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Tim Clark
If Halloween is the sweetest time of year for the kiddies, it's even sweeter for cable nets. October has become the prime month for some cable players to pull the creepiest programming stunts from their bag of tricks in hopes of a ratings boost. Others feel it's the most important time to unleash new shows on unsuspecting viewers.
Fox Family Channel plans to scare up more than 100 hours of programming with their third annual "13 Days of Halloween" event. The Halloween-themed fare runs Oct. 19-31, highlighted by the debut of three original series: The Fearing Mind, Real Scary Stories and The Zack Files. A reality-based primetimer, Scariest Places On Earth, will air five straight nights during "13 Days of Halloween."
The Fearing Mind, from the minds at Jim Henson Co., premieres Oct. 21. The series explores the mind of suspense writer Bill Fearing. Scariest Places On Earth, hosted by Linda Blair, bows Oct. 23 and allows viewers to witness real-life, personal accounts of the supernatural. Two real-life families who accepted the Fox Family Dare also will spend 24 hours at the most haunted castle in the world.
Fox Family daytime highlights include teens sharing their paranormal experiences on Real Scary Stories and The Zack Files, based on the popular book series by author Dan Greenburg.
"We are separating the programming between our daytime programming, which is targeted toward kids, and our prime-time programming, which is targeted toward adults," says Tracy Lawrence, SVP, Fox Family Channel. "That's a part of our overall strategy to reach kids during the day and adults during prime-time."
As Fox Family positions itself toward adult-driven, family entertainment, the con-cept of branded holiday events becomes a core part of their overall strategy.
"For us, it's the biggest of the holidays that we have from a programming standpoint," says Lawrence. "We really think it's an underutilized programming opportunity. There's no one who really owns Halloween."
In their quest to own Halloween, Fox Family Channel will unveil its biggest affiliate promotion this month, which includes a trip to Universal Studios and a "Watch and Win" promotion lurking within Post cereal boxes.
"Watch 13 Days of Halloween" stickers will be placed on apples in select supermarkets. Posters in bathrooms will say: "Think this bathroom is scary? Watch Scariest Places on Earth." In-theater media also will support Scariest Places through the re-release of The Exorcist, a cunning stunt, as Linda Blair starred in the movie and hosts the Fox Family show. A two-week radio promo will allow viewers the opportunity to fax or write in their choice for a scariest place.
For good reason, New York City is Sci Fi Channel's choice for scariest place on earth. The New York Village Halloween Parade will air live on Sci Fi Channel, hosted by comedienne/actress Kathy Griffin.
As the sixth largest tourist attraction in New York City, the Halloween Parade averages 30,000-40,000 participants and 1-2 million spectators, all within the coziness of 20 city blocks. No surprise that this year's parade theme is "Sci Fi."
Preceding live coverage of the parade, Sci Fi Channel will air a 12-hour "fright fest." From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. viewers can revisit the likes of Night of the Living Dead and The Lost Boys. Also on tap for Sci Fi is a special edition of Exposure, hosted by Scream helmer Wes Craven. The one-hour Exposure airs Oct. 18 and features the debut of Silent Number, the award-winning graduate film by Jamie Blanks, director of Urban Legend.
Sci Fi Channel might expose burgeoning horror talent, but Discovery unearths the real deal. In addition to The Ultimate Guide: Mummies, premiering Oct. 30, they'll also suck the life out of viewers with Bloodsuckers, which promises to take the audience deep inside the world of blood-loving animals. Nutjob/host Nigel Marven allows a number of bloodsuckers to enjoy him as their main course.
TLC's Halloween premiere programs include Sasquatch Odyssey: The Hunt for Bigfoot, a quirky documentary about the relentless pursuit for Bigfoot, a.k.a. Sasquatch, the legendary 800-pound ape-like monster said to stalk the forests of the Pacific Northwest.
Sasquatch airs Oct. 28. Immediately following is the premiere of Haunted History, a creepy cobbling of eyewitness ghost sightings, dramatic re-enactments and archival materials from which modern ghost stories are spawned. History runs Oct. 29 from 8-9 p.m.
If horror movies are your bag, don't fret. American Movie Classics will deliver 58 classic fright flicks in five days under the banner "Monsterfest 2000: The Classics Come Alive." From the Universal classics to the Boomer-era remakes, "Monsterfest" will be hosted by horror film fan Whoopi Goldberg. Exorcist head-turner Linda Blair will co-host.
In addition, four mini-fests will be dedicated to the 40-year histories of classics such as Frankenstein's monster, Wolfman, Dracula and the Mummy. AMC's "Monsterfest 2000" also will unveil the world premiere of "Bride of Monster Mania" a special salute to the women of horror, hosted by Elvira. AMC's Web site, www.amctv.com, will be host to a slew of rare clips and artifacts from Universal's archives, Shockwave games and sweepstakes. "Monsterfest" runs Oct. 27-31.
Turner Classic Movies will present "Lon Chaney: A Thousand Faces" Oct. 24 and 31. The two-day festival will feature world premieres of three silent films that have remained unseen for 80 years. Turner has commissioned new musical scores to accompany the films. Leading up to the Lon Chaney festival, TCM will air a ghoulish flick every Tuesday night throughout the month of October.
USA Network has the controversial slasher Cherry Falls making its first appearance on the channel Oct. 20 while a quartet of nature-run-amok movies - Spiders, Crocodile, Octopus and Shark Attack II - debut as part of "Critter Week" Oct. 9-13. The spoof Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the 13th airs Oct. 17, while Terror Tract unloads houses with bloody pasts on clueless buyers Oct. 18. USA original Dark Prince: The True Story of Dracula emerges from its coffin Oct. 31.
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