Freeform’s “31 Nights of Halloween” 2025 schedule arrived with exactly the kind of cozy chaos Halloween fans want: witches, ghosts, animated monsters, Tim Burton melancholy, pumpkin-spiced nostalgia, and enough Hocus Pocus airings to make the Sanderson sisters consider hiring a scheduling assistant.
Running from October 1 through Halloween night, the 2025 lineup brings together family-friendly Halloween movies, spooky-but-not-too-scary favorites, Disney classics, Pixar comfort watches, eerie comedies, and a few darker selections for viewers who like their October nights with extra candlelight. The marathon opens with Edward Scissorhands and closes, naturally, with Hocus Pocus, because some traditions are simply too powerful to fight.
This year’s event includes beloved staples such as Beetlejuice, Casper, Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Addams Family, Addams Family Values, Hotel Transylvania, Monsters, Inc., Twitches, Halloweentown, and Hocus Pocus 2. It also brings a dedicated Tim Burton Day on October 13 and the Freeform premiere of Disturbia, giving the month a nice balance of sweet, strange, silly, and slightly sinister.
What Makes Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween So Popular?
Freeform understands something important about Halloween viewing: not everyone wants two straight hours of screaming in a dark hallway. Some people want animated vampires running a hotel. Some want a friendly ghost. Some want Bette Midler belting her way through Salem. And some want Matilda, which is not technically a Halloween movie unless you count Miss Trunchbull as a creature of pure nightmare energy. Honestly, fair.
The magic of 31 Nights of Halloween is that it works for different moods. A family can turn on Monsters, Inc. after dinner. Adults who grew up on ’90s cable can revisit Casper, The Addams Family, and Hocus Pocus. Tim Burton fans get their gothic fix with Sleepy Hollow, Sweeney Todd, Beetlejuice, and Edward Scissorhands. Meanwhile, Disney fans can jump from Aladdin to Cruella to Haunted Mansion without leaving the couch.
Freeform’s Full 31 Nights of Halloween 2025 Schedule
All listed times are Eastern/Pacific and may be adjusted by Freeform. For the easiest viewing plan, scan the evening blocks first, then build your weekend watchlist around the longer marathons.
Wednesday, October 1
- 12:00 p.m. Edward Scissorhands
- 2:25 p.m. The Haunted Mansion (2003)
- 4:25 p.m. Casper (1995)
- 6:50 p.m. Beetlejuice
- 8:55 p.m. Hocus Pocus
Thursday, October 2
- 10:30 a.m. Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
- 1:00 p.m. Casper (1995)
- 3:20 p.m. Beetlejuice
- 5:20 p.m. Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas
- 6:55 p.m. Hotel Transylvania
- 9:00 p.m. Hotel Transylvania 2
Friday, October 3
- 10:30 a.m. The Witches (1990)
- 12:30 p.m. Hocus Pocus
- 2:30 p.m. Hotel Transylvania
- 4:30 p.m. Hotel Transylvania 2
- 6:30 p.m. Monsters, Inc.
- 8:35 p.m. Monsters University
- 12:00 a.m. Beastly
Saturday, October 4
- 7:00 a.m. The Witches (1990)
- 9:00 a.m. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
- 12:05 p.m. Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween
- 2:05 p.m. Edward Scissorhands
- 4:35 p.m. Hocus Pocus
- 6:45 p.m. Casper (1995)
- 9:15 p.m. Beetlejuice
- 11:20 p.m. Haunted Mansion (2023)
Sunday, October 5
- 7:00 a.m. Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween
- 9:00 a.m. Twitches
- 11:05 a.m. Twitches Too
- 1:05 p.m. Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas
- 2:45 p.m. Casper (1995)
- 5:15 p.m. Beetlejuice
- 7:20 p.m. Hocus Pocus
- 9:30 p.m. Hocus Pocus 2
- 12:00 a.m. Matilda
October 6–12: Addams, Pirates, Pixar, and Weekend Comfort Picks
The second week leans into familiar comfort viewing. October 6 pairs Alice in Wonderland, Matilda, and the Addams family. October 7 delivers Edward Scissorhands, The Addams Family, Addams Family Values, Hocus Pocus, and Hocus Pocus 2. October 8 brings the first two Pirates of the Caribbean films before moving into Hotel Transylvania and Casper. October 10 is one of the darker nights, with Arachnophobia, the Freeform premiere of Disturbia, Sweeney Todd, and Sleepy Hollow. The weekend then softens the mood with Mrs. Doubtfire, Toy Story of TERROR!, Hotel Transylvania, The Black Cauldron, Spooky Buddies, and another late-night Beetlejuice.
