October is finally here! When you think of October, the first thing that comes to the minds of many is Halloween. Halloween is personally a favorite of mine. The spooky atmosphere, the costumes, and, all the candy you “forgot” to give out to trick-or-treaters. Halloween has always been a crowd pleaser for most since childhood. One fun way of celebrating Halloween (besides the obvious trick-or-treating) is to watch Halloween movies.
One of the popular Halloween movies to watch as a kid was “Halloweentown.” “Halloweentown” is a Disney Channel Original movie that came out in 1998. It became very popular with the current teenage generation, and for most individuals my age, it’s considered a “classic.” “Halloweentown” centers on a teenage girl named Marnie who loves Halloween; however, Marnie’s mother forbids her from celebrating it. While Marnie and her younger siblings Dylan and Sophie think their mother is just being strict, their mother actually has a secret.
It is not until Marnie, Dylan, and Sophie’s grandmother Aggie pays a visit and tells them the truth about why Halloween is not just a holiday. Grandma Aggie explains to the children that she is a witch. This means their mother is a witch, which makes Marnie a witch, also. Grandma Aggie is in trouble and she needs the mother’s help. However, the mother declines. When the mother declines, the children follow Grandma Aggie back to Halloweentown. Halloweentown is another dimension where Halloween monsters can live freely. In Halloweentown, Marnie and her siblings team up to help Grandma Aggie against the forces of evil working against her.
Hayley Payne, a SHG sophomore, recalls “Halloweentown” as being one of her favorite Halloween movies as a child. Payne says, “I thought the characters [in ‘Halloweentown’] were really cool because they all had powers.”
Another childhood crowd-pleaser is “Hocus Pocus.” The movie, Hocus Pocus, was released earlier than “Halloweentown” in 1993. “Hocus Pocus” is about three sister witches. However, these witches are resurrected after three centuries in Salem, Massachusetts. The witches first began their evil acts on October 31st, 1693, when Binx, who is the brother of Emily the witch, discovers that Emily had joined a witch-based sorority. Their resurrection is all thanks to Max Dennison, who called the witches forward. The three witches in “Hocus Pocus” are not sweet like Grandma Aggie in “Halloweentown.” They are evil and known for their evil-doings, such as transforming a person into a black cat. It’s up to three individuals, Max, Dani and Allison, and an immortal cat from 1693, to take down these evil witches and their strong powers. Zoe Nelson, a SHG senior, commented, “I really liked ‘Hocus Pocus.’ I liked it because I always thought it was funny and it just got me really excited for Halloween.”
Childhood Halloween movies are always fulfilling. They remind us of how we used to view halloween when we were small children. Even today, individuals still get a kick out of watching those throwback movies. Claire Conlon, an SHG senior, says, “To this day, I still love Disney’s ‘Hocus Pocus’ and ‘Halloweentown’ movies! They weren’t too scary, yet they were still in the halloween spirit.” So this halloween, kick back with some caramel popcorn and enjoy a blast from the past with childhood halloween films. You won’t regret it!
Campus Crier Online 