England U21s suffered their first defeat to their Republic of Ireland counterparts after falling 3-1 in Cork, with Tommy Lonergan scoring twice for the hosts.
Lee Carsley's men had already qualified for Euro 2027 as Group D winners but Ireland were competing for a play-off place, which they successfully secured when their deserved victory at Turner's Cross clinched second place at the expense of Slovakia on head-to-head record.
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It was England's only defeat of their qualifying campaign and they paid the price for their defensive frailties, even though the early signs were promising.
They took the lead in the eighth minute when Divin Mubama's shot deflected across the face of goal and fell to Tyler Dibling, who hit the target with his first touch.
Some of the energy drained from their play, however, and in the 22nd minute a defensive lapse invited Ireland in for their opener.
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The ball was played out to Sydie Peck but he was caught in possession and Ireland reacted to the opportunity in a flash, Rory Finneran passing to Lonergan who picked his spot and delivered a cool finish.
The home side then took the lead when Conor McManus tucked the ball home at the near post after Trent Koné-Doherty had been allowed to maraud free down the left touchline.
Koné-Doherty continued to cause problems with England slow to shut him down, but Carsley's men went desperately close shortly before half-time when Mubama was kept out by Noah Jauny.
Ireland were growing in confidence while their opponents became increasingly flat and they surged 3-1 ahead in the 63rd minute when Lonergan added his second following a scrappy passage of play in the box.
Once again England had been slow to react but in the 72nd minute they were denied by the post when Will Lankshear pulled the trigger amid a late onslaught that also saw Tyrique George kept out by a brilliant save from Jauny. %!s()
Sky Sports News reported on Monday evening that United will consider legal action if he moves to a European club.
However, it is understood that this is not a concern to Gabriel and his camp as they consider their next move for the 16-year-old.
Inside JJ Gabriel's future at Man Utd
Gabriel was pictured in United's squad photo for the 2026/27 season on Monday but is still expected to leave Old Trafford.
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Sky Sports News understands the picture was taken on September 8, when Gabriel was still at the club and expected to feature for the first team this season.
It was just days later that Gabriel and his family put in a formal request to leave.
Gabriel remains registered with United and Sky Sports News understands multiple attempts have been made to reconcile the situation with the 16-year-old and his family, with duty of care being a factor for such a young player, but no progress has been made.
Gabriel has attracted the interest of Europe's biggest clubs and talks have taken place between his camp and the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid, with PSG and Bayern Munich also interested in the young attacking talent.
From United's perspective, they feel they have done all they can to show Gabriel and his family a clear pathway to their first team while also protecting his long-term development.
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This involves, for example, featuring in the first-team squad photo that was released on Monday - a message he was to be involved in Michael Carrick's plans this season.
Another action they would point to is having Gabriel train with the first team for pre-season while also making his debut against Atletico Madrid in a friendly during that time.
However, Gabriel and his family would point to wanting more than the eight to nine minutes off the bench that he got in that particular game.
Gabriel's involvement in pre-season came after the then 15-year-old failed to report back with the academy squad at the beginning of pre-season as expected.
The U21s arrived back at Carrington a week before the first team, and Gabriel was due back at the same time.
But his family believed it was beneath him and were of the view he should only be involved in first-team training and so pulled him out of reporting back with the U21s.
Image:
JJ Gabriel is attracting interest from Europe's top clubs
Sky Sports News also understands Gabriel had an individual development plan led by first-team coaches at the club, including the first-team's medical and performance departments - who all engaged with Gabriel and his family to ensure he was receiving the attention they felt he deserved.
However, despite there being a feeling from inside the club the relationship between them and Gabriel's camp was harmonious, there was a difference of opinion over how much he would feature for the first team at the beginning of the season.
Gabriel and his family requested he feature for at least 20 minutes against Sabah in the Champions League, Brighton in the FA Cup and Bournemouth in the Premier League on October 25. This was all before beginning negotiations around a scholarship contract to secure his future at the club.
Gabriel was ineligible for the first-team tie against Sabah as he was not put in United's A-list. Instead, he played against the Azerbaijani side in the UEFA Youth League that day and scored a hat-trick.
