2020 October Horror Challenge #1: "Double, Double, Toil and Trouble"

 

I forgot how cute the Olson twins were when they were little. Years after their stint on the show "Full House," they're filthy rich because they made zillions of dollars with their merchandise, clothing line, and other products. They gained a committed fanbase after they starred in many movies like this one, fun family flicks that capitalized on their cuteness. Despite my love of all things Halloween, I've never seen this movie of theirs, even though it's a Halloween story, so i decided to rectify that fact and watch the movie for my horror challenge this year.

In this movie, twin sisters Kelly and Lynn learn that their evil great aunt Agatha is a witch who trapped her twin sister, their kind great aunt Sophia  in an enchanted mirror in her attic. The twins have to get her magic moonstone and use it to reverse the curse by midnight on Halloween or Sophia will be trapped forever. Typical kid's movie fodder, but it's a lot of fun.

Not only did I forget how cute the twins were, I forgot that it's not just their cuteness that makes their movies so fun. They have good comedic timing and line delivery. When they meet a nervous grave digger and ask him if he drinks a lot of coffee (and suggest he switch to decaf) it actually made me laugh out loud. There are adult actors who can't pull that off.

The other actors are fun too. Cloris Leechman plays a great evil witch, and Meshach Taylor is a hoot as a homeless man who helps the girls on their journey. I do wonder about the girls' genius parents who take hours to even notice they're missing, but in movies like this if the adults were smart, the movie would be five minutes long, so i guess it's ok. This movie is a lot of fun, and it would be a great way to introduce littler kids to your horror-loving hobby.