Credit: Disney / PixarOctober is almost upon us, and Freeform has announced its annual 31 Nights of Halloween to help celebrate the entire spooky month! However, this year’s lineup is definitely taking liberties with what constitutes a “Halloween movie.”
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The spooky season is officially here, and that means it’s time for some horror movies! So grab some popcorn, sit with your closest family and friends, and watch as Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) attempts to survive the night as Michael Myers viciously hunts her and her friends down in the John Carpenter classic.
However, if you’d rather go trick or treating and prefer a visit to the Great Pumpkin than Elm Street, don’t worry! There are plenty of classic, family-friendly movies that you can watch to celebrate the holiday with everyone. And one of the best ways to do that is by watching Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween, a nightly connection of films to celebrate All Hallow’s Eve. However, some of the selections made for 2023 are odd, to say the least.
’31 Nights of Halloween’ Forgets What The Holiday is All About
Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween is a great way to celebrate the spookiest month of the year if you just so happen to have cable. Every night in October is filled with various Halloween-themed movies and specials. Unfortunately, 2023 seems like it may be its worst year yet.
Many of the films selected this year don’t fit the Halloween mold. For example, October 17 is advertising Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man 3 (2007) as well as The Amazing Spider-Man (2012). While spiders can be scary, they aren’t when played by Tobey Maguire or Andrew Garfield.
Another mind-boggling entry is Encanto (2021). While Encanto is a wonderful film, there isn’t anything spooky or scary about it. If Freeform wanted a Disney animated film centered around a Latin family, why not choose Coco (2017)? Not only are a majority of characters dead, but it could join other Pixar projects that make sense, like Monsters Inc. (2001) and Toy Story of Terror! (2013).
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Then there are some other movies that are Halloween adjacent but don’t really feel like they belong. This includes The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (2010), Bewitched (2005), Cruella (2021), and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019). On top of that, there are sequels where you don’t get to see the other movies in the franchise, like Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween (2018) and Twilight: Breaking Dawn. They don’t even specify which part they’ll be showing!
Fortunately, there are still some classic family-friendly Halloween titles like Hocus Pocus (1993), Halloweentown (1998), and The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), alongside some underrated gems like The Craft (1996) and Little Shop of Horrors (1986). Still, some of these selections are baffling. It might be more fun to watch Stranger Things (2016-present) instead.
What’s a family-friendly horror movie you think should be on Freeform’s lineup? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!