Now that Gabriel has turned 16, he would automatically be added to the club's B-list and would be eligible for matchday squads going forward - but Gabriel's family will believe that was the opportune moment for him to be involved in first-team action.
As previously reported, despite being registered until the end of the season, there is a belief that due to a FIFA loophole, Gabriel could leave United for a club in Europe after his 16th birthday if he obtains a European passport, which he could through either of his parents.
Gabriel has not trained with United since.
Club sources believe the tension between the two camps stems from Gabriel's family wanting to chase historical records and United wanting to protect his long-term development.
To this point, no club-to-club contact has been made regarding the availability of Gabriel.
Sky Sports News has been told that if a European club tries to lure him away through a FIFA loophole, United will consider legal action.
It is presumed from the club's perspective that the change in attitude from Gabriel's family around the Sabah game revolves around promises made from elsewhere - whether from another European club or potential representation acting on Gabriel and his family's behalf.
For now the teenager remains a United player and despite the fractured relationship, those at the club still believe they are the best place for Gabriel and his individual development.
However, it remains unlikely we will ever see Gabriel in a United shirt again, with Europe's biggest clubs circling the young star. %!s()
The world of stand-up comedy is in another round of internal strife. But this time, instead of turning on each other over Saudi paydays, the focus has turned toward A-list comic Sebastian Maniscalco, who has so far shown little concern over pleas from some famous comics to restore the lucrative programming that once filled the SiriusXM channel now bearing his name.
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In April, Maniscalco’s Comedy Radio replaced Channel 99, formerly Raw Comedy/Raw Dog channel. According to Patton Oswalt, Michelle Wolf and other comics, Raw Comedy/Raw Dog was a small corner of the satellite radio giant where up-and-coming comedians could not only launch their careers but make a few bucks doing it. The channel is now “curated and headlined by Maniscalco.”
In an Instagram post addressed to Maniscalco, Oswalt said young comics must be allowed to thrive if the comedy world is to stay dynamic and diverse.
“Listen, there’s a lot of up-and-coming comedians who are depending on the money and the checks that they get from Sirius, and the fact that you and I still get to tour and still get to work, and still get to be as funny as we are, is because comedy right now is so dynamic and has so many new young voices that are coming up,” Oswalt said.
“But 500 of them have been booted off of Sirius,” he continued. “You bought that channel. I know you didn’t mean to do anything bad by doing it. You can easily reverse this decision. Get those young comedians back on the SiriusXM channel. Let them get those checks. Let them keep working. Let them keep coming up. It keeps us working. It keeps the profession that we’re in dynamic and fun.”
“SiriusXM Radio on their Raw Dog channel used to play like 800 comics — you could turn that on and find a comic that would be your absolute favorite, who you’ve never heard of before,” she said. “Since then, Sebastian has acquired the channel, and it went from about 800 working comics to around 300 comics — all of which you already know. These are famous people. These are influencers.”
Wolf told Maniscalco that “everyone can see that comics, we’re together on this,” and that he should want to change the station back to one that supports comics who have worked local clubs for decades.
“I guarantee you, your favorite comic used to play on that channel,” she said.
According to Stand Up for Standup, a comedy industry advocacy group, comics earned $15 in royalties per “spin” of their set on the channel, money the group says “aids in supporting their comedy career in the form of passive royalty earnings.” The group said the channel no longer draws from the wider pool of 800-plus comedians and instead rotates a narrower roster of comics each month, with more than 75 percent of plays going to the top 50 artists and bigger celebrity acts.
Maniscalco is certainly counted among that elite group. In September 2024, he set four records during a run of five sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden as part of his “It Ain’t Right” tour, including the highest gross for a single tour stop at $10.7 million.
The Hollywood Reporter reached out to Maniscalco’s team for comment but did not immediately hear back on Tuesday. A spokesperson for SiriusXM detailed the pivot to Maniscalco’s channel and said that many of the comics heard on Raw Comedy/Raw Dog will be heard on their many other comedy channel offerings.
