’31 Nights of Halloween’ Is Freeform’s Gift To Us In These Troubled Times

Every network and streaming service worth their salt is going to have some kind of Halloween content. Some of it’s going to be pretty “meh” (Hallmark branded theirs a “Fall Harvest” program and cut it short before Halloween last year, for example). Some of it looks pretty great, though. Falling squarely in that second category is Freeform’s ’31 Nights of Halloween’.

Over the month of October, Freeform will be airing Halloween movies more or less back-to-back. While ’31 Nights of Halloween’ is mostly made up of family friendly movies – because a ton of the most fun Halloween movies are – a few darker films snuck in.

I see several of my personal favorites in the trailer:

Even with some repeats there’s four pages of programming (it’s called ’31 Nights of Halloween’ for a reason), so I won’t list every movie Freeform is airing. The lineup is solid, though. There are old standbys like The Addams Family, Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride, and Ghostbusters, plus some more recent films such as Warm Bodies and Monsters, Inc.. 

Side note, can we still call those “recent films”? They feel new next to The Addams Family, so I’m running with it. 

I’m excited to see a few movies that aren’t really Halloween-related, but still fit in. Matilda has always been a favorite of mine, and I prefer Gene Wilder’s Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory to the newer Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Both are scheduled in the line-up, in case you don’t agree.

I also see The Mummy is on the schedule. I probably watch that and its sequels a few times a year. I’d say it’s underrated but everyone I know at least likes The Mummy. We don’t get a ton of action franchises with happily-ever-afters that stay happy. Too many writers seem to feel like whatever else is going on, relationship strife is necessary for the plot to move forward. Bond can’t even keep a girlfriend from movie to movie. 

Whoops, this article is not a review of a decades-old movie, I promise. (Excuse me while I load it up in another window right fast, though). 

The opening of ’31 Nights of Halloween’ has a drive-thru experience for those in the Los Angeles, California, area. According to the press release, Freeform’s Halloween Road is “an immersive event that will take fans on a thrilling journey through some of the most nostalgic Halloween movies, including Hocus Pocus, Ghostbusters and Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. Freeform will fright and delight guests with themed surprises, interactive experiences, live entertainment, and exciting photo moments—all from the safety of their own vehicles.”

That link will take you to the reservation site, since they’re limiting traffic. This is the third year Freeform has run Halloween Road. I’ve never been, but one of my many cousins reports that based on last year’s experience it’s worth checking out. That’s probably doubly true this year, when we’re all starved for entertainment that doesn’t come with a side order of social irresponsibility.

If you do hit up Halloween Road, come back and let us know how it went. In the meantime, keep ’31 Nights of Halloween’ in mind for bored October days. It’s always good to have something in your back pocket when you’ can’t decide what to stream.

Author: Khai

Khai is a writer, anthropologist, and games enthusiast. She is co-editor (alongside Alex DeCampi) of and contributor to “True War Stories”, a comic anthology published by Z2 Comics. When she’s not writing or creating games, Khai likes to run more tabletop RPGs than one person should reasonably juggle.

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