As promised, here is the remainder of the TCM October 2026 TV schedule!
Things get a little sparse between October 10th and the 29th, but there are a few gems!
First off, we have a hefty Hammer block on the 16th, which includes staples like The Brides of Dracula, Horror of Dracula, and The Curse of Frankenstein, but also has interesting films like Blood from the Mummy's Tomb, which is actually adapted from a lesser-known Bram Stoker story.
There are some fun blocks scattered through these two weeks, as well. Throughout the month of October, TCM is pulling up some of the best spooky-themed Looney Tunes cartoons and dropping them in 30ish minute blocks here and there.
There's also a few Godzilla kaiju blocks, including the Japanese version of Godzilla Raids Again. And a few other Japanese horror films sprinkled around, as well, with heavy-hitters Kwaidan and the cult classic Hausu.
Lastly of note is a documentary titled Carl Laemmle, obviously about the man behind Universal's horror classics, followed by a solid block including Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, and The Black Cat: some of the best that Universal had to offer in the early 30s!
Before I continue onto the end of October, I should add that there are a ton of old crime films included in this month's offerings. Many of them don't fit the horror bill in my book, but there are several Hitchcock films that some people would consider Halloween fodder, so you might want to look into that if you're a lover of film noir.
And now we're in the home stretch!
There's a wide array of zombie, supernatural, and some horror sci-fi to kick off October 30th. I think the standout is the 1955 documentary Black Cats and Broomsticks, which is all about superstitions.
The next and most noteworthy block, in my opinion, is dedicated to the late, great Vincent Price. Similar to the recent Exorcist II documentary in the previous post, this all kicks of with the brand-spanking new documentary about the man, Vincent Price:What Keeps Us Alive and is followed by some of his best movies, especially those he did with William Castle.
Then on Halloween proper is when things get really fun! Starting around midday there's a mix of 30s horror classics, like Dracula, The Mummy, and Bride of Frankenstein all interspersed with more Looney Tunes spooky classics, most of which feature Bugs Bunny himself!
Then, to end the big night, there's a some fun 1970s takes on the classic monsters, with Frank Langella's Dracula from 1979 and Phantom of the Paradise from 1974.
If you still haven't had enough, you can enjoy an RKO Val Lewton block of Cat People, The Seventh Victim, and The Leopard Man throughout the wee hours of November 1st.
And that's that! Another great year of "free" horror films from Turner Classic Movies, supposing you still have an active TV subscription that carries the channel. I know my PVR gets stogged with all sorts of vintage horror thanks to TCM each year, which is why I try to spread the word.
Whether you bother with watching TCM at all during the month of October or not, I hope you give some of the horror of yesteryear a try! I find they hit perfectly leading up to Halloween.
I actually thought I might finally give up the ghost and stop posting the Turner Classic Movies October schedule this year. I know linear TV is dying a slow death and most people don't even have access to this channel, but I just can't help myself. I make this list more for myself than anyone, but why not share it?
Here's what we have for the first two weeks of October on TCM:
Kicking things off are a few creepy crawler features with Them! and The Swarm just past midnight on October 1st.
What is probably the most notable block during the first two weeks is dedicated to Lon Chaney. Starting on October 2nd in primetime is the 2000 documentary about the man, Lon Chaney: A Thousand Faces. This is followed by Man of a Thousand Faces, which stars James Cagney in the title role and tells the story of Chaney's life in film. From there we have four of Chaney's films, including He Who Gets Slapped, Laugh, Clown, Laugh, and The Blackbird. It's unsurprising to see The Phantom of the Opera in here, but I can't recall the last time I saw TCM play any of these other Chaney classics.
This all followed by a short "... of the Damned" block and a smattering of fun movies to watch this Halloween season, like The 'Burbs and The Howling.
I think the next thing of note would be a very cool Exorcist II night. I love this, because this sequel doesn't get enough love. There's a documentary about the making of the film, Boorman and the Devil at 8PM Eastern, 9PM Atlantic on October 9th followed the Exorcist II: The Heretic. I'll definitely be tuning into that! If I'm not mistaken Boorman and the Devil only just released in August and you have to pay to rent it, so it airing on TV is really cool.
