There are many horror tropes that are all about being disturbing and spooky, from Creepy Children to Creepy Dolls and Creepy Basements. It’s not often that a trope sounds adorable but the “Halloweentown” trope definitely does. The 1998 Disney Channel movie is a fun one to rewatch in October as a young witch finds out that she has powers and travels to a town that is all about costumes and magic buses and having as much fun as possible… with some scary elements thrown in, too.
The “Halloweentown” trope is used in several movies and TV shows, and it’s instantly recognizable since it’s colorful and youthful. It’s the kind of place where fans want to live, even if they know that horrifying things still happen here.
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According toTV Tropes, the “Halloweentown” trope has “a creepy motif.” What’s fun about Halloweentown is that it can sometimes be terrifying, but other times, it’s used in a more light-hearted story. This is a colorful place with green, red, orange, gray, black, and at times, purple. The setting is familiar to horror fans: a full moon, branches that are definitely unsettling, trees with faces, and fog.
ManyTim Burton filmshave the Halloweentown trope, fromCorpse BridetoA Nightmare Before Christmas. The former involve the Land of the Dead where there are corpses, coffins, maggots, ravens, and spiders.A Nightmare Before Christmashas a town called Halloween Town, according toTV Tropes,and this is one of the best examples. In this Tim Burton movie from 1993, the people who live there are supposed to freak others out, but it’s all in good fun. While there are manyhorror movies set during other holidays, there’s something so joyful about Halloween that it’s always a good time to set a story on this date.
Of course, the “Halloweentown” trope is most famously used in theHalloweentownfilm franchise. The first movie, from 1998, sees Marnie Piper (Kimberly J. Brown) learning about her family history and the fact that her grandma Aggie Cromwell (Debbie Reynolds) is a witch who lives in this interesting, magical place. In this Disney channel, Marnie becomes a witch when she celebrates her 13th birthday. She visits this strange town and at first, she loves it so much. There are three sequels:Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge(2001),Halloweentown High(2004), andReturn to Halloweentown(2006). The fact that there are so many movies with this location proves how much fun it is.
Halloweentown may seem like a fun place to call home, but it has its scary moments, too. The mayor, Kalabar, is mad that Marnie’s mom Gwen (Judith Hoag) didn’t love him and he turns into a demon and terrorizes Marnie and her brother Dylan (Joey Zimmerman). It makes sense that kids (and adults who feel nostalgic for the film franchise today) love this place so much. Like thebest horror movie settings, it creates a fascinating atmosphere that is hard to forget about. Everywhere Marnie turns, there are pumpkins and people dress in costumes instead of regular clothing. She isn’t scared, even when she probably should be, as this trope creates a feeling of joy even when there are scary moments and creatures everywhere.
TV Tropesalso notes that the beloved TV seriesThe Addams Familyuses the Halloweentown trope. Fans love thegreat couple Morticia and Gomez Addamsand fans are looking forward toJenna Ortega playing Wednesday Adamsin the new series. This creepy yet adorable and charming family is such a popular part of pop culture and has endured for so many decades. It all started with the sitcom, which premiered in 1964, and continued on with the 1991 film starring Raul Julia, Angelica Huston, and Christina Ricci.
The Addams Familylives in a world where everything is creepy, black is the best color, and a hand called Thing is a typical and regular pet. This is a purely entertaining place to be in as the family is so much more interesting than more traditional relatives, and it’s enjoyable to see what they get up to. The “Halloweentown” trope is used here because the characters look like they’re wearing costumes that people usually see on October 31st and the whole look of the TV show and film franchise reminds fans of Halloween.
While some tropes are corny and horror fans rarely think that they’re used in an effective or interesting way, it’s hard to get tired of the “Halloweentown” trope. Who doesn’t want to live in a world where there are pumpkins and candy and costumes everywhere? Sure, there are monsters anddemons possessing peopleand evil creatures who are up to no good, but that just makes these stories more entertaining.
