The crisp breeze, the crunchy leaves, the stunning foliage — ladies and gentlemen, it’s that time of year. Autumn is finally here, and with that comes (arguably) the best holiday: Halloween.

As a child, the excitement that came along with the spooky season was like no other. Planning out costumes months in advance, forcing our parents to decorate the house with cheap decor, and preparing the classic pillowcase for trick or treating were among the various traditions that came along with this anticipated holiday. At this point, it is disappointing that it’s not socially acceptable to go trick or treating anymore. However, as teenagers, we can enjoy the other parts of Halloween more — festive movies being one of my favorite ways to celebrate the season.

There is a wide array of Halloween movies; you’ve got your classic horror films, such as Scream and Halloween. Then, of course, there are family flicks like Hocus Pocus and The Nightmare Before Christmas. But there is one group of Halloween movies that will reign supreme for all eternity: Disney Channel Original Movies. Disney has given us the gift of countless spooky movies that transport you right back into Octobers as a child. Whenever I watch Twitches, I can almost taste the sugar cookies my mom would bake as a child. However, while the Twitches films hold a special place in my heart, there is one film that takes precedence over any other Halloween movie of all time: Halloweentown.

The setting, the plot, the character development; everything about this film perfectly conveys the sense of nostalgia and the Halloween spirit. Marnie, the protagonist, is a 13-year-old girl who has always had an affinity for all things spooky. To her surprise, Marnie discovers she is a witch after eavesdropping on a conversation between her mother and grandmother (brilliantly portrayed by Debby Reynolds). Marnie and her siblings then follow their grandmother onto a peculiar bus and end up in none other than Halloweentown itself. Filled with goblins, ghouls, ghosts, and witches, Halloweentown was every child’s dream to visit.
Marnie comes into her own as a young and powerful female witch in the duration of the movie as the audience becomes invested with her success of defeating the evil Mayor of Halloweentown. While it may be cheesy and predictable, it’s the aesthetic of the film that fills the viewer with the most joy. The costumes, music, and perfect autumn setting always make me think back to how enjoyable Halloween was as a kid.

Halloweentown was followed up by three more sequels, while the second film, Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge, was pretty good, none of the other films ever lived up to the first one.

If you want to be filled with the nostalgic joy of Halloween, give Halloweentown a view while feasting on some sugar cookies and let the magic bring you back to your childhood days.