Random Spooky Things You Can Watch On Disney (18 items)

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  (#1) The Nightmare Before Christmas

  • Paul Reubens, Catherine O'Hara, Danny Elfman, Greg Proops, Glenn Shadix, Chris Sarandon, William Hickey, Ken Page, Carmen Twillie, Bobbi Page, John Morris, Randy Crenshaw, Daamen J. Krall, David McCharen, Gary Schwartz, Sherwood Ball, Doris Hess, Susan McBride, Kerry Katz, L. Peter Callender, Debi Durst, Judi M. Durand, David Randolph, Edward Ivory, Christina MacGregor, Glenn Walters, Robert Olague, Elena Praskin, Jesse McClurg, Mia Brown, Ann Fraser, Gary Raff, Jennifer Levey, Trampas Warman

  For people who love Tim Burton's signature mix of darkness and whimsy, The Nightmare Before Christmas is probably their favorite film.

  Directed by Henry Selick and produced by Burton, the film is set in Halloween Town and follows Jack Skellington the Pumpkin King, who over the years has grown bored of scaring children. When Jack stumbles through a portal into Christmas Town, he decides to bring the holiday to Halloween Town - no matter what.

  At the time, Roger Ebert called its stop-motion visuals "revolutionary." Featuring Danny Elfman's songs and score, the creepy feature is both a Halloween movie and a Christmas movie filled with chills, laughs, heart, and lovable characters.  
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  (#2) Hocus Pocus

  • Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler, Thora Birch, Penny Marshall, Kathy Najimy, Doug Jones, Garry Marshall, Vinessa Shaw, Sean Murray, Charles Rocket, Jason Marsden, Kathleen Freeman, Norbert Weisser, Stephanie Faracy, Michael McGrady, Larry Bagby, VenetianPrincess, Don Yesso, Omri Katz, Daniel Olsen, Joseph Malone, Peggy Holmes, Leigh Hamilton, Teda Bracci, Taylor Stanley, Karyn Malchus, D.A. Pauley, Jordan Redmond, Devon Reeves, Steve Voboril, Tobias Jelinek, Frank Del Boccio, Ezra Sutton, Jeff Neubauer

  For many people, Halloween season doesn't being until they watch Hocus Pocus. The story follows teenager Max and his little sister, Dani, who move to Salem, MA, and accidentally free three witch sisters. The Sanderson sisters gleefully wreak havoc on the town of Salem, sucking the souls of children in order to stay alive. It's up to Max and Dani to stop them by stealing their book of magic spells. 

  Hocus Pocus isn't really a horror movie, but it's a comedy set during Halloween. The main reason fans keep returning to it is because stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy bring a lightness to the Sanderson sisters that makes them fun. Meanwhile, Omri Katz and Thora Birch turn in solid performances as a brother and sister who are forced to work together to save their town.

  When you add a script full of memorable one-liners, it's easy to see why Hocus Pocus is a creepy Disney favorite.
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  (#3) Return to Oz

  • Fairuza Balk, Piper Laurie, Nicol Williamson, Deep Roy, Sophie Ward, Brian Henson, Matt Clark, Jean Marsh, Bruce Boa, Jon Jacobs, John Alexander, Sean Barrett, Peter Elliott, Pons Maar, Justin Case, Stephen Norrington, Mak Wilson, Philip Tan, Michael Sundin, Timothy M. Rose, Ailsa Berk, Fiona Victory, Emma Ridley, Denise Bryer, Robbie Barnett, Lyle Conway, Kevin Hudson, Roger Ennals, Colin Skeaping, Rob Thirtle, Cherie Hawkins, Stewart Larange, Mark Hopkins, Rachel Ashton, Tansy, Michele Hine, Ken Stevens

  Return to Oz is what would happen if Tim Burton had made a sequel to The Wizard of Oz.

  Set after the events of the 1939 Judy Garland film, Return to Oz begins when Auntie Em sends Dorothy to a psychiatric hospital to cure her of all that "Oz nonsense." While receiving electroshock therapy, Dorothy returns to the land of Oz only to find it in ruins and under the control of the evil Nome King. Dorothy sets out to save Oz along with her new friends, Jack Pumpkinhead, Tik-Tok, and Princess Ozma. 

