Network | Fox Family (1998–2001) ABC Family (2002–2015) Freeform (2016–present) |
---|---|
Launched | October 19, 1998 |
Country of origin | United States |
Formerly known as | 13 Days of Halloween (1998–2001) 13 Nights of Halloween (2002–2017) |
Format | Horror films and Halloween-based programming |
Running time | Nightly, annually from October 19 to 31 (until 2017) Nightly, annually from October 1 to 31 (2018–present) |
Original language(s) | English |
31 Nights of Halloween (formerly 13 Days of Halloween and 13 Nights of Halloween) is an American seasonal programming block on Freeform. It originally began airing in 1998, after the Family Channel became Fox Family, and was continued through the channel's change into ABC Family, and later, Freeform. The 13 Days of Halloween block was created mainly due to the success of the channel's 25 Days of Christmas, which had started two years earlier. The special block lasted from October 19 until Halloween night, covering the thirteen days before the holiday. [1] Starting in 2018, the program aired throughout the whole month of October. [2]
From 1998 to 2004, the block consisted mainly of made-for-TV movies aimed at an older audience, such as Casper: A Spirited Beginning , The Haunting of Seacliff Inn , Lost Souls , The Spiral Staircase , When Good Ghouls Go Bad , Deadly Invasion: The Killer Bee Nightmare , Tower of Terror , The Hollow , and Grave Secrets: The Legacy of Hilltop Drive , and Halloween themed specials such as Scariest Places on Earth and Ghost Stories .
Then starting in 2006, the lineup shifted more towards feature films aimed at a younger audience such as Hocus Pocus , The Haunted Mansion , The Addams Family and its sequel, Monsters, Inc. , and the Harry Potter film series. Hocus Pocus emerged as the block's sleeper hit, and by the end of the 2010s it had become the most prominently featured film in the block, [3] earning an all-day marathon on Halloween itself.
The programming block was not aired in 2003 as ABC Family's new executives decided not to air the block for reasons that remain unclear, but it returned in 2004. Over the following years, the block focused more on family-oriented feature films and away from specific Halloween-based programs.
In 2011, ABC Family switched the focus of the programming block to its original purpose (primarily Halloween/Horror related films), while still remaining appropriate for children and families. Films that air during the lineup are usually edited for time constraints and for profane content, such as language or sexuality, to appeal towards all audiences.
With the launch of Freeform in 2016, the block remained largely the same, continuing to show Halloween-based family films.
On May 15, 2018, Freeform announced that the block will be renamed to 31 Nights of Halloween, meaning the lineup will start on the very first day of October rather than October 19. [2]
In 2023, Freeform was permanently removed from Spectrum cable systems as part of the resolution of a carriage dispute between Spectrum and parent company The Walt Disney Company. [4] As part of an initiative to keep Freeform's content available through Disney's streaming platforms, [5] Disney made most of the 31 Nights of Halloween library available through Disney+ under the "Hallowstream" banner. [6]
In 2008, viewers averaged 1.2 million. [7] For 2009, the lineup averaged 1.4 million viewers, up from the previous year. [7] Hocus Pocus drew record numbers of near 2.5 million, while Edward Scissorhands drew over 1 million viewers. [7] Total viewers dropped in 2010, averaging just 1.2 million viewers. [8] In 2011, Pretty Little Liars Halloween themed episode, "The First Secret", at the time, the lineup's most watched program. The special episode aired with more than 2.5 million viewers. [9] Viewers for the entire lineup broke record, averaging 1.6 million viewers in 2011, thanks to debuts such as Coraline . [8] The October 29 airing of Hocus Pocus drew the 13 Nights of Halloween's highest viewers ever, with 2.8 million. [10]
In 2012, the second Halloween-themed episode of Pretty Little Liars, "This is A Dark Ride" guest-starring former American Idol contestant Adam Lambert drew 2.8 million viewers. [11] ABC Family announced that the episode had become the lineup's most watched programming in their key demographics in the block's fourteen-year history. [12] Due to the success of previous years airings of Hocus Pocus, multiple airings were scheduled throughout the 2012 lineup. The first initial broadcast of the film on October 23 was watched by 1.6 million viewers. [13] Broadcasts of the film on the nights of October 28 and 31 were watched by 1.9 million and 1.3 million viewers respectively. [14] [15] The network premiere of the film The Sorcerer's Apprentice on October 28 was watched by 2.1 million viewers. [14] Overall viewers for the 2012 season were down from the previous year, with an average of 1.5 million viewers. [16]
ABC Family released the 2014 schedule on September 10, 2014. [17]
The popular programming event, now in its 16th year, started October 19 and concluded on October 31. The schedule features brand-new Halloween-themed episodes of Melissa & Joey and Baby Daddy, an all-new Pretty Little Liars fan appreciation special, plus the scary prank specials Freak Out. The stunt will also include the network television premieres of Dark Shadows and ParaNorman, and prime time airings of Hocus Pocus, Beetlejuice, and Monsters Inc. [18]
