Halloween is just four weeks away (although if you’re a horror fan, you might have been celebrating it year-round), so what better time to get in the mood for tricks and treats than today? Here’s some ways to spark your inner ghoul:
Horror movies and TV shows! AMC Fearfest, Turner Classic Movies, the SyFy Channel, Movies! TV Network, Freeform, and Svengoolie (on MeTV) are just some of the cable stations chock full of Halloweeny programming during October, most of it kicking off today, and streaming sites like HBO Max, Tubi, Apple TV, Netflix, and Pluto are constantly adding horror movies to their lineups. There’s a lot to see before All Hallows’ Eve, so check online listings for more information.
The new Resident Evil movie (for you zomboids) and Practical Magic 2 (for you witchcraft fans) are still in theaters, and this year’s mega–box office hits Obsession and Backrooms are currently available for streaming. Clayface, a body-horror origin picture for one of Batman’s most grotesque villains, opens on October 23. And Crystal Lake is a prequel series to the Friday the 13th movie franchise that stars Linda Cardellini as Jason’s mom, Pamela Voorhees, and is set to debut on Peacock on October 15.
Countdown to Halloween is an annual collection of blogs (mostly horror-themed) that commit to posting daily entries every day of the month, on a wide range of topics from comic books to toys, classic horror movies to to music, even wanderings through local cemeteries.
How about some music? The ghoulish deejays over at Halloween Radio and its five channels (Main, Soundtracks, Atmosphere, Oldies, and Kids) stream tunes 24/7, 365 days a year—perfect for when you’re looking for background music to play while you’re decorating your home or apartment, carving pumpkins, or working on your costume.
But the true meaning of horror can be found on the Hallmark Channel, which is set to debut The Spirit of Halloween, an actual Halloween-themed romance movie, on Saturday, October 10! Taking its inspiration from the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol, it involves a Halloween-hating businesswoman who learns the true meaning of the holiday (Is it candy? Cosplay? Monsters?) after a visit by three ghosts.
(Actually, it’s pretty well known that horror and Hallmark have a weird relationship. For all the counter-Halloween programming they do, Hallmark does have a following for their Christmas movies among horror fans, and then there’s the fact that not only have a number of horror writers and directors contributed to the yuletide filmfests (Fred Olen Ray, David DeCoteau, Michael Varrati), but even horror icons like Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead), Natasha Henstridge (Species), and Patricia Velasquez (The Mummy) have starred in them!)
Whatever it is you do to get ready, have a fun time doing it!
(Header art © True Touch, courtesy of Shutterstock.)