“SiriusXM works together with our creative partners to program the best possible experience for our listeners,” a SiriusXM spokesperson wrote in a statement sent to THR on Tuesday. “The launch of Sebastian Maniscalco‘s Comedy Radio introduced a new creative direction and a regularly evolving programming mix for the channel, and SiriusXM continues to invest in comedians more than any other audio platform to deliver a wide range of comedy offerings across our channels.” %!s()
From 'Don't Look Under the Bed' to 'Hocus Pocus' to 'Beetlejuice,' The Hollywood Reporter rounds up some family-friendly (yet still spooky) Halloween movies.
October 6, 2026 4:38pm
Published on October 6, 2026
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For some people, Halloween is all about aesthetics and pumpkin spice lattes. For others, the holiday’s purpose comes down to the spooky aspects of Oct. 31.
For those who have kids, sometimes leaning into the horror of Halloween is a little tougher, at least while they’re young. But that doesn’t have to be the case.
The Hollywood Reporter rounded up some kid-friendly scary movies that are perfect for family movie nights throughout the month of October. From Hocus Pocus to Don’t Look Under the Bed and Beetlejuice, here’s a list of spooky Halloween movies that work for all ages.
‘Hocus Pocus’
Image Credit: Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
Taking place on Oct. 31, this Halloween-themed fantasy-comedy stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy as the Sanderson sisters — the malevolent spirits of three 17th century Salem witches (complete with pointy hats, brooms, warts and all) that were burned at the stake and accidentally resurrected by a group of kids — who in turn attempt to kill the children as a show of gratitude. Eating children? Rather dark for a Disney-produced children’s flick, wouldn’t you say? The cult classic is followed up by 2022 sequel that features a few new faces and a return of the Sanderson Sisters to Salem.
‘Beetlejuice’
Image Credit: Everett Collection
Say his name three times. Go ahead, do it. Well, at least you won’t have Candyman breathing down your neck. This kooky farce about the afterlife and all its pitfalls has a stellar cast (Alec Baldwin, Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara and Geena Davis — to name a few) and represents a time in director Tim Burton’s career (1988 to be exact) when he was young, unfocused and having the time of his life. The film’s sequel, 2024 Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, sees Ryder, Keaton and O’Hara reprise their roles and join new castmembers Jenna Ortega, Willem Dafoe and Justin Theroux.
‘Don’t Look Under the Bed’
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection
Don’t Look Under the Bed is a 1999 Disney Channel original movie from Kenneth Johnson that served as one of the channel’s scariest options for children. When strange things start to happen in town, at the hands of the Boogeyman, the people look to teenager Frances as the culprit. As she works to clear her name, she reluctantly enlists the help of Larry, her brother’s imaginary friend, who has a budding secret of his own that could ruin her chances of defeating the Boogeyman and saving her town.
‘The Addams Family’
Image Credit: Everett Collection
Based on the sitcom from the 1960s that was itself based on the New Yorker cartoons by Charles Addams, this quirky gem comes from the mind of director Barry Sonnenfeld. It stars the late Raul Julia and very-much-alive Anjelica Huston as Gomez and Morticia Addams, whose family finds life in the suburbs rather difficult — especially when estranged Uncle Fester (Christopher Lloyd) finds his way home. Having had some mild success at the box office during the fall of 1991, it spawned multiple sequels and remakes — Addams Family Values, Addams Family Reunion and The Addams Family (2019), as well as the Netflix spinoff series, Wednesday, which focuses on Gomez and Morticia’s daughter Wednesday and her years as a high school student at Nevermore Academy.
‘Halloweentown’
Image Credit: Disney Channel/Courtesy Everett Collection
Another Disney Channel original movie, Halloweentownfollows Marnie (Kimberly J. Brown) and her family of witches and warlocks who, together, defeat not one, not two, not three, but four evil forces that threaten the magical world and the human world. The 1998 movie spawned three sequels: Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge, Halloweentown High and Return to Halloweentown, which featured Sara Paxton in the role of Marnie.
