Halloween is just around the corner and ABC Family is totally ready for it. Starting this Friday, ABC Family is going to be airing Halloween-ish movies ranging from super-scary ones (Poltergeist, It) to dark-comedies (Beetlejuice, Hocus Pocus), to totally kid-friendly films (Casper, Matilda). It’s all part of the network’s annual 13 Nights of Halloween programming event.
In addition to airing classic films like E.T and Teen Witch (ok, maybe that one’s not really a classic in terms of quality but you know you loved it), ABC Family will also be premiering their new original movie, Nature of the Beast. The movie stars Eddie Kaye Thomas (Til Death), Eric Mabius (Ugly Betty) and Autumn Reeser (The O.C.) and centers on a guy who’s about to get married when his fiancé learns that he’s a werewolf.
We're giving away some cool prize packs to celebrate the event. For more info on that, click here!
Check out the trailer below:
Here’s the schedule for ABC Family’s 13 Nights of Halloween:
Night One – Friday, October 19
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial 7:30 – 10:00 PM ET/PT
The classic 80’s movie about a lovable alien gets stranded on Earth. Young Elliot (Henry Thomas) finds E.T. and he, his family and friends do what they can to protect him from the scientists and send him home. My favorite part is when E.T. and Elliot get drunk. They just don’t make family films like this anymore.
Night Two – Saturday, October 20
Casper Meets Wendy (11:00 AM – 1:00 PM)
He’s a friendly ghost so this one’s probably kid-friendly.
Teen Witch (1:00 – 3:00 PM)
When Louise Miller turns 16, she finds out she’s a witch and decides to use her powers to make herself popular. This has to be one of the cheesiest movies ever made but its still good for a laugh. Top that!
Hocus Pocus (3:00 – 5:00 PM)
Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy star as the Sanderson sisters – three witches who are on a quest for immortality but there’s a 300-year-old cat that wants to spoil their plans.
Corpse Bride (5:00 – 7:00 PM)
Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter voice the lead roles in this Tim Burton animated film about a guy who finds out he’s married a corpse bride.
E.T. (7:00 – 9:30 PM, 9:30 PM – 12:00 AM)
Night Three – Sunday, October 21: “Nature of the Beast” Premieres
Beetlejuice (12:00 – 2:00 PM)
Michael Keaton is the ghost with the most in this dark comedy about a newly married couple (played by Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin) who stuck in the afterlife watching some yuppie family take over their home. They make the mistake of summoning Beetlejuice to help get rid of them.
Hocus Pocus (2:00 PM – 4:00 PM)
Corpse Bride (4:00 – 6:00 PM)
Nature of the Beast (8:00 – 10:00 PM, 10:00 PM – 12:00 AM)
Night Four – Monday, October 22
Poltergeist (7:30 – 10:00 PM)
This classic horror movie stars Craig T. Nelson and JoBeth Williams and centers on a family and their haunted house. Stay away from the light, Carol Anne!
Night Five – Tuesday, October 23
Boogeyman (9:00 – 11:00 PM)
2005 movie starring Barry Watson (Samantha Who?, What About Brian), Emily Deschanel (Bones) and Lucy Lawless (Battlestar Galactica, Xena). Boogeyman is about a guy whose father was snatched by the boogeyman and now he’s afraid some day the closet-lurking monster will come to claim him.
Night Six – Wednesday, October 24
Nature of the Beast (8:00 – 10:00 PM)
Night Seven – Thursday, October 25
The Village (8:00 – 10:00 PM)
M. Night Shyamalan’s creepy movie starring Joaquin Phoenix, Bryce Dallas Howard and Adrien Brody. The village fears what lurks in the woods that surrounds them. I think I might be one of the few people who love this movie.
Night Eight – Friday, October 26
An American Haunting (8:00 – 10:00 PM ET/PT)
A scary movie starring Sissy Spacek and Donald Sutherland about a haunted house.
Night Nine – Saturday, October 27
Scariest Places on Earth (8:00 AM – 8:00 PM)
This is a marathon of episodes of this series which follows families as they’re challenged to spend the night in scary places.
Stephen King’s It (8:00 – 10:00 PM)
Ok, so this movie doesn’t hold a candle to the book but its still pretty great. Tim Curry is brilliant as Pennywise, the scary clown that’s killing kids in the town of Derry. It also stars Seth Green, John Ritter, Annette O’Toole and Jonathan Brandis.
Night Ten – Sunday, October 28
Matilda (12:00 – 2:00 PM)
This adaptation of Roald Dahl’s book stars that little lispy girl, Mara Wilson and centers on a little girl with magical abilities.
The Little Vampire (2:00 – 4:00 PM)
Jonathan Lipnicki plays a kid who befriends a vampire.
Casper (4:00 – 6:00 PM)
Christina Ricci and Bill Pullman star in this adorable movie about a friendly ghost.
Matilda (6:00 – 8:00 PM)
Scooby-Doo (8:00 – 10:00 PM)
Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar and Matthew Lillard star in this mostly-live-action movie based on the classic cartoon.
Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (10:00 PM – 12:00 AM)
In this sequel, the gang tries to catch a masked villain who’s making a mess of the Coolsville Museum of Criminology.
Night Eleven – Monday, October 29
Casper (8:00 – 10:00 PM)
Night Twelve – Tuesday, October 30
The Haunted Mansion (9:00 – 11:00 PM)
Starring Eddie Murphy, this is a goofy (no pun intended) Disney movie based on the famous park attraction. It’s no Pirates of the Caribbean but the kids will probably get a kick out of it.
Night Thirteen – Wednesday, October 31
Poltergeist (7:30 – 10:00 PM)
