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It’s spooky season and that means it’s time to break out the Halloween classics. The Disney Channel has you covered. Their selection of the late 1990s/early 2000s original movies is perfect for this season. Ghosts, vampires, mummies, witches, the boogeyman, and phantoms – they’ve got it all. Here are six Disney Channel original movies to check out this Halloween season:
1. Tower Of Terror (1997)
First on the list is one of Disney’s lesser-known movies, Tower of Terror. It’s a creepy and fascinating story to kickoff spooky season. In 1939, on Halloween night, the Hollywood Tower Hotel hosted a big party at the Tip Top Club. Five people on the elevator mysteriously disappeared after a strike of lightning hit the hotel. The property has been closed since then and will not be opened until the mystery is solved. Sixty years later, a reporter named Buzzy (Steve Guttenberg) sees this as an opportunity to get his credibility back after years of exile from the journalism industry.
His niece, Anna (Kirsten Dunst), and the groundskeeper, who goes by “Q,” team up to figure out what actually happened decades before. This movie isn’t actually considered a Disney Channel Original Movie. It’s credited as an episode of The Wonderful World of Disney. Nevertheless, the Tower of Terror is possibly the darkest movie on this list. It’s based on the Disney theme park ride of the same name and some of the movie was even filmed at the attraction.
With the majority of events taking place on Halloween, Tower of Terror should be a staple on everyone’s seasonal viewing list. A chilling ghost story is almost required this time of year. Anyone who has had the pleasure of experiencing this thrilling attraction at one of the Disney parks knows the gist of the story. Whether you have braved the 130-foot drop or not, give this one a go.
2. Halloweentown (1998)
This is probably the most notable title on the list and for good reason. You can’t celebrate Halloween without the DCOM classic Halloweentown. Marnie is obsessed with weird stuff – ghosts, monsters, witchcraft, and of course, Halloween. Her mother doesn’t allow any of this and forbids Marnie and her younger siblings, Dylan and Sophie, from celebrating the holiday. Her reasoning is unknown, and in Marnie’s eyes, not fair. This, of course, only makes Marnie want to celebrate Halloween more.
It’s Halloween night and Marnie is in full-on dramatic teenage mode. After she delivers an impassioned speech about the unfairness of these rules, grandma Aggie, played by the legendary Debbie Reynolds, arrives with costumes, candy, and decorations. Later, Marnie overhears her mother and grandma arguing, but this isn’t one of their normal fights. Marnie’s shocked to find out that she should have been training as a witch by now. Aggie says that if she doesn’t start training that night, Marnie will lose her powers forever.
Determined to become a witch, Marnie sneaks out of the house with Dylan tagging along out of obligation. They follow their grandma to a mysterious bus stop. Both are stunned when a flying yellow bus appears to pick her up. They slip through the back door and take the wild ride to Halloweentown.
One of the many incredible things about this movie is that we get to live vicariously through Marnie and her discovery of this magical land. Not only is she having this wild experience, but she’s just learned that she’s a witch! Haven’t we all fantasized about receiving our Hogwarts letter? The fact that all of this madness happens on Halloween night makes it the ultimate Disney Channel original movie for the holiday.
3. Don’t Look Under The Bed (1999)
You’ll want to check out this underrated gem. Don’t Look Under the Bed has some pretty scary imagery for a DCOM. Disney actually received complaints from parents about the dark nature of this movie.
The main character, named Frances Bacon McCausland, is not a regular teenager. She’s an intelligent fourteen-year-old that skipped a grade and is now attending high school. Frances really takes growing up seriously. She believes there’s a logical explanation for everything. This includes all of the strange things happening in her hometown, like the school’s swimming pool filled with gelatin and a teacher’s car covered in broken eggs.
Frances starts seeing a guy in outlandish outfits following her around town. He’s surprised that Frances is able to see him because he says that he’s an imaginary friend named Larry Houdini. He’s not her imaginary friend, though. Neither one of them know how or why she can see him when others cannot. Larry reveals that he’s been sent by “the guy in his head” to help get rid of the culprit of these community pranks – the boogeyman.
