TOP TEN DISNEY CHANNEL ORIGINAL HALLOWEEN MOVIES OF ALL TIME

 

Welcome Back to Disney! I hope you enjoyed my last post where I created a list of Every Song from The Cheetah Girls: One World, Ranked. I am back this week with a very spooktacular post. Since Halloween is only 3 days away (I know...crazy right?!), I thought it would be fun to rank the Top Ten Disney Channel Original Halloween Movies Of All Time. Halloween on Disney Channel was always a fun and special time of year. I mean I'm sure you all remember Monstober, or for the real Disney Channel OG's out there, Hauntober Fest (as it was previously known as). Basically, if you don't know what Hauntober Fest or Monstober is, it was something Disney Channel would do every October, where they would introduce new Halloween movies and episodes of running Disney Channel original series, along with reruns of old Halloween movies and episodes, every night until the end of the month. They even premiered some Halloween music videos from popular Disney Channel stars themselves, such as "Calling All The Monsters" by China Anne McClain and "Monster Mash" by some of the cast from Shake It Up (Adam Irigoyen, Kenton Duty, and Davis Cleveland). Honestly, I wish they would have done more Halloween themed music videos with the different Disney stars because it would have been fun to rank those, as well. But, those are the only two that I can remember seeing as a teen. 

Just to give you a little more history about this special Halloween marathon event on Disney Channel: Hauntober Fest started in 2005 and ended in 2006. Then there were other names given such as Witches & Wizards Night being featured during 2007 and 2008, Wiztober in 2009, and October Takeover in 2010. Then in 2011 it was officially changed to Monstober (the one that I am most familiar with). However, in 2017 Disney Channel got rid of Monstober and hasn't replaced it with anything else since. But true Disney Channel fans will never forget Monstober and all the classic and iconic movies and episodes that premiered/played during those times. I know I haven't forgotten, and that is why I thought it would be fun to re-watch all of Disney Channel's Halloween movies and list and rank my favorites from least to most favorite. So, that is exactly what I did and part of the reason why I have been MIA these past couple weeks. But, I am back now and I am very excited for you to read this post. Now let's get into the Top Ten Disney Channel Original Halloween Movies Of All Time!

 

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Also, just one more thing before we begin, I just want to give a huge shout out to Now You See It because although it wasn't Halloween enough for this list, it's still a must-watch DCOM and one of my all time favorites that I recently just re-watched again after having not seen it in a very long time. As I was re-watching it, it brought back so many memories of when I watched it for the first time when it premiered on Disney Channel and I was reminded of how much I love this movie. Therefore, I wanted to include it somewhere on my blog and I felt this was the perfect time to do so. I won't go into any more detail about why I love it so much, just go stream it now and you will understand why:) Now let's get into it!

(from last to first)....

#10 Twitches Too (2007)

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This movie has never really been my favorite out of the two Twitches movies and although I put it last on this list it's still a must-watch Disney Channel Halloween movie and still deserved a spot on this list. This movie just took what was established in the first one but with love interests, more magic, crowns, castles, and a little more in-depth look into Coventry. This movie came two years after the first and focused on the twins' return to Coventry where they have to help save their biological father from the Shadowlands by defeating the forces of evil again, once and for all. For their powers are stronger than ever. I like this movie but I feel like it is a little more boring than the first. I do love that it showed Alex in college, because you never really get to see characters go to college in other Disney Channel movies. So, although I liked seeing the follow-up of each of the characters' lives (including Karsh and Illeana), this is not my most favorite Disney Channel Halloween movie for that reason, because it was just that, a follow-up. But, still don't get me wrong this is still a must-watch Halloween movie just for the drama and mystery and it's funny at times, too. Overall, I would have liked it more if they had given more of a glimpse into Coventry and that whole magical universe. They always talk about it, but are never really there. As I always feel like something is missing throughout this whole movie when I watch it and I feel like that is why.