‘Ghostbusters’
Image Credit: Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
Who you gonna call? Apparently, four paunchy, middle-aged scientists, as Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson teamed up with late director Ivan Reitman to fight ghosts and hold off the apocalypse in this 1984 comedy classic. It also spawned three more movies, a Saturday morning cartoon and a series of video games, not to mention that infectiously catchy theme song by Ray Parker Jr.
Disney Channel stuck with witch-centered films throughout the early 2000s. In 2005, the channel premiered Twitches, starring Tia and Tamera Mowry as twin witches who were separated at birth and reunite on their 21st birthday. Alex and Camryn must use their powers to save the world in which they were born, that’s facing an eerie Darkness only they can defeat.
‘The Haunted Mansion’
Image Credit: Walt Disney/Courtesy Everett Collection
This 2003 comedy helped usher in the era of the new and improved, family-friendly Eddie Murphy and also started the trend of Disney theme park attractions being adapted into feature-length films. Based on a fun and somewhat spooky ride, it tells the tale of an unknowing family who moves into a house that 999 ghosts already inhabit. Disney also released a remake of The Haunted Mansionin 2023 starring Rosario Dawson, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, Jared Leto, LaKeith Stanfield, Dan Levy, Winona Ryder and more.
‘Casper’
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection
Ghosts are typically as scary as they come, but when your ghost is the Friendly Ghost, that tends to take the edge off a bit. Casper is a young ghost who peacefully haunts a mansion, minding his own business, when Bill Pullman’s James Harvey comes into the picture. The specialist stops by the Maine mansion to communicate with Casper and his fellow ghosts, bringing along his young daughter Kat (Christina Ricci) to join him. The friendly ghost quickly falls in love with Kate, but there’s nothing simple about falling for a human when you’re an apparition.
‘Gremlins’
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection
As long as you follow the three rules — keep them away from bright lights, don’t get them wet and never, ever feed them after midnight — your cute and cuddly Mogwai should be OK. However, if you don’t … well, then don’t say you weren’t warned once a bunch of ferocious, mischievous green monsters wreak havoc on your town. Joe Dante directed this 1984 cult classic that teaches kids a valuable lesson about proper pet care.
This 1987 tongue-in-cheek comedy is crass, vulgar and politically incorrect. In other words, it encompasses the one-of-a-kind decade known as the ’80s. The plot is simple: A clubhouse-dwelling group of misfits must band together and stop Dracula and his cronies (who look like they just exited a Universal Pictures time warp from the 1930s) from recovering an ancient amulet and conquering the world. Wolfman’s got nards, indeed.
A stop-motion style animated film, this clever 2012 film is brought to life (pun intended) by a fantastic cast, including Kodi Smit-McPhee, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jeff Garlin, John Goodman and Anna Kendrick, it tells the tale of a young boy from a small Massachusetts town that finds out he can commune with the dead. Of course, this wouldn’t be such a bad thing, except he happens to live in a town where an evil witch was once executed in the 1700s. Mayhem, destruction and zombies ensue (as well as plenty of laughs) in this story of a teen who just wants to fit in … and talk to dead people.
‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’
Image Credit: Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
Suffering from an identity crisis of sorts (Is it a Halloween movie, or is it a Christmas one?), this 1993 stop-motion animated musical classic is co-written by Tim Burton and directed by Henry Selick (James and the Giant Peach). It features the iconic character of Jack Skellington — the Pumpkin King of Halloweentown, who accidentally stumbles across the concept of Christmas. He becomes so obsessed, he kidnaps Santa Claus and attempts to take over the holiday of Christmas entirely.
Pixar Animation Studios is responsible for this 2001 comedy, as well as its prequel, Monsters University. Billy Crystal and John Goodman, respectively, provide the voices for Mike Wazowski and John P. “Sully” Sullinger. Don’t be fooled. They might have human-sounding names, but these two closet-dwelling creatures have one job and one job only — to scare the pants off little kids. They’re not doing it to be mean but, rather, out of necessity, as the monster world’s source of electricity is children’s screams.
