There’s a chill in the air. The days are getting shorter. The trees are growing sparse. That’s right: it’s terror time again. Halloween is almost upon us, which means it’s time to get into a spooky mood. Now, I know what you’re thinking: “How can I possibly get into the Halloween spirit when I have all of these responsibilities weighing me down?” Have no fear. I have the perfect remedy for you: escapism. Let’s just take a moment and look back at a few Halloween films that will have you feeling like a kid again.
Hocus Pocus
On October 31, 1690 three Sanderson sisters, Winifred (Bette Midler), Mary (Kathy Najimy), and Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker), were hanged after the disappearance of Thackary Binx (Sean Murray, Jason Marsden) and his sister, Emily (Amanda Shepherd). Before their deaths, they decree that they shall return one Halloween night when a virgin lights the black flame candle. Enter Max Dennison (Omri Katz), a virgin with something to prove to his crush, Allison (Vinessa Shaw). After Max lights the black flame candle, the witches terrorize the city of Salem once again — and set their eyes on Max’s little sister, Dani (Thora Birch).
Hocus Pocus is actually a cult film; while it didn’t do well at the box office (thanks in part to a July release date), the movie has become a perennial fan-favorite thanks to numerous Halloween reruns. Midler, Najimy, and Parker’s antics never get old. It’s also filled to the brim with innuendo — take a shot every time the word “virgin” comes up — making it the perfect movie to revisit this Fall.
Streaming On: Disney Plus, Hulu, Various
Halloweentown
Halloweentown stars Kimberly J. Brown (who regularly posts references to the film on her TikTok) as Marnie Piper, a young girl who’s obsessed with Halloween, much to the annoyance of her mother, Gwen (Judith Hoag). When Marnie’s Grandma Aggie (the late Debbie Reynolds) comes to visit, Marnie discovers she’s a witch. Alongside her brother Dylan (Joey Zimmerman) and her sister Sophie (Emily Roeske, who also posts references to the movie on her TikTok), she follows Aggie into the magical land of Halloweentown, where magical creatures live together in peace.
Halloweentown has always been one of Disney Channel’s better movies and with its 25th anniversary this year, it’s become a bonafide Halloween classic. It’s incredibly cheesy (the creatures in the movie are represented by actors in Halloween costumes), which just might have you feeling some of your old childhood joy.
Streaming On: Disney Plus, Prime Video
The Monster Squad
Sean Crenshaw (Andre Gower) is the leader of a group of children calling themselves the Monster Squad: a fan club for Universal’s iconic horror monsters. When Sean comes into possession of a magical amulet that determines the balance of good and evil for the next century, he and the rest of the Monster Squad must defeat their favorite villains and save the world.
The Monster Squad has all the groovy ghouls: the Wolfman, the Gill-man, the Mummy, and Dracula, of course. This is another flick that you might appreciate more as an adult — but there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
Streaming On: Free on YouTube, Available for purchase or with subscription on Paramount Plus and various other platforms
The Littlest Vampire
The Littlest Vampire stars Jonathan Lipnicki, fresh off of Stuart Little. Lipnicki is a young American boy named Tommy who’s forced to relocate to Scotland when his father (Tommy Hinkley) is hired to tend a golf course. Although Tony now lives in a castle, he finds himself bereft of friendship and haunted by strange nightmares about vampires and a comet. When Tony meets Rudolph (Rollo Weeks), a real vampire, Tony becomes involved in a supernatural war for the vampires.
The Littlest Vampire is another one of those films that used to air all the time for Halloween. Sadly, the film’s been somewhat forgotten. It’s a fun little adventure for the family — especially if you have small children who want to get into the Halloween spirit, too.
Streaming On: YouTube, Prime Video, Various
Casper
Casper stars a young Christina Ricci as Kat Harvey, a girl whose father, James (Bill Pullman), continually moves them around the country in order to find evidence of ghosts and reconnect with his deceased wife (Amy Brenneman). The two finally end up finding a real haunted house — unfortunately, it’s haunted by Stretch (Joe Nipote), Fatso (Brad Garrett), and Stinkie (Joe Alasky). Fortunately, it’s also haunted by Casper (Malachi Pearson, Devon Sawa), a friendly ghost who takes a shine towards Kat.