That's it for the first two weeks of TCM's October schedule. Check back in a few weeks time when I drop the last two weeks leading up to Halloween. Things should really heat up by then!
You'll recall that two weeks ago I gave you the latest low-down on Turner Classic Movies horror programming for 2025. As promised, I'm back with the remainder of their Halloween schedule for the rest of the month!
Compose yourself, please.
I had the audacity to complain that the horror scheduling was slight for the first two weeks of October, but as usual TCM has made me look completely foolish as the last two weeks of October are absolutely jammed with spooky movies.
In all of its gaudy glory, here is what you can find on TCM from October 17th onward! First we'll take a look at the 17th to the 27th.
There are some very interesting blocks in here. There's a double feature of Tod Browning movies, Mark of the Vampire and The Devil Doll on October 17th and then a French horror double feature, which includes The Hypnotic Eye and Eyes Without a Face on the 18th. The 18th rounds out with yet another must-see double feature of Universal's Frankenstein followed by Hammer's remake The Curse of Frankenstein.
Early in the morning on the 19th (set your PVR!) there's screenings of Val Lewton's The Curse of the Cat People and Isle of the Dead, followed by the documentary Val Lewton: The Man in the Shadows. The night of the 19th rounds out with a Hitchcock combo of Vertigo and The Birds.
I lamented the lack of Hammer in the schedule in the last post, but they are represented quite well this month. Starting at 6 AM ET on the 20th is a Hammer block that runs for 12+ hours, beginning with the 1959 remake of The Mummy and culminating with 1961's Scream of Fear. All of these movies are standouts, but if you want to see what I think is the most batshit crazy of the Hammer filmography, check out The Devil's Bride at 2:45 PM ET. I'm not sure why they listed it under that title, but it's also know as The Devil Rides Out, a Christopher Lee versus Satan flick that doesn't disappoint.
On the 21st there's a great Karloff/Lugosi block kicking off with The Black Cat (the best to feature the two actors, IMO) at 8:00 PM ET and closing off with The Invisible Ray at 12:30 AM ET on the 22nd.
That's not all for the 22nd, where we're treated to a giant monster block beginning at 7:30 AM ET with a Toho triple feature, including Ebirah, Horror of the Deep, The War of the Gargantuas, and Destroy All Monsters! and culminating later in the afternoon with Gojira at 4:45 PM ET.
The next few days feature a spread of horror thrillers, mostly from the 60s. Standouts include, Rosemary's Baby, Dead Ringer, and Psycho. I'd be remiss not to bring up Scanners and Carnival of Souls are in there, as well.
We're in the endgame now...
Kicking off the morning of October 28th is a Lon Chaney block, comprised of his two most famous performances, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Phantom of the Opera. Sandwiched in between the two silent films is a documentary about the man himself, Lon Chaney: A Thousand Faces.
For the rest of the 28th and 30th (I guess they decided to take the 29th off?) there's a smattering of films that don't really appear to have any theme, like Mark of the Vampire, The Swarm, Two on a Guillotine, etc.
There's a Dracula/Frankenstein Hammer double feature on the 30th starting at 1 PM ET, which is followed by an RKO Jacques Tourneur block featuring The Leopard Man, I Walked with a Zombie, Cat People, and Curse of the Demon. Inexplicably, Nightmare is sandwiched in the middle of it.
And that brings us to the big day itself, Halloween!
Things start off in the earliest of hours with a small pre-code horror block that includes Mystery of the Wax Museum and Frederic March in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (the creepiest version, if you ask me). This is followed by a Vincent Price double feature, House of Wax and The Bat.
Throughout the afternoon and into the evening it's the Universal monsters who have the spotlight, starting with The Invisible Man at 1 PM ET and running right up until primetime with Bride of Frankenstein.