‘Hotel Transylvania’
Image Credit: Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
Cult animator Genndy Tartakovsky (Samurai Jack, Dexter’s Laboratory) directed this cartoon romp that depicts Dracula (voiced by Adam Sandler) as the owner of an inn for weary, wayward, traveling monsters, whose 118-year-old daughter Mavis (Selena Gomez) falls for a human (Andy Samberg) who accidentally wanders in as a guest. It spawned three sequels and features a spooktacular supporting cast, with Kevin James, Keegan-Michael Key, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, Kathryn Hahn, Mel Brooks, Cee Lo Green and others voicing some monstrous characters.
Released in 2009, this dark, yet whimsical tale not only has artistic credibility (it’s based on a novel by hipster fave Neil Gaiman and features songs by They Might be Giants), but it’s also a technical achievement. This surreal story of a young girl (voiced by Dakota Fanning) who lives in a dark and detached fantasy world was the first stop-motion animated film to be shown in 3D as well.
Image Credit: Walt Disney Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
How far would you go to bring a recently deceased pet back to life? Probably not as far as this kid went. Another stop-motion animated feature from the mind of Tim Burton, with this one putting a lighthearted spin on the classic story of Frankenstein and his monster. However, instead of a mad scientist rebuilding a man and playing God, this 2012 film is about a young boy named Victor who brings his beloved dog Sparky back from the grave. It’s adapted from a 1984 short film, also by Burton, of the same name.
‘The Corpse Bride’
Image Credit: Warner Brothers/Courtesy Everett Collection
Another film that comes from the twisted mind of Tim Burton (let’s face it, there could’ve been more than three on this list) was released in 2005 and features the voices of Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter as an unconventional couple who don’t let a simple thing like death get in the way of a good relationship. Animated in a traditional stop-motion style, this macabre tale is based on a piece of 16th century Russian-Jewish folklore called “The Finger.”
‘Monster House’
Image Credit: Sony Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
Surprisingly entertaining and inventive, this 2006 animated film, directed by Gil Kenan, features a trio of suburban kids who decide to investigate the one house on their block that everybody’s afraid of. It features a well-crafted storyline, some impressive action sequences and Steve Buscemi as the mysterious old man who lives in the house by himself … or does he?
Image Credit: Warner Brothers/Courtesy Everett Collection
Adapted from a Roald Dahl book, this 1990 film features a deviously wicked Anjelica Huston as Miss Eva Ernst, who masquerades as the chairman for the fictional Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children at a convention in Cornwall, England. However, she’s really the Grand High Witch in an ancient society of wicked witches. The actual reason that Miss Ernst and her fellow cacklers gather together is so they can execute their plan to turn all of England’s children into mice. Of course, they didn’t plan on brave, young Luke, who’s also a guest at the Excelsior Hotel, foiling their nefarious plot. The Witches spawned a 2020 remake starring Anne Hathaway.
This 1990 horror-comedy starring Jeff Daniels and John Goodman and directed by Frank Marshall did the same thing for spiders that Jaws did for sharks. After watching this scary and squirmy creature feature, you’ll be checking behind your shower curtain, in addition to being fairly apprehensive about venturing into a cold, damp cellar by yourself.
Image Credit: Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
Jack Black stars as author R.L. Stine in Goosebumps, which is based on the children’s horror book series of the same name. In this film adaptation, Stine’s imaginary demons are set free on the fictional small town of Madison, Delaware. The author teams up with his teenage daughter, played by Odeya Rush, and their neighbor, Zach (Dylan Minnette), to save their hometown from the unleashed monsters that are wreaking havoc in the real world. Amy Ryan, Ryan Lee and Jillian Bell round out the cast of the 2015 film that spawned the 2018 stand-alone sequel, Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween.
‘Hubie Halloween’
Image Credit: Everett
Adam Sandler stars as Hubie Dubois, Salem’s dimwitted delicatessen employee, who spends Oct. 31 night monitoring the streets as the town’s official Halloween Helper, making him a figure of mockery for kids and adults alike. But when something actually goes bump in the night one Halloween and nobody seems to believe Hubie, it’s up to him to save the holiday. The film also stars Kevin James, Noah Schnapp, Kenan Thompson, Julie Bowen and more.
