Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge (2001 TV Movie) User Reviews

For me it was okay

[ericstevenson · 6/10 · 25 April 2018]

While everyone recognizes the "High School Musical" Disney Channel original movies, that actually wasn't the most prolific Disney Channel original movie series. It's actually this lesser known one called "Halloweentown". The title is quite misleading as Kalabar doesn't even appear in this. He died in the last one and actually stayed dead. This movie instead tells the story of his son trying to get revenge by turning the inhabitants of the monster world into humans and vice versa. The monochrome effects are done quite well.

The downside is that we don't get to see many of the monsters and they usually just stay in the same location. I haven't seen the first film in ages, but I at least remember that it was more creative with more variety. These movies are by no means great, but I'd still choose them over the "High School Musical" films. Okay, that's not much of a compliment but at least they made more of them. The grandmother Aggie is probably the most likeable character. Apart from being a witch, she's depicted very realistically. **1/2

Good Movie!

[yellowmellow197 · 7/10 · 2 October 2005]

I really liked the movie. The only thing I didn't like was the actual town, Halloweentown, because it was smaller. It was just the pumpkin in the middle and some buildings around it. That was really boring and not as special as the first one. That could have been better.I didn't like that at all. It should have been like the 1st one a big town and with more depth that really sucked. But other than that I really liked the acting and the script. I really love the costumes and the cool special effects. They might not be as good as some other movies but is really interesting and fun. Kids will love this movie. Especially kids that were born in October or even November. The whole series is great and fun for the whole family.

Not a bad film, but not great

[Mouldyman · 6/10 · 12 February 2007]

I've not seen the first film so I can't comment on what other people have said regarding the plot line's similarity to the first.

I found this film interesting though. It's clearly aimed at kids and I think that kids would find it entertaining. I have to admit the plot didn't completely make sense, and there were some parts that just made no sense at all. But I suppose that the target audience probably wouldn't be too worried about the inconsistencies.

The plot centres around the granny witch's spellbook which is stolen and used to place a 'grey spell' on halloweentown, turning the town listless and uninteresting (although I found the 'boring' characters more entertaining than the lively ones, I never thought seeing someone sort socks would amuse me so much). The young witch then has to attempt to regain the book despite not seeming to know her arse from her elbow.

At no point in the film was I bored but I was slightly annoyed by the ending given that it was something she could easily have done at the start of the film.

In total I'd give this film 6/10 allowing for the fact it's not aimed at me, and young kids would probably enjoy it.

Symbolic to "Return to Oz" movie

[SwedeAce · 30 October 2001]

I've seen the first movie and this one. They are both enlightening and entertaining. The actors portrayed a great job with their character roles.

As soon as I saw when Marnie and her grandmother travelled back to Halloweentown and found it all gray, boring and in ruins, it really reminded me of another movie sequel I've seen somewhere else. It really had a symbolic meaning to "The Wizard of Oz's" 1985 sequel, "The Return to Oz", where pretty much the same thing happens. The heroine returns and finds her "hometown" and must fight the evil lead character to bring it back to normality and give it its zest of life. It was was symbolic and interesting. If you haven't seen "Return to Oz" (a Disney movie that's labeled as being 'dark'), I would recommend you watch it and lightly compare it with "Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge." I liked that!

Great job, Disney!

Still Cute...

[fearfulofspiders · 7/10 · 12 September 2008]

Just like the first, this little movie is still just as cute, and remains as a great piece of entertainment for children, even if it is straight-to-TV material. From the acting to the story, all is adequate for the kind of end result those behind the scenes were imagining.

There's a lot less "scary images" than the first, and a lot more mystery to intrigue your 11-year-old child. From the slapstick to the one-liners, the comedy will work nicely as well.

All in all, I highly recommend a family to watch this in October. It's completely harmless and innocent, and its targeted audience is sure to find entertainment in it.

A great second movie

[BandSAboutMovies · 6/10 · 23 July 2021]

Mary Lambert once directed music videos - Janet Jackson's "Control" and five videos for Madonna including "Borderline," "Like a Virgin," "Material Girl," "La Isla Bonita" and "Like a Prayer" - before making Pet Sematary. And yes, she went on to make a Disney Channel movie, as well as Mega Python vs. Gatoroid.

