Halloween is just around the corner! As a kid, I couldn’t wait for when Disney Channel began airing their Halloween films. Usually Disney Channel Original Movies are feel-good stories about classic Disney messages, like friendship, the power of family, self-acceptance, perseverance, and treating others with respect. However, some of Disney’s Disney Channel Original Movies were genuinely terrifying. Let’s take a look at my top 5 scariest DCOMs.
Now I know these are movies for children, but some of the older DCOMs that played later at night were truly terrifying. Having an older sibling, I was exposed to horror pretty early. But a few of these films freaked me out more than the likes of Friday the 13th and It. Let’s check out what I think are the scariest Halloween DCOMs.
5. Phantom of the Megaplex
Following a young 17-year-old assistant manager of a new 26-screen movie theatre, this DCOM feels like a modern version of Phantom of the Opera. Rumors about a phantom who haunts the theatre run rampant through the public. The story states the ghost is of a man who was trapped inside the old movie theatre when it was demolished to make way for the new one. On the premiere of a new blockbuster movie, problems begin showing up throughout the theatre. In this horror-lite movie, the masked phantom taunts guests in the theatre and the young teens that work there. The phantom attempts to sabotage the premiere, but the kids learn of his plan and take him down. This movie, while scary, doesn’t ever commit to jump scares or other horror tropes. The image of the phantom, however, terrified me as a child.
4. Now You See It…
2005’s Now You See It… follows a young magician named Danny who enters a new reality competition to be crowned the World’s greatest magician. Making the top 3, Danny proves that he is more than just silly tricks, he has real powers. Host of the series and magical expert, Max, takes a special interest in Danny. Narrated by Allyson, an aspiring teen producer, she discovers that both Danny and Max are real sorcerers. Max gives Danny a special ring that is supposed to help Danny hone his powers, but through the gift, Max is slowly draining Danny of his abilities. Allyson has to show her new friend Danny the truth before he loses his powers, and ends up dead like Max’s former apprentice. This movie was downright unnerving. The heavy themes of child exploitation and manipulation are far deeper than a silly ghost story.
3. Tower of Terror
While not technically a DCOM, the Wonderful World of Disney film did play on Disney Channel. Disney’s first step into attraction based programming embraced the creepy and thrilling atmosphere of the iconic Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. While not based on The Twilight Zone, the tale loosely follows the story of Sally Sunshine and the other four people who disappeared inside the elevator on that fateful 1939 night. With jumpscares, vengeful sisters, and near death experiences, this film has high stakes. The final elevator scene had me on the edge of my seat as a child. The scariest scene is the haunted cart inside the hotel that starts chasing the main character around.
2. Mom’s Got a Date with a Vampire
When two siblings wanna sneak out of the house after being grounded, they set their Mom up on a date to get her out of the way of their plans. After their younger sibling sees Dimitri, her date, transform into a bat, he is convinced their Mom’s date is a vampire.The two older siblings don’t believe him, but when the youngest runs off to try to stop the date, the pair quickly learns the truth. The group of siblings trace their Mom down, finding her in a trance. The vampire attempts to kill one of the siblings, but as the other two call out for their Mom, her trance breaks. True Love. That’s the Disney we know and love. This gives her the opportunity to push Dimitri into his coffin and seal it shut for good. As a kid, it is easy to believe that your parents can protect you from anything, but this movie puts the kids in the driver's seat.
1. Don’t Look Under the Bed
This 1999 film is inarguably the most terrifying Disney Channel Original Movie. Don’t Look Under the Bed was only the second DCOM to receive a TV-PG rating. According to people who worked on the film, Disney wanted to create a film that was scary, but not too scary. Thinking they had achieved that, Disney released the movie. Quickly after, the network started receiving mail from parents complaining about the film’s fear-factor. By 2006, the network no longer aired the film. The story follows Frances, a young high school freshman, who is blamed for a series of pranks taking place in her town. An older boy named Larry, who describes himself as an imaginary friend, shows up to help her figure out what is happening. Larry can only be seen by children. He reveals to Frances that she is being framed by the Boogeyman. When the Boogeyman starts causing larger problems, like town-wide blackouts, she quickly begins losing friends. She is set on stopping the Boogeyman from causing her any more harm. After checking out The Boogey Book from the local library, she decides to build a device called the temptrifuge. The device will age the Boogeyman into an old man, making him harmless. In the process of her plan, Frances learned that Larry is her little brother Darwin’s imaginary friend. Larry had convinced Darwin to grow up and stop believing in him, making him invisible to the young boy. The book also reveals a Boogeyman is created when a child stops believing in their imaginary friend too soon. Continuing in their plan, the pair needs to find a way to attract the Boogeyman out of hiding. They create Boogey Goo, but when Darwin accidently steps in the substance, he is kidnapped and pulled into the Boogeyworld dimension under Frances’ bed. However, when Larry starts to turn into a Boogeyman, Frances has to convince Darwin to believe in him again. The ordeal makes Frances realize that her Boogeyman is her old imaginary friend Zoe, who she stopped believing in when Darwin had fallen ill. Showing Zoe she still believes in her, she transforms back into normal. The siblings return back to the real world. After similar events begin happening in another town, Zoe and Larry embark on their journey to stop other Boogeymen from terrorizing children. Before leaving Larry makes sure to tell Frances to always keep her childhood wonder. This movie, while incredibly interesting, really intensified the fear I had for what was hiding under my bed. The Boogeyworld dimension was also visually terrifying, reminiscent of tainted childhood memories. I’m unsure how this movie made it onto a children’s network, but I am so glad it did.
If you are feeling nostalgic or have never seen any of these Halloween horror films, I highly recommend you make some time this spooky-season to check them out.
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