  The film has a much darker and weirder tone than the first Wizard of Oz, but it's consistent with the later books in L. Frank Baum's book series, including The Marvelous Land of Oz and Ozma of Oz. The film didn't perform well at the box office, and today holds a 52% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, so it's more of a cult favorite than a true classic. 

  For children hoping for a fun sequel to The Wizard of Oz, Return to Oz probably isn't the best pick. But for adult Wizard of Oz fans who'd like to see a darker exploration of the World of Oz, or for fans of L. Frank Baum's book series, it's a must-watch. 
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  (#4) The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

  • Bing Crosby, Basil Rathbone, J. Pat O'Malley, Oliver Wallace, Eric Blore, Claud Allister, Leslie Denison, John McLeish, Colin Campbell, Edmond Stevens, Campbell Grant

  The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad is two animated films in one. The first segment is based on Kenneth Grahame's 1908 children's book The Wind in the Willows, and while it isn't scary, it is still worth a view. The second segment is an adaptation of Washington Irving's story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, in which the lanky schoolteacher Ichabod Crane is menaced by the ghostly Headless Horseman. 

  Legendary American crooner Bing Crosby narrated the tale, provided the voices for both Crane and his romantic rival Brom Bones, and sang the songs “Ichabod,” “Katrina,” and “The Headless Horseman.” An accompanying album featuring those songs and Crosby's narration was released the same year on Decca Records. 

  Both segments hold up, and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow still brings the scares decades after its original release. 
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  (#5) Frankenweenie (1984)

  • Shelley Duvall, Daniel Stern, Barret Oliver

  If you enjoyed the 2012 Tim Burton feature Frankenweenie, you might be surprised to learn that it was actually a remake of his live-action short from 1984. You might also be surprised to learn that the original Frankenweenie got Burton fired from Disney.

  The 1984 Frankenweenie is a live-action, black-and-white parody of 1931's Frankenstein. It tells the story of a boy named Victor whose pet terrier, Sparky, perishes. Victor decides to revive Sparky using electricity, but when his friends pressue him into reviving their own pets, and mayhem ensues. 

  At the time, Disney executives felt that the film's subject and tone wasn't suitable for their audience. It was only after Burton left Disney and went on to make A Nightmare Before Christmas that the first Frankenweenie got a home video release. But since the first Frankenweenie has many of the hallmarks of Burton's quirky style, it's worth a watch. 

  The 2012 version of Frankenweenie will be available on Disney+ on April 1, 2020. 
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  (#6) The Haunted Mansion

  • Eddie Murphy, Jennifer Tilly, Terence Stamp, Wallace Shawn, Kelly Stables, Marsha Thomason, Rachael Harris, Derek Mears, Deep Roy, Martin Klebba, Nathaniel Parker, Dina Spybey, John Alexander, Steve Hytner, Marc John Jefferies, Heather Juergensen, Jeremy Howard, Jim Doughan, Ariel Alexandria Davis, Bridget Brno, Jeremy Gilbreath, Cat Eberwine, Clayton Martinez, Tessa Munro, Gregg London, Zach Minkoff, Bob Hartley, William T. Lewis, Harry J. Campbell, Anthony Woods, Tim Reeder, Dorian Martin, Shelby Grimm, Michael McAdam

  Today, The Haunted Mansion is considered a flop, but it gets a bad rep. Based on the Disney theme park ride of the same name, the film stars Eddie Murphy as Jim Evers, a realtor whose family gets an opportunity to sell a mansion. After Jim and his family arrive at the mansion and meet its creepy owner, Edward Gracey, a torrential downpour strands them at the house. Sure enough, Gracey's ghost stories turn out to be real, and Jim and his family must get to the bottom of the haunting. 

  The Haunted Mansion was released on the heels of another successful movie based on a theme park ride, Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl. Unfortunately for The Haunted Mansion, it was released during Thanksgiving and not Halloween, which may have hurt its prospects at the box office. The movie is more of a comedy than a horror movie - it does star Eddie Murphy, after all. But if you're a fan of the wonderfuly creepy Haunted Mansion ride, it's worth checking out. The film's set is a faithful recreation of the classic ride down to the smallest detail. 
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  (#7) Halloweentown

  • Debbie Reynolds, Rino Romano, Kimberly J. Brown, Judith Hoag, Joey Zimmerman, Robin Thomas, Phillip Van Dyke, Emily Roeske

  While Hocus Pocus is hailed as the definitive '90s-era Disney horror comedy about witches, there are those who think Halloweentown deserves the title.

