Halloween is slowly creeping up on us, so I figured it would be a good time to throw back to your childhood with these classic yet forgotten spooky season movies.
Disney
This gem first aired on Disney Channel in 1999. I remember watching it for the first time, thinking, “It’s Disney Channel; it can’t be that scary.” I was wrong. I probably watched it one more time the next year around Halloween, but I haven’t seen it since. The boogeyman character scared the crap out of me as a poor elementary school child and made me scared to, well, look under my bed…
Walt Disney Co. / Courtesy Everett Collection
Another Disney Channel classic from 2000, Mom’s Got a Date With a Vampire, starred Caroline Rhea from Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Charles Shaughnessy from The Nanny. While not the most famous Disney Channel Halloween movie (being overshadowed by the Halloweentown series and Twitches), this vampire-themed flick was a good introduction to the fanged monsters for us ’90s kids.
Warner Bros.
I recently watched this spooky, stop-motion favorite for the first time in a few years, and let me tell you, it still holds up. With voices like Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Christopher Lee, Richard E. Grant, and many other legends attached, Corpse Bride definitely shows up and delivers. It also has some pretty cool songs, of course, with that Danny Elfman charm.
20th Century Studios, Courtesy Everett Collection
Starring a young Hilary Duff as Wendy (yes, that Hilary Duff) this witchy, and I guess ghostly, movie was pretty popular after its release in 1998. Serving as a sequel to Casper the Friendly Ghost, Casper Meets Wendy didn’t exactly have as good of a production quality as its predecessor (lookin’ at you, costume department). However, it was still pretty cute for us kids who didn’t notice or care about the somewhat low production quality. Plus, who can forget Wendy’s iconic red overalls, bucket hat, and red onesie?
Warner Brothers
Now, this one is a classic. I remember that I used to rent this at the video store or watch it on TV so much that it annoyed my parents. With the zombies, the cat chicks, and the banger soundtrack, this Scooby and Gang outing is probably the best animated Mystery Inc. movie.
“It’s terror time again!”
Warner Bros. and Amblin Entertainment, / ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection
Ok, so this one is cheating in a couple of ways. We’ve all seen the Gremlins movies (because they’re awesome), but not everyone remembers how cute and awesome these movies are. I also put two movies in one entry because they’re both equally good.
Yes, some people might consider them Christmas movies, but like The Nightmare Before Christmas, they’re also Halloween movies. You can’t watch the baby Gremlins spawning, then go terrorize people and tell me that that’s not a Halloween movie.
Buena Vista / courtesy Everett Collection
Where do I start with this movie? We have the wheelers, the lady with the interchangeable heads, The Gnome King, and all the freaky practical effects. It’s definitely like being in a fever dream.
I didn’t watch it as a kid, but I know that many people did. To the people who watched this as kids and got scarred for life: I’m deeply sorry.
Buena Vista Pictures / ©Buena Vista Pictures/courtesy Everet / Everett Collection
The Black Cauldron is definitely an interesting one. It can be absurdly goofy but also pretty dark. How do we have Gurgi and the pixies and Taran’s annoying proclamations about how brave he thinks he is, but then The Horned King and the zombies and the pterodactyl things in the same movie? To be honest, I’m surprised that Disney even allowed stuff that dark in a movie in the ’80s.
Walt Disney Co. / ©Walt Disney Co./courtesy Everett
Here’s another Disney movie (you can tell that I love Disney), but this time it’s about an undead dog. Frankenweenie might be a little niche for some people, but it’s just right for my weird sense of humor.
I didn’t watch this as a kid, either, but I know that a decent number of people did. With its adorable zombie dog, charming main characters, and old Hollywood style, it’s no wonder Frankenweenie was popular when it came out. And don’t forget the scene where all of the pets go wild and terrorize the town.
Grossbart Barnett Prod. / Courtesy Everett Collection
Oh, Phantom of the Megaplex, what can I say about you? I don’t remember much about it, but I do remember the fact that it made me not want to work at a movie theater when I was a kid. I also remember the Phantom (the reason why I didn’t want to work at the theater) and his freaky costume.
It was a Disney Channel Original Movie (back when they were actually good), but some scenes creeped out children’s audiences. I’m lookin’ at you, Phantom; thanks for the childhood nightmares.
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