BACKGROUND
Although I’m not at all interested in Halloween, I do have a small selection of films I watch around that time of year. But it’s hard for me to describe what I look for in a Halloween film.
Anything scary is a no-go. That means even those “family-friendly” ones like Hocus Pocus (1993) and Girl vs. Monster (2012) are too scary for me. I find the whole concept of ghosts to be quite terrifying though and yet, I like Tower of Terror (1997) and The Haunted Mansion (2003). I even like Corpse Bride (2005), and that has its moments with the undead.
I also love the Harry Potter films, so you’d assume I’m ok with movies about magic. Well, if that is the case, then why don’t I like Twitches?
The answer: I have no idea. But I also don’t like the Halloweentown films, and they are also about magic. Maybe it’s something to do with Disney Channel’s Halloween films. I guess I avoided them during my childhood because of my dislike of Halloween, and seeing them as an adult on Disney+ is not the same. You don’t get that level of nostalgia drawing you back in every year, and making you remember all the things you liked about it.
I don’t, however, think that Twitches, or the Halloweentown films for that matter, are bad. I am well aware that many viewers, especially those in the US, rewatch them every year, alongside various others, both Disney and non-Disney, both family-friendly, and not-so-family-friendly. It’s a tradition for them to be watched, so they can’t be awful.
Twitches follows two women, Alex and Camryn, who are twin witches, separated at birth. They reunite with each other unexpectedly on their 21st birthday, and must use their newfound powers to defeat the Darkness that is taking over their kingdom of Coventry.
For me, I find that Twitches skips back and forth between the magical realm of Coventry – which, being British, is already amusing that this is the name for the kingdom – and the real world too much that the story starts to get confusing or boring. I do like seeing Tia and Tamera Mowry on screen though, having not seen them in much since Sister, Sister, and I thought they did a good job with their characters. I also very much like the moment where the two main characters, Alex and Camryn, come together to fight the big villain, Thantos. It even makes me cry a little bit.
But that’s not enough for me to claim that Twitches is a masterpiece. That’s just my opinion. I’m not about to take anyone’s love of Twitches away from them because Twitches was released at just the right time, close to prime DCOM era, to become a classic for others.
PLOT
Twitches begins with a prologue talking about the magical kingdom of Coventry, where the Darkness has managed to rage, overpowering the Forces of Light. The twin daughters of the Sun and the Moon were born one Halloween, allowing hope that the Darkness might be able to be destroyed, since a prophecy states that only these twins will be able to restore Coventry’s Light. However, the Darkness was still coming, even on the day of their birth.
The twin girls named Apolla and Artemis, each with an amulet around their neck, one of the Sun and one of the Moon, are rescued by two of Coventry’s most loyal subjects, Ileana and Karsh. Each takes one child and goes through a portal, taking them to Earth, but they are separated, and do not know of the other’s existence. The girls are later adopted.
The story jumps forward to 21 years later, where the two girls are now all grown up and celebrating their birthdays. Apolla was adopted by a wealthy family, who named her Camryn. She loves the sunlight, and loves to draw. Her parents come in to Camryn’s room with a birthday cake, and notice that she has recently drawn an image of a girl who looks just her, but with a Moon amulet around her neck instead of Camryn’s Sun necklace.
We then see that this girl is very much real. This is Artemis, now known as Alex. Alex has grown up with a very different life, and is currently staying at her best friend Lucinda’s house, with Lucinda’s mother and little sister. Alex is greeted with her own birthday breakfast, having stayed up late journalling. Unlike Camryn who is up when the Sun is up, Alex is up when the Moon is up. Alex remembers she needs to go and find a job today. Fun.
Back with Camryn, she is playing tennis with her father, whilst her mother asks her about her birthday party plans for the evening. Camryn is hoping that something exciting might happen to her today, now that she is 21. She gets a call to go shopping with her friend.
Alex walks with Lucinda to work, needing to go into town to search for a job. They both get on the bus together, where a strange man tells her that she has a lot of power within her. This is Karsh, only Alex doesn’t know it. Alex also does not know that Camryn has passed her bus in her fancy car, only noticing the car and not the driver. Alex heads off in the direction of some stores, as does Camryn, wanting to shop with her friend Beth. Outside a store, a strange woman tells Camryn she is ready. This is Ileana, only Camryn doesn’t know it. Camryn heads into this store alone for its sale; Beth goes elsewhere.
Ileana and Karsh meet up and start discussing whether to interfere in the girls’ lives, in order to have them meet. Karsh starts making signs magically appear in the store’s windows, stating that they are hiring and desperately need someone. Alex runs inside, where an assistant hands her the dress “she” was looking for. The dress is taken out of her hand by Camryn, but they don’t properly see each other. Alex tries to sell herself to the store manager, wanting a job, but the manager is put off by Alex’s lack of fashion sense and distaste at the store’s prices. Alex tries a new tactic, complimenting the woman’s shoes, and is given a trial period at the store, first being directed to clear up the dressing room.
At the dressing room, Alex grabs a pile of clothes and literally bumps into Camryn. As the clothes fall, the girls finally look at each other – and realise they look pretty much exactly the same! They scream, but Camryn is excited, knowing that something big was going to happen today. Camryn realises they must be twins, separated at birth. Alex rushes out of the shop, not wanting anything to do with this. Camryn grabs her hand out on the street, and they see that time has stopped. When they let go of each other’s hands, they notice all the mannequins’ clothes have ripped off in the store window.