Monday, October 13 Tim Burton Day
- 12:00 p.m. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
- 2:35 p.m. Sleepy Hollow (1999)
- 5:00 p.m. Beetlejuice
- 7:00 p.m. Edward Scissorhands
- 9:25 p.m. Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas
Tim Burton Day is the 2025 schedule’s most stylish block. It moves from musical horror to gothic mystery, then into supernatural comedy, melancholy romance, and stop-motion holiday debate fuel. Is The Nightmare Before Christmas a Halloween movie or a Christmas movie? Freeform’s answer appears to be: yes, please stop arguing and enjoy the skeleton.
October 14–19: Pop N’ Knowledge, Disney Favorites, and Halloweentown
October 14 includes Aladdin, Encanto, Haunted Mansion, and Pop N’ Knowledge editions of Beetlejuice and Hocus Pocus. October 15 returns to heavy hitters with Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, Hocus Pocus, Goosebumps 2, Beetlejuice, and both Hotel Transylvania films. October 16 shifts toward Pixar and superhero family viewing with Toy Story of TERROR!, Goosebumps 2, The Incredibles, and Incredibles 2.
October 17 gives Cruella de Vil her fashionably wicked moment with 101 Dalmatians and Cruella, followed by Hocus Pocus, Hocus Pocus 2, and Something Wicked This Way Comes. October 18 is a strong Saturday for families, featuring Alice in Wonderland, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, The Haunted Mansion, Monsters, Inc., Monsters University, Hocus Pocus, and Casper. October 19 is one of the most nostalgic days of the month, opening with Halloweentown and Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge, then rolling into Disney animation, Matilda, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Haunted Mansion, Casper, and Frankenweenie.
October 20–26: The Halloween Countdown Gets Serious
By the final full week before Halloween, Freeform starts stacking the schedule with repeat-friendly favorites. October 20 includes Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, both Hotel Transylvania films, Casper, and Hocus Pocus. October 21 features Hotel Transylvania, Hotel Transylvania 2, Casper, The Nightmare Before Christmas in Pop N’ Knowledge form, and the Addams double feature.
October 22 brings The Black Cauldron, The Addams Family, Addams Family Values, The Haunted Mansion, Hocus Pocus, and Hocus Pocus 2. October 23 is moodier, with Disturbia, Frankenweenie, Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow, and Sweeney Todd. October 24 is a great Friday night block: Sleepy Hollow, Haunted Mansion, The Addams Family, Addams Family Values, Pop N’ Knowledge Hocus Pocus, and Twitches at midnight.
October 25 and 26 deliver marathon energy. Expect Spooky Buddies, Casper, The Nightmare Before Christmas, the Addams films, the Hotel Transylvania movies, The Witches, Monsters, Inc., Monsters University, and The Haunted Mansion. In other words, this is the weekend to buy candy early, accidentally open the candy early, and then make a second candy run like nothing happened.
October 27–31: The Final Stretch to Halloween Night
October 27 includes Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Frankenweenie, Hocus Pocus, Hotel Transylvania, and Hotel Transylvania 2. October 28 offers Spooky Buddies, Casper, both Hotel Transylvania movies, The Haunted Mansion, and Hocus Pocus. October 29 includes Casper, Edward Scissorhands, live-action Aladdin, Monsters, Inc., and Monsters University. October 30 brings The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Matilda, Cruella, Haunted Mansion, and Casper.
Friday, October 31 Halloween
- 10:30 a.m. Matilda
- 12:30 p.m. Hocus Pocus
- 2:35 p.m. Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas
- 4:10 p.m. Casper (1995)
- 6:30 p.m. Hocus Pocus
- 8:35 p.m. Hocus Pocus 2
- 12:00 a.m. Hocus Pocus
Halloween night is exactly what longtime Freeform viewers expect: cozy, classic, and Sanderson-sister-heavy. The schedule gives families an afternoon-friendly run, then shifts into the ultimate Hocus Pocus double feature. Ending the night with another Hocus Pocus airing may seem excessive, but Halloween is not a holiday known for moderation. We put skeletons on lawns and eat peanut butter cups shaped like pumpkins. Excess is part of the brand.
Best Nights to Watch in 2025
Best for Families
For younger viewers and easy group watching, October 3, October 16, October 18, October 19, October 25, and October 26 are especially strong. These days include animated hits, Disney favorites, Pixar titles, and lighter spooky stories that create a Halloween mood without turning the living room into a haunted therapy session.