Ratings for the 2014 event were generally even across the board with prior years. October 19, the first day of the event, held ratings of Harry Potter, 1.5 million viewers, Toy Story of Terror, 1.7 million, and a prime time airing of Monsters Inc. gaining 1.7 million viewers. The Pretty Little Liars special airing October 21 had 1.3 million viewers while Melissa and Joey registered 1.1 million. The network airing of Dark Shadows on October 24 registered a mediocre 1 million viewers. An airing of The Adams Family had a decent 1.21 million viewers while a Halloween airing of Casper had 1.4 million viewers. [19] The highest rated programs of the event were Monsters Inc at, 1.7 million on October 19, and Hocus Pocus on October 26, also at 1.7 million. [20]
The 2015 line up was released on September 2. [21]
The highest rated event for 2015's 13 Nights of Halloween was the premiere of Monsters University at 2.081m viewers, up from 2012's high of 1.7m. [22] Hocus Pocus, which aired a staggering ten times during the event saw its highest rated showing at 1.7m viewers, even with previous years. The Adams Family highest rated showing peaked at 1.6m viewers. Overall the rest of the event peaked around 1 million viewers. [22] The 2015 lineup averaged 1.1905m viewers, down dramatically from previous years. [22]
ABC Family rebranded itself as Freeform in 2016, but continued airing 13 Nights of Halloween. [23]
13 Nights of Halloween lineup was released on September 14, 2016. The 2016 line up features films such as Hocus Pocus , Corpse Bride , Scooby-Doo , Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed , Monsters University , Practical Magic , and Death Becomes Her . The line up for Halloween day includes Steven Spielberg's classic The Goonies , The Addams Family , Addams Family Values , and two back to back airings of Disney's cult classic Hocus Pocus. [24]
Ratings for 2016's 13 Nights were overall down. Hocus Pocus was the highest rated film, with its highest viewing at 1.308M on October 23. The rest of the Hocus Pocus airings stayed around 1.000M consistently. Monsters University gained 1.234M on that same date. The highest rated showing of The Addams Family was 1.116M on October 20. [25]
13 Nights of Halloween lineup was released on September 12, 2017. The schedule includes films such as the 2003 incarnation of The Haunted Mansion , The Addams Family , The Sorcerer's Apprentice , Sleepy Hollow , Edward Scissorhands , Charlie and the Chocolate Factory , and Bewitched . A Tim Burton film marathon and a Hocus Pocus marathon on Halloween were also included in the schedule. [26]
Starting in 2018, the special airs throughout the whole month of October. The full lineup included classics like Edward Scissorhands , Toy Story of Terror! , ParaNorman , The Witches of Eastwick , Monster House , Hotel Transylvania , Monsters, Inc. , Monsters University , The Haunted Mansion , The Nightmare Before Christmas , Clue , and The Addams Family. The entire marathon then concluded with six back-to-back screenings of Hocus Pocus on October 31. There were also several nostalgic flicks with no Halloween tie-in featuring Mulan , Bolt , The Goonies , Charlie and the Chocolate Factory , The Hunchback of Notre Dame , Frozen , The Breakfast Club , Jurassic Park , Big Hero 6 , Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory , The Parent Trap and Mrs. Doubtfire . Multiple Halloween-themed episodes of The Middle were also aired. [27] A Hocus Pocus 25th Anniversary Halloween Bash special premiered on the network on October 20, as part of the 31 Nights of Halloween lineup. Original stars from the movie, Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy and more joined the special. Vanessa Hudgens and Jordan Fisher hosted and had special performances by Dove Cameron, Jordin Sparks and more. [28] The special was the most-watched show of the 2018 edition of 31 Nights of Halloween, with over 1,397,000 people tuning in. [29] On October 14, the Decorating Disney: Halloween Magic special premiered with 932,000 total viewers tuning in to the show, hosted by Cierra Ramirez from Freeform's The Fosters and Good Trouble , that gave viewers a look on how Disney parks and ships are decorated for Halloween overnight. The special was followed up by the Freeform premiere of Hotel Transylvania , which was watched by 683,000 total viewers. [30] [31] On October 6, 942,000 viewers tuned in to watch the network premiere of Maleficent , followed by the premiere of Warm Bodies , which was followed by 376,000 people. [32] On October 7, the network premiere of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street was watched by 395,000 viewers. [33] The Freeform premiere of The Witches of Eastwick on October 22 was followed by 584,000 people. [34]
The programming focus again spanned the entire "31 Nights" of October, with a lineup including The Nightmare Before Christmas , Hocus Pocus , Scooby-Doo and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed , Monsters, Inc. , Edward Scissorhands , The Addams Family and Addams Family Values , Hotel Transylvania , ParaNorman , Monster House , Corpse Bride , and the first two Ghostbusters films. It also features the network premieres of Goosebumps , Mostly Ghostly: One Night in Doom House , the first three Scream films, and the specials Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space and Scared Shrekless . This was also the first year to feature short marathons of Treehouse of Horror episodes of The Simpsons . It featured non-Halloween family films such as Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory , Hook , Matilda , Finding Nemo , Finding Dory , National Treasure , 101 Dalmatians , Iron Man , Charlie and the Chocolate Factory , Moana , Mrs. Doubtfire , Zootopia and The Incredibles . [35]