I think it's kinda weird, but right in the primetime slot on Halloween, TCM is playing two neo-noir thrillers, In Cold Blood and Who Killed Teddy Bear. I think it's a buzzkill, honestly. If they closed off their horror films for the year with Bride of Frankenstein, I think I could understand, but right after Who Killed Teddy Bear they continue with some more horror heavy-hitters.
For the late night crowd (Halloween is on a Friday this year, after all) there's a cult classic block, starting with Night of the Living Dead at 12:30 AM ET and ending with Vampyr at 7 AM ET.
And there you have it! That's Turner Classic's Halloween/horror programming for the rest of the month. I think it's a nice mix this year. As expected, Hammer and Universal are majorly represented, but I think there are lots of interesting films thrown into the mix, as well. I for one am looking forward to the Toho kaiju movies, that Jacque Tourneur block, and I think falling asleep to Night of the Living Dead on Halloween night might just be the perfect way to round out the season.
Let me know if you'll be catching any of TCM's horror flicks this year! Do you still have cable or a PVR? Or do you think broadcast TV is totally dead and I should just shut up? I'm interested to hear your thoughts.
If for no other reason than keeping the custom alive, I figured a good way to kick off October 1st is with my annual breakdown of the spooky happenings on Turner Classic Movies!
I know most folks don't read these posts and couldn't care less, but I still like to hold onto the belief that there's something special about traditional, broadcast TV and I think it's pretty cool that during the month of October, TCM breaks out the bats and cobwebs.
As of writing this, I can only see the schedule up to October 13th. I should be able to see a little further into the month, but TCM.com has been down a lot lately and I currently can't bring up the site. Anyway, here's what we have to look forward to so far. Get ready for my expert spreadsheet skills!
I hate to say it, but there isn't that much to report about in the first half of the month. It opens tomorrow night with a "of the Damned" marathon, which is pretty cool. After that there's a random smattering, which does include Poltergeist.
On the 4th and 5th, there are some horror science fiction flicks including The Brain That Wouldn't Die. Soylent Green might be a stretch, but I'm counting it on account of "kinda cannibalism". There's a nice little Hitchcock double-feature to round out the 5th, too, featuring Rear Window and Spellbound.
It's a bit of a dog's breakfast after that, but there are some heavy-hitters like The Haunting, Cat People, and House on Haunted Hill. The 13th also notably has Haxan, which although it's a silent film from the 20s hold's up and is creepy AF.
The lack of Universal and Hammer flicks is a little surprising, but hopefully TCM is just holding their fire for later in the month.
That's all there is to report so far! Hopefully I'll remember to post another update before October 13th with the rest of the month's offerings, so you can tune in or set up your PVR... you know, supposing you still have a cable package!
I've mentioned this in the last few months, but I've been trying to get back into media archival.
A few years back I scored a backup VCR for free (my current main unit, actually) and the guy threw in a bunch of tapes he had kicking around with it.
One of those tapes was a Maxell 6-Hour T-120 that I immediately wanted to peruse. I quickly discovered it contained a TV recording of A Christmas Carol, featuring George C. Scott as Ebenezer Scrooge. It aired December 1997 on CBC.
Is it possible to get high on old Christmastime TV bumpers?
I desperately wanted to mine the tape for any and all Christmas commercials that it might contain, but like many of my personal projects it was pushed to the background for a few years.
I finished a big assignment at work recently, which freed up some of my time, so I decided it was nigh time to digitize that tape!
A quick note on the George C. Scott version of A Christmas Carol - it's a decent movie, but a little darker than some of the other versions you might come across. You can find it on a lot of streamers and it often airs on TV this time of year. It's worth a viewing if you wanted to switch it up from your usual favourite.
Now, with that out of the way, let's talk about some of the classic commercials that aired alongside the film, back in '97! Honestly, there were so many good commercials on this tape, so I'm likely to return to this well later in the season. For now, let's stick with five (but really six or seven).
