By Andrea Ayala Pacheco
Staying in this Halloweekend? Well, get ready to cozy up, warm up those Pillsbury cookies, and pop some popcorn to relive your childhood with my top 10 Halloween movies.
Before I start, I’d like to point out that I was a Disney Channel kid at heart so I apologize ahead of time since the majority of these movies are 2000-2010 Disney Channel Originals.
I’m also not the biggest fan of horror movies so heads up, none of these come with a jumpscare (although little me would have to disagree).
10. Mostly Ghostly (2008)
This is a movie my sibling and I watched together all the time. It was more his favorite than mine since it left me with nightmares after watching it because of a character, Phears: he was a terrifying ghost that would haunt the main characters in the movie and his face will be forever burned into my memory. Nonetheless, it’s still a classic with its scary memories.
Check it out on YouTube, Amazon Video, Apple TV, Vudu
9. Girl vs. Monster (2012)
Okay, this movie was so cool. A Disney Channel original starring Olivia Holt, a girl facing her fears against her childhood monster, Girl vs. Monster was my “it girl” movie. I wanted to be her so bad and don’t even get me started on her outfit–I dreamed of it. This movie also made me realize that I never had a childhood monster, I was only afraid of the dark.
Check it out on Disney+, YouTube, fuboTV
8. Spooky Buddies (2011)
Ah yes, the classic Golden Retriever movie franchise that convinced all of us that we needed one. Spooky Buddies was one of those DVDs that I can’t remember how I got a hold of, but I thank my parents for keeping it because I played it so many times as a kid. This movie was more sad than scary, for a Halloween movie. A kid’s dog was turned to stone for several years and was left to haunt a house for eternity, but was later saved by a group of dogs and their companions!
Check it out on Disney+, YouTube, Apple TV, Amazon Video, Vudu
7. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
This movie (along with The Addams Family) was a movie my mom and I would always watch together back home. I remember first watching this movie and being so mesmerized by Winona Ryder. This whole story is just the cutest, yet saddest, Halloween movie I’ve watched. The colors and old feel it has just tie it all together. This might be my Friday night watch.
Check it out on Disney+, YouTube, Apple TV, Amazon Video, fuboTV
6. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
A Christmas movie or a Halloween movie? I say both. This is a movie I save for a specific time of the year when I crave a spooky and holly-jolly spirit at the same time. The Nightmare Before Christmas is an ultimate classic that none of us can pass on and I’m so happy to see it still being played on TV. But, as a kid, was no one else traumatized by that scene where Oogie Boogie is torn apart? No? Just me?
Check it out on Disney+, YouTube, Apple TV, Amazon Video, Vudu
5. The Addams Family (1991)
The Addams Family will never fail to remind me of my mom. This is one of her favorite Halloween movies and we both love Wednesday Addams (I even got her hooked on the Wednesday series on Netflix). I have such good memories of passing by the living room, seeing this movie playing, and immediately sitting myself on the couch next to my mom.
Check it out on YouTube, Apple TV, Amazon Video, Paramount+, Pluto TV,
4. Twitches (2005)
I told you I was a Disney Channel kid. After watching this movie I only dreamed I had a twin sister and magical powers. This movie is what I imagined being a teen girl in the 2000s would look like (plus the witchy factor). In the movie, 2 long-lost twins meet again when their home is being destroyed by evil. Simply put, this is a classic Disney storyline that I will gladly revisit every year.
Check it out on Disney+, YouTube, fuboTV
3. Monster House (2006)
The opening of this movie is engraved in my head: a little girl rides her tricycle down the sidewalk when she suddenly gets stuck on the lawn and an old man comes running at her. I feel like this is a movie I should have been terrified of, but just never was. A house that comes alive and torments kids in the neighborhood should be enough, but nope, I always wanted to watch this movie every year during Halloween. I wonder if my mom was ever concerned…
Check it out on Hulu, YouTube, Apple TV, Amazon Video, Vudu
2. Coraline (2009)
My friends say it’s creepy–I say it’s a work of art. Don’t even get me started on the soundtrack–or the food in this movie, like the mango milkshake and “Welcome Home” cake (I crave it). Needless to say, it doesn’t need to be Halloween to watch this movie; I will watch it year-round and never get tired of it. Seriously, give me an excuse and I will gladly watch it right now. Oh wait, you’ve never heard of it? Come over, we’re putting it on.
Check it out on Hulu, HBO Max, YouTube, Amazon Video, Apple TV, Vudu
1. Halloweentown (1998)
You just know I had to save the best for last. Halloweentown has been a classic for me for my entire life. Watching it play all throughout October on Disney Channel while eating those Pillsbury Halloween cookies my mom made is one of the best memories I have of this movie. I also wanted to be Marnie so bad, like, you mean to tell me that on Halloween you found out you’re a witch with these amazing powers? Sign. Me. Up.
Check it out on Disney+, YouTube, Vudu, fuboTV
Going back and rewatching each of these movies unlocks some of the best memories of my childhood: coming home after school, turning on the TV, and seeing my favorite movies in celebration of the upcoming holiday.
I always knew it was that time of the year when at least one of these movies started to play. Though I won’t be able to go back and enjoy them on a bulky television screen, I’m still happy to be able to watch them from my laptop screen.