Image Credit: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
Coco may not be an outright Halloween film, but it does take place in the Land of the Dead on the Day of the Dead, which is pretty close. The Pixar film follows Miguel, who dreams of becoming a successful artist despite his family’s ban on music. In order to prove his talent, Miguel stumbles into the Land of the Dead and meets a charming trickster named Héctor, and they embark on a journey to learn all about Miguel’s family history.
Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events is based on the first three novels of the book series of the same name: The Bad Beginning, The Reptile Room and The Wide Window. When three young siblings are left orphaned by a fire, they’re sent to live with their cruel and scheming relative Count Olaf, played by Jim Carrey, who is only after their inheritance. Catherine O’Hara, Billy Connolly, Luis Guzmán, Jennifer Coolidge, Meryl Streep and Jude Law also star in the film.
Buy or rent Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events online: Apple TV, Prime Video
‘Mom’s Got a Date with a Vampire’
Image Credit: Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection
Mom’s Got a Date With a Vampire follows Caroline Rhea’s Lynette Hansen, whose son Taylor (Myles Jeffrey) is convinced that she, well, has a date with a vampire. While his siblings are trying to sneak out of the house after being grounded, Taylor insists that something isn’t right with their mom’s new boyfriend, and the three try to get to the bottom of it. This Disney Channel movie is a little scary without causing nightmares in younger kids.
‘We Have a Ghost’
Image Credit: Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection
We Have a Ghost sees Anthony Mackie and David Harbour star opposite each other in the Netflix fantasy film. Mackie’s Frank and his family move into a new house, only to find that it is haunted by a ghost named Ernest (Harbour). After Frank’s son Kevin (Jahi Di’Allo Winston) and Ernest get to the bottom of Ernest’s past, they become CIA targets.
‘It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown’
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection
This classic short film first aired in 1966 and follows Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus and Lucy as they celebrate Halloween. While Charlie Brown prepares for a party, Snoopy sets his eye on the Red Baron and Linus decides to wait in a pumpkin patch for the mythical Great Pumpkin.
‘Little Shop of Horrors’
Image Credit: Warner Brothers/Courtesy Everett Collection
Little Shop of Horrors sees Rick Moranis take on the role of Seymour, who finds a mysterious plant outside of the flower shop he works at and learns that it grows when it’s fed human blood. As the plant — named Audrey II after Seymour’s co-worker Audrey (Ellen Greene) — begins to grow from the blood Moranis’ character gives it from pricking his own fingers, it attracts business to the once-struggling store. But Audrey II becomes increasingly bloodthirsty, and Seymour must find more blood to give it.
Rated PG-13, Wendell & Wild is probably better for older kids, as it can be a little dark for younger ones. It follows demon brothers Wendell and Wild, who must face off against their arch-enemy with the help of a nun named Sister Helly, known for her skill in expelling demons. The stop-motion animated horror comedy film is directed by Henry Sellick (Coraline), who also co-wrote the script with fellow producer Jordan Peele. It stars Peele and Keegan-Michael Key as the title characters, with Angela Bassett, Lyric Ross, James Hong and Ving Rhames in supporting roles.
E.T. might be a nice alien, but he’s an alien nonetheless, which can be a little spooky. After the extraterrestrial is stranded on Earth, Elliott (Henry Thomas) brings him into his home and introduces him to his brother and sister, Gertie, played by Drew Barrymore. The kids agree to keep E.T. a secret, but when he falls ill, the government must intervene.
Image Credit: Quantrell D. Colbert/Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection
When Lewis moves in with his uncle, played by Jack Black, he discovers a mysterious tick-tock noise behind the walls. It doesn’t take long before he learns that his uncle and feisty neighbor Florence Zimmerman (Cate Blanchett) practice the magical arts. Lewis quickly gets mixed into the madness and accidentally awakens the dead.
Buy or rent The House with a Clock in Its Walls online: Apple TV, Prime Video
‘Harry Potter’
Image Credit: Warner Bros./Courtesy Everett Collection
It doesn’t get more Halloween-y than witches and wizards. The Harry Potter films follow the Boy Who Lived as he and his friends work to defeat the darkest wizard of all time. And the best part? Half of the installments in the franchise are rated PG, so they work for the whole family. As for the ones who are rated PG-13, they’re not so scary that younger kids wouldn’t be able to watch.
