Disney Channel is known for its Halloween rituals. Themed episodes have always been a yearly staple for the event, but there's one tradition that's even more well-known: Halloween DCOMs. Fans love to relive holiday-specific movies and sitcom episodes on Disney+.
Disney+ is full of Halloween classics like Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire and the Halloweentown movies, but the streaming service also has newer films like Girl vs. Monster, where a girl discovers that she comes from a family of monster hunters when she accidentally unleashes the monsters. Check out these facts from behind the scenes!
The Cast Had Some Scares On Set
The cast of Girl vs. Monster spoke to Girls' Life about their experiences on set. Olivia Holt plays the protagonist, Skylar Lewis. Holt revealed that Luke Benward, who played her love interest, loved to jump out and scare his castmates when they weren't filming.
Katherine McNamara, who played Myra, also mentioned that seeing an actor dressed as a creepy clown was scary.
A Haunted House Might Be In The Movie
As Girls' Life continued to speak with cast members, Kerris Dorsey (Sadie in the movie) reflected on the potentially haunted house from filming. The mansion may have formerly been a convent.
Katherine McNamara, Kerris Dorsey, and Olivia Holt tried to open the door of a dead-bolted room. They looked at footage later on and noticed "little white things" sliding on the screen. Maybe those orbs were ghosts!
The Director Was A Disney Channel Halloween Veteran
The movie's director, Stuart Gillard, was no stranger to Disney Channel's world of scary DCOMs. Gillard directed The Scream Team (2002) along with both movies in the Twitches franchise (2005, 2007).
Stuart Gillard even directed and co-produced Avalon High (2010), which isn't a Halloween movie, but it still carries a darker tone in its tale of Arthurian legend.
One Of The Writers Worked On Return To Halloweentown
Girl vs. Monster was written by Annie DeYoung and Ron McGee. McGee went on to write and produce episodes of Rizzoli & Isles and NCIS: New Orleans after Girl vs. Monster. Annie DeYoung came to the DCOM with quite a Disney Channel resume. She is credited as a writer for 16 Wishes (an unofficial 2010 Disney Channel movie) and Princess Protection Program (2009), and she is credited with the teleplay for Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board (2007), Starstruck (2010), and Return to Halloweentown (2006).
Return to Halloweentown is one of the most controversial DCOMs ever with its recasting decision for the character of Marnie. It's interesting that DeYoung was part of so many other Disney Channel Original Movies.
Executive Producer Is A DCOM Queen
There's another creative mind that fans of this movie should know about. Sheri Singer executive produced Girl vs. Monster, and it certainly wasn't her first time working with Disney Channel. Singer's first DCOM was Halloweentown (1998).
From there, she continued executive producing the channel's movies, from basketball movies like The Luck of the Irish (2001) and Double Teamed (2002) to the rest of the Halloweentown franchise and even more DCOMs throughout the 2000s and 2010s.
This Is The Only Halloween & Musical DCOM Crossover
Girl vs. Monster might not be the scariest DCOM ever, but it has the important distinction of being the one and only Halloween and music Disney Channel crossover film.
Many DCOMs have fantastic soundtracks without positioning the main characters as musicians. However, singing is a big part of Girl vs. Monster, highlighting the vocal talents of Olivia Holt and Luke Benward.
The Movie Produced An Award-Winning Song
Girl vs. Monster did more than just include musical leads. It also has an award-winning song. "Had Me @ Hello" won the Radio Disney Music Award for Best Crush Song in 2013.
The song is performed by Luke Benward, Olivia Holt, and Katherine McNamara during the movie. It really is the perfect "crush" song.
The Star Was Already On Her Own Popular Disney Show
For those who didn't watch much Disney XD, it's important to know that Olivia Holt was already a star on the show Kickin' It (2011-2015) when Girl vs. Monster aired. Holt played Kim Crawford on the karate series before she continued her successful run as a Disney star.
The talented actress went on to star in Cloak & Dagger and continues to appear as Tandy Bowen/Dagger in other Marvel productions.
Filmed In Vancouver & Shares A Location With Twilight
Like a number of other Disney films, Girl vs. Monster was filmed in Vancouver. Brendan Meyer, who played Henry, told Girls' Life that the cast shot scenes in the "same woods as the New Moon scene where Edward leaves Bella."
The Twilight franchise is very different from the world of Halloween DCOMs, so it's exciting to know that there is a physical crossover between the two.
Filming Was Nightmare-Inducing
Kerris Dorsey, who plays Sadie in the movie, told Girls' Life about the bad dreams that came from her time working on the movie.
Dorsey said, "Olivia [Holt] and I both had weird nightmares and all of the cast members were in them." One of the nightmares even involved running in a forest. How apropos!