Disney Channel Original Movies have sparked some of the most successful franchises in history, and created lasting nostalgia for fans. While beloved films like High School Musical and Camp Rock bring back fond memories of sing-a-longs, other DCOM's might stir up darker recollections of creepy characters, frightening monsters, or nefarious villains that still cause nightmares.
Movies that were designed with young audiences in mind seem tamer than most, but the best villains are still evil, scheming, and notorious for wreaking havoc on heroic protagonists. While some villains are downright criminals, others leave a lasting impression with their mysterious attire and withering stares. The most troubling villains are the ones who threaten the livelihood of the characters, and quite possibly the destruction of the world.
The Phantom - The Phantom Of The Megaplex
On the night of a big movie premiere, a 26-screen movie theater appears to be haunted by The Phantom Of The Megaplex. A constant stream of pranks and glitches related to the movies being shown that night, attempt to ruin the historical theater's reputation. The Phantom's mischievous behavior and dark cloak create a fun mystery while giving a nod to the famous play, The Phantom of the Opera.
The cinema pranks are relatively harmless, mostly ruining the entertainment of moviegoers, and causing financial stress for the Megaplex, as they must provide refunds or future movie passes to the upset patrons. Audiences can follow the clues throughout the film, and try to guess who The Phantom is, but this film has one last trick up its sleeve - a twist ending.
Cadet Captain Jennifer Stone - Cadet Kelly
The title character, Cadet Kelly is a fashionista from New York City, who gets sent to military school. But it's the tight-lipped performance by Christy Carlson Romano as Jennifer Stone that will leave viewers shaking in their boots. Villains are usually known for rule-breaking, but Cadet Captain Jennifer Stone proves that she can dole out punishments and insults like "maggot," even when her posture is on point, and her behavior is otherwise by-the-book.
While her training camp for Kelly can seem gruesome, and her judgment of rule breaks can be harsh, Jennifer Stone is just a teenage girl, slightly older than Kelly, trying to do her job well. After all their animosity, Cadet Captain Jennifer Stone and Cadet Kelly manage to find common ground and form a unique bond that could be explored if Cadet Kelly ever gets the sequel it deserves.
Val - Brink!
One of the best movies on Disney Channel features Andy "Brink" Brinker as a compassionate and supportive leader of the Soul Skaters in Brink!, and his rival Val as the complete opposite. Blinded by the greed of sponsorship on the semi-pro in-line skating team X-Bladz, Val will stop at nothing to win, and continue to gain notoriety in the process.
Preying on Brink's financial insecurity, Val convinces him to join X-Bladz, even though he only has duplicitous plans to bring Brink down. While some villains have tragic backstories or intriguing redemption arcs, Val is one-dimensional. He verbally picks on his peers and resorts to dangerous stunts to harm his enemies, without any remorse for his actions.
Seamus McTieran - The Luck Of The Irish
In The Luck of the Irish, Seamus McTieran is introduced as a famous Irish step-dancer, similar to Michael Flatley, Lord of The Dance. After the protagonist, junior high basketball star Kyle Johnson sees Seamus' dance team perform at a local fair, his luck changes. Through a mysterious sequence of events, Kyle and his family discover that Seamus might be to blame.
Ruthless, greedy, and clever, Seamus uses trickery to deceive Kyle and his family. After competing in a variety of sports for Kyle's family luck, and his grandfather's freedom, Seamus loses his temper and devilishly transforms into an evil leprechaun, leaving an eerie impression on audiences, but ultimately getting the ending he deserves.
Dimitri Denatos - Mom's Got A Date With A Vampire
Online dating has always been tied to certain risks, but when two unsuspecting teenagers set their divorced mother up on a blind date, they certainly don't expect Dimitri Denatos. Mom's Got A Date With A Vampire is a pretty self-explanatory premise. Dimitri first appears as a charming single gentleman who runs into Lynette Hansen at a local grocery store.
Dimitri is depicted like most modern vampires - very charming and debonair. At first, he seems like a patient and rational person. However, his vampire instincts take over, and he becomes controlling when faced with rejection. The most disturbing thing about Dimitri is that he could easily be compared to some of the online dating horror stories that, unfortunately, still exist today.
