Documentary The Spirit of Halloweentown explores the town used in the Cult Disney Movie of the Week Halloweentown that’s gone full-on Halloween-obsessed hamlet in Oregon, playing at Fantastic Fest 2024!
I wasn’t a Disney Kid. At least not in the way my wife was a Disney kid. So, until a few years ago I had no knowledge of the Disney Channel movie Halloweentown and its sequels. As an adult being introduced to the series, it was a fairly innocuous affair. However, I can see the obsessiveness that could grow out of it and the Disney Adults that would elevate the film and everything surrounding it into pious hallowed grounds.
Directors Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb have focused The Spirit of Halloweentown on the citizens, guests, and governing bodies of St. Helen’s where Halloweentown was shot. St. Helens over the last two decades has turned itself into a destination for Disney Adults and Halloween lovers alike. For six weeks leading up to the holiday, the town turns itself upside down with all manner of events, haunted houses, dances, and the like turning a tidy profit out of curiosity seekers looking for a town that hasn’t changed all that much since 1998 (when Halloweentown was produced)
Those who love small-town interpersonal politics, characters, hucksters, and all that comes along with Spooky season will find much to like in this often-charming documentary. The film is populated with ghost hunters, alien researchers, dance/cheer instructors, disenchanted restaurant owners, haunted house owners, Halloween protestors, and town officials. It’s all small stakes and low-key charm that never insults even the more ‘lively characters’ that make up the town.
One does wish that there was more narrative drive and focus on the Disney film it takes its title from. The Spirit of Halloweentown sidesteps all of the crucial information one would like to know. How did the town transform itself into a profitable six-week pop-up business? An elaboration on the problems that are hinted at. Like the lack of infrastructure. Or a town governing body that looks clueless focusing on inconsequential “customer service” nonsense rather than the creation of a true space for this weekend event that lasts a month and a half.
The Spirit of Halloweentown is of a “vibe” populated by vignettes than a cohesive documentary that dissects some of the more arresting aspects of the town and this time of year.
Documentary The Spirit of Halloweentown explores the town used in the Cult Disney Movie of the Week Halloweentown that’s gone full-on Halloween-obsessed hamlet in Oregon, playing at Fantastic Fest 2024!
I wasn’t a Disney Kid. At least not in the way my wife was a Disney kid. So, until a few years ago I had no knowledge of the Disney Channel movie Halloweentown and its sequels. As an adult being introduced to the series, it was a fairly innocuous affair. However, I can see the obsessiveness that could grow out of it and the Disney Adults that would elevate the film and everything surrounding it into pious hallowed grounds.
Directors Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb have focused The Spirit of Halloweentown on the citizens, guests, and governing bodies of St. Helen’s where Halloweentown was shot. St. Helens over the last two decades has turned itself into a destination for Disney Adults and Halloween lovers alike. For six weeks leading up to the holiday, the town turns itself upside down with all manner of events, haunted houses, dances, and the like turning a tidy profit out of curiosity seekers looking for a town that hasn’t changed all that much since 1998 (when Halloweentown was produced)
Those who love small-town interpersonal politics, characters, hucksters, and all that comes along with Spooky season will find much to like in this often-charming documentary. The film is populated with ghost hunters, alien researchers, dance/cheer instructors, disenchanted restaurant owners, haunted house owners, Halloween protestors, and town officials. It’s all small stakes and low-key charm that never insults even the more ‘lively characters’ that make up the town.
One does wish that there was more narrative drive and focus on the Disney film it takes its title from. The Spirit of Halloweentown sidesteps all of the crucial information one would like to know. How did the town transform itself into a profitable six-week pop-up business? An elaboration on the problems that are hinted at. Like the lack of infrastructure. Or a town governing body that looks clueless focusing on inconsequential “customer service” nonsense rather than the creation of a true space for this weekend event that lasts a month and a half.
The Spirit of Halloweentown is of a “vibe” populated by vignettes than a cohesive documentary that dissects some of the more arresting aspects of the town and this time of year.
The Spirit of Halloweentown played Fantastic Fest on September 21st and September 25th
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