More Disney Halloween

There is a lot more ghostly Disney tales than just their Original Movie line, so here is a brief retrospective on some other spook-tacular Disney films.

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad is quite a movie. At least the second half is. I won't lie to you. Never seen the first half. I skip over it. I might like it if I ever watch it, but that doesn't seem likely. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow has been adapted more times than I can count, but this one always holds a soft spot for me. With the loveable songs and narration from Bing Crosby, how can you not love this movie? If you haven't seen it, so rent it now! Or buy it. Either way!

The Witch Mountain series has, for me, always been some of my favorite films from Disney. I grew up more with the remake from 1995, but once I was old enough to discover the original, I enjoyed it a bit more. Escape to Witch Mountain and Return from Witch Mountain aren't all that scary, but they are supernatural and delightful. Race to Witch Mountain, however, is a piece of the franchise I'd rather forget.

The Watcher in the Woods is a gem that is mostly forgotten by the current lovers of Disney, but it's easy to find in most Best Buys. I love this movie. It's dark, it's spooky and it's just not given the love it deserves. After seeing the movie, I dig my usual research and found that the movie was original much more paranormal originally. The Watcher was originally designed to be an alien, but in the finished film is merely a pillar of light. Here is a comparison.

Now, it might just be more, but the alien looks a lot more creepy than the beam of light. Either way, give it a watch and, if you like it, recommend it to others.

Ray Bradbury is one of the greatest authors of all time. You just can't argue with that fact. Something Wicked This Way Comes was adapted by Bradbury himself from his novel of the same name. This is another mostly forgotten film from Disney, even though it's at most Best Buys as well. A tale of kids and carnivals and a battle between good and evil, this one is up there in spookyness. Pair this one with The Watcher in the Woods and you are in for a delightfully scary double feature.

The Nightmare Before Christmas. I honestly don't know many people who haven't seen this movie. So I think I will just state that it's become a Halloween classic and has recently been released on 3D Blu-ray.

What started out as simple another made for TV Disney movie, Hocus Pocus grew into a cult classic. Hocus Pocus is without a doubt one of the best live action Disney films ever made. It's hard to forget and it's a strong part of a lot of people's childhoods. With great performances from Omri Katz (of Eerie, Indiana fame) and Bette Midler, it's not hard to see why. If this movie isn't on your Halloween movie marathon list, I strongly urge you to add it.

A Wonderful World of Disney movie that was the spark that started off the trend of Disney making rides based around their theme park attractions. This is another classic up there on the "Defined My Childhood" list. Written and directed by D.J. MacHale, creator of the brilliant Are You Afraid of the Dark? TV show, how could this not be an amazing movie? It's a little hokey and silly, but damn it still scares me when I am alone.

I'll leave you with a little video to get you into the Halloween spirit!