It's been two years since we last saw Marnie (Kimberly J. Brown), who has spent the time learning magic from her grandmother Aggie (Debbie Reynolds) in Halloweentown. While hosting a mortal neighborhood Halloween party in our universe, Marnie tries to impress new neighbor Kal (Daniel Kountz) by showing off Aggie's magically-hidden room. Before you can say plot device, Aggie notices something wrong with the portal between our worlds, sending her back to Halloweentown.

It turns out that Kal is really the son of Kalabar - didn't see that coming with that name, huh? - and he's cast a Gray Spell over the entire realm, making the magically colorful world of Halloweentown boring. Meanwhile, he's turning Earth into a monster-filled nightmare.

To save the day, the barriers between Halloweentown and our world must be destroyed. But at what cost? Oh, if there were only a third film. There is? And I'm going to write about it this week? Man, this magic has me flummoxed.

As for horror fans, Judith Hoag wears the Silver Shamrock witch mask from Halloween III: Season of the Witch. Here's hoping she takes it off before the commercial plays.

Very cute...

[RosanaBotafogo · 7/10 · 10 October 2021]

Very cute, not as good as the first one, but kept the light and fluffy line, with little teenage passion... And the cutest little monsters, very silly, but adorable...

Not a bad sequel

[lisafordeay · 5/10 · 25 October 2020]

HalloweenTown 2: Kalibar's Revenge is the sequel to the 1998 DCOM starring Debbie Reynolds and Kimberely J Brown. Marnie has a Halloween party where she meets a boy named Kal and his father Alex who have just moved in next door to her place. However Kal turns out to be Kalibar's son and steals the magic book to transform all the mortals into monsters on Halloween night. Will Marnie save the day?.

Overall I thought it was good. Reminds me of an episode of Goosebumps(The Haunted Mask)

If you liked the 1st one you will probably like it.

Good movies!

[robinepowell · 10/10 · 12 September 2005]

I really enjoy all three Halloweentown movies though the only thing missing from Halloween High was Marnie's friend Luke. Maybe he's too old to be in High School anymore but that doesn't mean he couldn't have come over to give some moral support. ;-) These movies maybe intended for kids but I really enjoyed them! When the first two came to TV, I taped them and had a neighbour copy them onto a few more VCR tapes for other kids I knew. A Halloween movie that's not at all scary is something I enjoy. I can't wait to buy all three movies on DVD! :o)

I am having someone I know who lives in the U.S. pick up a copy of each movie for me and mail it to me. Though I'm the only with a VCR copy of Halloween High and one day hope to pass the third installment onto all of my neighbourhood kids since I know they enjoyed both Halloweentown one and two.

Kind of better than the first, but...

[Blazehgehg · 6/10 · 20 January 2020]

The original Halloweentown movie was... I don't want to say it was bad, because it was fun, if extremely cheesy. But it also barely had anything in the way of a storyline -- Halloweentown didn't establish its villain until the last 15-20 minutes of the movie, and his defeat came pretty quickly.

Halloweentown II is much, much, much heavier on the plot, hinting at its villain in the movie's very first scene. Unfortunately, it's somehow way cheesier than the first movie, too, borderlining on being cringeworthy at times.

Again, just like the first movie, it's for kids, so I understand that it doesn't have to be a super-serious drama. But the first Halloweentown had a real sense of fun to it -- instead of a plot, it filled the movie with weird monsters and fun costumes, something that really nailed the Halloween spirit. Halloweentown II gets rid of a lot of that stuff, on purpose, in service of its story. The most complex costumes you see for a lot of this movie are fake elf ears and a rubber nose. You could call this movie "Arbordaytown" and it would be almost functionally identical.

The story is whatever, too -- it's all over the place, where characters have the power to solve all of their problems, but refuse to use those powers for the sake of a convenient plot. There's a big race against a countdown timer, despite the fact that time travel becomes involved in the story. What's the hurry? Can't they just go back to a point before the countdown is a problem? Even as a kid I could identify plot holes like this.