In Coventry, Alex and Camryn’s birth mother, Miranda, gets a feeling that her daughters are alive, having feared they died when the Darkness first came. She runs to Thantos and states her belief, but he thinks she is just acting crazy. She proves she is not by showing that her necklace, made up of a Sun and a Moon, is lighting up for the first time. Miranda says she must go and find them, but Thantos decides he should go instead.
Back on Earth, the store manager accuses Camryn of stealing, having run out of the store in the dress she was trying on, and demands immediate payment. Luckily, Camryn has it. Alex is promptly fired too. Alex walks away, with Camryn running after her again. Beth joins them, and screams at seeing Alex. Beth is excited that Camryn has a long-lost twin. Camryn says she needs to go and bond with her new sister, and sends Beth away.
Alex is taken to Camryn’s car, realising that is the car she was admiring on the bus. Camryn tries to reaffirm to Alex that this is a good thing, before worrying that Alex didn’t know she was adopted. Alex confirms she knew she was adopted, and her adoptive mother died just a few months ago. Camryn holds her hand to comfort her, causing the car to go haywire. Camryn decides to drive Alex to her house to discuss this further. Before they get there, Camryn persuades Alex to try their magic powers again, grabbing her hand and having them switch outfits. They quickly switch back and continue on to Camryn’s house.
The word “house” is a bit of an understatement though. Alex can’t believe Camryn actually lives in a huge mansion. Camryn calls for her parents, but Alex tells her they shouldn’t tell her parents. Luckily, they aren’t at home, so only Camryn’s housekeeper sees Alex. In Camryn’s room, Camryn wants to learn more about Alex, and tell Alex more about her. She tries to find her photo albums, thinking they are in a dresser. Camryn manages to use her magic to make a drawer open, wanting Alex’s help to make it more powerful. The drawer ends up shooting out and across the room, smashing into pieces. Maybe that’s too much power! Alex notices Camryn’s drawings, and sees the picture Camryn drew of her. Camryn says sometimes she just sees things. Alex’s attention is then diverted to another woman that Camryn drew, who feels familiar to Alex as well. Camryn asks Alex to check her other closet for these photo albums. Alex opens the door – but there’s no closet inside…
Alex and Camryn walk through the closet, discovering it has become a portal, taking them to a strange land. They see that they are on the grounds of a huge castle, both feeling like they’ve been here before. A voice calls out to Camryn to say she has been here before, in her dreams. They follow the voice and see Ileana, who says Camryn has the Gift of Sight. Karsh appears next to Ileana. The girls are told that Ileana and Karsh have been their protectors their whole lives, as they were servants to their father. Karsh and Ileana also say that Alex and Camryn’s father, Aron, died on the day they were born, asking the two servants to look after his daughters. During this conversation, the two learn that they are in the kingdom of Coventry. Alex remembers writing about this place, but never thought it was actually real. They are told that they are being protected from the Darkness. Camryn asks if their mother is alive, and they are told she is. Karsh and Ileana get serious now, telling the girls that the future of Coventry is in their hands. Alex walks away, knowing how the story ends and wanting no part of it. Camryn goes after her. As she leaves, Ileana wonders if she should’ve said that the girls are both marked for death…. Um, what?
Alex and Camryn return to Earth through the portal, and find they cannot return to Coventry that same way. Alex spots that Camryn’s drawings all seem to be of Coventry, just like Alex’s writings are. Alex tells Camryn that she wrote that their father died trying to protect them from the Darkness, so she fears what else might be true if that was. Alex wants to forget all this ever happened today, but Camryn convinces her that they need to stick together to get through whatever might come. As Camryn’s house is prepared for her big birthday party, it is shown that the Darkness is seeping through the walls, however, Camryn and Alex are unaware of this. Camryn’s housekeeper sees plants on fire and goes to get Camryn’s mother. The Darkness then gets into Camryn’s room, but the girls have left.
Back in Coventry, Miranda wants her girls found now, not liking Thantos’s delay in doing this. Miranda plans to find them herself, but Thantos warns her that if she leaves, her people will be defenceless against the Darkness. She is asked by Thantos to be patient. Until the girls start using their magic more, it won’t be easy to find them. Thantos worries this is all actually a trap, to lure Miranda away from Coventry, wondering if the twins are working with the Darkness. Miranda tells Thantos to find them, but accepting she should stay put.
Camryn and Alex find themselves at Alex’s home now, as Alex wants to show Camryn everything she wrote about Coventry, to see if everything they’ve learnt so far matches up. Midway through, Camryn gets a call from her mother, and is about to tell her about Alex and everything else that happened when Alex quickly stops her, not thinking this is the best time to be upfront about their day. Camryn hears that some of her party plans haven’t gone to plan, thanks to the Darkness burning up their flower arrangements, and says she’ll be bringing a new friend to her party later. Ileana and Karsh turn up at Alex’s home now, but the girls have already left – again – before they can talk to them.
