It’s that dark and stormy time of year again when things actually go bump in the night, ravens start tap, tap, tapping and scary monsters take a 10-month lease under your bed.
Of course, TV is armed for the onslaught of Halloween with more choices than you can shake a witch’s broom at.
“The Simpsons” have returned on FoxNow and Hulu with that endless treehouse and its writhing limbs of terror on “Treehouse of Horror XXXII,” this time in five segments. One of the chapters emulates Edward Gorey’s deco animation and details Bart’s evil deeds throughout the year.
On Thursday Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart will eat their way through creepy comestible architecture in a life-sized cooking contest, “Snoop & Martha’s Very Tasty Halloween,” streaming on Peacock.
Jamie Lee Curtis is back as the indefatigable Laurie Strode in her vendetta against the vicious Michael Myers in the latest incarnation of the “Halloween” legacy, “Halloween Kills,” streaming now on Peacock. This time it’s not only Laurie, but her daughter (Judy Greer) and granddaughter (Andi Matichak) that are threatened by this unrelenting tormentor.
Spookmaster Svengoolie will spin “Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster,” on Oct. 30 via MeTV. The nostalgia network will also feature Halloween segments from now-classic series like “Leave it to Beaver,” “The Carol Burnett Show” and “M*A*S*H” the entire creepy weekend. And it will serve a gaggle of unnerving Looney Tunes on its morning show, “Toon in with Me.”
Paramount+ casts its spell with its next “Paranormal Activity” film, “Next of Kin,” arriving Oct. 29. This is the haunting tale of a young woman who seeks info from an Amish community only to realize that something evil may be lurking under their pristine kapps.
Even the Science Channel goes civilian with its search for the “Lost City of the Monkey God,” premiering Oct. 31. Tales of this mystical city have disturbed scientists and explorers for eons. Buried deep in the rain forest of Honduras, the “Lost City” documentary follows explorer Steve Elkins and a team of scientists in their quest to unearth this unearthly treasure.
R.L. Stine’s graphic novel is the source of the Disney+ series, “Just Beyond,” complete with eight eerie episodes. Each one dives into a fresh story with new characters who must travel a dark and perilous journey of discovery complicated by aliens, ghosts and witches, oh my!
Mira Sorvino and Anna Sophia Robb co-star in a sci-fi thriller, “The Expecting” arriving on Oct. 29 on Roku. And Joan Crawford gets seriously roused on TCM in the classic “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane,” Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.
This is followed by her more ‘restrained’ performance in “Strait-Jacket” at 10:30 p.m. Of course, TCM has littered the entire month with classic horror flicks including Bela Lugosi’s “Dracula” on Oct. 27 at 9:45 p.m., “Frankenstein” on Oct. 30 at 8 p.m., “Night of the Living Dead” on Oct. 29 at 10 p.m., Jacques Tourneur’s 1942 classic, “ Cat People” at midnight Oct. 31 and the ultimate shocker, “Psycho,” on Oct. 31 at 8 p.m.
AMC figures the ‘80s were rife with horror flicks and will celebrate them in a weekend marathon beginning Saturday, including “The Fly,” “Poltergeist,” “Pet Sematary” and heeeere’s Johnny – “The Shining.”
USA and Syfy are sharing that adorable doll from our past, “Chucky,” and an all-new eight-episode series that finds him limp and harmless at a yard sale (at first). Chucky made his initial appearance back in 1988 in “Child’s Play” and has been haunting audiences ever since.
We’re halfway through Freeform’s “31 Nights of Halloween,” but not to worry. “Halloweentown” airs on Saturday at 4 p.m., Bette Midler in “Hocus Pocus” at 6:05 p.m. and the 2016 version of “Ghostbusters” at 8:15 p.m. Tim Burton’s classic, “The Nightmare Before Christmas” will mesmerize on Sunday at 3:50 p.m.
If you're curious about the devious minds behind the creatures of the night you might want to watch the weekly documentary “Behind the Monsters,” beginning on Shudder Oct. 27. Each of the six episodes delves into one monster including Chucky, Michael Myers and Freddy Kreuger, and will talk with the folk who created these characters, including the actors, directors, stunt people and special effects personnel.
Oscar Wilde’s enchanting novella “The Canterville Ghost,” earns the BBC’s touch with its meticulous four-part version premiering on BYUtv Oct. 31 at 9 p.m. This tale stars Anthony Head as the restive ghost.