This seasonal lineup features frequent airings of Gremlins , Beetlejuice , Casper , The Craft , The Mummy and The Mummy Returns . It also features the network premieres of The Scorpion King , The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor , Hotel Transylvania 2 , Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation , and the 2016 Ghostbusters film. In addition, this holiday block includes Halloweentown , Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge , Twitches and Twitches Too . The only non-Halloween films in this seasonal television schedule are Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory , The Goonies , Jumanji , Matilda and Shrek . [36]
This year's seasonal lineup includes the network premieres of Maleficent: Mistress of Evil , Men in Black II , The House with a Clock in Its Walls , Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children , Fright Night , Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween , Cowboys & Aliens , The Huntsman: Winter's War , and the first three Jaws films. This is also the first year to feature short marathons of Family Guy Halloween episodes. It features a few non-Halloween film classics including Mrs. Doubtfire , Hook , Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory , Charlie and the Chocolate Factory , The Goonies , and Men in Black . [37]
This year's seasonal lineup includes frequent airings of the 1990 The Witches film, the 2016 Ghostbusters film, Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween , the Hotel Transylvania trilogy, The House with a Clock in Its Walls , and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children . It also features the network premieres of Buffy the Vampire Slayer , Get Out , Happy Death Day , Happy Death Day 2U , A Quiet Place , and the 2018 Halloween film.
This year's lineup includes several airings of the Twilight film series, the 1986 horror comedy musical Little Shop of Horrors , and regular staples of the block such as Hocus Pocus , The Addams Family , Halloweentown , Goosebumps , and The Nightmare Before Christmas . It also features the network premieres of Encanto , Zombies , and Zombies 2 . Non-Halloween films featured during the block include Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy and Marc Webb's Amazing Spider-Man duology. To promote the release of the recent Goosebumps series, the series' first two episodes were aired during the block. [38] [39]
This year's lineup includes several airings of Hocus Pocus , Beetlejuice , Casper , the 2003 Haunted Mansion film, Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween , Ghostbusters: Afterlife , Halloweentown , and The Nightmare Before Christmas . It also features the network premieres of Hocus Pocus 2 , the 2023 Haunted Mansion film, Arachnophobia , Something Wicked This Way Comes , Muppets from Space , and The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad . Non-Halloween films featured in the block include Mrs. Doubtfire , both The Incredibles films, the first three Despicable Me films, and the first four Pirates of the Caribbean films. To promote the release of the Goosebumps series' second season, a marathon consisting of the series' first season was aired during the block. [40]
Disney Channel is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment division of The Walt Disney Company.
The Haunted Mansion is a 2003 American supernatural horror comedy film directed by Rob Minkoff and written by David Berenbaum. Loosely based on Walt Disney's theme park attraction of the same name, the film stars Eddie Murphy as a realtor who, along with his family, becomes trapped in the titular building. Terence Stamp, Wallace Shawn, Marsha Thomason and Jennifer Tilly appear in supporting roles.
Hocus Pocus is a 1993 American fantasy comedy film directed by Kenny Ortega from a screenplay by Mick Garris and Neil Cuthbert, and a story by David Kirschner and Garris. It follows a villainous comedic trio of witches who are inadvertently resurrected by a teenage boy in Salem, Massachusetts on Halloween night.
Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge is a 2001 American fantasy comedy film released as a Disney Channel Original Movie for the Halloween season. It is the second installment in the Halloweentown series. Set two years after the first film, Marnie returns to find Halloweentown's citizens transformed into dull, black-and-white humans. With the help of her friend Luke and Grandma Aggie, she seeks to uncover and reverse the "Grey Spell" before it is too late.
Halloweentown High is a 2004 American fantasy comedy film released as a Disney Channel Original Movie that premiered on Disney Channel on October 8, 2004. It is the third installment in the Halloweentown series. It stars Kimberly J. Brown, Debbie Reynolds, Judith Hoag, and Joey Zimmerman. In the film, Marnie persuades the Halloweentown Council to allow magical students to attend a mortal school, but risks losing her family's powers if something goes wrong before midnight on Halloween. The film attracted over 6 million viewers during its premiere.