#9 Invisible Sister (2015) 

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This is the last Disney Channel Original Halloween movie that I saw premiere on the channel, because after 2017 I was too old to be watching newer Disney and it wasn't as appealing to me anymore. Plus, I am sure this was like the last good Halloween movie Disney Channel premiered anyways, in my opinion. I really love the message of this movie which is the biggest reason why it made it on this list. This is also a great movie for siblings to watch, especially if you have a sister (which I have two sisters, so it's perfect to watch with them). This movie shows exactly what can happen when a science project really goes wrong. As this movie is all about an introverted, teenage science genius (Cleo) who accidentally makes her sister disappear. Then the rest of the movie is a race-against-the-clock adventure to reverse the experiment gone wrong before the effects become permanent. This is one of those perfect family-friendly Halloween movies that isn't too scary. This Halloween movie is also one of the more relatable ones because Cleo is a so-called "science geek" and an outsider at her school, where she is constantly being compared to her much more outgoing, older and popular sister Molly. I'm sure a lot of people can relate to Cleo in one way or another. I have never felt compared or overshadowed by my older sister or even younger sister but I can relate to Cleo in that I am more of an introvert and shy and have felt like an outsider before. When Molly becomes invisible, Cleo is forced to pose as her sister while simultaneously trying to find a cure. Along the way the sisters learn more about each other (being that although Cleo feels invisible among Molly, Molly tells Cleo that she envies Cleo's genius because she knows her popularity is fleeting) and they form a much closer bond. In the end, Cleo learns that there's a fine line between visible and invisible and starts to appreciate that. The sister relationship being the center of this film is why I love it so much and what makes it one of the most endearing Halloween movies to watch this season. It also gives off just enough Halloween vibes for me, especially with Cleo's cute Dorothy costume.  Overall, this movie is just a sweet story all about sisterhood and confidence, which I love.

#8 Twitches (2005) 

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When I was younger I probably would have ranked this movie a lot higher on this list because for the longest time the only Disney Channel Halloween movies that I watched were this movie and the Halloweentown movies. But now after re-watching this movie years later it's not my most favorite, but it's still a favorite and a must-watch Disney Channel Halloween movie. I mean it's the movie that brought us the catchphrase "Go twitches, Go twitches". I feel like I might have ranked this movie a little higher than the previous one just because of all the nostalgia it brings me. I love the whole concept of twin witches, although I don't believe in witchcraft or wizardry, I still love to watch this movie from time to time and if you're looking for a not so scary Halloween movie I would recommend this one to you because it's not as bad as some other Halloween movies I know. I've seen this movie way too many times to count, so maybe that's also why I ranked it a little lower on this list. Having said that, this movie has the familiar charm of the Mowry sisters (Sister, Sister anyone?), but with magic. This movie is just iconic from their catchphrase, to their necklaces (I mean I'm sure I tried to find a crescent moon necklace just like Alex's when I was younger just because of this movie), to even the background music that plays in the movie (I mean..hello.."Rush" from Aly & AJ....ICONIC). I also like how the twins meet in this movie just like they did in their 90's sitcom Sister, Sister. In this movie, the two girls Alex and Camryn discover, first of all, that they are twin sisters that were separated at birth and secondly that they have magical powers. They then use these magical powers to try and save their family and home. The overall plot of this story is just very cute and fun and a classic must-watch Halloween movie. Basically, if you love(d) Sister, Sister, then you will also love this movie because again it's the same thing just with magic added. 

