Halloween is on a Wednesday this year, so as badly as kids will want to stay out late trick-or-treating—and as desperately as we adults could use a hard cider–fueled break from the world—the reality is that most of us have to be home pretty early. The bright side? We’ll have a ton of movie and TV marathons to choose from as we hunker down for the evening.
To help you navigate the scary-overwhelming selection of specials airing on October 31, we’ve rounded up the best and most horrifying of the bunch. So take note and be sure to stock up on the candy corn. And if you really want to get spooked, just call in sick and binge-watch these old and modern classics all day long. (We won’t tell.)
Halloween TV Specials
Comedy Central: We here at Observer are big fans of South Park, and in case you aren’t, Halloween offers an opportunity to change your mind. Comedy Central will be airing the most “terrifying” episodes of the animated classic from 9:00 a.m. ET until 10:00 p.m. ET, when a band-new episode will premiere.
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FXX: The Simpsons is once again in the news, not only for the controversy surrounding the character of Apu, but for the show’s annual “Treehouse of Horror” installment. Starting at 8:00 a.m., FXX will air every single “Treehouse of Horror,” ending with 2017’s “Treehouse of Horror XXVIII” at 8:20 p.m. Can you believe there have been that many?!
Freeform: Disney’s young adult network will conclude its “31 Nights of Halloween” with repeated airings of the cult classic Hocus Pocus. You’ll be able to catch the magic starting at 7:30 a.m., and relive it again and again and again until 7:50 p.m. Bonus: It’s the 25th anniversary of the movie, which stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy.
Halloween Movie Specials
AMC (AMC): Speaking of Halloween, take one look at the weekly box office report and you’ll see that the Halloween movie franchise is still going strong. In honor of the slasher classic, AMC will be rolling out an all-day Halloween bonanza. Here’s the full schedule:
9:00 a.m.: Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
11:00 a.m.: Halloween
1:00 p.m.: Halloween II
3:00 p.m.: Halloween III: Season of the Witch
5:00 p.m.: Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
7:00 p.m.: Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
9:05 p.m.: Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers
11:10 p.m.: Halloween
IFC: Halloween is just one of TV’s many movie marathons here to creep the hell out of us this year. IFC is taking audiences to space (where no one can hear you scream) with its Alien marathon, which looks like this:
6:00 a.m.: Alien
8:30 a.m.: Aliens
11:30 a.m.: Alien 3
2:00 p.m.: Alien: Resurrection
6:00 p.m.: Aliens
Paramount (PARA) Network: Meanwhile, Paramount Network is taking a stroll down Elm Street, airing several flicks featuring the iconic kill-you-in-your-dreams horror villain Freddy Krueger—because, really, who needs sleep?
10:00 a.m.: A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child
12:00 p.m.: A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
2:00 p.m.: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
4:00 p.m.: A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge
6:00 p.m.: A Nightmare on Elm Street
8:00 p.m.: Freddy vs. Jason
10:00 p.m.: A Nightmare on Elm Street
FX: FX has made a name for itself with its compelling, cutting-edge content, and it isn’t switching up its strategy just for Halloween. Instead of a single franchise, the network will air several different recent spooktacular flicks.
7:00 a.m.: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
9:30 a.m.: Dracula Untold
12:30 p.m.: 10 Cloverfield Lane
3:00 p.m.: Don’t Breathe
5:00 p.m.: The Purge: Election Year
And if none of this is scary enough for you, you can always catch The 12 Best Horror TV Shows to Binge.
