Wait. That makes it sound like the titles have bad audio description. I mean, these are 10 films that match some Halloween vibes. it’s Disney plus, and I’m not including Hulu titles, so don’t expect anyone’s head getting ripped off. Or perhaps…
- Blackbeards Ghost
- Since Disney has really made an effort to describe their back catalog of films, and even animated shorts, why not show your kids something from before their parents were born? Let’s face it, this is a 1968 movie, and I’m of the age to be having kids, and this film has 15 years on me. So, I guess either older parents with older kids, or grandparents. I have no idea what the demographic is for this, but pirates and ghosts. That’s like two of Spirit Halloween’s biggest sellers.
2) Coco
Of course Coco has to make this list. It is about Día De Los Muertos, so how can it not be on the Halloween list? Pixar’s beautiful ally animated romp into the underworld features a memorable song about remembering, and is perfect for this holiday. It was also the last film i saw with vision, and ability to drive to the theater myself. So, Coco always has this really special place in my heart. I’ve watched it since, and the audio description is great. It was also much shorter than i remember, but then again, seeing it in theatres we had previews, a Frozen short, and a Pixar short. This is just the movie.
3) dr Strange and the Multiverse of Madness
Just so we can be clear, if your kid is dressed up as that specific superhero, that movie could also be a Halloween watch. But, if you want something with some actual horror in it, this Marvel entry is helmed by Sam Raimi, who definitely got a green light to embrace the PG-13 rating, if not maybe even accidentally drift into R rated zones. I’m sure there’s a cut of this that is just a bit extra that would get an R rating. Raimi, after all, is the guy who got famous on Evil Dead, and even after making Tobey Maguire Spider-Man, he went back to his horror roots with Drag Me To Hell. You can feel his direction in this film.
4) Don’t Look under The Bed
This Disney Channel movie clearly has Halloween scares written all over it, and while I haven’t seen it to attest to its quality, I’m going to assume there’s something freaky under the bed, and this isn’t a movie about a kid who is awful at cleaning his room, so he just puts everything under the bed.I’m thinking Little monsters, but probably a little different.
5) Edward Scissorhands
Tim Burton’s classic, starring johnny Depp as the title character, is still very expertly crafted as this gothic horror that somehow works for the whole family. I’m still waiting on my sequel “Edward Scissorhands Performs Daily Tasks”, like showering, or using toilet paper to… well… you know. What happens when he has an itch? Has he ever brushed his teeth? These are the things we need to know.
6) Frankenweenie
Disney Plus actually has the stop motion animation version of Tim Burton’s classic tale of a boy and his dead dog, and also the original live action short that Burton made way back before he ever started to land gigs like Beetlejuice, Batman, or the aforementioned Scissorhands. It’s very weird and dark, but it is likely for the whole family.
7) Halloweentown
This Debbie Reynolds vehicle has been a favorite for the kids who grew up with it, and at least the first film, and one other in the series (Halloweentown High) have audio description. I recently watched this and I thought Marsha Bartenetti did a really nice job on the track. If I had know it was Debbie Reynolds in this, I wouldn’t have waited 26 years to watch this.
8) Haunted Mansion/ the Haunted Mansion
Now there are two versions of this ride! You can watch either the new one with Lakeith Stanfield, or the older one with Eddie Murphy. Haunted houses, ghosts, and for some reason neither film opened in October. Murphy’s version targeted the Thanksgiving crowd, while Stanfield’s remake went after the summer kids. October. this is an October franchise.
9) 9) Hocus Pocus/ Hocus pocus 2
Basically the original Halloween tradition. It’s less confusing than trying to figure out if you should watch The Nightmare Before Christmas at Halloween or during the Christmas season. this clearly has one season, and it is the one best suited for the Sanderson sisters to come and steal the souls of children. Wow. This is a dark movie.
10) The New Mutants
I just decided to finally watch this in 2024, even though I’m an X-Men fan, simply because I found out they finally had audio description on Disney Plus for this. So, while there are actually far more than 10 choices, and franchises like Monsters inc and Pirates Of The Caribbean can take a seat this year, i did just watch this in 2024 also, so i figured it earned the 10th spot. it is an attempt at bringing horror to the X-men franchise, and it isn’t as bad as you might have heard.