‘Scooby-Doo’
Image Credit: Warner Bros./Courtesy Everett Collection
Zoinks! The live-action Scooby-Doo movie brings to life some of the most beloved animated characters in television history. Two years after Mystery Inc. closes its doors, the Scooby gang — Fred (Freddie Prinze Jr.), Daphne (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Shaggy (Matthew Lillard) and Velma (Linda Cardellini) — reunites on Spooky Island to investigate a series of paranormal incidents during spring break.
Image Credit: Ken Staniforth/ABC/Courtesy Everett Collection
With all the movies Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen starred in as children, it only makes sense that they would have one that’s Halloween-themed. In the 1993 made-for-television film, the twins play two precocious girls who try to save their parents from their greedy aunt and meet mysterious new friends along the way as magic abounds.
Hilary Duff’s Wendy stars opposite Jeremy Foley’s Casper the Friendly Ghost, who is vacationing with his confrontational uncles, in the 1998 film. After upsetting warlock Desmond (George Hamilton), Wendy and her aunts seek sanctuary in a special supernatural resort. Before long, Wendy and Casper become friends and decide to take down the wizard.
‘Phantom of the Megaplex’
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection
Phantom of the Megaplex is another Disney Channel classic from the early 2000s. The film follows a young man working at a movie theater during a special premiere night, attended by several Hollywood celebrities. On premiere night, he comes across strange and eerie occurrences, like disappearing staff, malfunctioning equipment and a broken popcorn machine.
‘Ernest Scared Stupid’
Image Credit: Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
Ernest P. Worrell (Jim Varney) is just a garbage man (or as he’ll tell you, a “sanitary engineer”) in Briarville, Missouri, but don’t let the job title fool you. This is a man with many personalities, and all of them are ready to go to great lengths to keep the people in his small town safe. There’s just one problem: His ancestors were cursed so that each generation of his family would get “dumber and dumber and dumber.” (His tip for not getting lost in the woods: “Remember, the bark always grows on the outside of the tree.”) Fortunately, when Ernest accidentally unleashes a disgusting troll with plans to turn the town’s children into wooden dolls, he gets some help in the fight against darkness from Old Lady Hackmore (a cantankerous Eartha Kitt), the sheriff’s son Kenny (Austin Nagler), his dog Rimshot and … authentic Bulgarian miak. (If you guessed the miak is not that helpful, you’re right.)
Olivia Holt’s Skylar Lewis is facing her fears in Disney’s Girl vs. Monster. The 2012 film follows teen Skylar who finds out her parents are monster hunters. After she accidentally releases some monsters from a secret chamber, she and her friend must recapture all the monsters before they hurt her parents. The movie also stars Katherine McNamara, Brendan Meyer and Kerris Dorsey.
‘The Little Vampire’
Image Credit: Everett Collection
In 2000’s The Little Vampire, a lonely nine-year-old American boy, Tony Thompson (Jonathan Lipnicki), moves with his family from California to a remote part of Scotland and befriends a young vampire, Rudolph (Rollo Weeks). After learning Rudolph’s family is trying to complete a ritual that would turn them human, he helps them find the missing piece of a magic amulet needed for the ritual, all while evading a ruthless vampire hunter.
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Eleanor Tobin (right) says she's no stranger to hang-xiety after a night out
ByChloe Hayward
Health reporter
You wake up. Your head throbs. Then comes the second wave: a low, gnawing horror at what you might have done.
You scroll back through last night's messages, certain you said something wrong.
You replay conversations worried you offended someone, embarrassed yourself, or both.
"It's that nagging feeling of dread," says 25-year old Eleanor Tobin who works in marketing and events in London.
"If the day starts with me doing a checklist of my things - panically checking I have my bag, my phone - I know the anxiety is going to seep into everything I do beyond just reliving the night before."
This is hang-xiety, a name coined in social slang a decade ago, for the anxiety that can accompany a hangover.
And yes, it is real.
