Well, 2020 has been a complete horror movie of a year, so why not just go ahead and double down and watch an entire month's worth of spooky comedies as a prepper for the holiday? That's what Freeform — the TV channel formerly known as ABC Family — must have been thinking, because it has stuffed its October schedule with all kinds of family-friendly spooky movies for the masochist in us.
Get ready to laugh and scream while watching some classic live-action and animated flicks.
There's lots of great stuff on this schedule. Movies everyone will remember from their childhood — to enjoy again and introduce kids to — and newer stuff that some of us missed. They feature all kinds of monsters: deceptively cute ones ready to wreak havoc, undead witches and mummies, and even some seriously terrible humans that fit in the category.
Want to see some comedians strut their stuff in some of the best roles of their careers? They're there. Want to see some kid actors who seemed to spend their entire childhoods and young adult lives being in creepy movies? They're there. (Hey, Christina Ricci.) Whatever anyone's taste in funny scary movies may be, they're sure to find themselves plunked in front of the boob tube for hours on end. (Hey, it's not like we're going anywhere anytime soon, amiright?)
Without further ado, here are the highlights from Freeform's 31 Nights of Halloween.
Boo!
Thursday, October 1 & Friday, October 2
We can't think of a spookier — or more appropriately off-kilter — way to start a month of Halloween movies than by watching Hocus Pocus, the classic of classics. Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy star as 17th century witches brought back to life and wreak campy havoc on a town, with a group of kid friends trying to stop them. Hocus Pocus airs at 9 p.m. ET on October 1.
Also airing October 1:
- 12:30 p.m. ET – Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
- 3 p.m. ET – *Tim Burton's Corpse Bride *
- 5 p.m. ET – Casper (1995)
- 7 p.m. ET – Hotel Transylvania
- Midnight ET – Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
Here's what playing October 2:
- 11 a.m. ET – The Goonies
- 1:30 p.m. ET – Tim Burton's Corpse Bride
- 3:05 p.m. ET – Casper (1995)
- 5:10 p.m. ET – Hotel Transylvania
- 7:15 p.m. ET – Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas
- 8:55 p.m. ET – Beetlejuice
- Midnight-2 a.m. ET – The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror-thon
Saturday, October 3 & Sunday, October 4
The creepiest and surprisingly sweetest family ever — that went from cult TV classic to blockbuster hit — is this charming flick, starring Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, and a young Christina Ricci. There are enough funny puns and visual gags in Addams Family to make it hilarious, but beneath the creepy fun, there is a genuine story of family love. It airs at 7:20 p.m. ET October 3,, and 5:10 p.m. ET October 4.
Also airing October 3:
- 7 a.m. ET – Monsters vs Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins
- 7:30 a.m. ET – The Goonies
- 10 a.m. ET – Ghostbusters (1984)
- 12:30 p.m. ET – Ghostbusters II
- 3:05 p.m. ET – Beetlejuice
- 5:10 p.m. ET – Hocus Pocus
- 9:25 p.m. ET – Addams Family Values
- 11:30 p.m. ET – The Craft
Here's what's playing October 4:
- 7 a.m. ET – Ghostbusters (1984)
- 9:30 a.m. ET – Ghostbusters II
- 12 p.m. ET – Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
- 2:05 p.m. – Decorating Disney: Halloween Magic
- 3:05 p.m. ET Casper (1995)
- 7:15 p.m. ET – Addams Family Values
- 9:20 p.m. ET Hocus Pocus
- 11:30 p.m. ET Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Tuesday, October 6
OK, so Johnny Depp's face is a bit crazy-looking in this musical, but that only helps with the overall, subtle creepiness of the story. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a reboot, by kooky master Tim Burton, of the classic Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. A young boy wins a tour of a chocolate factory and kicks off a story that's equal parts horror and redemption. Airs at 11 a.m. ET.
