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A staple in Halloween tradition is Disney’s Hocus Pocus. The Sanderson Sisters have been spellbinding since the film’s release in 1993, making the film a classic no one saw coming. It’s become a cultural phenomenon that rears its head as early as possible following the summer months. With the sequel arriving exclusively for streaming on Disney+ on September 30, fans are eagerly awaiting to see if this sequel will proudly carry on the original film’s legacy or will it have dug itself a grave too deep for the witches to dig themselves out of.
While audiences wait out the summer for the fall premiere, there are several other Disney Channel Original Movies for the Halloween season that now go hand-in-hand with Hocus Pocus. These films were released in the late ’90s to early 2000s. It’s never too early to start the spooky season with a hefty dose of nostalgia and corny scares. Any combination of these films would air in the prime-time Disney Channel time slot on any given weeknight or weekend from late September until Halloween.
‘Mom’s Got a Date With a Vampire’ (2000)
A lengthy title doesn’t stop this film from being the perfect DCOM to stream during the season. When a brother and sister are grounded, preventing them from attending the harvest festival, they set their mom up on a date with a handsome surgeon only to realize he’s a vampire.
With established adult actors like Caroline Rhea (Sabrina the Teenage Witch), Charles Shaughnessy (The Nanny), and Lizzie McGuire‘s Robert Carradine, Mom’s Got a Date With a Vampire had enough recognizable names for parents to sit with their kids at 8 pm EST/ 7 pm CST for a DCOM. The movie is a quick 83 minutes, featuring dated special effects and a cheesy musical number. You can find this film for streaming on Disney+ or for rental/purchase on Amazon Prime.
‘Can of Worms’ (1999)
A tale from outer space, Can of Worms was a fan favorite and featured in the regular Halloween lineup for Disney Channel. After broadcasting a message to space in a plea to escape Earth, a teen never expected the aliens actually to show up. A quick 84 minutes in runtime, this film screamed low-budget sci-fi but fit the bill for young viewers and a Halloween sleepover.
To find its lead, Disney would pull a voice actor from one of its most popular shows, Recess. Michael Shulman, who voiced a regular supporting character Francis the Hustler Kid, would star as Mike Pilsbury, the teen wanting to leave his life on Earth. Like many DCOM movies, Can of Worms is a coming-of-age tale that works well for a Disney-Halloween nostalgic rewatch on Disney+ or Amazon Prime.
‘Phantom of the Megaplex’ (2000)
With a guest-starring role for Hollywood legend Mickey Rooney, Phantom of the Megaplex flies under the radar regarding memorable DCOMs. A special movie premiere is set to take over the megaplex, but mysterious and eerie occurrences keep happening as a teen worker and his young siblings try to solve a spooky whodunit case.
Is it the best Halloween movie? No, but it is worth watching. To make a case for this one, the film is only 89 minutes in runtime and dredges up another level of nostalgia to a time in late ’90s movie theaters — a time when you couldn’t preorder your tickets and snacks and when moviegoers had to arrive early to wait in a long line for an awaited premiere night. Phantom of the Megaplex is available for streaming on Disney+ and for rental/purchase on Amazon Prime.
‘Don’t Look Under the Bed’ (1999)
Probably one of Disney’s darker Halloween movies, Don’t Look Under the Bed plays into a child’s nightmare of the boogeyman under the bed. In this ’90s DCOM, the boogeyman is framing a teen girl for pranks he is pulling all over town and school. To stop him, she enlists the help of an imaginary friend to put stop him. Starring as Larry Houdini, the imaginary friend, Ty Hodges, would get his Disney start in this film.
A year later, Hodges would star Larry Beale in the Disney Channel Original Series Even Stevens. Don’t Look Under the Bed brought a family-friendly boogeyman to screen, but actor Steve Valentine‘s colored contacts, pointed teeth, and prickly hair were unnerving. The film even acknowledged the saying, “if you pull the covers over your head, the boogeyman can’t get you,” making it all the more terrifying for younger audience members. This creepy tale can be streamed on Disney+ or rented/purchased on Amazon Prime.
‘Twitches’ (2005) & ‘Twitches Too’ (2007)
Based on a book series by H. B. Gilmour, Disney brought to its viewers a two-movie series that ran back to back every Halloween. Twitches finds two twin sisters separated at birth that find their way back to each other on their 21st birthday to discover that they are witches, heirs to a magical place called Coventry. The beloved DCOM stars sisters Tia Mowry-Hardrict and Tamara Mowry-Housely, who went on to become Disney darlings following its acquisition of the rights to Sister, Sister.
Twitches Too find the witches back a few years later as they try to settle into life after the battle for Coventry. It all goes awry when the girls learn their biological father may not be dead but living in New York. The franchise was arguably one of Disney’s most popular in the early 2000s, coming as a runner-up to Halloweentown. For back-to-back streaming, this pair of DCOMs is available on Disney+ and for rental/purchase on Amazon Prime.
‘The Scream Team’ (2002)
A bit of Ghostbusters and a bit of The Haunted Mansion, DCOM’s The Scream Team features Disney and Hollywood all-stars. Returning to their father’s hometown for a funeral, two kids discover that ghosts really do exist as the town prepares for its Halloween Festival. The film also features a young Kat Dennings alongside Hocus Pocus’ Kathy Najimy and Monty Python‘s Eric Idle. Disney would tap the voice of Oscar Proud, Tommy Davidson, to star in this Halloween tale.
Fitting the usual standard of DCOMs, The Scream Team filled the standard two-hour time slot as the 88-minute runtime was bulked up with commercials and Halloween-special shorts. As a grown-up viewer, revisiting this film will lead you down a rabbit hole as you decide whether to stream Hocus Pocus, The Proud Family, or a Monty Python film next. The Scream Team is available on Disney+ and for rental/purchase on Amazon Prime.
‘Under Wraps’ (1997)
An original DCOM even Disney is trying to forget, Under Wraps from 1997 is the only movie on this list not available on Disney+. A group of young kids discovers they’ve brought a mummy back to life. The trio befriends the ancient creature and races against the clock to get him back to his resting place before Halloween night.
Disney remade the film in 2021, featuring the same plot and same name for the mummy, Harold. The remake appears to have replaced the original on its streaming platform. Before watching the remake, the original can be found on Amazon Prime for rental or purchase.
‘Halloweentown’ (1998 – 2006)
Saving the best for last, Halloweentown has earned iconic stature as a Halloween season is incomplete without streaming one or all of these films. The four-movie franchise follows Marnie Piper (Kimberly J. Brown, Sara Paxton) as she discovers her abilities and heritage as a witch, all while saving the town she loves so much, Halloweentown. Brown would star as Marnie for Halloweentown, Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge, and Halloweentown High. Disney would cast Sara Paxton as Marnie in the final film Return to Halloweentown. Various outlets have conflicting reports on the casting change, but Brown’s exit nonetheless saddened viewers.
The film’s whimsical nature in bringing to life a world wholly dedicated to the holiday resonated with viewers, young audiences anxiously awaiting its return to the airing schedule each fall. The series has a low scare factor, but the atmosphere and the wonder of magic and Halloween keep drawing viewers back year after year. The series is held in high regard by original DCOM fans and is often paired for movie marathoning with Hocus Pocus. Disney+ houses all four films for streaming.