Best for Tim Burton Fans
October 13 is the obvious winner, but October 10, October 12, October 21, October 23, and October 31 also include major Burton-related favorites. If your ideal Halloween aesthetic is striped suits, pale faces, dramatic shadows, and characters who look like they write poetry in graveyards, Freeform has you covered.
Best for Nostalgia
October 5 is a standout thanks to Twitches, Twitches Too, Casper, Beetlejuice, Hocus Pocus, and Hocus Pocus 2. October 19 is another excellent nostalgia day because it starts with Halloweentown and ends with Frankenweenie. Those two days feel like someone opened a time capsule, added popcorn, and plugged it into cable.
How to Watch Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween
Viewers can watch Freeform through participating cable, satellite, and live TV streaming providers that carry the channel. Some movies from the Halloween lineup may also be available through Disney’s streaming ecosystem, depending on subscription access and regional availability. Because streaming rights can shift, the safest approach is to check your live TV guide before planning a watch party around one specific movie.
For cord-cutters, the key is not simply finding a Halloween movie library. It is finding a live TV service that includes Freeform, because the charm of 31 Nights of Halloween 2025 is the scheduled, shared experience. There is something oddly satisfying about turning on the TV and knowing thousands of other people are watching Casper at the same time, probably while arguing over whether they bought enough candy corn.
Viewing Experience: How to Make the Most of the 31 Nights Schedule
The best way to experience Freeform’s Halloween marathon is to treat it less like a strict assignment and more like a seasonal ritual. You do not need to watch every single movie. In fact, unless you have unlimited free time, a heroic snack budget, and a couch that has accepted you as one of its own, watching everything is probably impossible. The smarter move is to choose a few theme nights.
Start with one nostalgia night. Pick a block that includes Casper, Beetlejuice, The Addams Family, or Hocus Pocus. These movies work because they are familiar without feeling stale. You can fold laundry, carve pumpkins, decorate the house, or pretend you are going to answer emails while secretly watching Winona Ryder look cooler than any teenager has a right to look.
Next, plan one family night. The Hotel Transylvania movies, Monsters, Inc., Monsters University, Toy Story of TERROR!, and Spooky Buddies are easy choices for a living-room crowd. The tone is playful, the monsters are friendly, and nobody has to sleep with every hallway light on afterward. Add popcorn, caramel apples, or a simple Halloween snack board and the night feels special without requiring a Pinterest-level craft operation.
Then save one evening for the slightly darker side of the schedule. Sleepy Hollow, Sweeney Todd, Disturbia, Arachnophobia, and Something Wicked This Way Comes bring more suspense and atmosphere. These are better for older viewers who want October to feel foggy, candlelit, and dramatic. It is the kind of lineup that makes you consider buying a black coat even if you live somewhere warm.
Finally, make Halloween night feel like an event. Freeform’s October 31 schedule is practically built for background viewing during costume prep, candy duty, and last-minute decorations. Matilda starts things gently, The Nightmare Before Christmas adds theatrical flair, Casper brings sweetness, and the Hocus Pocus double feature carries the evening into full Halloween mode. Even if trick-or-treaters keep interrupting the movie, that is part of the charm. The doorbell rings, the dog barks, someone drops a candy wrapper, and the Sanderson sisters keep cackling in the background like they own the place.
That is why Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween schedule continues to matter. It is not just a list of movie times. It is a month-long invitation to slow down, revisit old favorites, introduce younger viewers to classics, and let October feel like October. In a world where we can stream almost anything instantly, a scheduled Halloween marathon still feels surprisingly comforting. It gives the season a rhythm: spooky mornings, cozy afternoons, big evening favorites, and late-night oddballs for anyone still awake.
Conclusion
Freeform’s full 31 Nights of Halloween 2025 schedule delivers exactly what fans come for every October: a packed calendar of spooky movies, family-friendly favorites, nostalgic cable classics, and Halloween comfort viewing. From Edward Scissorhands on October 1 to the final Hocus Pocus encore after Halloween night, the lineup is built for casual viewers, movie marathon planners, Disney fans, Tim Burton loyalists, and anyone who believes October should come with a remote control and a bowl of candy nearby.
The 2025 schedule is not trying to be the scariest marathon on television. It is trying to be the most rewatchable, and that is where it succeeds. Whether you tune in for Casper, Beetlejuice, The Addams Family, Hotel Transylvania, Halloweentown, or the annual spell of Hocus Pocus, Freeform has once again turned the entire month of October into a cozy countdown to Halloween.