Also airing October 6:
- 1:30 p.m. ET – Ghostbusters (1984)
- 4 p.m. ET – Ghostbusters II
- 6:30 p.m. ET – Beetlejuice
- 8:30 p.m. ET – Hotel Transylvania
- Midnight – Tim Burton's Corpse Bride
Wednesday, October 7
Selena Gomez and Adam Sandler star as an angsty vampire teenage girl, and her overprotective widowed dad in this adorable animated flick. When a ditzy human boy wanders into their hotel, and falls for her, the hijinks start. Add in a host of supernatural guests, and the fun doesn't stop. Hotel Transylvania airs at 4 p.m.
Also airing October 7:
- 11 a.m. ET – Decorating Disney: Halloween Magic
- 12 p.m. ET – Tim Burton's Corpse Bride
- 2 p.m. – Matilda
- 6 to 11 p.m. ET – The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror-thon
- Midnight ET – Jumanji
Thursday, October 8 & Friday, October 9
Based on the super popular young adult horror series by R.L. Stine, Goosebumps stars Jack Black as Stine, and Odeya Rush as his daughter, who team up with a fellow teen (Dylan Minnette) to try to defeat all sorts of supernatural creatures set loose from the author's imagination. The CGI is great, and there are enough jump scares to make us drop our popcorn. Goosebumps airs at 4:30 p.m. October 8, and 2:20 p.m. October 9.
Also airing October 8:
- Noon ET – Matilda
- 2 p.m. ET – Jumanji (1995)
- 7 p.m. ET – The Addams Family (1991)
- 9 p.m. ET – Addams Family Values
- Midnight ET – Warm Bodies
Here's what else is playing Friday, October 9:
- 11:30 a.m. ET – The Mummy (1999)
- 4:45 p.m. ET – The Addams Family (1991)
- 6:50 p.m. ET – Addams Family Values
- 8:55 p.m. ET – Hocus Pocus
- Midnight ET – The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror-thon
Saturday, October 10 & Sunday, October 11
We can never get too much of Hotel Transylvania, OK? (Sue us.) This is one kid franchise that is a guilty pleasure. In the second of three installments, a grown-up vampire daughter, Mavis, and her human hubby have a baby boy and are thinking of moving to sunny California — given that the boy shows no signs of developing into a creature of the night … and dark castles are not exactly safe for babies. Vampire grandpa enlists the help of his supernatural friends in hopes of sussing out the boy's vampire DNA to get them to stay. (So cute.) Hotel Transylvania 2 airs at 7:45 p.m. on October 10, followed by Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation at 9:50 p.m. (Squee!)
Also airing on October 10:
- 7 a.m. ET – The Mummy (1999)
- 10 a.m. ET – The Mummy Returns
- 1:05-3:35 p.m. ET – The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror-thon
- 3:35 p.m. ET – Casper (1995)
- 5:40 p.m. ET – Hotel Transylvania
- Midnight ET – Tim Burton's Corpse Bride
And catch these flicks on Sunday, Oct. 11:
- 7 a.m. ET – The Mummy Returns
- 10:05 a.m. ET – Casper(1995)
- 12:10 p.m. ET – Tim Burton's Corpse Bride
- 1:50 p.m. ET – Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas
- 3:30 p.m. ET – Hotel Transylvania
- 5:35 p.m. ET – Hotel Transylvania 2
- 7:40 p.m. ET – Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation
- 9:50 p.m. ET – Twitches
- 11:55 p.m. ET – Twitches Too
Monday, October 12
Wherever there's the possibility of an ancient mummy, we will find the O'Connell family, ready to excavate … and let loose a thousand-year-old monster. In this third installment of The Mummy movie series, Alex, the son of professional mummy fighters Rick and Evy, is responsible for not letting a cursed Chinese shape-shifting emperor rest in peace. Y'all know the drill: Lots of running, lots of dust, lots of fighting, and a love story. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor airs at 7 a.m.