"Alcohol affects the body in many ways - the brain, sleep, hormones and nervous system - that all help explain why a night out drinking can be followed by an excessively anxious morning," says Celia Morgan, professor of psychopharmacology at the University of Exeter.
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Watch: Yes, hang-xiety is a real thing
What alcohol does to your brain
Alcohol affects two chemical messengers in the brain: GABA and glutamate.
GABA acts a little like the brain's braking system, reducing nerve-cell activity. Glutamate is involved in excitation and alertness.
Alcohol enhances the effects of GABA and suppresses some glutamate activity, helping to produce that familiar feeling of relaxation and lowered inhibitions.
But the brain is constantly trying to restore balance. As alcohol wears off, the nervous system can swing towards greater alertness and arousal.
This can trigger anxiety. "Everything is always 100% worse in my mind when you have a hangover than in reality," says Tobin.
A 2023 study of over 5,000 students from the UK and the Netherlands, concluded that 18.3% reported symptoms of anxiety when hungover.
Image source, Eleanor Tobin
Image caption,
For the 25-year-old, it can lead to an anxious spiral at the end of a weekend
Genes play a part
Studies also suggest that not everyone gets hang-xiety, and the level of anxiety does not neatly correlate with how much you drink the night before. Existing psychological characteristics – and potentially genetics – appear to play a part.
In 2019 researchers at the University of Exeter studied this in 97 social drinkers.
Those who drank reported a spike in anxiety the following day compared with a control group who stayed sober. The effect was strongest in people who had scored highly for shyness before drinking.
Morgan's research found that shy drinkers often felt less anxious during the evening itself. Alcohol was doing exactly what they hoped, quieting social nerves, but the rebound came the next day.
"Shy people were hit even harder the next morning, with hugely elevated anxiety markers, especially when compared with those that weren't naturally shy," says Morgan.
Hormonal and psychological chaos
There is a psychological layer, too.
Innocuous moments get reinterpreted as embarrassing. A perfectly normal joke becomes, in the retelling inside your own head, a terrible mistake.
The anxious spiral can outlast the physical symptoms, because it feeds on itself: worry disrupts thinking, and disrupted thinking produces more worry.
If Tobin has been out Friday and Saturday night, by Sunday that spiral can become overwhelming.
"Suddenly taking the underground can feel like a challenge - normal stuff feels hard when you got a really bad case of the 'Sunday scaries' triggered by two hangovers in a row," she says.
Image source, David Cheskin/PA Wire
Image caption,
Drinking alcohol can affect sleep as well as trigger severe anxiety the next day
You may have fallen asleep quickly after drinking, but that doesn't mean you've had a good night's sleep, researchers warn.
Alcohol disrupts sleep, including the pattern of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which is important for emotional regulation. Wake up dehydrated and sleep-deprived, and your ability to cope with anxious thoughts is already reduced.
"Light and broken sleep means you wake feeling on edge," says Dr Alanna Hare, President of the British Sleep Society.
"Even if you have eight hours in bed, you haven't had a proper night's sleep, and a tired brain is more reactive to worry."
What actually helps
The advice from researchers is unglamorous but consistent. Moderating alcohol intake matters more than any remedy taken afterwards. Drinking water between alcoholic drinks can help, so can eating during your night out.
UK guidelines recommend no more than 14 units a week, the equivalent to six pints of beer or six medium glasses of wine, spread across several days.
Alcohol Change UK director Andrew Misell says it's important not to reach for alcohol to manage or mask stress.
"Alcohol turns into a depressant and can exacerbate all sorts of problems with our physical and mental health," he says, advising people to see their GP if they are struggling with the spiral. Talking to a close friend can also be a good starting point.
And perhaps the most useful trick if you are suffering with hang-xiety is to reframe the thoughts. Recognising hang-xiety as a temporary state, rather than proof that something has gone horribly wrong socially, can blunt its power.
The dread is real. The catastrophe it points to usually isn't.
So the next time the Sunday morning spiral sets in, remember it may simply be your brain and body trying to regain balance after alcohol. %!s()
Image source, Eleanor Tobin
Image source, Eleanor Tobin
Image source, David Cheskin/PA Wire