Whenever I think of Halloween, I can't help but think back to a simpler time: the early 2000s. Back then, the Halloween-themed television episodes, which presumably never affected the rest of the show because their events were never discussed again, and magical movies with multiple sequels could all be found and celebrated in one place: the Disney Channel.
Let's start by discussing the special Halloween episodes on all of their classic shows: "Lizzie McGuire," "Even Stevens," "That's So Raven." Every show had the opportunity for one episode each year that had no practical explanation for the magic that invaded the plot, and it was incredible to witness.
Who could forget Zombie Lizzie, Chelsea and Raven being turned into cows, and Louis as a penguin jockey (while there was a device at the high school making evil clones of the students). At the time, these episodes were genuinely scary. They almost made you feel like Halloween had the power to change reality, and something like that could happen to you. It was the closest thing you had to a horror movie that wouldn't mentally scar you at that age, and watching them, one after another, while eating your trick-or-treating loot made it so much sweeter.
How could we possibly discuss a Disney Halloween without discussing the classic DCOMs (that's Disney Channel Original Movies, for those of you not in the know) that were especially made for the holiday? Some of these were so scary you couldn't look under the bed until Christmas.
My personal favorites have always included:
"Mom's Got a Date With a Vampire." The title alone seems pretty self-explanatory, but it was so much more than that. Three siblings bond over a Halloween adventure gone horribly wrong. They suspect their mom's date for the night is actually a vampire, effectively ruining their own holiday plans. They set out to save their mom from the evil, but ultimately attractive, man before he can sink his teeth into her and they lose their mom forever. And, yes, that is the dad from "The Nanny" who plays the vampire.
"Twitches," but not necessarily its sequel. In a movie based on a book series, Tia and Tamera Mowry do what they do best, playing twin sisters separated at birth. Only here, they have the added spin of being witches who were sent away from their magical realm and placed in our world as babies, leaving them to find each other and discover their powers just in time to save their own kingdom.
Everyone's all-time favorite DCOM franchise has to be the "HalloweenTown" movies. Although the fourth installment, with a new actress playing the lead role of Marnie, was not the greatest, the first three are legendary. How would you react if you found out your grandmother is a witch, who comes from a world full of monsters and supernatural creatures where every day is Halloween? Plus, these movies were full of completely relevant messages that could pertain to anyone who has ever felt a little bit different. Oh, and just in case you were wondering, the town where the movies were filmed still puts up the giant pumpkin every year.
I don't know about you, but I think it's time to break out the popcorn and candy corn and take a little step back in time, when Disney was all-Halloween all month long.
