Maybe you need a little extra inspiration to get into the Halloween spirit. Maybe you’re just not into celebrating the 31st at a flashy co-worker costume party. Maybe you were cleaning the autumn leaves out of your roof gutter when you toppled off your ladder, and the full body cast within which you now find yourself entombed simply refuses to fit into that “Sexy Elmo” costume you were hoping to flaunt on All Hallow’s Eve. Whatever the case, you’ve got a pumpkin spice latte in one hand, your TV remote in the other, and some extra time to kill, and we’ve got just what you need: a full rundown of the finest Halloween programming this side of the Netherworld. So sit back, relax, and enjoy a mix of TV shows and films that run the gamut from monstrous marathons to creepy classics. Oh, and there’s some good stuff for the kiddies, too.
13 Nights of Halloween
ABC Family, complete schedule here
For some family-friendly fare, ABC Family is the place to go; 13 Nights of Halloween features a selection of ghoulish-but-groovy flicks from Tim Burton (including Corpse Bride, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Beetlejuice), as well as the Addams Family movies, ParaNorman, Coraline, and for the bravest of the young’uns, even Poltergeist. It all begins on Sunday, October 19.
31 Days of Halloween
Syfy, complete schedule here
Syfy’s monthlong celebration of the spooky is already well under way, but you can still catch their original films Finder’s Keepers (October 18, 9/8c), Lost Souls (October 19, 9/8c), and Starve (October 20, 9/8c), as well as the 10th anniversary special and 200th episode of Ghost Hunters.
ABC’s Halloween Spooktacular
ABC’s festivities officially kick off today, October 15, beginning with Toy Story of Terror and the beloved It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Along the way, you’ll get specially themed episodes of Dancing with the Stars, The Chew, and its stable of popular sitcoms, including Modern Family and black-ish.
AMC Fearfest
This year, Fearfest begins on Friday, October 17, and will include marathons of iconic horror franchises like Halloween, Friday the 13th, The Omen, Tremors, and Child’s Play. But it all starts at 9 a.m. with a string of Stephen King adaptations, including Silver Bullet, Cujo, and Firestarter.
From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series Marathon
El Rey Network, October 31, 2 p.m.
Robert Rodriguez’s El Rey Network adapted his own film of the same name into a cheeky horror series, and they’re running the entire first season on Halloween day, so you can get pumped up for the evening’s festivities.
Horror Anthologies on Turner Classic Movies
Though TCM is playing ghost story movies every Thursday this month, the night of Tuesday, October 28 will feature a collection of five classic horror anthology movies, including Dead of Night, Kwaidan, and The House that Dripped Blood.
Monstober
Disney Channel, complete schedule here
Disney Channel celebrates its annual “Monstober,” which includes Halloween-themed episodes of its popular programs and a slew of its original films.
The Simpsons “Treehouse of Horror” Marathon
FXX, Oct. 26 at Noon
FXX recently made waves when they broadcast every episode of The Simpsons ever, in chronological order. Now, they’re aiming to do the same with every “Treehouse of Horror” Halloween special.
Sundance TV’s “Day of the Dead”
Sundance Channel, Beginning Saturday, November 1, 12 a.m.
Technically speaking, this is all going down after Halloween, but it’s still something to keep in mind while you’re recovering from all your bobbed apples. At midnight, Sundance will air David Cronenberg’s The Dead Zone, and then they’ll follow that up the next day with a marathon of the first season of The Returned and a broadcast of the original Halloween at 10 p.m.