And then there are the ancillary characters. The first movie's annoying little brother (Dylan) has thankfully grown up and chilled out, but other characters are obnoxious in similar ways. Take the mother, who comes dangerously close to espousing a "magic isn't real" line of thought in a movie where pretty much the entire central cast can (and does) use magic constantly. Her anti-magic sentiment just doesn't make sense, and much like the time travel plot hole, feels like a contrivance to pad out the story. She only acts irrationally because that gives the heroes another problem to solve, but it feels super hollow.

It's pretty lukewarm, overall. A bigger focus on plot is welcome, but it comes at the cost of a lot of what made the first Halloweentown fun and memorable. I have to wonder how many kids would actually enjoy this.

Please, no...

[mdoct · 1/10 · 24 October 2018]

Okay, look. I like Halloween movies, but it's just...this movie was trash. The script was annoying and boring, the characters have NO personality whatsoever (besides Dylan's cliche nerd personality), and...ugh, this made me want to die. There are too many things wrong with this movie to care enough about to count, so I'll just leave it there.

The Best!

[nyc_bound4 · 10/10 · 19 October 2005]

This is not a "bad movie" at all. I never watched the movies at all until like a week ago and i thought the movie was VERY good!!! It was one of the best movies I've seen. I thought it was also a very good plot. Marnie Cromwell had to save her family before it was too late and she did. It's not a remake it's a sequel. It was a very good continuation of what I can understand, even though I've never seen the first one and this was my first time watching the second one. i thought it was weird how when marnie met Luke and didn't know he was really evil so he stole aggie's spell book and used it against them. So the movie was excellent and i would recommend it to anyone and everyone!

Just a sequel

[iguth · 6/10 · 28 April 2019]

The second Halloweentown offers just as much as the first. The villain is obvious yes but brings a plan to the table that puts our hero in both creative and interesting situations. The plot is very much a sequel to the first in that it does nothing but build on already existing characters. I appreciate the simplicity of just another movie that puts our hero through a similar experience as before yet changing certain aspects of the plot.

Boo To You Too Two

[boblipton · 5/10 · 21 October 2022]

In the second of four TV movies about the little world created where witches, zombies. Gremlins and so forth don't have to put up with the bigotry of mortals, a strange curse has come upon the place, with the big glowing pumpkin turned into a grey wall, and all the inhabitants being reduced to black and white. Can teenage witch Sabrina --- I mean Kimberly J. Brown save the day with the help of her siblings and grandmother Debbie Reynolds.

Of course she can, this is a Disney Channel movie. The special effects include the same great prosthetics as its predecessor, and they use computer-generated effects to have the lead characters in color, while everyone else is in black and white, like a TV drug commercial. The movie is pleasant seasonal fluff for those of us who like getting candy corn and circus peanuts in our trick or treat bags.

Better than the original

[mrduckbear · 27 October 2001]

I thought this movie was really good. especially during this time of the year, it's waay better than the original. finally there's more magic using, and the effects seemed to have gotten better this year. judging from the ending of this film, their might and i'm hoping there will be a 3 installment. if you're from Canada, you'll wanna see it on the Family Channel, cause they don't show it on any other major stations.

A Decent Followup

[TheMysteriousReviewer · 7/10 · 24 October 2021]

Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge is a decent followup. But I will say that the movie can be a bit of a downgrade from the first film due to a predictable story. And we don't really learn anything new to most of the characters. At least it is one of Disney Channel's better sequels. Again, it can have a pretty nice followup from the first. Some of the editing can seem to improve. Kal can give us a good personality as Kalabar's son. And the concept of what happens when Halloweentown becomes an average world does sound interesting. Normally I'd say this would be an okay pick for Halloween time. But I would mostly recommend for those that love the first film and would like to see what follows it up. Because the best way to put it is just a simple followup.

Very Good Movie

[kkimball-1 · 8/10 · 2 July 2005]

Even though there are a few stupid parts, overall I really like this movie. To me, they dumbed-up Debbie Renyolds, and I think Kimberly J. Brown has really improved since the first one. In the first one she seemed very one dimensional and didn't show a lot of emotion, in the second and third she has more character and showed better emotion. The acting is better from everyone and better lines. It doesn't feel like they're just reading off of a script but are putting themselves into it. The magic and the spells are more advanced as Marnie is growing up, and the wardrobe is better suited for all of the characters. I personally like it, I'm actually watching it now and would recommend it to others.