Being the logical person that she is, Frances doesn’t believe him. However, she wants to find out who, or what is causing mayhem in her town. While it’s not set on or around Halloween, Don’t Look Under the Bed is still a must-watch this season. The tilted camera angles put us into Frances’ disoriented state as she navigates the surrealness all around her. Larry Houdini is hilarious but provides a lot of the eeriness of the movie. Consider it a kid version of Twin Peaks.
4. Phantom Of The Megaplex (2000)
Similar to Tower of Terror, this DCOM celebrates old Hollywood and haunting legends. It’s inspired by the 1925 horror classic The Phantom of the Opera.
We follow Pete, a seventeen-year-old that takes life way too seriously. He’s proud of his title as assistant manager at the megaplex and enjoys working long hours. His mother and two younger siblings, Karen and Brian, are constantly telling him to lighten up, but he’s too focused on earning a promotion and impressing his crush. The theater is hosting a premiere event for a movie called Midnight Mayhem. When strange things start happening, some people start blaming the legendary Phantom.
Like Don’t Look Under the Bed, this movie doesn’t have anything to do with Halloween. However, this DCOM is still fun to watch during spooky season, especially for movie lovers. It brings back memories of Friday nights spent with friends at the movie theater likely seeing a horror movie. It’s not scary or even creepy but the mystery is fun.
5. Mom’s Got A Date With A Vampire (2000)
Adam Hansen is a thirteen-year-old self-titled “monster master.” The movie begins with Adam and his older sister Chelsea arguing while watching the (fake) vampire film The Revenge of Count Krelski. This scene establishes his love for all things horror as well as his tumultuous relationship with his sister.
After Adam is grounded for not doing his homework, Chelsea is subsequently grounded for teasing him about it. Both have plans – Adam has a backstage pass to see his favorite rock band the Headless Horsemen’s concert at the harvest festival and Chelsea has a date with a guy named Peter. The two siblings hatch a plan to get their mom (Lynette) a date for the same night.
This is set in 2000 when meeting people on the internet was new and exciting as well as quick and easy. The kids get their mom a date with a mysterious man named Dimitri. It doesn’t take them long to realize he’s a vampire. Adam and Chelsea, along with their little brother Taylor, spend the night trying to save their mom from Dimitri who intends to turn her into his vampire bride.
Date night and the kids’ plans are centered around the town’s harvest festival. In a time where there aren’t many (if any) Halloween events going on, it’s nice to “virtually” experience a harvest festival on-screen. Most of the characters don’t have time to enjoy the festivities, but we sure can!
6. Under Wraps (1997)
This widely overlooked film is technically the first Disney Channel original movie to premiere. It tells the story of three friends and their unusual predicament – taking care of a mummy. Marshall, Gilbert, and Amy sneak out one night to visit the creepy old house of the recently deceased Mr. Kubat. Cowardly Gilbert is persuaded to squeeze through the basement window and take a look inside.
Among the antique furniture and artwork, he spots a monstrous hand hanging out of a sarcophagus. He shrieks and Amy and Marshall quickly pull him back up. Before they can calm him, he takes off running down the street. Gilbert stops running when he realizes his glasses fell off. Now they have to break into the house. When they enter the house, the kids find a live mummy and are immediately scared. It doesn’t take them long to see that this mummy doesn’t want to hurt them. Marshall sees that he’s trying to communicate and be friendly.
He even hands Gilbert his glasses. Marshall is a huge horror geek, so it’s no surprise when he wants to keep the mummy, who he names Harold. Horror fans will appreciate Marshall’s love of monsters reflected in his attic bedroom filled with monster masks, vintage posters, props, and various horror-themed décor.
This movie stands out because there are few mummy movies out there, especially for the younger crowd. Though Harold provides physical comedy, there are emotional moments for the characters regarding fear, loss, and friendship. If you’re looking for a mix of dark humor, slapstick comedy, and some impressive monster makeup this Halloween, Under Wraps is the way to go.
What Is Your Favorite Disney Channel Original Movie?
These six titles are my favorite spooky DCOMs from childhood. I watch Tower of Terror and Halloweentown at least a couple of times a week from mid-September through the end of October. Each movie is an example of the horror subgenres – witches, ghosts, vampires – that I seek out this time of year. Halloween is about candy, scary stories, costumes but overall, it’s about unleashing the child in all of us. And no one brings out our inner child quite like Disney.