Halloween season is here, which means it is a good time for viewers to find some of the best spooky content they can get their hands on. This, unfortunately, means scouring the internet just to find the best collection. And while every streaming service has its seasonal selection to choose from, they do not always include the best options, and sometimes people need to dig deeper to find them.
To make this search easier, here is a list of some of the best Halloween films viewers can find through at least one of those platforms: Disney+. While there are not many horror films on this streaming service, there are still plenty of options that viewers might want to check out.
Mr. Boogedy
Mr. Boogedy is a television movie from 1986 that aired on ABC as part of their Disney Sunday Movie lineup. Initially developed to be a pilot for a television show, the film follows a family as they move into their new home. All is not normal, however, as the kids soon learn that their house is haunted by the Boogedy Man, a malevolent ghost with a dark history.
The film, like most made-for-television productions from the '80s and '90s, has not aged well. Yet, despite this fact, it's an endearing piece of old television media that deserves to be watched at least once.
Don't Look Under the Bed
Don't Look Under the Bed has a fascinating history attached to it, being one of the few Disney Channel original films to be removed from syndication after it was deemed "too scary for children." While that description may be a bit of an exaggeration in hindsight, there is some merit to it being slightly scarier than the average Disney Channel Original Film. With a premise that has the protagonist going up against the boogeyman, it's not hard to see why some of the imagery would come off as a little creepy.
The story is an interesting concept, as well, especially when it starts exploring the origins of the Boogeyman. That is not to say Don't Look Under The Bed doesn't have its flaws, but its entertainment value is worth giving it a watch.
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Halloweentown
While Halloweentown is considered a classic by many, the viewer's interest in it may depend on their level of nostalgia for the series. With that said, it would be remiss not to include it here among the list of must-watch Halloween films on Disney+, especially considering how much of an influence it had on an entire generation of viewers.
This film, and its many sequels, follows Marnie Piper, a teenage girl who discovers that she comes from a family of witches. Upon learning this, she is asked by her grandmother, Aggie, to help her figure out why a number of Halloweentown's residents have been disappearing. This leads them on a journey that sees them fight the evil entities that are plaguing Aggie's home.
Toy Story of Terror
Although this is technically not a "feature-length" film, Toy Story of Terror seems like it belongs on this list. The short, which is 20 minutes in length, returns to the world of Toy Story, only this time around, the toys are put in a "horror-like" scenario, where each of them gets picked off, one by one, by some mysterious monster.
While there are no real scares, the clever nature of Toy Story of Terror's premise should be reason enough to check this short out. Getting to see the typical horror tropes done in a way that's unique to Pixar is entertaining, and it's interesting to see how each character reacts to their predicament.
Ichabod and Mr. Toad
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad is a classic film that no Disney aficionado should be without. The movie is split into two 30-minute-long segments. While the first sequence is inspired by the novel The Wind in the Willows, the second sequence changes gears, focusing on telling a story based on Washington Irving's classic tale The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Viewers follow Ichabod Crane, a charismatic and superstitious teacher living in the town of Sleepy Hollow. His story eventually leads to a close encounter with the Headless Horseman, a spirit whose desire to collect heads makes him an entity not to be trifled with. The film is a fun watch, and certainly more than enough to get viewers into the spirit of Halloween.
Return To Oz
This may seem like a rather unconventional choice to put on a list of Halloween films, especially since it has nothing to do with the holiday, but anyone who has sat through this film will know why it is here. Serving as a spiritual sequel to The Wizard of Oz, Return to Oz continues the story of Dorothy Gale, who was now a patient at an asylum due to her presumed fantasies about Oz. After a series of events leads her back to the Land of Oz, she learns that she must save it from its new rulers, Princess Mombi and the Nome King.
What follows is a bizarre and horrifying journey through a post-apocalyptic version of the Land of Oz, filled with disembodied heads, horrifying rock people, and, of course, the dreaded wheelers. Return to Oz is certainly one of the scariest movie entries on this list, and that alone makes it a perfect film to watch this Halloween season.
Frankenweenie (2012)
This often-overlooked Tim Burton film is a must-watch for anyone with a Disney+ account. Meant to be an animated remake of the director's short film from 1984, Frankenweenie answers the question: "What if Frankenstein's monster was a dog named Sparky?" Its simple but inventive premise allows the story to go in directions that viewers won't expect. Burton's visual style is also evident in this film, as his macabre designs accentuate the film's black and white aesthetic.
While it is, by no means, the next Nightmare Before Christmas, it is hard to overlook the love and care that was put into making Frankenweenie, making it deserving of a place on this list.
Coco
While Coco is more a film about the Day of the Dead than Halloween, it still very much belongs on this list. It is one of the best Pixar films in recent memory, and it manages to capture the spirit of the season. The film follows a boy named Miguel as he finds himself in the Land of the Dead, where he needs to break a curse that was put upon him. There he meets Héctor, a trickster who offers to help Miguel on his journey to find his great-great-grandfather, Ernesto.
Coco is an excellent film, full of emotional twists and turns that viewers may not see coming, so it is certainly worth a watch. And its themes of life and death make it the perfect choice for Halloween.
Nightmare Before Christmas
A Halloween list would not be complete without this Tim Burton classic. Nightmare Before Christmas is about Jack Skellington, the lonely "Pumpkin King" of Halloween Town, who is tired of his role as the patron spirit of Halloween. When he discovers the existence of Christmas Town and falls in love with it, he is struck with the idea of taking over Christmas. The rest of the story follows him on his mission, which is met with many disastrous consequences.
It's a creative concept for a film, but what makes it stand out the most is its presentation. Nightmare Before Christmas is a masterfully crafted film with a lot of interesting, and sometimes scary, visuals, and Danny Elfman's soundtrack is made up of some of the most iconic songs of all time.
Hocus Pocus
There is a reason that Hocus Pocus has become such a Halloween staple, being a fun movie with a lot of heart and wit that captures the essence of the Halloween spirit. This film, which had initially been intended to be a Disney Channel original, sees three witches, known as the Sanderson Sisters, accidentally being brought back from the dead by one of the film's protagonists. What follows is a race against time for both parties, as the witches attempt to enact their plan of sucking the lives out of children in order to become immortal before their time runs out.
Hocus Pocus is one of the most entertaining Halloween films to watch. The film's main antagonists, played to perfection by Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy, are some of the most iconic ever put to film. And with a sequel in the works, now is the perfect time to give it a watch.