  The film tells the story of 13-year-old Marnie Piper, (Kimberly J. Brown), a girl who doesn't fit in with her peers because she's a bit too into Halloween. On the eve of her thirteenth Halloween, Marnie receives a visit from her great-grandmother Agatha Cromwell, (Debbie Reynolds), a witch. Agatha tells Marnie that she's also a witch, but if she doesn't begin her training, she'll lose her powers forever. Agatha then brings Marnie to Halloweentown, a magical realm populated by monsters, werewolves, and other ghouls who want to live without judgment. 

  While it's definitely more on the kid-friendly end of the spectrum, Halloweentown is still a beloved creepy classic 20 years later. As a girl who's been ostracized because of her love of horror movies, Marnie is an easy protagonist for horror fans to root for.

  On a fun note: The town of St. Helen's, OR, where Halloweentown was filmed, still celebrates an annual Spirit of Halloweentown festival every October. 

  Currently, Disney+ offers all four films in the Halloweentown series, including Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge (2001), Halloweentown High (2004), and Return to Halloweentown (2006). 
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  (#8) Lonesome Ghosts

  • Walt Disney, Pinto Colvig, Billy Bletcher, Clarence Nash

  Decades before Ghostbusters hit theaters, some of your favorite Disney characters tried their hand at ghost hunting.

  In this 1937 eight-minute animated short, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy are hired to rid a haunted mansion of its troublesome ghosts. But there's a twist: They were hired by the ghosts themselves, who are bored after scaring away the other visitors.

  The ghosts play a series of annoying pranks on the bumbling ghost-hunters, until Mickey and Co. inadvertently scare the ghosts away. Lonesome Ghosts doesn't just have similarities with the Ghostbusters franchise - according to some sources, but directly inspired the movies. Goofy even says the line, "I ain't scared of no ghost."
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  (#9) Gargoyles (1994-1997)

  Gargoyles is unlike most other TV shows that came before it and since. The show follows a group of gargoyles who turn to stone during the day. Back in 944 A.D., the gargoyles lived in Scotland until a they fell under a curse that turned them to stone until said castle was "raised above the clouds." In 1994, billionaire David Xanatos buys the castle for the top of his penthouse in Manhattan, thus breaking the curse. Now returned to life, leader Goliath and his clan investigate the mysteries of their unfamiliar surroundings with the help of N.Y.P.D. detective Elisa Maza. 

  Gargoyles was ahead of its time. It eschewed the bright and colorful style found in most afterschool cartoons and went for something darker and more mature. Gargoyles also took a serialized approach to storytelling instead of episodic one-offs.

  The arrival of Disney+ means you can finally stream Gargoyles in its original form. Over the years, many scenes have been deemed inappropriate for children and have been removed, but now you can watch them in their uncensored glory.
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  (#10) Don't Look Under The Bed (1999)

  Don't Look Under the Bed is remembered as being way better than any TV movie deserves to be, and much scarier than typical Disney fare.

  The story follows Frances Bacon McCausland, a young teen who starts being framed for a series of pranks around her town. With the help of her imaginary friend Larry Houdini, she figures out the culprit is none other than the Boogeyman, and she must overcome her fear to defeat him. 

  Don't Look Under the Bed was only the second Disney Channel Original Movie to receive a PG rating. And according to director Kenneth Johnson, the movie's version of the Boogeyman originally would have been much scarier.  “In the early concept drawings, it was really dark and [had] quills sticking out,” he said. “It was nightmarish.” Johnson eventually decided to tone down the scariness.  “I said, ‘Why don’t we take him more Victorian and let’s have his dialogue be limerick-like and make it a little bit lighter.'” 

