“Don’t be a hater.”

Story: Skylar Lewis is a soon-to-be sixteen year old whose parents have locked in her in the house for Halloween while they’re away. So why not cut the power and slip out to that party? Well, her parents have a DL job that requires them to store stuff in the basement. Unnatural stuff. Under electric lock down. Oopsie.

Scares: Disney Channel. Absolutely zero, unless you count the sequel bait at the end.

Nightmare Factory?: Very wee ones may be scared of the monsters, but otherwise it’s absolutely tame.

Based on…?: Tidbits of Ghostbusters and Hocus Pocus, but an original.

Trick or Treat?: Here’s a Halloween film for the kids and tweens in the house. Lots of singing, and the usual girl-who-nobody-sees-Is-Important storyline, but at least this lead is more sure of herself and less of an outcast than usual. And that lack of fear is an integral part of the story, which keeps the plot fresh, even when the clichés inevitably pop up.

Lots of child friendly (and child level) jokes throughout keeps things fun. Even the monsters toss quips back and forth; gotta make sure everything’s non-threatening! There’s lots of groan-worthy dad jokes, along with heavy over-the-top monologing by the big bad. As for the spooky, no one but the youngest of viewers will be scared by anything here. Mostly it’s witchy ghosts and colorful ghost “smoke”.

The thing most kids will focus on here is the music. Disney music! It’s the usual hyper-positive pop tunes, but they’re used to nice effect for the plot, especially at the climax. But damn they dial the autotune to 11. It’s distracting, and the extreme lengths of this feedback-y sound is hard on these grown-up ears.

Through all the autotune and goofy kid fun, the message in Girl is a good one; face, and conquer, your fears. Not a bad idea for kids on Halloween. So put it on for them, and go watch something spooky if it’s thrills you’re after.

Score: 2 out of 5 pumpkins. (Though kids may rank it much, much higher.)