It is October, which means it’s time for sweaters, cozy blankets, and the best Halloween movies ever.

I’m not talking about the scary-horror-thriller movies.

I am talking about the “Halloweentown” movies, yes even the last one where they replaced Kimberly J. Brown.

These movies take me back to elementary school and drinking a juice box, begging my mom to let me stay up late and watch the new ones that came out.

These movies are great for the Halloween aesthetic but also because Debbie Reynolds plays the best grandma in these movies.

Debbie Reynolds in general is great, but Debbie Reynolds in “Halloweentown” hits completely differently because she’s magical in every way this character should be.

She also doesn’t overly do the whole grandma vibe thing, sometimes people overly play the part, but she does it with just enough cool-and-doesn’t-care grandma vibe.

These movies are also great simply because of the skeleton taxi driver Benny. Benny serves as the comic relief in the movie, helping the kids when he can by cracking cheesy jokes.

However, I still feel we need to talk about the last installment of these movies, “Return to Halloweentown.” I feel like they should have kept Kimberly J. Brown and not replaced her with Sara Paxton. The thing about this main character switch is Disney never really gave a reason as to why they replaced the original actress.

However, the heart of the movie is still there, taking the idea of a whole town being based off Halloween. The small town where they filmed the movies redecorates every year and throws a festival to honor the films. The idea that this town presents Halloweentown as a real place makes the films even more magical.

I also like that they center this whole fictional town’s pride over a big Jack O’Lantern.

The Jack O’Lantern is better than any other statue in a town I have ever seen.

Plus, the fact that everybody gets along even though they are all so different never seizes to amaze me that a child’s Halloween movie can teach adults so much.

Sure, this fictional town has had issues, they all do, but then it wouldn’t be a story.

The fact that Marnie (the main character) also advocates for humans and Halloween characters to live peacefully is just another reason to watch these movies.

Katelyn Eddington is a senior journalism major. She can be reached at 581-2812 or kdeddington@eiu.edu.