ABC, 8:00 p.m. ET
How nice. On Halloween night proper, ABC presents the best Halloween special ever made: The 1966 Peanuts special, a follow-up to the even more brilliant A Charlie Brown Christmas, that once again relies upon Linus to deliver its true heart and soul. This time, Linus is the one true believer, waiting in a desolate pumpkin patch to witness, and welcome, the Great Pumpkin. And if you’ve never seen this special, with or without children around, you’re out of your gourd.
IFC, 8:00 p.m. ET
On Halloween night, here’s a full-sized treat that’s no trick: A prime-time showing of 1973’s The Exorcist. Even though, next Halloween, it will be 40 years old, it’s still one of the scariest movies ever made – perhaps the scariest. Linda Blair and Ellen Burstyn star in the story of a little girl (Blair) whose mother (Burstyn) is frightened by her daughter’s increasingly aberrant behavior. Max von Sydow co-stars in the title role.
TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET
On Halloween night, another prime-time classic: Turner Classic Movies presents the original Frankenstein film, made in 1931 – only four years after The Jazz Singer ushered in the cinematic sound era. Maybe that’s why Boris Karloff, as Frankenstein’s monster, had so few lines of dialogue. I suspect other reasons -- and I also expect that tonight's entire TCM lineup, for Halloween fans, will be a monster hit. Also on the schedule: 1939's Son of Frankenstein at 9:30 p.m. ET, 1941's The Wolf Man at 11:15 p.m. ET, 1932's The Mummy at 12:30 a.m. ET, 1940's The Mummy's Hand at 2 a.m. ET, 1933's Island of Lost Souls at 3:15 a.m. ET and 1933's The Invisible Man at 4:30 a.m. ET.
ABC, 9:00 p.m. ET
This series presented its annual Halloween episode last week, so tonight’s installment is back to basics. In this case, it’s a yard sale, hosted by Jay (Ed O’Neill) and Gloria (Sofia Vergara).
FX, 10:00 p.m. ET
Here’s a plot line that’s almost creepily well-timed: A brutally fierce storm descends upon the asylum, which inspires some of the inmates to use the severe weather event as an opportunity to attempt an escape. Jessica Lange, James Cromwell star.