  Even so, the movie was still plenty scary, and Steve Valentine's performance as the Boogeyman is worth checking out. 
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  (#11) The Black Cauldron

  • John Hurt, John Huston, Nigel Hawthorne, John Byner, Phil Fondacaro, Freddie Jones, Brandon Call, Arthur Malet, Wayne Allwine, Peter Renaday, Susan Sheridan, Billie Hayes, Eda Reiss Merin, James Almanzar, Phil Nibbelink, Adele Malis-Morey, Gregory Levinson, Grant Bardsley, Jack Laing, Lindsay Rich, Steve Hale

  The Black Cauldron might not be considered a classic, but it doesn't deserve its reputation as the low point of the post-Walt Disney era, either. Based on Lloyd Alexander's The Chronicles of Prydain fantasy series, the movie follows the evil Horned King who hopes to use the titular black cauldron to raise an army of the undead and rule the world. Opposing him is an everyman pig-keeper named Taran, as well as Princess Eilonwy, a bard named Fflewddur Fflam, and a wild creature named Gurgi. 

  Disney hoped The Black Cauldron would be a Sleeping Beauty for a new generation. An ambitious production, it had a budget of $44 million and was the first Disney film to use computer animation. And thanks to its darker themes was the first Disney animated feature to receive a PG rating. Unfortunately, the uneasy transition into the post-Walt Disney era meant that production would be pushed back several years. New Disney heads Jeffrey Katzenberg and Michael Eisner also clashed with the animation team on the final cut. As a result, The Black Cauldron would earn only $21 million in domestic gross and didn't get a home video release until 1998. 

  The Black Cauldron still has plenty to enjoy, including exciting action sequences, scary visuals, and likable characters It's a must-watch for fans of spooky fantasy, Disney completionists, and anyone interested in the history of animation. 
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  (#12) Escape to Witch Mountain

  • Kim Richards, Kyle Richards, Ray Milland, Donald Pleasence, Eddie Albert, Denver Pyle, Lance Kerwin, George Chandler, Walter Barnes, Reta Shaw, Dan Seymour, Sam Edwards, Don Brodie, Harry Holcombe, Ike Eisenmann, Paul Sorensen, Lawrence Montaigne, Terry Wilson, Alfred Ryder, Tony Giorgio, Tiger Joe Marsh, Dermott Downs, Al Dunlap, Rex Holman, Shepherd Sanders, Mervin W. Frates, Eugene Daniels, Alfred Rossi

  There have been plenty of movies and TV shows about children with supernatural powers who are imperiled by shadowy government forces. Many of them owe a debt to Escape to Witch Mountain. The film follows Tony and Tia, an orphaned brother and sister who have several psychic powers including telepathy, telekinesis, and precognition. After a millionaire businessman attempts to adopt them in order to exploit their powers, Tony and Tia set off on a cross-country road trip to Witch Mountain to learn more about their origins. 

  Escape to Witch Mountain was one of a string of live-action Disney successes at the box office that remained profitable until the early 1980s. It would serve as a template for many properties that came after it, from E.T. The Extraterrestrial to Jurassic Park, and even Stranger Things. 

  Disney+ also offers the 1978 sequel, Return from Witch Mountain, which follows Tony and Tia to Los Angeles where they have to escape a greedy scientist who wants to use them for his experiments.

  The 2009 remake Race to Witch Mountain, starring the Rock, will be available July 1, 2020. 
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  (#13) Mr. Boogedy

  • Kristy Swanson, John Astin, David Faustino, Richard Masur, Mimi Kennedy, Benji Gregory

  For certain fans, this movie alone might have been worth the cost of a Disney+ subscription. Mr. Boogedy tells the story of a gag gift salesman who moves his family into a haunted house - there's even a sign out front that says "Not Really Haunted" before a gust of wind blows off the "Not." Sure enough, the family is menaced by Mr. Boogedy, a ghost from colonial times who kidnaps children and takes them to the afterlife. 

  Since it originally aired as a TV movie, Mr. Boogedy's runtime is only 45 minutes. It's definitely more lighthearted than scary (it was originally conceived as an Airplane!-style comedy poking fun at horror tropes and starring Cheech and Chong), the movie is not without its scary moments. 

