Everyone knows that every day in October is Halloween. Why not spend the rest of your favorite holiday revisiting all your childhood Halloween movie favorites (it’s been a long time since last year) with a giant bowl of candy and plenty of hot apple cider? Here are 15 of the most unforgettable flicks.
1. Hocus Pocus
Walt Disney Pictures
This 1993 Halloween classic starring Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker as three Salem witches known as the Sanderson sisters is nothing short of a masterpiece. And after much fanfare and what many viewers thought was an "unequivocal no," and while you're at it, check out the sequel, too!
Where to watch: Disney+
2. Halloweentown
Disney Channel
How much did you want to be Marnie as a child? Maybe the better question is: how much do you still want to be Marnie as an adult? While Debbie Reynolds may never be our grandma, and we may never be able to find the portal from The Mortal World to Halloweentown, at least we can travel there once a year, though the Disney Channel Original Movie. And then we can return again, and again, and again through the second, third, and fourth installments of the Halloweentown series (which admittedly vary in quality).
Where to watch: Disney+
3. Twitches
Disney Channel
Twitches is everything you ever wanted out of a Halloween movie. The Disney Channel Original Movie follows twin witches (get it?) Alex and Camryn, played by Tia and Tamera Mowry, as they reconnect after being separated at birth on Halloween, discover their powers, and return to save their magical homeland of Coventry. In case you finish the movie and immediately think, "Why can’t I watch Tia and Tamera Mowry play twin witches for another hour and twenty minutes?" — and this will be your first thought — just bust out the sequel, Twitches Too.
Where to watch: Disney+
4. Mom’s Got a Date with a Vampire
Disney
This Disney Channel Original Movie stars Caroline Rhea (Sabrina’s aunt) as Lynette Hansen, a single mom of three kids who gets set up on a date with a vampire. Her children band together and team up with Van Helsing to save her. And if you missed this one the first time around, yes, it is exactly as ridiculous as it sounds.
Where to watch: Disney+
5. Casper
Universal Pictures
Casper stars Bill Pullman as a single dad and ghost therapist. If that wasn’t enough to convince you to watch this again, I don’t know what will. But Casper also stars young Christina Ricci as Kat, a girl who lost her mother and befriends Casper the friendly ghost. If you also want a taste of the hot garbage your parents sat through with you when you were a child, rent the 1998 spin-off, Casper Meets Wendy, starring a pre-Lizzie McGuire Hilary Duff.
Where to watch: Netflix
6. Don’t Look Under the Bed
Disney Channel
Don't Look Under the Bed might have been the only Disney movie that ever actually scared the crap out of you — and it had the PG rating to prove it. You definitely grew out of your imaginary friend stage after seeing The Boogeyman torment Frances.
Where to watch: Disney+
7. The Addams Family
Orion Pictures
The 1991 Addams Family movie introduced the most lovable and creepiest American family to a new generation. It’s worth the re-watch for the casting alone, with Angelica Houston as Morticia, Raúl Juliá as Gomez, Christopher Lloyd as Uncle Fester, and Christina Ricci as Wednesday. In this case, it’s totally fair to skip the sequel, Addams Family Values.
Where to watch: Paramount+
8. The Witches
Warner Bros. Pictures
The 1990 adaptation of The Witches, based on Roald Dahl’s children’s novel of the same name, holds up well in adulthood. The movie was produced by The Jim Henson Company and directed by Nicolas Roeg. Anjelica Houston plays the child murdering Grand High Witch, who is unforgettably unmasked.
Where to watch: Rent on Prime Video
9. Tower of Terror
Walt Disney Pictures
Before Pirates of the Caribbean, there was Tower of Terror—the first Disney film based on one of their theme park attractions. The film stars Kirsten Dunst as Anna Petterson, who helps her down-on-his-luck newspaper editor uncle, Buzzy, find stories to pitch to a supermarket tabloid. Buzzy and Anna uncover a string of haunted hotel elevator deaths beginning on Halloween of 1939. The made-for-TV movie might have a 53 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes (and that’s from some jaded audience members; critics didn’t even bother), but it will always be Certified Fresh in our hearts.
Where to watch: YouTube
10. The Haunted Mansion
Walt Disney Pictures
If you put Eddie Murphy in a children’s movie, there’s a 100 percent chance children will think that movie is amazing. But The Haunted Mansion is also amazing when you’re an adult. The 2003 film was the fourth movie based on a Disney theme park attraction and follows Jim Evers (Murphy) as a workaholic real estate agent who takes his wife and two children to a haunted mansion for vacation. Predictably, ghostly high jinks ensue.
Where to watch: Disney+
11. When Good Ghouls Go Bad
Fox Family Channel
This 2001 TV movie, based on an R.L. Stine book, is really only worth watching for Christopher Lloyd as affable zombie Uncle Fred, who has a love of Halloween powerful enough to come back from the dead. But really, isn’t that reason enough?
Where to watch: YouTube
12. Under Wraps
Disney Channel
Under Wraps doesn’t star anyone particularly notable. The plot about 12-year-old kids finding a friendly mummy, naming him Harold, and running around town with him is a little thin. But Under Wraps is the movie we have to thank for all the other amazing Disney Channel Original Movies since it was the first. Without Under Wraps, there wouldn’t be a Halloweentown. So thank you for being moderately successful and kind of watchable, Under Wraps.
Where to watch: YouTube
13. Teen Witch
MGM
Teen Witch was originally pitched as a female version of Teen Wolf, so what could go wrong? The 1989 teen fantasy comedy regularly aired on ABC Family’s 13 Nights of Halloween, but honestly, it could air on ABC Family every day and be better than most of their programming.
Robyn Lively stars as nerdy 15-year-old Louise Miller, who discovers her magical powers at 16 with the help of Madame Serena (Zelda Rubinstein). Then she does what every 16-year-old witch would do—she becomes the most popular girl in school, dates the hottest guy (spoiler: this is the least sexy movie ever), and gets back at her English teacher and some mean cheerleaders. The ending sucks because she relinquishes her powers for the magic of life (ugh), but at least Teen Witch gave us the most amazing scene in the history of film — top that!
Where to watch: Tubi
14. Mr. Boogedy
Disney
Mr. Boogedy may be campy as heck by today’s standards, but it’s also absolutely delightful. The film follows the Davis family, who move to a small town to start their magic and prank shop. The only problem? Their house is haunted by the ghost of a colonial baddie known as Mr. Boogedy.
Where to watch: Disney+
15. ParaNorman
Focus Features
If you were a gay kid who grew up with the stop-motion animation masterpiece ParaNorman, you were very lucky. Not only is it the perfect balance of fun and spooky, but at its core, it also tells a lovely story about acceptance and love. Plus, it actually features a gay character — gasp!
Where to watch: Rent on Prime Video
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