Best Halloweentown Movie Yet

[Videogames12 · 9/10 · 23 October 2006]

This movie is the one of my favorite movies ever!!!!!! Kimberly J. Brown is really good at it. And Daniel Kountz was really good 2. This movie is also funny and a lot more action than the first one. The one thing that I did not like about this movie is the Halloweentown. That gray spell is dumb. Other than that this movie is great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sophie was also a good actor too. What was cool is how Mrs. Cromwell turned into that green goblin by Kalabar's Spell. But The First Halloweentown movie is a little better. One funny thing about this film is when that girl became Dracula and said "I'm also really thirsty". That was really funny. Halloweentown II Kalabar's Revenge is awesome!!

Not as good as "Halloweentown" but still AWESOME

[the_moody_youngest · 9/10 · 25 October 2006]

This movie was very good. It was funny, mysterious, cool, and interesting, it wasn't as good as number 1, but it was still great! Disney should keep it going with good movies like these. I liked all of them(except number 4) because of the originality they put into the characters and the plots. The acting was excellent and the character Sophie was still as cute as can be! Dylan grew, certainly grew. He grew all ugly looking and what not. Even more dorky but that doesn't matter. The writing was excellent and it still had all the excitement from the original film. You will enjoy Kimberly J. Brown's performance because she is a great actress and very pretty. Enjoy all of these movies, i suggest buying them ALL!! 9/10

One of those rare TV movies with a plot

[ll-world · 10/10 · 9 November 2002]

The thing that distinguishes Halloween II from other TV movies is the fact that it has an actual plot. Most of the TV movies I've seen have the plot of a fourth-grade picture book.

This film's storyline actually works for the most part. The only flaw is the time travelling. If they could travel through time, why not stop Kalabar before all of this every happened?

I thought Kimberly J. Brown's performance was brilliant. She has the charm and the ability to be the next major child actress. All she needs to do is to put a bit more emotion to her acting.

Also, the special effects were impressive for a TV movie. It's hard to find TV movies with special effects comparable to a full-length film. The special effects here surpasses many theatrical productions.

Obviously, this is not an Oscar-worthy film, but it's very impressive for a small-budget film.

Final rating: 3 out of 4.

Best Halloween Movie!

[samitrmw · 10/10 · 31 October 2019]

I love this movie! I've seen it dozens of times and watch it every Halloween. The villain, Kal, is my favorite villain out of all the Halloweentown films. I was hoping he'd make a comeback, since Luke the Goblin said he'd be back, but they didn't include him in the third movie.

Of course, Aggie, the witch Grandmother is awesome too!! Marnie is great in all three of series. They used a different actor for the last Halloweentown; which I didn't like. Studios should keep the same actors.

Great Movie!

[thespark215 · 26 October 2003]

I loved it. It was even better than the first one. I am hoping that they make a third movie. I loved how they incorporated the son, Dylan this time. It is a really good family oriented movie. I will be watching it every Halloween from now on!

much better than the first!

[SabeAmidala · 9/10 · 17 October 2001]

I'm really not sure how I wound up watching this one; After all, I despised the first movie. But somehow I always wind up watching the Disney Channel. And I have to say that I was really impressed by this one! It was just... different than the first. I thought the characters were more developed, and they weren't acting like idiots. And the plot... wow, this one actually had a plot.

Decent Sequel...

[Angelyc · 9/10 · 13 October 2001]

This was a nice sequel to Halloweentown. The plot was engaging. The acting was just as good as the first one. The villain was amusing, yet not sugar-coated. The character development from the first one to the sequel was VERY well done. No being a big fan of TV movie sequels I was pleasantly surprised.

Bottom line... if you liked Halloweentown... you like Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge.

Best Halloweentown!

[Calicodreamin · 9/10 · 30 October 2020]

My personal favorite in the Halloweentown franchise, acting is far improved from the first and the storyline introduces awesomely bad Kal. Storyline is well developed and awesome costumes and effects.