Camryn and Alex continue to talk about their past and what Alex wrote in her journal, not loving their real names of Apolla and Artemis! Alex confirms what they’ve been told about the Darkness, stating that it was bad in their kingdom before they were born, with only their parents, Miranda and Aron, able to keep it at bay. As Miranda was giving birth, Aron, leader of the Forces of Light, was made to fight alone. He knew that his daughters would need to be saved, giving all of his power to Apolla and Artemis, to protect them. The Darkness came for the girls, but as it tried to touch them, their magic forced it to retreat. As they discuss what happened to them afterwards, including that their mother later married their uncle and may be trapped in Coventry in need of rescuing, it is clear they are being watched…
Alex takes Camryn to the café where her best friend Lucinda works. Lucinda tells Alex she should look to apply for a job here. Alex then says that Lucinda should join her later in going to Camryn’s party in the posh part of town. Lucinda gets back to work, leaving Alex and Camryn to figure out if the spells Alex wrote when she was little actually work. Camryn tries one out. Instead of making an object disappear, her magic makes a glass shatter. The two then hear a guy talking loudly on the phone at a table nearby. Alex and Camryn make up their own spell to use on him, causing his drink to splash up in his face! On seeing that their magic works, they both decide to call themselves “twitches”, as in twin witches. Ileana and Karsh also happen to be in the café, and find that their earlier spell rebounded onto Karsh. The girls continue their magical training around town, like stopping time so a paint pot doesn’t fall on them, and putting dresses on a group of catcalling men. Again, the spells rebound onto Karsh for some reason…Karsh begins to get frustrated, seeing that the girls are messing around whilst the Darkness is getting stronger.
The twins return to Alex’s house. Ileana and Karsh follow them, knowing that the Darkness is already here for the girls. Inside, Camryn starts to have real confidence in their powers, when the Darkness comes in through the window, making the girls fear for their lives. Alex drags Camryn upstairs, pulling her free of the Darkness’s grip, as it grabs her leg on the stairs. Their combined magic forces it back. The Darkness continues to destroy the house and follow the girls. Alex and Camryn go into a room and slam the door behind them.
Once again, the two arrive in Coventry through another portal that they happened to create themselves. They demand answers from Ileana and Karsh about the Darkness. They admit that the Darkness will be back for them, but Camryn is angry and frustrated about this, not wanting to face the Darkness. This time, Camryn runs off with Alex chasing her. Alex tells Camryn that they were supposed to stick together, and that they should help their mother and finish what they have been chosen to do. Camryn doesn’t want to do this anymore, wanting to go back to her cushy life and her fancy party. They both return home.
Camryn jumps in her car and drives home. She warns Alex to be careful if she is still determined to defeat the Darkness and find their mother without her. At home, Camryn is so happy to be reunited with her parents and gets ready for her party. She also pulls down most of her drawings of Coventry, which were burnt by the Darkness earlier on anyway.
Later that night, Camryn’s party is in full swing, with Ileana and Karsh gatecrashing to check on Camryn. Camryn arrives in her princess costume, with Beth wanting to know where Alex is, having told most of their friendship group about her already. Camryn says that Alex isn’t coming, as they didn’t get on that well, worrying that she is too vapid and shallow. Alex has had a very different upbringing after all. Beth tells Camryn she needs to flirt with someone to take her mind off Alex, and sets her up dancing with a guy.
At Alex’s house, or technically Lucinda’s, Lucinda’s mother and little sister go out trick-or-treating, leaving Alex and Lucinda to talk. Lucinda wants to get to Camryn’s party, but Alex tells her she isn’t going anymore. Lucinda asks Alex what is going on, since her and Camryn seemed to be getting on well earlier on. Alex says that Camryn wasn’t as trustworthy as she’d hoped, realising that she can only count her herself. Lucinda is hurt by this, knowing she has always been there for Alex. Alex is too annoyed to continue talking, and shuts herself in the bathroom, in order to open a new portal to Coventry. She succeeds.
Alex finds herself inside the castle this time, instead of outside it, and sees her mother, Miranda, for the first time. Miranda sees Alex there and knows it is her daughter Artemis. The two have a tearful reunion. Miranda wonders where Apolla is, but understands that Apolla would want to be with her family right now. Alex tells Miranda about her adoptive mother, and says Ileana and Karsh have been watching over them all this time. Miranda is pleased to know they survived. Miranda reiterates that the Darkness is getting stronger, but with the return of Aron’s daughters to Coventry, the Light will be restored to the land. Alex feels the pressure on her shoulders, as she is expected to do this alone without Camryn.
Back at the party, Camryn finds herself not really in the party mood. She wants some time on her own. Camryn’s parents see something is wrong, so Camryn’s mother gets the details from Beth, learning all about Alex. She goes to speak to Camryn about it, thinking it’s great that she has a long-lost twin sister. She asks why Alex is not here, causing Camryn to explain that Alex wanted to find their birth mother, but she did not. Camryn’s mother tells Camryn she could’ve gone to find her too, knowing that she won’t be replaced and would not feel upset. This causes Camryn to reveal everything about Coventry and her magic too. It turns out Camryn used to have nightmares about the Darkness when she was little, drawing disturbing pictures of the Darkness with a face coming out of it. Camryn goes to find this drawing she did years before, finally discovering it. She must get to Coventry now.
In the castle, Alex is introduced to Thantos, who tells her and Miranda that the Darkness is coming closer. Thantos reiterates they need Apolla here, because, alone, she cannot be protected from the Darkness, knowing it will still be on Earth, looking for her.
Sure enough, on Earth, the Darkness has once again come for Camryn, taking over her house and ruining her party. She runs into Lucinda, who asks Camryn to speak to Alex soon to make up. But there are more pressing issues, as Ileana tells Camryn she needs to get to Coventry now, as the Darkness won’t stop until it gets her. Karsh says he’s opened a portal in Camryn’s bedroom, and plans to hold off the Darkness for as long as possible. The Darkness claims both Ileana and Karsh before Camryn can get through the portal. All looks lost for Camryn as the Darkness approaches, but Camryn’s mother opens the bedroom door, causing the Darkness to retreat momentarily. Camryn finally goes through the portal.