#7 Girl vs. Monster (2012) 

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This is another one of my favorite Disney Channel Original Halloween movies. Well, mainly because of the music. But, I also love the message of this film. It's basically like a Halloween musical. Okay...not really...but kind of. I was actually going to put Twitches above this movie just because it came before it and I watched it way more as a kid, but then I thought well as a teen I loved this movie a lot too and it has music, and you know me, any movie that has music I love. So, that is why I decided to put this before the other movies I previously mentioned. If you haven't seen this movie it's basically about a fifth generation monster hunter, Skylar (Olivia Holt), that came to find out the night before Halloween that she is from a lineage of monster hunters and she therefore is one herself. Skylar's Halloween plans (singing with her crush Ryan and his band) go south when she accidentally releases all the monsters her parents previously captured. Now she must get them back before it's too late. She enlists the help of her friends to help defeat Deimata, the monster who is determined to get rid of Skylar before she can continue her family's tradition. Therefore, a teenage girl (Skylar) who usually isn't afraid of anything suddenly becomes afraid and must overcome her fear and capture the monster and save her friends and family in the process. I love the whole vibe and setting of this movie, the message, and the songs. I love how relatable it is. Not the monster hunting part, but the fear part. Well, getting rid of her monsters is kind of a metaphor for getting rid of her fears, so I guess it's the same thing. The overall message of this movie is all about overcoming one's fears and trusting one another, because although Skylar ended up overcoming her fear she still couldn't fully defeat and capture Deimata until she gained her parents' trust, because Deimata was feeding off of Skylar's parents' fears about their daughter's safety. The cast is also great in this movie and anything that this movie might be lacking, the music makes up for all of that.

#6 Return to Halloweentown (2006)

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When it comes to the Halloweentown franchise this is my third favorite out of all the four movies. I feel like a lot of people hate on this movie just because of the change in casting of the main character Marnie. But, if you get over that part, this movie is actually not so bad. Maybe I say this just because I have fond memories watching the premiere of this movie when I was a kid, but I honestly do think it's a great Halloween movie. Like I said before, I still remember watching this the first time it premiered on the Disney channel, and although I too was a little disappointed at first that Marnie wasn't being played by the same person from the first three movies, I got over that real quick and still enjoyed the movie for what it was. I was a fan of both of the girls that portrayed Marnie because I knew them from other movies (I mean...hello...Aquamarine anyone?) and they each brought something unique and different to the role. I am just glad we still get to see all the other side characters from the other three films and we get to see new ones as well in this movie. Although, I did wish they had shown Aggie (Marnie's grandma) a little more in this movie like they did in the others. Oh, and Sophie, Marnie's little sister. That was really the only thing I didn't like about this movie. Having said all that, this movie is fun to watch because it focuses on Marnie and her brother Dylan as they attend Witch University in Halloweentown, which again I really like the college aspect of this movie. Of course, it's not long that Marnie's there before mayhem ensues at Witch U (ha..that rhymes). This is definitely a must-watch Disney Channel Original Halloween movie, especially if you enjoy watching all the other movies from the Halloweentown franchise. Although, I would have loved to see the original Marnie from the first three Halloweentown movies, I still enjoy(ed) watching the new Marnie in this movie because it gives it like a fresh, new beginning even though this movie was and is the end of the franchise. I also always loved the part of this movie when the Jesse McCartney song, "Right Where You Want Me", played in the background during the broom flying scene. That part always makes me feel the most nostalgic for some reason. 

#5 Halloweentown High (2004) 

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This is my second favorite movie out of all the Halloweentown movies. This movie definitely gives you all the Halloween/fall vibes. I love the whole high school setting of this movie. I don't know why, but I just really love the feeling this movie gives me every time I watch it. This is the third installment of the Halloweentown franchise and in this movie Marnie is starting a new school year and convinces the Halloweentown Council to let Halloweentown students attend school in the mortal world, because she wants Halloweentown and the Council to work towards more openness between the mortal world and the magical world of Halloweentown. The Council, although initially apprehensive about her idea, ends up agreeing to it. But, if something goes wrong before midnight on Halloween, and Marnie ends up not being right about the whole situation, her entire family will lose their powers because she mistakenly bet all the Cromwell magic that her plan will work. I will not give away any spoilers to what ends up happening if you haven't seen it yet, but I highly suggest you go stream this movie on Halloween or even now because it's highly entertaining and a Halloween classic. I mean what's more interesting and fun to watch than a bunch of monsters doing everyday normal things like going to school, going to the mall, etc. Also, gotta love the broom scene in this movie. 

