Two forgotten Disney Channel Halloween movies, from 2000 and 2002, star a vampire played by The Nanny’s Charles Shaughnessy and a ghost played by Hocus Pocus’ Kathy Najimy. Both stream on Disney+.
Everybody remembers “Halloweentown.” Fewer people remember the two Disney Channel Halloween movies that came out right after it.
Mom’s Got a Date with a Vampire premiered Oct. 13, 2000, and The Scream Team premiered Oct. 4, 2002, according to D23, Disney’s official fan club.
Both are streaming on Disney+, according to JustWatch. And both have casts that look a lot more stacked now than they did back then.
What is Mom’s Got a Date with a Vampire about?
Two kids set their divorced mom up on a date so they can have the house to themselves. The date turns out to be a vampire.
That’s pretty much it, and it’s a great pitch.
Adam and Chelsea Hansen push their mom, Lynette, toward a charming guy named Dimitri Dentatos, D23’s entry says. When they figure out what he is, they have to save her from becoming his “everlasting soulmate.”
Steve Boyum directed it, according to D23.
Who is in Mom’s Got a Date with a Vampire?
A sitcom crowd.
Caroline Rhea, Aunt Hilda from “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” plays the mom.
Charles Shaughnessy, Mr. Sheffield from “The Nanny,” plays Dimitri, the vampire.
Robert Carradine, from “Revenge of the Nerds,” plays a vampire hunter named Malachi Van Helsing.
Matthew O’Leary, Laura Vandervoort and Myles Jeffrey play the kids.
That cast list comes from D23. Vandervoort later played Supergirl on “Smallville.”
Here’s a fan upload of Disney Channel’s original 2000 promo:
What is The Scream Team about?
Ghosts with a job.
Siblings Ian and Claire Carlyle go to their grandfather’s funeral in a town called Steeple Falls, D23 says. It turns out the town is a “soul processing center” for ghosts, and an angry spirit won’t let their grandpa rest.
So three bumbling ghosts, the Scream Team, show up to help. It all happens during the town’s Halloween festival, according to Disney+.
Stuart Gillard directed it, according to D23.
Who is in The Scream Team?
A pretty wild trio of ghosts, going by D23’s cast list.
Kathy Najimy, Mary Sanderson herself from “Hocus Pocus,” plays Mariah.
Eric Idle, from Monty Python, plays Coffin Ed.
Tommy Davidson, from “In Living Color,” plays Jumper.
Kat Dennings plays Claire, years before she was Darcy in Marvel’s “WandaVision.”
Kim Coates plays the villain, Zachariah Kull.
So yes, one of the Sanderson sisters played a friendly ghost on Disney Channel in between “Hocus Pocus” movies.
What else have the stars done for Disney?
Quite a bit, especially in cartoons.
Caroline Rhea voices Linda Flynn-Fletcher, the mom on “Phineas and Ferb,” and she came back for the 2025 revival, WDW News Today reported when Disney announced the cast.
Tommy Davidson voices Oscar Proud on “The Proud Family,” and he returned for the Disney+ revival, “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder,” TheWrap reported.
Kathy Najimy played Mary again in 2022’s “Hocus Pocus 2,” and she’s set to return for “Hocus Pocus 3,” Variety reported in May.
Kim Coates went on to play Tig on FX’s “Sons of Anarchy,” which streams on Hulu, according to JustWatch.
Were these movies any good?
Critics weren’t kind to The Scream Team.
Syndicated TV columnist Kevin McDonough called it “clearly inspired by ‘Ghostbusters’ and ‘Beetlejuice’” in his review the day it premiered, which ran in the Lawrence Journal-World. He wasn’t a fan of the dialogue, either.
Fans have been nicer over time. “Magical Rewind,” the DCOM podcast from Will Friedle of “Boy Meets World” and Sabrina Bryan of “The Cheetah Girls,” has done full episodes on both movies, according to iHeartPodcasts listings. The Scream Team episode posted in July.
Where can you watch Mom’s Got a Date with a Vampire and The Scream Team?
Both are on Disney+, according to JustWatch. “The Scream Team” runs 1 hour, 28 minutes, its Disney+ page shows.
Are these Disney Channel movies too scary for kids?
Probably not. Disney+ rates both TV-PG.
Common Sense Media recommends “Mom’s Got a Date with a Vampire” for ages 8 and up, and says its horror bits are “played for laughs.” The scariest stuff is a vampire getting hit with a wooden stake, some trances and one near-bite.
It also puts “The Scream Team” at 8 and up. That one has an evil ghost who throws fireballs, plus “faces stuck in walls and eyes popping out of a ghost’s head,” Common Sense Media warns. So, a little more gross-out, but nothing a third grader can’t laugh at.
Which Disney Channel Halloween movies came out around the same time?
Disney Channel had a busy October run in those years, according to D23’s premiere dates:
“Under Wraps”: Oct. 25, 1997
“Halloweentown”: Oct. 17, 1998
“Mom’s Got a Date with a Vampire”: Oct. 13, 2000
“Halloweentown II”: Oct. 12, 2001
“The Scream Team”: Oct. 4, 2002
“Halloweentown High”: Oct. 8, 2004
“Twitches”: Oct. 14, 2005
“Return to Halloweentown”: Oct. 20, 2006
“Girl vs. Monster”: Oct. 12, 2012
That last one premiered during Disney Channel’s “Monstober” event, the earliest use of that name we could find in Disney’s own press releases.
We’ve also covered Halloweentown if you want the whole series.
The vampire movie and the ghost movie were never going to beat Marnie. But on a Disney+ scroll in October, they don’t have to.
Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.
Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Hat Tips:
D23 Disney A to Z: Mom’s Got a Date with a Vampire, The Scream Team, Under Wraps, Halloweentown, Halloweentown II, Halloweentown High, Twitches and Return to Halloweentown entries
Kevin McDonough, Lawrence Journal-World, Oct. 4, 2002: The Scream Team review
iHeartMedia, 2024: iHeartPodcasts announces Magical Rewind with Will Friedle and Sabrina Bryan; Magical Rewind episode listings, Oct. 16, 2024 and July 21, 2026
Disney+: Mom’s Got a Date with a Vampire and The Scream Team title pages, checked Oct. 11, 2026
JustWatch: U.S. listings, checked Oct. 11, 2026
DCOM Archives on YouTube: Mom’s Got a Date with a Vampire original promo (fan upload)
WDW News Today, Oct. 17, 2024: Phineas and Ferb revival cast announced
TheWrap, Feb. 27, 2020: The Proud Family revival picked up at Disney+, original voice cast returning
Variety, May 6, 2026: Hocus Pocus 3 officially in the works
FX: Kim Coates as Alex ‘Tig’ Trager; JustWatch: Sons of Anarchy U.S. listings, checked Oct. 11, 2026
Common Sense Media: Mom’s Got a Date with a Vampire and The Scream Team reviews
Disney Channel via The Futon Critic, Sept. 5, 2012: Girl vs. Monster premieres during the Monstober programming event
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