Remember the days when you’d stay up late as a kid and watch Halloween movies on Disney Channel or ABC Family? Those were the days when life was simpler and the movies were scarier. Now you’ve grown and see through some of the “scary” effects, but that doesn’t mean the Halloween movies from childhood aren’t worth watching. They’re a touch of nostalgia with a hint of horror from your youth. Take a look at these old throwbacks and maybe pick a few to watch this Halloween season.
Halloweentown movies
The Halloweentown movies are first on the list because they’re the real OG childhood Halloween movies. We followed Marie from her first ride on a broom, to her first crush on an evil wizard, through the trials of high school with magic, all the way to her first year at magical college. How can you not love these films?
Hocus Pocus
There can’t be a throwback Halloween list without including Hocus Pocus. It is the icon of all childhood Halloween movies! The Sanderson Sisters were totally creepy and used to give me nightmares, but even their creepiness had a sort of ridiculousness to it that made them likeable. Definitely a quality film in its own right, Hocus Pocus is a must watch this Halloween season!
Twitches
Another classic, Twitches delighted us by showing the trials of sisterhood alongside the importance of love. It was kind of scary with the main antagonist as literally “The Darkness,” and now as an adult I kind of see a Hamlet-like parallel in some ways. But, it was great because it was both funny, heartfelt (in a cheesy Disney kind of way), and haunting, which is what a childhood halloween movie should be.
The Haunted Mansion
How can you not love a movie with Eddie Murphy in it? And the whole idea of reuniting lost loves as the basis for a scary halloween movie is so unique that it brings a twist to what you’d expect. I’m not going to lie, this movie kind of freaked me out between the ghosts and the weird almost marriage thing. It’s the perfect throwback movie to watch with friends in October.
The Little Vampire
This is one of the best Halloween movies because it actually has a fascinating plot and also kind of places a metaphor in the movie, if you really think about it. The idea that the vampires just want to be human makes them less scary, and the way the movie makes the human (aka the vampire hunter) the real monster is such a twist. The vampire hunter is the truly frightening creature, while the vampires simply long to live a normal life. Cue the “awww.”
If horror or thrillers aren’t really your thing but you’re still in a spooky mood, try watching one of these movies. They’re both fun and (slightly) frightening and will take you back to when you were young. Happy Halloween!
Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTG4Pakf2Jg
http://qvcc.edu/event/halloween-movie-night/halloweentown/
https://d23.com/tricks-and-insider-treats-from-disneys-hocus-pocus/
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GZIIBGG
https://movies.disney.com/the-haunted-mansion