Halloween Children’s Movies: Oregon Really Loves This (Local) One

ST. HELENS, OR — You’ve got to keep the kiddos entertained before trick-or-treating begins. Here’s the top searched for children’s movie in Oregon.

Color us orange with disappointment: “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” has lost its standing as a Halloween children’s classic, according to an analysis of the top searched-for children’s movies during the frightening season. The report, based on Google searches, breaks down the top movies by state. In Oregon —perhaps unsurprisingly for locals — parents and their kids are searching most for "HalloweenTown."

"Halloweentown," filmed in Scappoose, St. Helens, and around the metro area, was released by Disney in 1998. Featuring the late Debbie Reynolds, it's the story of a 13-year-old who discovers she comes from a family of witches who live alongside other supernatural beings. After learning she's a witch, Marnie helps save the town's Halloween-ish creatures.

Since the movie's release the city of St. Helens has hosted several "HalloweenTown" celebrations; but last year, following Debbie Reynolds' death, the original cast members reunited to join in the Spirit of "HalloweenTown" celebration.

Kimberly J. Brown, who plays Marnie in the film, even returned with a handful of cast members again this past Oct. 13 for the city's annual pumpkin lighting.

Among all states, the top searched for movie was “Ghostbusters,” the favorite in 11 states. In the movie, scientists played by “Saturday Night Live” alums Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray team up with late actor and director Harold Ramis to engage in a high-tech battle with the supernatural.

The second choice among states was the fantasy film “Coco.” In it, young Miguel finds himself in the colorful Land of the Dead as he defies his family’s generations-old ban on music and pursues his dream to become an accomplished musician.

Also big are “Scooby-Doo” (six states), along with “Beetlejuice” and “Nightmare Before Christmas” (five states each).

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The Halloween movie rankings were put together by Frontier Communications Corp., which provides internet, television and phone services in 29 states. The company did a grave-diggers’ dive into Google search data for children’s Halloween movies rated PG or below and selected the top 18 that are available to buy, rent, stream or watch on television. From there, data analysts ran a search for those 18 in every state and chose those with the highest volume for the ranking.

Some other findings:

“Casper” is based in Maine, but folks there are more interested in “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” But the story of a kind young ghost who haunts the mansion in Maine is a favorite in Wyoming. Is it because the Cowboy State’s second-largest city shares the same name as the movie?

Nowhere was the search for “Ghostbusters” greater than in New York. The classic is set in New York City.

Residents of Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming know a good movie when they see it. Their top searches this year match those in 2017, Frontier Communications said.

Your Turn: What’s your go-to Halloween movie and why do you like it? Would you recommend it for children? Tell us what you think in the comments.