  Mr. Boogedy has been hard to find, but thanks to Disney+, this classic returns to the small screen. (The 1987 sequel Bride of Boogedy is not currently available on the streaming service, however.)  
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  (#14) The Legend of Mor'du

  • Julie Walters, Steve Purcell, Callum O'Neill

  Fans of the 2012 fantasy film Brave will definitely want to check out The Legend of Mor'du, a Pixar-animated short that fills in the backstory of the movie's antagonist, Mor'du.

  Before he became a demon bear who menaces Merida and her family, Mor'du was a power hungry prince who tried to seize power from his brothers, which caused him to change into his demonic form. And unlike Brave, which used 3D computer-generated animation, The Legend of Mor'du uses a textured animation style that appears hand-painted. Director Brian Larsen based this style on that of the influential early Disney animator Mary Blair, who worked on films like Cinderella and Peter Pan. 
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  (#15) Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire

  • Laura Vandervoort, Caroline Rhea, Robert Carradine, Charles Shaughnessy, Myles Jeffrey, Matt O'Leary, Jake Epstein

  The title pretty much tells you all you need to know. When siblings Adam and Chelsea are grounded, they hope to distract their newly divorced mother, Lynette, and attend a rock concert by setting her up on a date with Dmitry, a man who seems perfect - until they realize he's a vampire. With the help of their horror aficionado little brother Tyler, Adam and Chelsea must stop Dmitry before he can turn Lynette into his vampire queen. 

  It's not a masterpiece nor very scary, but Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire is still a solid Disney Channel Original Movie. It even manages to tackle a difficult subject not often seen in kid-friendly fare: the difficulty of dating after a divorce. 
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  (#16) Phantom of the Megaplex

  • Mickey Rooney, Taylor Handley, Caitlin Wachs, Jacob Smith, Corinne Bohrer, Julia Chantrey

  This horror comedy from is loosely based on Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera, updating the story for a 21st-century preteen audience.

  Pete is a 17-year-old who works at his local 26-screen movie theater, which is rumored to be haunted. According to local legend, a phantom was trapped inside the previous theater that was demolished to make way for the megaplex. When the megaplex schedules a movie premier with a famous director, the Phantom plays a series of pranks to disrupt the proceedings. 

  Phantom of the Megaplex is especially worth a watch because it co-stars comedy legend Mickey Rooney, who plays Movie Mason, an elderly moviegoer who owned the original theater and is initially blamed for the pranks. 
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  (#17) The Black Hole

  • Ernest Borgnine, Anthony Perkins, Yvette Mimieux, Roddy McDowall, Slim Pickens, Maximilian Schell, Robert Forster, Gary Nelson, Joseph Bottoms, Tom McLoughlin

  The Black Hole doesn't resemble many other Disney movies. Set in the year 2130 A.D., this space saga follows the crew of The U.S.S. Palomino, a deep-space vessel returning home from a long voyage. That's when they discover the long-lost U.S.S. Cygnus and its only passenger, Dr. Hans Reinhardt. With the help of robot henchman Maximillian and an army of deadly androids, Dr. Reinhardt wants to fly the Cygnus into a black hole and discover the secrets of the universe. 

  The Black Hole was the first ever Disney feature to receive a PG rating due to language. (Specifically, characters say "hell" and "damn.") It was released just two years after Star Wars: A New Hope, when many movie studios were attempting to capitalize on the new science-fiction craze. Hoping to create the next Star Wars, Disney gave The Black Hole a budget of $20 million, the highest budget ever at the time. The film ended up being a bit too scary for children and didn't peform well, but the film's use of special effects is still considered revolutionary. 
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  (#18) Zombies (2018)

  Zombie movies typically aren't family fare, but the Disney Channel was up to the challege with the 2018 high school musical ZOMBIES. 

  Based on a 2011 unaired Disney Channel pilot called Zombies and Cheerleaders, the film takes place in a world where half of the population has been turned into zombies, but special arm bands called Z-Bracelets control the zombies' cravings for brains. Now, zombies are in the process of integrating into the human community of Seabrook.

  The story follows Zed, a popular zombie football player at Seabrook High who falls in love with Addison, and their relationship threatens to disrupt the fragile peace between Seabrook's zombie and human communities. It's basically High School Musical meets The Walking Dead, but appropriate for all ages.  

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