LITTLE ROCK — A recent Harris Poll found that Halloween ranks as the No. 3 most-favorite holiday for Americans, right behind Christmas and Thanksgiving.
That sounds about right. My father used to love decorating the front hallway in haunted house themes and making the trick-or-treating neighborhood kids come in through the spider webs and black light ghosts.
I think we still have his old LP of maniacal laughter and blood-curdling screams somewhere in the attic.
Although Halloween hasn’t had the same elan in our immediate neighborhood since all the little kids grew up and left their nests, there’s still plenty of evidence that the next generation is in good hands.
The tree ghosts and porch jack-o’-lanterns started sprouting up and down the street the first week of October.
Always a TV favorite this time of year is the annual deluge of Halloween programming on ABC Family Network.
The 14th annual 13 Nights of Halloween holiday programming package kicks off Friday and runs through the 31st “with chills and thrills as you count down to Halloween.”
Highlights include a new Halloween episode of Pretty Little Liars featuring special guest “glampire” Adam Lambert of American Idol fame, and the season finale of Switched at Birth.
The special programming will also include the basic cable premiere of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, the ABC Family feature film premieres of Monster House and Poltergeist III, and the usual “monster mix” of Halloween-theme programming airing for the 13 nights leading up to Halloween.
Special programming will occur during daytime hours as well, but here’s the main prime time schedule.
Friday: The Addams Family, 6-8 p.m.; Addams Family Values, 8-10 p.m.
Saturday: Hocus Pocus, 7-9 p.m. starring Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker (encore, 9-11 p.m.). Watch the Sanderson sisters in their quest for immortal life and the 300-year-old cat that tries to spoil their plans; Alice in Wonderland (11 p.m.-1 a.m.), the Johnny Depp version.
Oct. 21: Beetlejuice, 7-9 p.m. A young ghost couple battle with mortals for control of their house with the help of everyone’s favorite spook; Edward Scissorhands, 9-11 p.m. It’s Johnny Depp, again, in the tale of a young man with scissors for hands who tries to find his place in the world.
Oct. 22: Switched at Birth, 7-8 p.m. The Kennish and Vasquez family celebrate fall on the first season finale. Practical Magic, 8-10 p.m. Two of the most enchanting witches around, Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, work to rid their family of an ancient curse. Pretty Little Liars, 11 p.m.-midnight. It’s a walk down memory lane in Rosewood when Alison was queen bee and “A” first came out to play on a special airing of last year’s Halloween episode.
Oct. 23: First of all, there’s a Pretty Little Liars marathon from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. featuring 14 back-to-back episodes “with scary dolls, mysterious strangers, and chilling text messages.”
Pretty Little Liars, 7-8 p.m. A special new Halloween episode featuring the Ghost Train with the residents of Rosewood and singer Adam Lambert; Hocus Pocus encores 8-10 p.m.; Pretty Little Liars encores 11 p.m.-midnight.
Oct. 24: Scooby Doo, 6-8 p.m.; Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, 8-10 p.m. The Scooby gang defeats evildoers’ dastardly plans.
Oct. 25: The Haunted Mansion, 6-8 p.m.; Monster House, 8-10 p.m. Three kids discover the scary house next door is actually alive and more dangerous than they ever imagined in the ABC Family Premiere.
Oct. 26: Monster House (encore), 6-8 p.m.; Matilda, 8-10 p.m. A magical little girl uses her extraordinary gifts to change her unhappy life.
Oct. 27: Monsters Inc. 7-9 p.m. (encore 9-11 p.m.). It’s Mike and Sulley and adventures in Monstropolis; Coraline, 11 p.m.-1 a.m. A little girl who discovers the world she thought she wanted is more sinister than she thought.
Oct. 28: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, 6:30-9 p.m. A young man learns not only is he magical, but he’s also the only one who can stop a 1,000-year-old evil sorceress. Nicolas Cage and Jay Baruchel star; Hocus Pocus (encore) 9-11 p.m.
Oct. 29: The Goonies, 5-7:30 p.m. Mikey, Data, and Chunk search for One Eyed Willie’s treasure; The Mummy, 7:30-10 p.m. An evil spirit will stop at nothing to resurrect his long ago love.
Oct. 30: Encores of Edward Scissorhands, 6-8 p.m. and Beetlejuice. 8-10 p.m.
Oct. 31: In case you missed the first three airings of Hocus Pocus, here’s your chance to watch it again. And again — 6-8 p.m. and 8-10 p.m.
Happy Halloween! And don’t be that family that hands out the little boxes of raisins when the kiddies come to the door.
TV Week, Pages 81 on 10/14/2012