Whether you like films that are kind of scary, really scary, funny scary or all the above, you’ll be covered nearly every day in October.
Of special note are several legendary horror movies that are marking anniversaries this year, which will be celebrated with special airings on AMC: Rosemary’s Baby (1968), which turned 55 on June 12; The Exorcist (1973), which marks 50 years since its theatrical premiere on Dec. 26; the original Halloween (1978), which turns 45 on Oct. 27; and the adaptations of Stephen King’s The Dead Zone and Christine, both of which turn 40 this year (they premiered in theaters Oct. 21 and Dec. 9, 1983, respectively).
Read on for more about those, as well as other horrific highlights that are worth tuning in to during the lead-up to Halloween — if you dare:
Halloween Marathon — Sept. 30-Oct. 1 on AMC. In primetime on Saturday, Sept. 30, AMC will feature a 45th anniversary celebration broadcast of John Carpenter’s original Halloween (1978). Surrounding that over the course of this weekend will be several other titles from the franchise.
31 Nights of Halloween — Oct. 1-31 on Freeform. Spooky movies most of the day, every day, through Halloween. Oct. 1 highlights include Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) and Hocus Pocus (1993), both celebrating their 30th anniversaries this year.
I Married a Witch (1942) & The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947) — Oct. 1 on MOVIES!
The Phantom of the Opera (1925) — Oct. 1 (late-night) on TCM. The Lon Chaney-led silent classic.
AMC Celebrates: Rosemary’s Baby 55th Anniversary — Oct. 2 on AMC. Following an airing of the 1968 thriller led by Mia Farrow will be the linear premiere of Cursed Films: “Rosemary’s Baby.”
Hammer Horror Icon-a-Thon — Oct. 2 on MOVIES! Nearly 18 hours of creepy films from Britain’s famed Hammer Studios, including iconic Peter Cushing/Christopher Lee pairings like Horror of Dracula (1958) and The Mummy (1959).
Creepy Cinema — Tuesday nights on TCM beginning Oct. 3. Evenings of scary movies divided into two themes, with Oct. 3 featuring “Hitchcock & De Palma” (Alfred Hitchcock and his lifelong fan, director Brian De Palma) with 1943’s Shadow of a Doubt and 1980’s Dressed to Kill, followed by “Women in Horror” with late-night titles like Cat People (1942) and The Wasp Woman (1960).
Bad Kids MOVIES! — Oct. 4 on MOVIES! Five movies about evil little brats, including Village of the Damned (1960) and The Bad Seed (1956).
TCM Spotlight: Gothic Movies — Friday nights on TCM beginning Oct. 6. Themed evenings, beginning with films based on gothic literature, such as Wuthering Heights (1939).
Fear on Friday — Fridays on IFC beginning Oct. 6. A variety of horror movies airs each Friday, including The Devil’s Rejects (2005) and Ghost Rider (2007).
Afternoon of Monster Movies — Oct. 7 on MOVIES! Five creature features, including The Blob (1958) and The Thing From Another World (1951).
AMC Celebrates Stephen King — Oct. 8 on AMC. Twelve hours of King adaptations, including 40th anniversary celebration airings of 1983’s Christine and The Dead Zone.
Giant Monster Movies — Oct. 9 on MOVIES! Includes Them! (1954), The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1953) and It Came From Beneath the Sea (1955).
TCM Morning & Afternoon Movies: Horror Classics — Oct. 10 on TCM. Fourteen hours of titles including King Kong (1933), I Walked With a Zombie (1943) and Isle of the Dead (1945).
Creepy Cinema: “Mad, Mad Mitchum” & “’70s Horror” — Evening of Oct. 10 on TCM. Includes Cape Fear (1962), Blacula (1972) and House of Dark Shadows (1970).
Occult MOVIES! — Oct. 11 on MOVIES! Curse of the Demon (1957), Horror Hotel (1960) and more devilish titles.
AMC Celebrates: The Exorcist 50th Anniversary — Oct. 12 on AMC. A special airing of William Friedkin’s classic 1973 chiller.
’80s Vampire Classics — Oct. 12 on BBC America. Multiple airings of Fright Night (1985) and The Lost Boys (1987).
TCM Morning & Afternoon Movies: Sinister Scares — Oct. 13 on TCM. A Friday the 13th marathon of spooky films including Mark of the Vampire (1935) and The Terror (1963).
TCM Spotlight: Gothic Movies: “Ungentlemanly Callers” — Evening of Oct. 13 on TCM. Gaslight (1944), Suspicion (1941) and other suspense thrillers.
’80s Horror Marathon — Oct. 14 on AMC. More than 18 hours of titles including The Thing (1982) and Poltergeist (1982).
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) — Oct. 14 on MOVIES! Featuring Fredric March’s Oscar-winning dual performance.
Director William Castle Icon-a-Thon — Oct. 16 on MOVIES! House on Haunted Hill (1959), The Tingler (1959) and more.
Carnival of Souls (1962) & Night of the Living Dead (1968) — Oct. 17 on MOVIES!
Creepy Cinema: “Bette & Joan” & “Strange Occurrences” — Evening of Oct. 17 on TCM. Highlights include Joan Crawford in A Woman’s Face (1941) and Bette Davis in Hush … Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964).
TCM Spotlight: Gothic Movies: “Supernatural Stories” — Evening of Oct. 20 on TCM. The Uninvited (1944), The Haunting (1963) and other ghostly tales.
Nosferatu (1922) — Oct. 20 (late-night) on MOVIES! The silent German classic closes out several hours of vampire movies.
Creepy Cinema: “Demented Dudes” & “Vincent Price” — Evening of Oct. 24 on TCM. Highlights include Anthony Hopkins in Magic (1978), Faye Dunaway in Eyes of Laura Mars (1978), and Vincent Price in The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) and House of Wax (1953).
Peter Cushing Icon-a-Thon — Oct. 25 on MOVIES! Cushing-led British horror classics including The House That Dripped Blood (1971) and Asylum (1972).
Vincent Price Icon-a-Thon — Oct. 27 on MOVIES! House of Wax (1953), Return of the Fly (1959) and more.
TCM Spotlight: Gothic Movies: “Gothic Horror” — Evening of Oct. 27 on TCM. Frankenstein (1931), The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and much more.
24 Hours of Beetlejuice — Oct. 28-29 on TBS. Twelve consecutive airings of Tim Burton’s 1988 comedy/horror classic.
Creepy Comedies — Evening of Oct. 29 on TCM. Hold That Ghost (1941), starring Abbott and Costello; The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case (1930); and The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters (1954).
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920) — Oct. 29 (late-night) on TCM. John Barrymore-led silent classic.
MOVIES! Halloween Marathon — Oct. 30-Nov. 1 (early morning) on MOVIES! About 48 hours of frightening features, including an Oct. 30 evening devoted to movies from producer Dan Curtis, like Trilogy of Terror (1975) and the Jack Palance-led Dracula (1974).
TCM Terror-Thon — Oct. 30-Nov. 1 (early morning) on TCM. Roughly 48 hours of horror movies, including an Oct. 30 evening lineup of witch-themed films, such as Burn, Witch, Burn! (1962) and Suspiria (1977).
The 101 Scariest Horror Movie Moments of All Time Marathon — Oct. 31 on IFC.
Note, MOVIES! is available via many cable lineups and over-the-air (via a TV input change to antenna).
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