Spooky season is upon us, and the hunt for Halloween-appropriate viewing options has already begun. And while you aren’t going to find the out-and-out scariest options on Disney+, there are some really great shows and movies that will put you in the Halloween spirit (bloodlessly, of course). These are shows and movies that evoke the spirit and mood of the season without going over the top on gore or extreme thrills that you can have on while carving your pumpkin or filling your Halloween tray. They’re charming, low-impact, and a lot of fun.
For more recommendations, check out our list of the best Halloween movies onNetflix,Prime Video, andHulu.
‘Agatha All Along’ (2024)
Rotten Tomatoes: 82% | IMDb: 6.9/10
Agatha All Along
Created byJac Schaeffer,Agatha All Alongis a Marvel Cinematic Universe miniseries that’s a spin-off from Schaeffer’s 2021 seriesWandaVision. The series features an ensemble cast led byKathryn Hahn, who reprises herWandaVisionrole as Agatha Harkness. Other stars includeJoe Locke,Debra Jo Rupp,Aubrey Plaza,Sasheer Zamata,Ali Ahn,Okwui Okpokwasili,Patti LuPone,Evan Peters,Maria Dizzia,Paul Adelstein, andMiles Gutierrez-Riley.
Set three years afterWandaVisionand two years after Wanda Maximoff’s death inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,Agatha All Alongsees Agatha escape her imprisonment in Westview, New Jersey, with the help of a teen who wishes to face the legendary Witches’ Road.Agatha All Alongpremiered on Disney+ in September 2024 and has had a largely positive reception from critics and fans. Generating consistently high viewership and social media buzz, the series has brought some fresh life to the franchise. With solid performances by its star-studded cast and an original story,Agatha All Alongis a lot of spooky fun.
Watch on Disney+
‘Goosebumps’ (2023 - Present)
Rotten Tomatoes: 74% | IMDb: 6.7/10
Goosebumps
Based on the iconic book series byR. L. Stine,Goosebumpsis a supernatural horror series developed byRob LettermanandNicholas Stoller. The show follows a serialized anthology style, with each season following a single storyline. Season 1 follows the story of five high schoolers who investigate the decades-old death of a teenager and unearth dark secrets about their parents. The first season starsZack Morris,Isa Briones,Miles McKenna,Ana Yi Puig,Will Price,Rachael Harris, andJustin Long.
Released in October 2023 on Disney+ and Hulu,Goosebumpsreceived positive reviews from critics and was renewed for a second season. The show wisely chooses to present its own original take on the world ofGoosebumpswith great storytelling, visuals, and performances. The series has been especially praised for its darker tone and some of the monster designs. The second season, titledGoosebumps: The Vanishing, will debut on Disney+ on June 03, 2025, withDavid Schwimmer,Ana Ortiz, and more in lead roles.
‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ (1993)
Rotten Tomatoes: 95% | IMDb: 7.9/10
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Produced and conceived byTim Burton,The Nightmare Before Christmasis an iconic 1993 stop-motion animated fantasy musical. Directed byHenry Selickin his feature directorial debut, the film follows the story of Jack Skellington, the King of “Halloween Town,” who has become bored with the monotony of his life. When he accidentally stumbles upon “Christmas Town,” Jack sets out to take over the holiday and become the new Santa Claus. The film’s ensemble voice cast includesChris Sarandon,Catherine O’Hara,William Hickey,Ken Page,Paul Reubens,Glenn Shadix, andEd Ivory, withDanny Elfmanproviding Jack’s singing voice.
Elfman also wrote the songs and score for the movie.The Nightmare Before Christmaspremiered at the 1993 New York Film Festival and was both a critical and commercial success. The movie has been praised for its animation, characters, and music and has developed a large cult following over the years.The Nightmare Before Christmashas also received several accolades and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2023.
