TAGGED AS: ABC, AMC, BBC America, Cartoon Network, CBS, Horror, Lifetime, NBC, Syfy, USA
October is the one month of the year when you can’t complain about there being nothing on television — especially if you’re a horror fan. Have a look at some of the monster series, specials, Halloween episodes, and marathons you have to choose from this year.
(We will continue updating this list with more spooky programming.)
13 Nights of Halloween, Freeform
The 18th annual family-friendly fear fest runs Oct. 19-31 and features films like ParaNorman, Corpse Bride, Scooby-Doo, The Addams Family, Hocus Pocus, and many more. See the complete schedule here.
31 Days of Halloween, Syfy
Featuring scary films and the network’s best creepy series, Syfy’s horror celebration includes series Aftermath, Ghost Hunters, and Z Nation (pictured), movies Drag Me to Hell and Blade, and much more. RT’s own Grae Drake will host films on Thursdays in October, including Angels & Demons and Zombieland. See the complete schedule here.
ABC’s Halloween Spooktacular
The network’s annual Spooktacular festivities start up Oct. 17, beginning with Halloween-themed episodes of The Chew. On Wednesday, Oct. 19, the network celebrates the 50th anniversary of It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and follows it with Toy Story of Terror. The rest of the month features holiday-themed episodes of Dancing with the Stars, Modern Family, Speechless, American Housewife, black-ish and more. See the complete schedule here.
AMC FearFest
FearFest begins on Thursday, Oct. 13, and includes more than 400 hours of programming, including iconic franchises like Halloween, Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Amityville Horror, Underworld, and a collection of films (Cujo, Carrie, Thinner, and more) based on the writings of horror-master Stephen King. The event also includes an 88-hour marathon of every episode of The Walking Dead (pictured); the two-hour The Walking Dead: The Journey So Far retrospective special on Oct. 16; and The Walking Dead season 7 premiere on Oct. 23. See the complete schedule here.
Horror Anthologies on Turner Classic Movies, TCM
Ron Perlman (Hellboy) hosts Terror Classic Movies every Friday this month, including the best in silent era (F. W. Murnau’s Nosferatu, for instance), horror comedies (Bob Hope’s The Cat and the Canary), evil scientists and doctors films (Spencer Tracy in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde), and Universal (Boris Karloff in The Mummy) and Paramount (Charles Laughton in Island of Lost Souls) horror classics. Plus: Frankenstein is TCM’s Monster of the Month, with movies airing every Sunday. The 12 features include James Whale’s Frankenstein (1931), Hammer Films’ The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), and Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein (1974). See the complete schedule here.
Monstober, Disney Channel
“Monstober” includes Halloween-themed episodes of Disney Channel programs — like Liv and Maddie: Cali Style, “Scare-A-Rooney” and Girl Meets World, “Girl Meets World of Terror 3” on Oct. 14 — and popular films like Descendants, Monsters University, and Toy Story 3. See the complete schedule here.
The Simpsons “Treehouse of Horror” Marathon, FXX
Airs on Oct. 31 at 11:30 a.m. Every “Treehouse of Horror” Halloween special ever — all day.
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!, 50th anniversary – Oct. 19, 8 p.m. on ABC
The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let’s Do the Time Warp Again — Oct. 20, 8 p.m. on Fox
Rats — Morgan Spurlock’s vermin documentary airs Oct. 22, 9 p.m. on Discovery Channel
Amish Witches: The True Story of Holmes County — A reality TV crew gets mixed up in a supernatural mystery after an Amish witch dies; airs Oct. 29, 8 p.m. on Lifetime
Before the Flood — Filmmaker Fisher Stevens’ terrifying climate change documentary starring Leonardo DiCaprio airs on Oct. 30 on National Geographic Channel
Channel Zero: Candle Cove — Tuesdays, 9 p.m. on SyFy
The Halloween Baking Championship — Mondays in October at 9 p.m. on Food Network (episodes also streamable at foodnetwork.com)
Halloween Wars — four-part food competition airs Oct. 12-17 on Food Network (various times)
Stan Against Evil — horror comedy about a small-town sheriff battling demons in New Hampshire airs Oct. 31, 11 p.m. on IFC
The Living and the Dead — the gothic ghost tale starring Colin Morgan and Charlotte Spencer begins Oct. 27, 9 p.m. on BBC America
Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell — season 3 of this live-action comedy about a demon looking for a promotion premieres Oct. 23, 11:30 p.m. on Cartoon Network
Tales From the Darkside — George A. Romero‘s ’80s horror anthology series streams on Shudder
Girl Meets World — “Girl Meets World of Terror 3,” Oct. 14, 8:30 p.m. ET on Disney Channel
Liv and Maddie — “Scare-A-Rooney,” Oct. 14, 8 p.m. ET on Disney Channel
The Simpsons — “Treehouse of Horror XXVII” (600th episode!), Oct. 16, 8 p.m. ET on Fox
Scream Queens — “Halloween Blues,” Oct. 18, 9 p.m. ET on Fox
Brooklyn Nine-Nine – “Halloween IV,” Oct. 18, 8 p.m. ET on Fox
Dr. Ken — “D.K.’s Korean Ghost Story,” Oct. 21, 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC
The Exorcist — “Chapter Five: Through My Most Grievous Fault,” Oct. 21, 9 p.m. ET on Fox
Bob’s Burgers — “Teen-a-Witch,” Oct. 23, 7:30 p.m. ET on Fox
American Housewife — “Westport Zombies,” Oct. 25, 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC
Fresh Off the Boat — “Louisween,” Oct. 25, 9 p.m. ET on ABC
The Real O’Neals — “The Real Halloween,” Oct. 25, 9:30 p.m. ET on ABC
Code Black — “Demons and Angels,” Oct. 26, 10 p.m. ET on CBS
The Goldbergs — “Stevie King,” Oct. 26, 8 p.m. ET on ABC
Modern Family (pictured) — “Halloween 4: The Revenge of Rod Skyhook,” Oct. 26, 9 p.m. ET on ABC
The Powerpuff Girls — “The Squashening” (preview), Oct. 27, 5:30 p.m. ET on Cartoon Network
Teen Titans Go! — “Halloween vs Christmas” (preview), Oct. 27, 6 p.m. ET on Cartoon Network
Mighty Magiswords — “Flirty Phantom” (preview), Oct. 27, 6:30 p.m. ET on Cartoon Network
The Amazing World of Gumball — “The Scam” (preview) Oct. 27, 7:30 p.m. ET on Cartoon Network
Uncle Grandpa — “Costume Crisis” (preview), Oct. 27, 7:45 p.m. ET on Cartoon Network