Also airing today:
- 12:30 p.m. ET – Halloweentown
- 2:30 p.m. ET – Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge
- 4:30 p.m. ET – Scared Shrekless
- 5 p.m. ET – Shrek
- 7 p.m. ET – *The Addams Family *(1991)
- 9 p.m. ET – Addams Family Values
- Midnight ET – The Scorpion King
Thursday, October 15 & Friday, October 16
Corpse Bride is a quirky-creepy-cute love story by quirkmaster Time Burton, starring his dream team of Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter as a living man and an undead chick who thinks they're married. It's classic and airs at 4 p.m on Friday, October 16.
Airing on Thursday, October 15:
- 7 a.m. ET – Scream 3
- 11 a.m. ET – Jumanji (1995)
- 1:30 p.m. ET – Beetlejuice
- 3:30 p.m. ET – Scream
- 6 p.m. ET – Scream 2
- 8:30 p.m. ET – The Craft
- Midnight ET – Jumanji (1995)
And watch these on Friday, Oct. 16:
- 11:30 a.m. ET – The Craft
- 2 p.m. ET – Matilda
- 6 p.m. ET – Disney and Pixar's Toy Story of TERROR!
- 6:30 p.m. ET – Disney and Pixar's Monsters, Inc.
- 8:30 p.m. ET – Disney and Pixar's Monsters University
- Midnight ET – Disney and Pixar's Toy Story of TERROR!
Saturday, October 17 & Sunday, October 18
Before there was Harry Potter, there was Matilda, an extraordinary little girl discovers who has magic powers and uses them to even the odds against some truly terrible adults — including her absentee father and a sadistic school principal who has it coming to her. Matilda airs at 8:55 a.m. October 18.
Catch these flicks October 17:
- 7 a.m. ET – Tim Burton's Corpse Bride
- 8:55 a.m. ET – Matilda
- 10:55 a.m. ET – Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas
- 12:35 p.m. ET – Ghostbusters (1984)
- 3:05 p.m. ET – Ghostbusters II
- 5:40 p.m. ET – Beetlejuice
- 7:45 p.m. ET – Hocus Pocus
- 9:55 p.m. ET – Halloweentown
- Midnight ET – Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge
These air October 18:
- 7 a.m. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
- 9:30 to 11 a.m The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror-thon
- 11 a.m. Twitches
- 1:05 p.m. Twitches Too
- 3:05 p.m. Beetlejuice
- 5:10 p.m. Hocus Pocus
- 7:20 p.m. The Addams Family (1991)
- 9:25 p.m. Addams Family Values
- 11:30 p.m. Gremlins
Monday, October 19
Some movies never get old, no matter when they were made, and the '80s gem, Gremlins, is one of them. In the flick, a teen boy's present turns out to be a Pandora's box of mischief when it spawns a pack of malevolent creatures who try their best to destroy an entire town. No real moral to this story. Just a chance to enjoy some mayhem. Catch Gremlins at 1 p.m. ET.
Also airing October 19:
- 11 a.m. ET – Matilda
- 3:30 p.m. ET – Casper (1995)
- 5:30 p.m. ET – The Addams Family (1991)
- 7:30 p.m. ET – Addams Family Values
- 9:30 p.m. ET – Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas
- Midnight ET – Matilda
Wednesday, October 21
All the best movies have a certain kind of magic that people can't quite put their finger on, like Ghostbusters. It's a mix of fantasy, horror, and comedy, and it just works on every level — and the bonus is that as we follow the ghostbusting crew around town, we get this incredible view of a gothic '80s New York that is really unequalled in other movies. Ghostbusters airs at 1:30 p.m. ET.
Also airing October 21:
- 11 a.m. ET – Sleepy Hollow (1999)
- 4 p.m. ET –Ghostbusters II
- 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET – The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror-thon
- Midnight to 2 a.m. ET – The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror-thon
Thursday, October 22 & Friday, October 23
This movie straight-up makes us want to reach through the screen and give Robin Williams a hug, never letting him go. (We miss him so much.) At least we have gems like this movie, Jumanji, in which he plays the grown-up version of a boy who has been trapped in a magical game for decades. The CGI may be dated, but Williams, and his particular brand of zany magic, could never be. Jumanji airs at 12:35 p.m. October 22, and 11 a.m. ET October 23.