#4 Under Wraps (1997)

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This was actually one of the first Disney Channel Original Halloween movies that I watched this month with my sisters. I have actually only seen this movie twice, which is kind of crazy, now that I think about it. The first time I watched this movie was back in 2016 when Disney Channel was doing that "100 DCOMS movie marathon event" for the upcoming premiere of their 100th DCOM Adventures in Babysitting. As I decided then, to watch all the DCOMs in order starting from this movie, because this was the very first DCOM ever released on the Disney channel. I was going to rank this much higher (at like at least #2) on my list before I watched all the other Disney Channel Original Halloween movies. But, now that I've seen them all, I ultimately feel that this movie belongs at #4. I love this movie because..well...first of all, it came out the year that I was born, so that's pretty cool. It also makes me feel kind of sad at certain moments but overall very happy and it even has some funny parts, as well. This movie is definitely the most "edgiest" Disney Channel Halloween movie due to some of the comments made in it, but I feel like it is also one of the more real ones because of that. This is the type of movie people talk about when they say, "They don't make movies like this anymore", because Disney Channel certainly has not ever made another movie like this one. I really love the friend group dynamic in this movie as well as the mother/son relationship. This movie follows three 12-year old best friends as they discover a sacrophagus (had to look that one up, lol) with a living mummy inside. They take the friendly mummy home before learning that if they don't return him to his sacrophagus by midnight, he will disappear forever. This movie is fun to watch because of Harold (the mummy) getting into all the hijinks, which is always funny and a delight to watch. Harold just reminds me of a cute little puppy dog in this movie. This is definitely an older feel Disney movie, which I love. If you also love 90's shows and movies, well this gives you all the 90's feels and of course all the Halloween/fall vibes. The only reason I ranked this movie a little lower than some of the others on this list is just because of a couple of comments that I didn't really like that were said in the movie. But other than those, I really still do like this movie for Halloween/fall. It's a great, classic Halloween movie. Also, after watching this movie you may or may not have the song "All By Myself" stuck in your head the rest of the night or day, whenever you watch this movie. 

#3 Mom's Got A Date With A Vampire (2000) 

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I really love this movie. It's definitely one of my most favorites, as you can tell because it made it to the top 3 on this list. I actually used to be a little creeped out by this movie when I was younger, but I just recently re-watched this movie and I'm so glad I did because I really fell in love with this movie and it's actually not scary at all. Of course, I love the whole vampire aspect of this movie and the concept of the mom dating a vampire. I also really love the sibling relationships in this movie and the parent/kids relationship. But this movie also had some very deep, positive messages throughout it which I never noticed before and made this movie stand out to me. This movie is all about two teens that get grounded and are determined to get their mother a date so she can get out of the house. Of course so they can sneak out unnoticed and do what they initially planned on doing for Halloween. However, when their younger brother realizes that the charming stranger that their mom is going on a date with is a vampire who wants to place their mom under his spell, then of course hijinks ensue and the kids join forces with a vampire hunter to help save their mother. This movie also has some very familiar faces with the dad from Lizzie McGuire in a very different role as the vampire hunter and the lady from Sabrina The Teenage Witch as the mom. This is just another classic Halloween must-watch that still holds up today. Like I said before, I was never the biggest fan of this movie when I was younger, but now after watching it again after so long, I'm going to be sure to watch this movie every Halloween/fall because I love it so much. Plus, I love the early 2000s vibes this movie gives off. 