Every aspect of the film — the CGI, the costuming, its sensibilities — screams ’90s-family-flick. It’s exactly the type of heartwarming but low-stakes Halloween movie you need to unwind while still feeling the spirit.
Streaming On: Prime Video
Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island
Mystery Inc. has gone its separate ways. Fred is a cameraman (Frank Welker) working on Daphne’s (the late Mary Kay Bergman) own morning show (Coast to Coast With Daphne Blake). Velma (B.J. Ward) has opened her own occult bookshop. Shaggy (Billy West) and Scooby-Doo (Scott Innes) bounce from job to job. When Fred suggests the gang reunite for a special on ghosts for Daphne’s show, the group bounces at the idea. Unfortunately, their journey takes them deep into the Louisiana bayou, where they encounter a horde of real zombies seemingly bent on their destruction.
Scooby-Doo had had “real” monsters before, but Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island kicked the franchise up a notch. Even today, it’s regarded as one of the best in the franchise. And it spawned a line of direct-to-video films that still hold up (you should also check out Scooby-Doo and the Witch’s Ghost!).
Streaming On: YouTube, Prime Video, Various
Monster House
Written by Rob Schrab, Pamela Pettler, and Dan Harmon of Community fame, Monster House is a quirky film about a boy, DJ (Mitchel Musso), who spends his days spying on his cranky old neighbor, Nebbercracker (Steve Buscemi). Nebbercracker is incredibly territorial about his home, and with Halloween coming up, he seems more on edge than ever. When he’s sent away to the hospital, however, his house appears to be continuing his nefarious streak. With the help of his friend Chowder (Sam Lerner) and Jenny (Spencer Locke), DJ sets out to get to the bottom of the story.
Monster House is a movie that didn’t receive the attention it deserved when it was released in 2006, but years of reruns and second-watches have yielded great results. Take a look. It may surprise you.
Streaming On: Hulu, YouTube, Various
Twitches
Based on a book series by H. B. Gilmour and Randi Reisfeld, Tia and Tamera Mowry starred as Alexandra Fielding and Camryn Barnes, twins who were separated at birth. Upon their reunification, the two discover that they’re actually witches and Princesses of the mystical land of Coventry. On the twins’ 21st birthday, Halloween night, they must come together and defeat the Darkness that threatens to swallow them.
Spurred on by the success of Halloweentown, Disney Channel would frequently convert its channel into a haven for Halloween every October. Twitches spawned a sequel, Twitches Too, which means it’s time for a movie marathon.
Streaming On: Disney Plus
Cry Baby Lane
Andrew (Jase Blankfort) and older brother Carl (Trey Rogers) enjoy listening to the town’s undertaker, Mr. Bennett (Frank Langella) tell spooky stories. One night, he tells them the tale of a local farmer whose wife gave birth to conjoined twins. One of the twins was evil, and the other good. Ashamed, the farmer locked his children away until they died. He then separated and buried them in different locations. When Andrew and Carl intrude on one of their graves, people around town become possessed, and the only way to put things right is by putting the twins to rest.
Cry Baby Lane is nostalgic not because of the prominence of its actual content, but because of the urban legends surrounding it. Children everywhere were convinced that Cry Baby Lane was banned because it was just too dark, violent, and scary. In reality, Nickelodeon claims that they simply forgot about the existence of the movie. Now that it’s been found, it’s more-or-less your typical Nick fare. Maybe. Are you too chicken to find out?
Streaming On: YouTube
The Nightmare Before Christmas
When Jack (Danny Elfman) grows tired of his Halloween antics, which he’s engaged in year after year, he discovers a door to Christmastown and discovers the story of “Sandy Claws” (Ed Ivory) and decides that his new purpose is to spread Christmas cheer.
I know where this entry is headed. It’s controversial to categorize The Nightmare Before Christmas as anything in particular. “It’s a Christmas movie!” “It’s meant for Halloween!” Jack Skellington IS the Pumpkin King! He may have tried to culturally appropriate Christmas, but he’s still the king of Halloweentown! It’s Halloween, the time for goodwill towards men. It’s time we came to the agreement The Nightmare Before Christmas is a Christmas AND Halloween movie. It’s time to forget the debate and watch a damn good movie.
Streaming On: Disney Plus, YouTube, Prime Video
