Thursday, November 3, 2016

Let's all go to Halloweentown!

Halloweentown                                                           OK
Cheeseball award goes to….this initial film for a corny Disney movie franchise?  Nah, there’s probably other candidates for that.  Yes, this is as cheesy as cheese can get, even for a kiddy flick.  The monsters in the titular town are goofy and the special effects are lame, but it’s mildly amusing and 100% harmless.  I liked the big town pumpkin.  11/1/2016
Halloweentown II:  Kalabar’s Revenge                      OK
This one was a little better than the first one.  I liked that they didn’t make the same movie twice.  It might be that is was also directed by Mary Lambert who made Pet Sematary and Pet Sematary Two (classics in my mind).  Still far from classic status but there’s more going on this round to slightly elevate interest.  I liked the shrunken head walkie-talkies.  11/1/2016
Halloweentown High                                                  EH/OK
It’s tough enough being a human freak in high school.  Imagine being a literal freak (disguised as humans initially).  Age-old tale about basing people on their personality over outward appearance.  Blah, blah, blah.  I liked the giant animatronic (at first, then CGI) skeleton from the haunted house.  Slightly.  11/3/2016
Return to Halloweentown                                           EH
A different actress plays the oldest witch sister this time.  The girl from the previous three couldn’t do one more?  She probably foresaw the series losing steam and didn’t want to waste her time.  No, the franchise isn’t spectacular to begin with but this fourth entry was simply too many.  Its corny factor reached an all-time high (higher than the two characters flying the broom over Witch University---in which the brother and sister attend in…well, the title should explain where).  Otherwise it’s more of a lame teen movie with monsters being additional cast members.  Thank badness they stopped here.  11/3/2016

In conclusion:  I saw the first two Halloweentown movies about a decade ago and didn’t remember much other than being cheesy family-friendly movies.  My current opinion hasn’t necessarily changed.  Sure, I’ve seen worse.  Plus, they were all free on demand.  Overall, Halloweentown may be a nice place to visit briefly.  Every decade or so.

---Sean O.

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