In Coventry’s castle, Thantos returns, saying that Apolla is being controlled by the Darkness and they must shut down the castle. Miranda and Alex say that Apolla, or Camryn, is actually already here, showing that he is lying. Miranda also now knows, from Camryn’s picture, that Thantos is the one controlling the Darkness. He denies it, but Miranda demands answers from him, using her magic to tie him to chair. It soon becomes clear that Thantos is in fact controlling the Darkness, as he has scars on his palms resembling the girls’ amulets. Thantos admits he killed Aron, his own brother, and has been using Miranda and her powers for all these years. He then causes the Darkness to enter the room. Miranda’s powers are not strong enough to hold it back, as the Light of Coventry is going out. Miranda is taken by Thantos, leaving the girls alone to save the kingdom.
They watch as the Darkness swirls around them. Alex and Camryn hold each other’s hands, and try to think only of the light. They fear the worse as they are too scared to concentrate and focus properly. They realise that they need to think about love, not light, to defeat the Darkness. Love is infinite, and they start reeling off all the people they love, including their adoptive parents, their friends, Miranda, Ileana, Karsh – and each other. With that, a stream of Light forces the Darkness to disintegrate, freeing all of Coventry from its grasp. Miranda is returned to the castle, as are Karsh and Ileana.
The group go back to Earth together, and eat cake with Camryn’s parents where Karsh and Ileana argue about whether or not to stay on Earth. Miranda says that Camryn is a special girl as she gets to know Camryn’s parents. Camryn and Alex then sit and chant their favourite catchphrase, “Go Twitches”, knowing they did something amazing today.
CHARACTERS & CAST
Camryn Barnes, or Apolla, is one of the twin sisters born on Halloween night in Coventry. She is named after the god of the Sun and wears a Sun amulet around her neck. Camryn and her sister were taken to Earth to save them from the Darkness in Coventry, leading to them being separated and being adopted by different families. Camryn ends up having quite a privileged life in a huge mansion with doting, devoted parents. She is creative, artistic, and is told she has the Gift of Sight. She expects something great to happen on her 21st birthday, and is very excited to meet her long-lost twin sister on this day. She initially seems the most upbeat about having magic, about having a whole other life in Coventry, and is the one to tell Alex to stick with her and work this all out together. However, she begins to crack under the pressure after being attacked by the Darkness and doesn’t want the responsibility of saving her family’s kingdom anymore, causing her to flee and return to the easy life she’s always had. In the end, Camryn starts to feel guilty for leaving Alex alone, and wants to help to defeat the Darkness, especially as she has a major clue about who is controlling the Darkness. Camryn’s drawing leads to all Thantos’s plans tumbling down, as she and Alex work together to defeat the Darkness, with the power of love.
Alex Fielding, or Artemis, named after the god of the Moon, is the more realistic and pragmatic of the twin sisters, potentially down to her more normal upbringing. She has had hardships in life as she has not grown up surrounded by lots of money and her mother recently died, causing her to be a bit pessimistic about life. Alex’s artistic talent boils down to her writing, constantly journalling at all hours of the night. With Alex’s stories about Coventry, the girls are able to learn about what happened to their father and their mother in the years they’ve been on Earth, as these stories were in fact real. Alex is said to have the Gift of Knowing. At the beginning of Twitches, Alex is the one to reject her magical powers, with Camryn having to encourage her to work with her, but by the end of the movie, it is Alex who is determined to defeat the Darkness and save their mother, even if that means doing so without Camryn. But it is shown that the girls are stronger together during their battle with Thantos and the Darkness, learning that they need each other by their side.
Camryn and Alex were played by twin sisters Tamera and Tia Mowry. The sisters had previously been cast in the sitcom Sister, Sister (1994-99), playing Tamera Campbell and Tia Landry. They both won a NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and three Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards for Favorite Female TV Star for this show. Like Twitches, Sister, Sister revolves around the twins finding out they were separated at birth. Together, the two also worked on the television movie Seventeen Again (2000), alongside brother Tahj Mowry, with Tamera being cast as Young Cat Donovan and Tia as Sydney Donovan. They later had their own reality show, Tia & Tamera (2011-13).
Separately, Tamera was cast as Dr. Kayla Thornton in Seasons 5 and 6 of the drama series Strong Medicine (2000-06), and went on to be a co-host on talk show The Real (2013-22) up until Season 6, winning a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host with her fellow co-hosts in 2018. She has since starred in numerous Hallmark television movies, including as Emma in A Christmas Miracle (2019); Cheryl Jenkins in Christmas Comes Twice (2020); and Gethsemane Brown in the Haunted Harmony Mysteries franchise. Tamera was also Seashell in Season 5 of The Masked Singer (2019-present) in 2021.
Tia Mowry went on to play Dr. Melanie Barnett-Davis in The Game (2006-15) from Season 1 until Season 5, and was cast as Stephanie Phillips in the sitcom Instant Mom (2013-15). Later, she starred as Cocoa McKellan in the Netflix series Family Reunion (2019-22). Recently, she was cast as Natasha Burton in the Netflix Christmas film My Secret Santa (2025), having already starred in Hallmark’s A Gingerbread Romance (2018) as Taylor Scott.
