This may come as a surprise for fans of "Sister, Sister" co-stars (and twins) Tia Mowry-Hardrict and Tamera Mowry-Housley, but as children, Halloween trick-or-treating was a no-no, Tia told TODAY.
"Growing up, my mother was very religious," explained Mowry-Hardrict, who appeared in the popular sitcom with her sis when they were 14; they're now 42. "The only memory I have is when we first moved to California and were living in this apartment complex. My mom said, 'If you're doing any trick-or-treating, you're going to be (dressed as) angels.' I'm making up for those years now."
She sure is! These days, Mowry-Hardrict is known for dressing up her whole family (who include husband Cory and children Cree, 9, and Cairo, 2) for Halloween, often in themed outfits guided by what Cree wants to wear. This year? "Star Wars"!
Of course, this year will be a little different, thanks to COVID-19 restrictions. Since they won't be hitting up houses for candy, Mowry-Hardrict has brought Halloween to the house, covering the lawn in pumpkins. And then she's planning a family party with "vampire cookies, some cupcakes with cool Halloween-esque sprinkles."
And then it's movie time! Mowry-Hardrict herself loves a good horror film (and singles out 1974's "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" as a favorite when asked), but they'll be family-friendly scares like "Beetlejuice" (1988) and "The Addams Family" (1991). And this year, there'll be one more on the seasonal playlist: "Twitches."
For those who may not remember, both Tia and Tamera appeared in the Disney Channel movies "Twitches" and "Twitches Too" (2005 and 2007), where they played, well, witches. And Mowry-Hardrict thinks Cree is old enough to handle them both.
"I tried last year to introduce (the movies) to my son and he wasn't into it," she admits. So what's different for 2020?
"I think what swayed him is 'Sister, Sister,'" she chuckles. "He's watched all six seasons of that — binge-watched them! — and now he sees how fun we are and said we're crazy. That made him want to watch 'Twitches.' It was so surreal to me, watching my son watching this show. It's mind-blowing."
Halloween also means one other important thing to her: candy bars. In fact, Mowry-Hardrict is a spokesperson for Butterfinger, and has partnered with the brand for their "Turn Yourself In" promotion where parents can win $25,000 if they sign a digital confessional admitting to swiping their children's Halloween sweets.
And if you think swiping candy is a questionable offense for parents, Mowry-Hardrict admits it's something she does regularly. "Many times," she says. "I close myself in the pantry and just enjoy myself. You can tell your child no candy for breakfast, but sometimes you gotta snack. So I hide!"
Hey, we understand. It's hard to resist even for those of us who got to trick-or-treat regularly. And it's totally something a Twitch would do!