Return to Halloweentown is a 2006 American fantasy comedy film released as a Disney Channel Original Movie that premiered on October 20, 2006, and is the fourth and final film in the Halloweentown series. The story follows Marnie Piper going to college at Witch University in Halloweentown, where dark forces try to control her magic.
Halloweentown is an American television series of four fantasy films released as Disney Channel Original Movies: Halloweentown (1998), Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge (2001), Halloweentown High (2004), and Return to Halloweentown (2006).
American cable and satellite television network Freeform was originally launched as the CBN Satellite Service on April 29, 1977, and has gone through four different owners and six different name changes during its history. This article details the network's existence from its founding by the Christian Broadcasting Network to its current ownership by The Walt Disney Company, which renamed the network to Freeform on January 12, 2016.
Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP) is a separate-admission Halloween-themed event held annually during the months of August, September, October, and November at the Magic Kingdom theme park of the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, near Orlando, and at Disneyland Paris Resort outside Paris, France. The party began as a response to the Halloween Horror Nights event at Universal Studios Florida. Disney's event caters to a traditional family atmosphere, whereas Universal's has more of a "fright-centered" event with their monsters.
Freeform's 25 Days of Christmas is an American annual seasonal event of Christmas programming broadcast during the month of December by the U.S. cable network Freeform. The event was first held in 1996, and has been an annual fixture of the channel through its various incarnations, including The Family Channel, Fox Family, ABC Family, and Freeform. The brand covers airings of classic holiday specials as well as new Christmas-themed television movies each year; generally few of the network's original series air during the time period, outside of Christmas-themed episodes. In 2006, the lineup has also included airings of general, family films that Freeform holds rights to, which included the Harry Potter films until January 2017, and other Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures films. In 2007, the block was extended to November with a Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas block. 25 Days of Christmas programming often attracts major surges in viewership for Freeform, with higher-profile film airings often attracting 3–4 million viewers or more.
Halloweentown is a 1998 American fantasy comedy film directed by Duwayne Dunham. The first installment in Halloweentown series, it stars Debbie Reynolds, Kimberly J. Brown, Joey Zimmerman, and Judith Hoag. It is the fourth Disney Channel Original Movie. It centers on Marnie, who learns she is a witch on her 13th Halloween and is transported to Halloweentown—a magical place where ghosts, ghouls, witches, and werewolves live apart from the human world, but she soon finds herself battling wicked warlocks, evil curses, and endless surprises.
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Girl vs. Monster is a 2012 American fantasy teen comedy Disney Channel Original Movie that premiered on October 12, 2012. The film stars Olivia Holt as Skylar, a teenage girl who discovers on the eve of Halloween that she is a fifth-generation monster hunter and that her parents are active monster hunters. The movie was directed by Stuart Gillard and produced by Tracey Jeffrey.
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Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween is a 2018 American horror comedy film directed by Ari Sandel and written by Rob Lieber from a story by Lieber and Darren Lemke. A stand-alone sequel to 2015's Goosebumps, it is based on the children's horror book series of the same name by R. L. Stine. The new cast consists of Wendi McLendon-Covey, Madison Iseman, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Caleel Harris, Chris Parnell and Ken Jeong. The plot follows two young boys who accidentally release the monsters from the Goosebumps franchise in their town after opening an unpublished Goosebumps manuscript, causing a wave of destruction on Halloween night.
Hocus Pocus 2 is a 2022 American fantasy comedy film directed by Anne Fletcher, written by Jen D'Angelo and produced by Walt Disney Pictures. It is a sequel to the 1993 film Hocus Pocus and the second installment in the Hocus Pocus franchise. The film stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, and Doug Jones reprising their roles. Sam Richardson, Whitney Peak, Belissa Escobedo, Tony Hale, and Hannah Waddingham join the cast.
Mickey's Tale of Two Witches is a Halloween television special that premiered on October 7, 2021 on Disney Junior. It is produced by Disney Television Animation. It is the first spin-off special of Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures before Mickey and Minnie Wish Upon a Christmas. The events of the film take place after the final episode of the series.
Goosebumps is an American supernatural horror television series developed by Rob Letterman and Nicholas Stoller for Disney+ and Hulu. It is based on the book series by R. L. Stine. The series abandons the episodic anthology format of the 1995 original television series to focus on a serialized-anthology style of storytelling instead, changing storylines from season to season instead of episode to episode while still featuring some of the existing Goosebumps monsters and items episodically.
Hocus Pocus is an American media franchise consisting of two films, a sequel novelization, and other Disney media and merchandise. The series was created by David Kirschner and Mick Garris.