And for the kiddies, the Muppets are starring in their first-ever Halloween special, “Muppets Haunted Mansion” streaming on Disney+. With a cast of colorful Muppet characters, (and some cameos) the story finds Gonzo, and his pal Pepe the Prawn doomed to spend the night in the fabled – you guessed it – haunted mansion.
Veterans break their silence
Sometimes cheered, sometimes jeered, the military in this country goes back to our very beginnings. The men and woman who have served the nation often go quietly about their business once they’re home.
To reconcile this silence, PBS is offering a four-part documentary, “American Veteran” premiering on Oct. 26 in which every voice heard will be that of a veteran.
J.R. Martinez is one of those voices. A U.S. Army infantry vet, Martinez says, “I am actually first generation born in the United States of America. My mother is from Central America in a small country called El Salvador. It was so powerful for me going back to El Salvador as a young boy over the course of my childhood.
“I started to discover and understand that what I perceived as poverty in the United States of America was very different than poverty in other countries, especially a third world country. And I just had this deeper appreciation and gratefulness and gratitude for what the United States of America provided to me and my family,” he says.
“So, when 9/11 happened and I was sort of in this space of being in limbo, of not quite sure what my next step was going to be, the military was something I heard about and ... somebody said to me, ‘What about the military?’ And I was like, ‘I guess. Let me explore it.’ It was just the perfect opportunity to give back to this country that I felt so deeply indebted to and grateful for. At the same time, it was an opportunity as a young kid to see the world, grow, and evolve.”
Another voice on the series is that of Maj. Gen. Angela Salinas – the first Hispanic woman to serve as a Marine Corps general officer. She retired as as the highest-ranking woman in the Corps. Military service gave her more than a sense of duty done, she says. “I think that, reflecting back on 39 years ... I think for me it is probably pretty consistent, is the sense of gratitude in so many ways. Because even though it was a sense of me serving something greater than myself, it is really coming back home and realizing how blessed we are to live in a country in a place where people who look like me can grow up and essentially reach for the stars,” she says.
“I think that, at least for me, that's what I came home with, the most powerful experience. It was an opportunity that where I came from, with parents that were not educated, that I was able to rise because of this nation and because of the people in it to give us opportunity.
“So, I think that to me was really gratitude, and just the fact that I felt so blessed to have served with so many incredible everyday Americans who also chose that same way of life, because it is a way of life. Whether you do it for four years or for 39 years, it became a way of life. And what's powerful is that every single one of us, I'd like to believe, we come back into our communities better citizens.”
Poetry popping detective returns
P.D. James’ cryptic detective, Adam Dalgliesh, arrives on Acorn TV in a whole new series, “Dalgliesh” Oct. 26. Most people would not remember that Roy Marsden really made the character his own in 10 such television episodes back in the ‘80s. Later Martin Shaw starred in two TV more adaptations.
Now Bertie Carvel takes on the role of the poetry-writing cop. Carvel, who’s starred in such shows as “Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell,” “Hidden” and “Babylon,” says, “I wasn’t one of those people who always thought they’d be an actor. I did do acting at school, and I would’ve said to you I’d basically never acted until I went to acting school at university. But the truth is that all through my teenage years I used to go role-playing, which is kind of fun. It’s acting with no audience. You make up characters and tell stories for the sake of your own fun, a bit like kids do when they dress up. So that’s the best acting training you could’ve had.”
Actress shares emotions with character
Actress Skyler Samuels says it marked a profound change for her starring as Olivia Crawford in the Lifetime drama, “Switched Before Birth,” which premieres Saturday.
The show is based on a real-life case in which in vitro fertilization fails when there is a mix-up in the lab.[ The co-star of shows like “Scream Queens,” “The Gifted” and “American Horror Story” says, “I've been very lucky that I've worked for many years and gotten to play many parts — a lot of which have been sort of like supernatural or superhero and I'm kicking a— and doing all kinds of fun things,” she says.
“And I've loved those parts. They're wonderful. But I think there's something that when you prepare as an actor to play a role that feels like you — when I read the script, there are things that Olivia Crawford says that I'm like, ‘Oh God, that's straight out of my mouth.’ Or just like the way that she moves through space, it felt like me. And I think what was both challenging and liberating about that experience was that I had to work through my own grief in real time doing this movie ...
“The barrier between Olivia Crawford and Skyler Samuels was like paper thin. And I'm not used to being that close to the character,” she says.
“Everything emotional that happens in the movie is as real as can be. I had to really be OK with bringing my own real-life grief and experience and struggles and triumphs and just sort of putting it all out there in a way that I haven't had to do before.”
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