What to Watch: Halloween Week -- 10/30/14

Dude, we have officially reached some sort of fevered pitch. Thursday night has one of the best runs of classic haunted house movies I have ever seen. Turner Classic Movies, starting at 7PM (CST), is rolling through House on Haunted Hill, 13 Ghosts, The Haunting (probably the best of the bunch, based on the Shirley Jackson novel, The Haunting of Hill House), and Burnt Offerings. And, in the prime spot (for scary movies, at least) of 8:30 is The Legend of Hell House. It is based on the novel, Hell House, by Richard Matheson, who also wrote the screenplay. 

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But there is Halloween just exploding all over your television tonight. ABC Family is showing Dark Shadows, which is terrible ... don't waste your time. Syfy is showing the Jessica Biel Texas Chainsaw Massacre, also terrible. ABC has It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, you know, if you have to watch TV with your kids or something. Even MTV2 (MTV2!) is showing Jeepers Creepers (the first one ... not one of the crappy ... oh, who am I kidding, it doesn't matter). And, of course, FXX still has Treehouse of Horror episodes of The Simpsons happening.

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But your choices are really two. At 8PM (CST), AMC is showing the original Halloween. It's requisite viewing. It's like A Christmas Story or It's a Wonderful Life. Just do your duty as an American and watch it. Leading up to that, from 6 - 8, the Fox Movies channel is showing Signs. Don't you roll your eyes. Not only is it the best M. Night Shyamalan movie, hands down, but it also packs a scare. If you don't think it fits in this category, just look at that picture. If you've seen the movie, you know what's about to happen.

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