As our hats and scarves come out of hibernation, our TVs begin to take on a major role in our calendars. It’s the season of hotly anticipated releases on the big and small screens – but also an excuse to cosy up at home with some old favourites and feel zero guilt about choosing your sofa over your social life.
When it comes to spooky Halloween viewing, Disney+ might not be the first destination you think of but bear with - it has the Hocus Pocus sequel we've all been waiting for and it’s back catalogue of creepy AF mid-century animation is unparalleled – seriously, those pink elephants were the stuff of nightmares.
Here’s a pick of the perfect accompaniments to fairy lights and pumpkin spice candles this scary season.
Spooky Disney+ Films To Stream This Halloween
1 of 7Hocus Pocus & Hocus Pocus 2
Twenty-nine years after the first film, the original cast of Hocus Pocus returns for a sequel (streaming from 30 September) and sees Winnie, Sarah and Mary, a coven of witches who survived the Salem Witch Trials, return to wreak havoc and reap revenge on 21st century Salem. The first film is available too, so make a night of it by watching both.
2 of 7Nightmare Before Christmas
Tim Burton’s A Nightmare Before Christmas became an instant classic when it was first released nearly thirty years ago (1993 was a good year for Halloween films it would seem) and nothing has changed. Jack Skellington’s ill-fated stint as Sandy Claws after the discovery of Christmas Town is basically compulsory viewing for Halloween (and/or Christmas).
3 of 7Edward Scissorhands
No one does creepy and ethereal quite like Tim Burton, and while Edward Scissorhands might not be a traditionally ‘scary’ movie, it definitely makes for appropriate Halloween viewing – not to mention a great Halloween costume.
4 of 7The Haunted Mansion
A true feat of early 00s special effects, this absolute scream of a film stars Eddie Murphy as an estate agent who’s been tasked with selling the historic Gracey Manor which turns out (spoiler alert) to be haunted. The film was based on the Disneyland Resort Paris favourite, Phantom Manor, and according to some IMDb sleuthing, there’s a remake in the works for 2023.
5 of 7Alien Franchise
The Alien films are the gifts that keep on giving, with all eight of the franchise, from the 1979 original to spin-off-slash-crossover Alien v Predator and Alien v Predator – Requiem available to stream now. The truly committed among us could make a whole weekend of it.
6 of 7Fantasia
When it comes to Disney’s scariest offerings, it would be utterly remiss not to include some of the genuinely frightening sequences from its earliest animated films. This stuff still creeps us out now – watching through the lens of childhood was close to traumatic. Fantasia was a feature length lesson in cartoon chaos, all set to a score of intense classical music.
7 of 7Don't Look Under The Bed
Don’t Look Under The Bed was a Disney Channel, straight to TV original movie which followed Frances Bacon and her/an imaginary friend Larry as they take on the Boogey Man, who kidnaps her kid brother and keeps him in a giant sock. Whilst it may not sound like a screenplay to rival Paranormal Activity et al, it was one of the only Disney films ever to have PG rating, which, to be honest, it earned.
READ MORE: The Best Halloween Costumes Inspired by Your Favourite On-Screen Characters