What’s more fun than Lacey Chabert in a Hallmark Halloween movie? The actress teaming up with Halloweentown icon Kimberly J. Brown!
Hallmark announced on Friday, June 6, that Chabert’s hit Christmas franchise Haul Out the Holly is getting a Halloween makeover with an all-new feature, Haul Out the Halloween. The movie will premiere later this fall and feature two Halloween-obsessed neighbors on Evergreen Lane: Brown, 40, and her real-life husband, Daniel Kountz.
“Wow these new neighbors must really love Halloween,” Chabert, who plays Emily in the two Haul Out the Holly films, teased via an Instagram video on Friday.
Chabert, 42, was joined by her Evergreen Lane neighbors — all of whom take Christmas and decorating for the season very seriously — as they checked out the Halloween décor on the new resident’s porch.
“Yeah, but someone needs to tell them we’re not exactly a Halloween town,” Wes Brown, who plays Jared, cheekily replied, referring to the witch hats, bat doormat and more nods to the spooky season — not to mention, Kimberly’s past as teen witch Marnie on Disney Channel’s Halloweentown.
Ellen Travolta, who plays Mary Louise, noted, “Yeah, we could be. Think of all the possibilities.” Melissa Peterman, who portrays Pamela, then went down the rabbit hole and envisioned “so many uses” for her glue gun.
“We better knock on their door or it’s going to be time for Christmas,” Peterman, 53, joked, before they approach the house.
The whole group, which also includes Stephen Toblowsky as Ned, yelled, “Trick or treat!” as the door swung open and revealed that Kimberly and Kountz, who is also part of the Halloweentown franchise, greet their neighbors.
“Our new neighbors on Evergreen Lane are really into Halloween ???? #iykyk,” Chabert playfully captioned the Instagram video. “Haul Out the Halloween coming to Hallmark Channel this fall! What a dream to return to Evergreen Lane!”
Kimberly, who is a longtime friend of Chabert, gained fame in 1998 when she starred alongside the late Debbie Reynolds in the original Halloweentown. She reprised the role in 2001’s Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge and 2004’s Halloweentown High.
Kimberly eventually met Kountz on the set of Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge, where he played Kal. The pair tied the knot in April 2024 and have continued to appear at Halloween festivals far and wide.
Chabert, meanwhile, has been a staple on Hallmark since 2010. She made her debut as new neighbor Emily in 2022’s Haul Out the Holly where she learned quickly how invested in the holiday season her fellow courtyard residents were. Emily also fell in love with the rule-following Jared during the first movie, before they both reprised their roles in 2023’s Haul Out the Holly: Lit Up.
Now, the Christmas fanatics will try their hand at Halloween decorations with a nudge from Kimberly and Kountz’s new characters.
“Kimberly and Daniel have been dear friends for many years. When we started on this third movie, set during Halloween, I just knew that they would be the perfect addition to this hilariously funny cast,” Chabert said in a press release on Friday. “I loved making this movie with friends — who so many people grew up sharing this holiday with. It’s a dream come true.”
Vice president of programming at Hallmark Media Jessica Callahan also teased the fun that fans can expect this fall. “Autumn and Halloween themed movies continue to resonate with Hallmark viewers each year, who tune in for the fun and coziness of the season,” she explained in a statement. “In Haul Out the Halloween, the residents of Evergreen Lane take their over-the-top celebrations to a new level, as only they can.”