Miranda DuBaer is the mother of Apolla and Artemis, however, she did not know their fates after their birth, knowing her husband, Aron, the girls’ father, had died that night due to the Darkness coming. 21 years later, she believes that her daughters are actually alive, and wants them found. However, she has been using her magic all that time to keep the Darkness away from Coventry, essentially remaining trapped in the castle for all these years, only having her new husband, Aron’s brother, Thantos, to support her. She tries to convince Thantos to find her girls, but he seems reluctant to do so. Finally, she is reunited with Artemis, or Alex, after she creates a portal to Coventry, wanting to see her mother and help her. Miranda is later reunited with Apolla, or Camryn, too, clearly overjoyed to see her daughters again, although also devasted at being used and lied to for years by Thantos. Miranda helps the twins find their real power and the strength to overcome the Darkness. She vows to be a part of their lives now, even getting to know Camryn’s adoptive parents.
Kristen Wilson was cast as Miranda, having previously played Lisa Dolittle in Dr. Dolittle (1998) with Eddie Murphy. She later reprised this role for the 2001 and 2006 sequel films. Also prior to Twitches, Wilson had been cast as Press Secretary Kendall Truman in Season 3 of the CBS police drama The District (2000-04).
We are led to believe that Thantos DuBaer is “one of the good guys” when we first meet him. He was said to have fought alongside his brother on the night he died, and is heartbroken by his brother’s death. He has since married Miranda and seems to adore her. They have spent years working together to keep the Darkness away from Coventry, by using Miranda’s magic. When Miranda tells him that the girls are alive, Thantos doesn’t want to believe her, but he is eventually persuaded to check on them, becoming concerned for their safety as the Darkness comes to Earth to find them. It soon becomes clear that Thantos is not as he seems, trying to convince Miranda that this must all be a trap, with the girls being controlled by the Darkness to keep her from saving Coventry. He says Apolla has been controlled by the Darkness later on, but this was a lie as Apolla is already at the castle by this point. With Camryn’s drawing, Thantos is shown to be a fraud, controlling the Darkness, planning to take over Coventry. Despite being found out, Thantos shows no intention of stopping his plans and captures Miranda, leaving Alex and Camryn to defeat him themselves. He is eventually thwarted by the twins’ love for their families and each other.
Patrick Fabian was cast as Thantos. Prior to Twitches, Fabian was known for various television roles. He had played the recurring character of Professor Lasky in Saved by the Bell: The College Years (1993-94), before being cast as Gavin Price in fantasy drama Joan of Arcadia (2003-05) and as Hank Landry in Veronica Mars (2004-07). After Twitches, Fabian played Ted Price in the HBO series Big Love (2006-11), before landing a main role in the series Better Call Saul (2015-22), where he played Howard Hamlin, earning himself a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor on Television in 2022. He also appeared in another Disney Channel Original Movie years later, as Richard Morgan in Cloud 9 (2014), which starred Dove Cameron. More recently, Fabian has appeared as Eric, Morgan’s assistant, in the Sky and HBO series War (2026-present), starring Dominic West and Sienna Miller. He is also set to play Howard in the musical comedy film The Debut (2026), written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg, and Kevin McNeil in the Apple TV heist series 12 12 12.
Karsh and Ileana are the twins’ protectors. Karsh is Alex’s protector, whilst Ileana is Camryn’s protector. They were servants of the girls’ father Aron. They took them to Earth after the Darkness came to Coventry and have been watching over them for years, ensuring they meet at the proper moment, their 21st birthday. Karsh is the cautious one, who is concerned about everyone’s future, with the Darkness getting stronger by the minute. Ileana, on the other hand, is very upbeat and positive, not thinking too far ahead and just wanting to live in the moment. We learn later on in Twitches that Karsh and Ileana are actually in an on-off relationship with each other, with the two even discussing living on Earth together.
Pat Kelly was cast as Karsh, going on to write and star in the Canadian satirical show Good Morning World (2007) with Peter Oldring after appearing in Twitches. He later played Beverly Todd in the series The Crucible (2011). In recent years, Kelly has seemingly turned to podcasting, becoming the co-host and co-creator of the This Sounds Serious (2018-20) podcast with Oldring. He also produced the comedic podcasts Dexter Guff is Smarter Than You (2017-19) and Dark Air with Terry Carnation (2021-22).
Jennifer Robertson was cast as Ileana. Prior to Twitches, Robertson was part of the Canadian sketch comedy series Comedy Inc. (2003-07), going on to be cast as Angela Montclaire in the Canadian teen sitcom Wingin’ It (2010-12). She was later cast as Jocelyn in the critically-acclaimed comedy series Schitt’s Creek (2015-20). In more recent years, Robertson played Lisa in the festive film Single All the Way (2021) for Netflix, and Nancy in Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between (2022) also for Netflix. Robertson is also known for her role as Ellen Baker in the Netflix series Ginny & Georgia (2021-present).
Now to Camryn’s family, David and Emily Barnes, Camryn’s adoptive father and mother. Both are loving parents to Camryn, letting her live a wonderful upbringing, complete with a huge mansion, extravagant parties, and even a tennis court in the back garden. David is a clumsy and slightly embarrassing father, whereas Emily is level-headed and calm, wanting to fix all her daughter’s problems. David and Emily don’t have much idea about the day that Camryn has had until the night of her party. At the party, they can see that Camryn is not quite right, with Emily going to speak to her. Here, Emily learns all about Camryn’s twin, the kingdom of Coventry, the Darkness, and her magical powers, which come as quite a surprise to Emily, who thought they were all part of Camryn’s childhood nightmares. In the end, both David and Emily understand their daughter’s magical family, to some extent, even allowing Miranda into their home, wanting to know their daughter’s birth mother as well.