‘Haunted Mansion’ (2023)
Rotten Tomatoes: 37% | IMDb: 6.0/10
Haunted Mansion
The second film based on Disney’s theme park attraction of the same name,Haunted MansionseesRosario Dawson’s Gabbie call on the aid ofLaKeith Stanfield’s Ben,Owen Wilson’s Father Kent,Danny DeVito’s Bruce, andTiffany Haddish’s Harriet to help exorcise her ghost-ridden new mansion. Neatly weaving between moments of horror and comedy,Haunted Mansionsees an enormously talented cast, also including the likes ofJamie Lee CurtisandJared Leto, bursting vibrantly off the screen. Written with moments of sheer hilarity and poignancy byKatie Dippold, fans of Disney will likely spend their time spotting rewarding Easter eggs littered throughout the movie. Sassy, brilliantly witty, and visually captivating,Haunted Mansionquite literally has something for everyone. -Jake Hodges
‘Werewolf By Night’ (2022)
Rotten Tomatoes: 89% | IMDb: 7.1/10
Marvel’s Werewolf By Night
Marvel’sWerewolf By NightstarsGael García Bernal(Maya and the Three) as Jack Russell, a superhero who, as a member of a secret monster-hunting team, thwarts evil using his lycanthropic powers.Werewolf By Nightfeatures exciting performances fromOutlander’sLaura Donnellyand the incomparableHarriet Sansom Harris. DirectorMichael Giacchinocrafts a visually appealing cinematic experience, especially for a project released on streaming. Giacchino creatively applies practical effects and plays with shades of gray, allowing clever pops of color in a black-and-white landscape to elevateWerewolf By Night’s story, which was adapted from comic to screen byHeather QuinnandPeter Cameron.– Yael Tygiel
‘Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children’ (2016)
Rotten Tomatoes: 64% | IMDb: 6.7/10
Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children
AlthoughTim Burton’s recent efforts have been rather underwhelming, his 2016 adaptation of the popular young adult fantasy series reminds us of the great filmmaker he once was. In this horror-themed take on theX-Men, a young boy Jake (Asa Butterfield) sets out to meet the illustrious Miss Peregrine (Eva Green), the headmistress of a mysterious home that he’s heard about in bedtime stories. Miss Peregrine’s home is populated with children who possess special powers.Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Childrenexemplifies the things that Burton does best; he’s empathetic to characters that feel “different” and allows them to find a community that accepts them. -Liam Gaughan
‘Hocus Pocus 2’ (2022)
Rotten Tomatoes: 65% | IMDb: 6.0/10
Hocus Pocus 2
The Sanderson sisters are back! After 29 years since their last night of mischief, the witches are resurrected after two Salem teens,Whitney PeakandBelissa Escobedo, light another Black Flame Candle.Bette Midler,Sarah Jessica Parker, andKathy Najimydon’t miss a beat stepping back in their iconic roles, and newcomersHannah WaddinghamandTony Halecarve their own space in this beloved cult classic. A sequel that’s just as fun as the original,Hocus Pocus 2proves to be an emotional story about the power of sisterhood. -Meredith Loftus
The Simpsons “Treehouse of Horror” Episodes (1989-present)
Rotten Tomatoes: 85% | IMDb: 8.7/10
The Simpsons
Nothing says Halloween like the spooky special episodes ofThe Simpsons. And Disney+ hasall of them. For me, it’s hard to top season 5’s “Treehouse of Horror IV” (still labeled as “The Simpsons Halloween Special” in the episode’s intro), which features Homer selling his soul to the devil (Flanders) for a donut, a parody of the “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” episode ofThe Twilight Zonewith a gremlin attacking Bart’s school bus, and a riff onBram Stoker’s Dracula, which had recently been released, with Mr. Burns as the famous vampire (all wrapped inside of a framing device that referencesRod Serling’s underratedNight Gallery). There’s also season 7’s Treehouse of Horror VI,” which contains the “Attack of the 50-Foot Eyesores” segment where all of the signs and billboards in Springfield come to life, the very funny spoof ofNightmare on Elm Street(with Groundskeeper Willie filling in for Freddy) and the groundbreaking “Homer” segment that features some of the characters rendered in 3D computer animation for the first time (and a killerTronjoke). But, really, any installment will do.Watch on Disney+
Rotten Tomatoes: 88% | IMDb: 6.8/10
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
Obviously, you are only interested in the back-half of this two-film special feature, produced during the company’s lean years following World War II and running a svelte 68 minutes. That’s the second devoted to “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” based on the classicWashington Irvingstory about a schoolteacher named Ichabod Crane who comes to the town of Sleepy Hollow in upstate New York and gets the wits scared out of him by the ghoulish Headless Horseman. While the film hits all the same beats of the short, with the same not-all-that-supernatural resolution, it still packs a punch and is full of heart-stopping imagery like the Horseman racing across the covered bridge, flaming pumpkin in hand. Not only has this character and its accompanying image been widely adopted by Disney for various Halloween activities (including a Headless Horseman running, full gallop, down Main Street USA in the Magic Kingdom) but it was also utilized pretty shamelessly byTim Burtonin his live-action, R-ratedSleepy Hollow. Clearly, this one leaves a mark.
‘Gargoyles’ (1994)
Rotten Tomatoes: 100% | IMDb: 8.0/10
Maybe the greatest accomplishment of the golden age of Disney television animation,Gargoyleswas the company’s first half-hour animated drama. And it was centered around some really incredible creatures – a band of medieval warriors who were imprisoned in stone for 1,000 years. Now, they have been brought back to life in modern-day New York City and fight crime, other monsters, and try to figure out the mysterious reasons for their resurrection. The gargoyles themselves were pretty scary and the show was able to tackle a number of mature themes and not just of the supernatural variety (one of the most infamous and widely praised episodes dealt with an accidental shooting). There’s a very spooky, Halloween-y vibe to the first two seasons (the third season, which wrestled control away from the original producers, is a wash and should be skipped) and, if you’ve never seen it before, you should give in. It’s easily of the same caliber as a similar, more widely celebrated dramatic animated series, with gorgeous animation and properly complex storylines.Watch on Disney+
