 90 years now —there’s a definite cosmic reason for Walt Disney founding his company in October. The Mouse House’s love of a good scare has continued down the decades, resulting in numerous seasonal favorites D+ subscribers watch year after year.
But, just like Jack Skellington ties of the same old thing, maybe you too are looking for something fresh to frighten you this Halloween. Luckily, the dungeons of Disney Plus are home to numerous gnarly gems that sadly don’t get the attention they deserve, be they forgotten or overlooked classics from Disney’s yesteryear or streaming releases that might’ve slipped you by. Now’s the time to put that right.
Goosebumps (2023)
Considering this reboot of R.L. Stine’s immortal tween horror brand is brand-new, it might be too soon to call it underrated, but given that Disney Plus has become increasingly ruthless with culling its streaming originals mere months after they’ve debuted, it can’t hurt to encourage you to give the new Goosebumps a go to ensure it won’t go the way of Willow by next spring. For those who thought those Jack Black movies were too kiddish but loved Netflix’s Fear Street, this series should really hit the spooky spot.
Muppets Haunted Mansion
2003’s The Haunted Mansion was never that great and 2023’s Haunted Mansion (note the loss of the definite article) sadly passed by as unnoticed as an invisible ghost. But don’t despair, HM fans, as Disney made a third adaptation of the theme park ride in between those two films that might scratch your itch instead. Muppets Haunted Mansion does just what it says on the tin, casting all your favorite Muppets and a smattering of celebs (like Will Arnett, Yvette Nicole Brown, and Darren Criss) as the incorporeal inhabitants of the haunted house. Yes, Muppet ghosts aren’t just for Christmas.
Growing Fangs
If you’ve never caught any of Disney’s Launchpad anthology, a series of short films made by up-and-coming filmmakers from underepresented backgrounds, do yourself a favor and correct that ASAP. A great place to start is with Growing Fangs, a 20-minute supernatural short in which a Mexican-American teen who happens to be a vampire attending a school for monsters has to come clean about herself when her human friend comes to visit. It’s honestly a strong enough concept to support a whole feature. Get on it, Bob!
What If…? “Zombies…?!”
Marvel fans looking for a Halloween hit this October will probably turn to Werewolf by Night (either the black-and-white or colorized version) to satiate their bloodlust. Or maybe the Halloween episode of WandaVision too, at a push. But don’t overlook the other perfect slice of spooky MCU entertainment — What If…‘s gloriously gory zombie apocalypse episode. Remember, a Marvel Zombies spinoff series remains in development at Disney Plus (it’s just taking a while) so this episode should prove integral to the future of the franchise.
Mom’s Got a Date with A Vampire
Looking for another ’90s DCOM (Disney Channel Original Movie) to watch after completing your annual binge of the Halloweentown films (skipping the one without the original Marnie, obviously). Well, then try this one on for size. In Mom’s Got a Date With A Vampire, a lesser-remembered entry in the DCOM oeuvre, two kids must save their mom — Aunt Hilda from Sabrina the Teenage Witch — when they accidentally set her up with a Dracula-type played by Mr. Sheffield from The Nanny. As that sounds, it’s 90 minutes of pure ’90s nostalgia.
Gravity Falls: “Summerween”
All of Gravity Falls fits the bill as a spooky season treat, but if you’re looking to make a quick trip back to the titular Oregon town then why not go for “Summerween,” the show’s own semi-Halloween special. Set on the eponymous Summerween holiday — the people of Gravity Falls love Halloween so much they celebrate it twice a year! — this seriously spooky episode sees Dipper and Mabel face the Summerween Trickster, a child-eating ghoul who could give the Slenderman a run for his money.
Disenchanted
Did the world collectively decide never to mention Disenchanted ever again once it came out in November 2022 and I missed the memo? Sorry if I’m breaking some kind of unwritten rule here then, but call me crazy, I kinda enjoyed the long-awaited follow-up to 2007’s Enchanted, even if it obviously isn’t a patch on the original. With its serious witchy energy, it certainly makes for a perfect Disney Plus original sequel to watch this spooky season, unlike Hocus Pocus 2, which can go die in a ditch.
Return to Oz
The mind forever boggles at the gonzo decision-making that went into the creation of Return to Oz. Over 45 years on from 1939’s beloved The Wizard of Oz, Disney made a special deal with MGM to produce a spiritual sequel to the Judy Garland classic. Given that the original is one of the most Disney-like non-Disney movies ever made, the world assumed we were in for more all-singing, all-dancing enchantment. Instead, the Mouse House decided to return to Oz via a stopover in David Lynch’s dizziest daydreams — one where the heroes are as terrifying to look at as the villains and Dorothy is locked up in an insane asylum by Aunty Em. It really needs to be seen to be believed.
The Simpsons: “Halloween of Horror”
If you’re a Simpsons fan, you’ll no doubt celebrate spooky season with a liberal helping of classic Treehouse of Horror episodes, but while you’re at it, make sure to give this wholly underrated installment from season 27 a try as well. In addition to the traditional ToH special, that year also supplied this delightful regular episode, in which Homer has to stay home while Marge and Bart go trick-or-treating because Lisa’s scared of the spooky trappings. It’s one of the more effective episodes in recent seasons as it’s pretty much the first one for 30 years to remember that Lisa’s only eight years old.
The Adventures Of Ichabod & Mr. Toad
If you’re anything like me, you saw this bizarre package deal of two diametrically opposed short films once when you were a kid and then swiftly wrote it off as some kind of candy-induced Halloween fever dream. While the Wind in the Willow half of this two-pronged feature is much as you would expect, the Sleepy Hollow segment is pure nightmare fuel and, oddly enough, a much darker and more faithful adaptation of the Washington Irving story than the Tim Burton movie. Check it out for the morbid curiosity, although it’s best to send the little ones to bed after Mr. Toad has left the building.