David Barnes was played by Arnold Pinnock, who went on to be cast in the recurring role of Walt Forbes in the science-fiction series Travelers (2016-18). He later played Tony Parker in the related sitcoms The Parkers Andersons and Amelia Parker (2021). Pinnock was also cast as Officer Stevens in the Netflix Christmas film The Knight Before Christmas (2019), More recently, Pinnock played Nick Daniels in Season 3 of Canadian anthology series Plan B (2023-present). Randomly, I know Pinnock from a minor role in the Mary-Kate and Ashley movie New York Minute (2004). He played one of the beauticians in the salon.
Karen Holness was cast as Emily Barnes. In series, she was cast as Ms. Diona in the Nickelodeon series Make It Pop (2015-19), and later played Tara Reagan from Season 3 of Superman & Lois (2021-24). She also appeared in the recurring role of Blythe Ann Workman in Seasons 6 and 7 of The 100 (2014-20). Outside of this, Holness has been cast in various Hallmark Christmas films, including as Misty in The Christmas Train (2017); as Cassidy in Christmas at the Plaza (2019); and as Jennifer Townsend in A Royal Montana Christmas (2025). She also played Katie in their Chronicle Mysteries film series in 2019.
Alex’s mother died, so she has been living with her best friend Lucinda and her family. Lucinda is Alex’s loyal best friend, letting Alex stay until she sorts things out. Lucinda and Alex have known each other for a long time so it is only natural that when Camryn comes along, Lucinda is a bit jealous of their close relationship, despite only knowing each other for a day. Alex spends most of her birthday with Camryn, but when Camryn decides she doesn’t want the responsibility of saving Coventry, it is down to Lucinda to try and help Alex celebrate her birthday. However, Alex is too distracted and stupidly makes it seem like she can’t trust anyone, even Lucinda, upsetting her. Lucinda just wanted to have a nice night going to Camryn’s party! She goes anyway, trying to find Alex, but only sees Camryn. She tells Camryn that she ought to make up with Alex soon, as their sisterly bond will always last.
Lucinda was played by Jessica Greco. In recent years, Greco was cast in the recurring role of Torri Fuller in the Netflix drama series Tiny Pretty Things, and also played Jessica AD in the web series Tokens (2019-23).
MUSIC
The music in Twitches is limited to either its musical score or a couple of contemporary songs used as background music and montage sequences.
There are only two songs that I can confirm were used in Twitches. One of these is the song “We Got the Beat”, written by Charlotte Caffey, and performed by the female rock band the Go-Go’s, of which Caffey was a member. “We Got the Beat” was the band’s debut single, released in 1980, and was re-recorded for their debut album Beauty and the Beat, released the following year. It reached No. 2 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart at the time. In Twitches, “We Got the Beat” was used during the montage of Alex and Camryn practising their magic together around town, showing this as a positive moment of bonding for them.
The other is “Rush”, written by Aly Michalka, AJ Michalka, Dan James, and Leah Haywood, performed by the pop duo Aly & AJ. Aly & AJ signed with Disney’s record label Hollywood Records in 2004, with their song “Rush” a track on their debut studio album Into the Rush, released in 2005. The duo left Disney in the late 2000s, having made the DCOM Cow Belles (2006) together, starring as Taylor and Courtney Callum, and their song “On the Ride” was used in the film. Aly Michalka also starred as Keely Teslow in the Disney Channel series Phil of the Future (2004-06). “Rush” is heard during the scene of Camryn going home to her party, having told Alex she wants nothing to do with the future of Coventry. The song continues as both twins question their choices ahead of Camryn’s birthday party.
Outside of that, although other music is heard, it is unclear what songs were used as none were officially credited. Some sites have listed the track “Time to Turn” by Nautilus as being used in the movie. It is an instrumental track so I am not sure where it was used, as it could’ve made up part of the score. Or it may not have been used in the film at all and may’ve been picked up by some music app because it sounds similar to the Twitches score.
Two other songs are heard in Twitches although only briefly. One appears after the prologue where we are told it is 21 years later and see Camryn drawing in her room, but I have been unable to figure out what this song is. Another is heard as Camryn pulls up to her house with Alex, after the twins have discovered each other. The annoying thing is I feel like I’ve heard this song before in another movie, potentially a Disney Channel one, but I cannot find it online. I guess I’ll have to wait until I happen to watch whatever movie it might have been in to work it out. Generic party music is also used for the birthday party scenes.
The score for Twitches was composed by John Van Tongeren. Van Tongeren had also been the composer on the Disney Channel musical The Cheetah Girls (2003) prior to Twitches. He went on to work on the music for the DCOMs Princess Protection Program (2009); Den Brother (2010); and The Suite Life Movie (2011).
PRODUCTION
The first-ever Halloween-themed DCOM was Under Wraps, released in 1997, coincidentally also being the first Disney Channel Original Movie, using that specific label.
This was closely followed by the first Halloweentown movie in 1998. Subsequent standalone spooky DCOMs came along in the years after, as well as three more instalments in the Halloweentown franchise, these being Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge (2001); Halloweentown High (2004); and Return to Halloweentown (2006).
Halloween is, apparently, a time for celebration, particularly for younger age groups, so naturally, it makes sense that Disney Channel would want to be involved, by making Halloween episodes of their best series and creating magical new DCOMs.