#2 Phantom of the Megaplex (2000)

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This is another great early 2000s movie. I love, love, love this movie. Although this movie premiered in November and doesn't give off the most Halloween vibes, it's still Halloween movie gold just because of it's haunting, mysterious theme. I love that this movie takes place at a movie theater. I mean really, throughout the whole movie they are at a movie theater, which just brings up fond memories in and of itself for me. As I used to go to the movies all the time as a kid/teen and watching this movie brings back all of those movie theater feels. This movie actually made me want to work at a movie theater when I watched it once. But, I'm over that now. Lol. But for real, this movie is everything. It retells a classic horror story. It's like Scooby Doo meets Phantom of the Opera. This movie is about a 17-year-old boy who gets a job at a movie theater and takes his job very seriously, only then to experience a series of weird events on the night of a major movie premiere. Pete has to then work extra hard with his siblings help to get to the bottom of these strange happenings at the theater. I just love everything about this movie. I love the cast, the sibling relationship, just everything. This is another Halloween movie I make sure to watch at least once every year, especially this time of year. I've seen this movie so many times and it never gets old. My Halloween movie list would not be complete without this movie. It makes you feel all the emotions but mostly happy emotions as there are some pretty funny parts in this movie, as well. Overall, this movie is just a fun, lighthearted story that creates a fun and interesting twist to a classic mystery. This movie is like a love letter to the cinema and all the magic it brings into peoples' lives. This film can also be pretty relatable to workers everywhere, especially those on their first day at a new job. 

#1 Halloweentown (1998) 

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I really didn't want to be cliche and predictable by putting Halloweentown as my favorite and the BEST Disney Channel Original Halloween movie, but I cannot lie just to be different. This is truly the best. I mean when I think of Halloween, I can't help but think of this movie. It's always the first one that comes to mind, even if I tried to forget about it, I just can't. Although, I don't believe in witches or witchcraft or magic like that, I still love to watch this movie from time to time just to get me in the fall feels. Plus, I know what is real and what isn't. I mean I couldn't imagine a Halloween movie marathon without Halloweenteen. I also have a lot of fond memories watching this movie as a kid. I mean I should because I watched it like every year for Halloween. So, this movie will always hold a special place in my heart. I mean I do believe this is the Halloween movie that started all Disney Channel Halloween movies, even though it technically wasn't the first. This movie gives me all the feels. It's scary at times, happy at times, sad at other times, etc. But, it's mostly just very nostalgic to me. I'm surprised I didn't try to dress as Marnie for Halloween one year because that is how much I watched this movie. Well, I did dress up as a witch one year as a kid, just not the witch from Halloweentown. Basically, what I'm trying to say is that if you have never seen this movie (which if you haven't...what?!...that's crazy) you should at least watch it one time. This is the movie when we are first introduced to the Cromwell family and Marnie Piper as she discovers that she comes from a lineage of witches and she must figure out what to do with her newly-discovered powers in order to save Halloweentown from an evil force. This movie brings all the parts of Halloween together into one movie. From the witches, to the spells, to the monsters, the pumpkins, the costumes, the candy, the ghosts, family, and even the teenage angst. It truly has everything. It was always that one movie you could always count on seeing on the Disney channel every single year in October because it was that good. The look of this movie, from the town to the different creatures and characters, is very imaginative. This along with the background music really captures the childlike wonder of this time of year and I feel that every time I watch this movie. 

Well, that concludes my ranking of the Top Ten Disney Channel Original Halloween Movies Of All Time. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed creating it. This was a little harder than I thought it was going to be. But I think I finally got it down to which Halloween movies I truly think are the least and most best. Again, all these movies are a great, must-watch for this time of year. I mean they made it on this top ten list didn't they? No, but for real, even if you don't like Halloween or don't celebrate Halloween (which I'm with you), these are some fun, innocent "Halloween", or as I like to call it "Chilloween", movies to watch on or before October 31st. I would love to know what you're favorite Disney Channel Original Halloween movie(s) are. So, let me know in the comments below and come Back to Disney Saturday for a little treat!;) (Hint hint: Maybe another spooktacular post)

Here's those Halloween music videos I was talking about: 

"Calling All The Monsters" by China Anne McClain

"Monster Mash"