Also airing October 22:
- 11 a.m. ET – Tim Burton's Corpse Bride
- 2:35 p.m. ET – *The Mummy *(1999)
- 5:45 p.m. ET – The Mummy Returns
- 8:55 p.m. ET – Hocus Pocus
- Midnight ET – Tim Burton's Corpse Bride
Check these out on October 23:
- 1:30 p.m. Scream
- 4 p.m. Scream 2
- 6:30 p.m. Beetlejuice
- 8:30 p.m. Sleepy Hollow (1999)
- Midnight to 2 a.m. ET – The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror-thon
Saturday, October 24 & Sunday, October 25
Ghostbusters was the reboot that we totally knew we needed. While the original was awesome, and we've seen it like 50 times, there's nothing wrong with giving it an estrogen-pumped facelift — especially with such a stellar cast of some of our favorite SNL chicks, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones, Kate McKinnon, and Melissa McCarthy. It may not have done gangbusters in theaters, but it's perfect for a day on the couch. We can catch Ghostbusters at 11 p.m. ET October 24.
Also October 24:
- 7 a.m. ET – Decorating Disney: Halloween Magic
- 8 a.m. ET Halloweentown
- 10:05 a.m. ET – Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge
- 12:05 p.m. ET – Beetlejuice
- 2:10 p.m. ET – Sleepy Hollow (1999)
- 4:40 p.m. ET – Hocus Pocus
- 6:50 p.m. ET – The Addams Family (1991)
- 8:55 p.m. ET – Addams Family Values
Great flicks to watch Sunday, Oct. 25
- 7 a.m. ET – Tim Burton's Corpse Bride
- 9 a.m. ET – Ghostbusters (1984)
- 11:30 a.m. ET – The Craft
- 2 p.m. ET – The Addams Family (1991)
- 4:05 p.m. ET – Addams Family Values
- 6:10 p.m. ET – Ghostbusters (2016)
- 9:20 p.m. ET – Hocus Pocus
- 11:30 p.m. ET – The Craft
October 28
One of Pixar's big early hits, Monsters Inc. is an animated charmer that paired funny guys Billy Crystal and John Goodman as odd-couple work buddies at a monster factory that generates energy by scaring human kids. But when an adorable little girl sneaks in, they team up to take her back home, totally falling for her in the process. It airs at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Also airing October 28:
- 12 p.m. ET – Jumanji (1995)
- 2:30 p.m. ET – Tim Burton's Corpse Bride
- 4:30 p.m. ET – Matilda
- 8:30 p.m. ET – Disney and Pixar's Monsters University
- Midnight to 2 a.m. ET – The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror-thon
Thursday, October 29 & Friday, October 30
It may not quite reach the comedic heights that the original movie did, but Addams Family Values is still totally worth a watch. All of the original cast members come back as the scary family that is actually intensely loyal and loving to each other. The movie centers around trying so save Uncle Fester from a gold-digging bride, played by Joan Cusack, who is a riot. Catch it 8:55 p.m. ET October 30.
Here's the schedule for October 29:
- 12 p.m. ET – Ghostbusters (1984)
- 2:30 p.m. ET – Ghostbusters II
- 5 p.m. ET – Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas
- 6:30 p.m. ET – Sleepy Hollow (1999)
- 9 p.m. ET – Beetlejuice
- Midnight to 2 a.m. ET – The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror-thon
Also airing on October 30:
- 11 a.m. ET – Decorating Disney: Halloween Magic
- 12:05 p.m. ET – Sleepy Hollow (1999)
- 2:35 p.m. ET – Beetlejuice
- 4:40 p.m. ET – Hocus Pocus
- 6:50 p.m. ET – The Addams Family (1991)
- Midnight to 2 a.m. ET – The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror-thon