To fill the void left between the third and fourth Halloweentown films being released, Disney Channel released Twitches, making it their Halloween movie for 2005. Source material was used to make this film, loosely basing it on the first book in the series T*Witches. This series was written by H.B. Gilmour and Randi Reisfeld, with ten books being published in total. The final one was published in 2004, titled Destiny’s Twins. However, Twitches is only based on the series’ first book The Power of Two, published in 2001.
Having said that, the film Twitches is very different to the book. Firstly, the twins turn 21 years old at the start of the film whereas the book series focuses on the girls as teenagers. I must say I was quite surprised to see that a Disney Channel movie was going to follow women of that age, because they mostly focus on teenagers who are high school age or ones even younger. I suppose the characters of Alex/Artemis and Camryn/Apolla were aged up to more closely match the real ages of Tia and Tamera Mowry, who were 27 in 2005. Also to match the actresses, the characters are Black in the film, whereas the characters were white in the book series, which is shown on the books’ cover art.
The overall idea of the girls having quite different upbringings with their respective adoptive families was represented in the movies, although the place were they first meet is very different, as the girls find each other at an amusement park, where Alex is working and Camryn is visiting for the day. It would also seem their adoptive families have an idea that the girls have magical powers in the books, but in the films, it comes as more of a surprise, despite the fact the girls have referenced the land of Coventry and had strange nightmares or visions about it over the years. Another big difference between the film and book series is that Karsh is meant to be much older than Ileana, and therefore they were never in a relationship. In the films, Karsh and Ileana are about the same age and are in a self-described on-off relationship. The plot of the book is quite different to the film as well, to the point where fans of the books said Disney Channel basically just took character and place names and built their own story around them. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but the phrase “loosely based on” becomes all the more important to emphasise with this in mind.
The writers in charge of adapting the first T*Witches book were Melissa Gould and Dan Berendsen. Both had had some experience working with Disney Channel prior to writing Twitches. For example, Gould wrote some episodes of their series Lizzie McGuire (2001-04) and then went on to be a writer on the Discovery Kids teen sitcom Darcy’s Wild Life (2004-06), having previously worked on Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990-2000).
Dan Berendsen had previously worked on the sitcom Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996-2003), as well as writing two of its movies, Sabrina Goes to Rome (1998) and Sabrina Down Under (1999) before becoming a longstanding screenwriter of Disney Channel Original Movies. Before Twitches, some of Berendsen’s writing credits included Eddie’s Million Dollar Cook-Off (2003); Stuck in the Suburbs (2004); and Halloweentown High (2004). After Twitches, Berendsen went on to write the screenplay for Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie (2009), showing that he had much experience writing stories about magic. He was also involved in writing some Disney Channel musicals too, such as The Cheetah Girls: One World (2008); and Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam (2010).
To go alongside this writing team who had already proven themselves at Disney, Stuart Gillard was chosen to be the director of Twitches. Gillard also had much experience directing Disney Channel Original Movies. Some of his earlier directing credits on DCOMs included The Scream Team (2002); Full-Court Miracle (2003); and Going to the Mat (2004). After working on Twitches, Gillard continued to be involved with Disney Channel for a time, directing further movies like Hatching Pete (2009); Avalon High (2010); and a further Halloween DCOM Girl vs. Monster. Away from Disney Channel, Gillard has also directed episodes of drama series, including 90210 (2008-13) and Beauty and the Beast (2012-16)
Twitches was filmed in Ontario, Canada, with filming beginning in June 2005. One of the filming locations used was Casa Loma, a grand palatial castle located in midtown Toronto. It was used for the exterior scenes of Coventry’s castle. Casa Loma was built in 1914 by financier Sir Henry Pellatt, taking three years and $3.5 million to build. It has since become a major tourist attraction and hospitality venue in the city of Toronto[1].
Another main filming location used in Twitches was a mansion in Bridle Path, Toronto. This area is known for its luxurious homes. One of these houses was used as the location of Camryn’s house, which is seen on a few occasions in the film. It also happens to be the same house that is seen in Mean Girls (2004) as Regina George’s house.
It would seem that Tia and Tamera Mowry were a big draw for those who watched Twitches, because they were, and still are, one of the most well-known twins in the entertainment industry, so it made sense to cast them. Plus, reruns of their sitcom Sister, Sister had aired on Disney Channel making them somewhat associated to Disney, rightly or wrongly, since Sister, Sister was not made as a Disney Channel show.
Originally, Tia was supposed to play Camryn and Tamera was supposed to play Alex in Twitches, but the two wanted to switch the roles, requesting this prior to filming beginning[2]. It didn’t make much difference initially anyway since the crew had a hard time telling the two sisters apart! Their resemblance to each other came in useful during one specific scene in Twitches though, as Tamera has since explained that Tia had to play Camryn during part of the birthday party sequence, because Tamera had a scheduling conflict for a couple of days as she was working on the series Strong Medicine at the time. Tia easily filled in for Tamera, although hardcore fans were quick to spot the switch[3].
Another interesting fact about Twitches is that Tia and Tamera stated that they improvised their characters’ “Go Twitches” chant, which the girls say a few times in the movie. They were happy to see that this chant has since stuck with fans. They were also glad to be working on a film that involved magic and therefore special effects[4]. Some of these effects included creating the animation for the Darkness, which appears as a large black cloud; the animation for the twins’ magic; as well as using green screen and CGI to build the fictional, magical kingdom of Coventry.