Pat - Smart House
Smart House's Pat, which stands for Personal Applied Technology, existed long before Siri or Alexa. At first, Pat seemed like the perfect solution for any minor issue, mess, or problem. She was simultaneously a nutritionist, chef, secretary, stylist, entertainer, and maid, for Ben, his sister Angie, and their dad, Nick.
Since his family was still grieving the loss of his mother, Ben secretly programmed Pat to be more nurturing. Unfortunately, Ben's plan backfires, and Pat's desire to protect Ben and Angie goes into hyperdrive. Although Pat takes a villainous turn due to circumstances beyond her control, the sight of her hologram getting taller and angrier was traumatizing for young viewers.
Kalabar - Halloweentown / Kal - Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge
Kalabar and his son Kal set out to win the hearts of the Cromwell witches and steal the powerful magic they need to take over Halloweentown, and eventually, the world. Fans of spooky cinema may not realize Halloweentown shares similar plotlines with the Harry Potter franchise. Kalabar pined after Gwen Cromwell for years after she married a human and decided to raise her kids in the mortal realm, just as Snape longed for Lily Potter in a similar way.
The dark and menacing reveal of Kalabar at the end of Halloweentown is far more frightening than the appearance of his son Kal in the best movie of the franchise, Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge. However, Kal causes more damage to Halloweentown and gets closer to fulfilling his threats to the mortal realm than his father ever did. This father-son tag-team may frighten young viewers, but the brilliant costumes and scenery, and plethora of well-rounded characters, make this franchise one of the most loved and revisited on Disney Channel.
Maleficent - Descendants
Kristin Chenoweth is perfectly cast as the absolutely wicked Maleficent in Descendants. Her callous personality, dark wardrobe, and signature pointed horns make her stand out amongst a sea of other notorious Disney villains, like Cruella De Vil, Jafar, and Evil Queen. On an island of villains, Maleficent's cavalier attitude towards evil-doing is hard to top.
Parents projecting their unfilled life goals on their children is nothing new, but Maleficent takes this trope to a whole new level. She wants her daughter, Mal, to steal the Fairy Godmother's wand so she can literally take over the world, ruling all things good and evil. Maleficent's narrow-minded quest for power distracts her from recognizing her daughter's changing priorities or accepting that there is another option aside from world domination.
The Boogeyman - Don't Look Under The Bed
Strange things keep happening in the small town of Middleburg, which many adults speculate are well-orchestrated pranks by a group of teenagers. The true culprit has slimy hands and long pointed fingernails and is hard to explain to anyone who doesn't believe this creature exists. Even though this nefarious entity appears to be framing the protagonist, 14-year-old Francis Bacon McCausland, she continues to search for a logical explanation for the bizarre events.
The tilted camera angles, spooky fantasy sequences, dark shadows, and horrifically detailed costume of The Boogeyman in Don't Look Under The Bed may still trigger nightmares upon rewatching. Although the subject matter is very relatable for little kids, the cinematic take on a childhood fear is startling. The more emotional issues of losing faith and growing up too fast under the pressure of dealing with a serious illness make the heart of this plot surprisingly relatable for adult audiences as well.
Parker Wyndham & Mr. Lutz - Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century
One of the most underrated Disney Channel movies, Zenon: Girl Of The 21st Century is set in the not-so-distant future of 2049 and features a 13-year-old girl named Zenon, who roams the space station like she owns the place. But the real owner, Parker Wyndham, and his weaselly assistant, Mr. Lutz arrive under the pretense of a routine check-up. However, Zenon discovers that they have a master plan that could destroy life as she knows it.
Wyndham and Lutz are relatively quiet characters who blend in and don't appear threatening to the scientists and researchers who work on the space station. After Wyndham announces a $500 million additional investment in their project, the adults onboard assume he only wants the best for them. But Zenon's intuition leads her to believe that this diabolical duo is up to something, and it turns out they value money more than human safety. This revelation cements Wyndham and Lutz as Disney Channel's most evil villains.