There is also an alternate ending to Twitches that was not used in the final edit of the film, only being available as a DVD bonus feature. In this deleted ending, having defeated Thantos, Alex and Camryn plan to go back to Earth and to their lives, however, they discover that the portal back home from Coventry won’t open, even with magic. They also discover that Miranda’s amulet has gone, and that Thantos was not actually defeated. This would’ve set up a sequel nicely, but I guess they wanted to end Twitches on a happier note instead!
RECEPTION
Twitches premiered on Disney Channel in the US on 14th October 2005 as part of the channel’s newly created programming block Hauntober Fest. It is unclear when it reached other Disney Channels internationally, as there wasn’t such a need to quickly release DCOMs globally, so it could have been months later that other countries saw it.
But it’s really the viewing figures on its US premiere that count, as that is where any DCOM would get its biggest audience. For Twitches, the movie was watched by 7 million viewers on its premiere night. This made Twitches easily the most-viewed DCOM of 2005, with The Proud Family Movie seemingly having the next most viewers with 4.8 million. Twitches also just edged out the 2004 Halloween DCOM release of Halloweentown High, which was watched by 6.1 million people.
Twitches was not seen by enough viewers on its premiere to be in the Top 10 list of most-watched DCOM premieres, however, it was said that across four later showings of the film over that same week, 21.5 million people ending up seeing Twitches, making it the week’s most popular cable program, which is definitely something to shout about[5].
It was loved by viewers in part due to its representation of Black women as the two stars of the film. This showed that Black girls could be magical too. It was said to be highly entertaining, with Tia and Tamera Mowry’s acting being a highlight. Twitches has also been remembered many years later due to the fact it can be rewatched every year for Halloween. This makes it a memorable DCOM, whereas, sadly, a fair few non-musical DCOMs, and even some musical ones, are forgotten when they don’t immediately capture their audience.
However, on the negative side, some said that the special effects were not good, even for the 2000s. I’d disagree and say that for a television movie, the effects looked exactly as I’d expect them to look. Some also disliked the predictable story and found Twitches to be just average. Others stated that the reason they did not like Twitches is because they had been fans of the books and found that the Twitches film had very little to do with the books. It would seem that names of characters and places were taken, but the characters were nothing like they’d been in the book. This was confusing for some fans.
In terms of awards, Twitches was only recognised for its acting, as Jennifer Robertson, who played Ileana, won a Canadian Comedy Award in the category Film – Best Performance by a Female for her performance in Twitches.
LEGACY
Twitches continued in Disney Channel’s traditional of celebrating Halloween.
It bridged the gap between the third and fourth Halloweentown films, with this franchise ending in 2006. So, it then made sense for Disney to make a second Twitches film. After all, the first film had been watched by 7 million viewers, one of the most-watched DCOMs at the time, so it made sense to capitalise on interest and make a sequel.
Twitches Too was released in October 2007. Tia and Tamera Mowry returned to play their characters Alex/Artemis and Camryn/Apolla. Many other cast members also came back to reprise their roles, including Kristen Wilson as Miranda, Pat Kelly as Karsh, and Karen Holness and Arnold Pinnock as Camryn’s adoptive parents. This film sought to explore more about the twins’ mysterious father, Aron, and had them battle a returning enemy.
As well as this sequel, Twitches is simply remembered as being a good Halloween film for all the family to watch. For example, Twitches has been included on lists of family-friendly Halloween movies in recent years, from sites such as The Hollywood Reporter[6]. This encourages those who perhaps haven’t seen Twitches before to give it a try, as well as reminding those that have already watched it to watch it again for the “spooky season”.
Tia and Tamera Mowry are frequently asked about their experience filming Twitches in interviews, with both saying that they loved working on this film and are proud of the fan reaction to it. On top of that, 2025 saw Twitches celebrate its 20th anniversary, leading to many fans writing about their love of this film, wanting to share that with others.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Twitches was released on Disney Channel in the mid-2000s, as High School Musical was about to really show that Disney Channel movies were worth watching, and could be highly accomplished and highly anticipated, despite a lower budget.
Twitches followed in Halloweentown’s footsteps as well, showing that Disney Channel was still capable of making new magical stories to delight the kids, tweens, and teens of the 2000s, so they had something to look forward to around Halloween. And Twitches still remains a much-loved Halloween movie, being watched every year by people all around the world. This is still the case over two decades later.
That’s the good thing about Halloween films. Much in the same way as Christmas films, they are never forgotten as they become a traditional thing to watch in the run-up to the holiday, with every family having their own favourites.
REFERENCES
[1] Credit: Casa Loma, ‘About I History’, CasaLoma.ca, no date.
[2] Credit: Jim Korkis, The Vault of Walt Vol. 9: Halloween Edition (2020), ‘Twitches (2005)’, pp. 217-218.
[3] Credit: Martha Sorren, ’14 things you probably didn’t know about ‘Twitches’’, BusinessInsider.com, 26th October 2023.
[4] Credit: Laya Neelakandan, ‘Tamera Mowry-Housley reveals she and Tia improvised this memorable ‘Twitches’ scene’, Today.com, 17th October 2022.
[5] Credit: Jim Korkis, The Vault of Walt Vol. 9: Halloween Edition (2020), ‘Twitches (2005)’, pp. 217-218.
[6] Credit: Christy Piña, Shawn Kotzen, Lisa De Los Reyes, Carly Thomas, ‘Family Frights: 40 Kid-Friendly Scary Films for Halloween’, HollywoodReporter.com, 6th October 2026.