THAT Kellogg's Cornflakes Commercial
Oh, you know the one. This juggernaut of an ad started airing in 1990 and I'm fairly certain it ran, although edited slightly here and there, until the early 2000s. It's honestly right up there with the Hershey Kisses ad, which I'm fairly certain is still airing to this day.
The warm, earthy tones, dulcet music, soft-spoken actors, and perfectly lit scenery depict the ideal Christmas. Also, their kid-logic tracks: after a night filled with cookies and trying to squeeze down chimneys, wouldn't Santa like a brief reprieve and enjoy some healthy cereal? Makes sense to me.
I know this commercial has been encoded and uploaded about a million times on the web, but hey - what's one more?
Connect 4 and Guess Who
Alright, it's already time to cheat and break my own rules!
Not only am I including two commercials here, but neither are actually Christmas ads. So why are they on the list?
As I watched this tape, one of the things I had the hardest time grasping was it's recording date; December of 1997. The late-90s had a very distinct feel on TV. Everything had to be edgy and slightly obtuse to catch our attentions. Most of the commercials on this tape felt so early-90s.
And it's because the majority of them, much like the aforementioned Kellogg's ad, aired for like a decade. These days ad campaigns or mostly just related to focused ads on social media and YouTube and they completely disappear from social consciousness in a matter of minutes. Back in the 90s, 30-second ads on TV were the prime way to get a potential customer's attention and the companies that produced these ads went for broke.
In the case of these two commercials for Guess Who and Connect 4, there is no question in my mind that if you were a frequent TV watcher from 1990 to 2000 you have them emblazoned in your brain.
Throughout the duration of this tape, they played on almost every ad-break, back-to-back. It must've been a big year for Milton Bradley or interest in these games was lacking and they decided to throw big money at the problem. I can't speak for everyone, but I can say that it worked on me, because I wanted and owned both of these games as a kid (I was especially a fan of Guess Who) and I received them both as Christmas gifts, so I'm adding them to this list. If you don't like it... well I guess I'm sorry then? (Please keep reading my blog)
Disney Home Video
How's that for wholesome?
This is a commercial that distinctly feels like something from the early-90s, but I know for an absolute fact that it's from 1997, because not only is Disney hocking their other classic movies on videocassette, but they took this opportunity to push their latest Christmas flick, Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas.
Most folks my age ruminate about the lack of quality in the Disney direct-to-video market, but you just know these tapes sold like freakin' hotcakes.
It's not mentioned in this ad, but the pallor of Disney's false scarcity tactics clung to all of these video releases, so you had to get them before they went "back into the vault"! Not only did it likely sell a lot of movies during the holidays, but to this day resellers seem to think their old Disney tapes are worth your firstborn and probably a few limbs for good measure.
Sobey's Christmas
This is a commercial that will hit much stronger if you're a local Atlantic Canadian.
Sobey's is a grocery store chain that during the 90s would've only existed in a few provinces, like Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and PEI. I don't even think they were in Newfoundland, but I could be wrong. These days, I think they have stores across Canada.
In the early 90s they had a smash hit commercial called "Songs of Christmas" that featured all sorts of holiday wholesomeness to the tune of a children's choir singing what amounted to a very long Sobey's jingle. That ad played on local TV for years and years and I'd dare say if you spoke to anyone from this area they could sing you at least a few bars if not the whole song.
In the late 90s, Sobey's decided to try and catch that lightning in the bottle again with this ad, which I believe ran for a few years, but didn't have near the same impact.
Still, I do love this commercial and have fond memories of it. I'm not sure exactly when it started airing, but it had to be mid- to late-90s. I think they even used some of the imagery and music from this commercial in the rest of their "regular" advertisements that ran during Christmas.
It sounds nuts, but some of these big production holiday commercials sort of felt like TV specials in a way. I'd actually look forward to seeing them on the tube every year and they were an important part of the holiday!
Local Season's Greetings
If you watched any low budget local TV (does such a thing exist any more?) you would've seen ads like this from many local businesses, sending season's greetings to any current or potential customers watching at home. I can recall when there'd be one minute (or more) solid blocks with Christmas-y backgrounds adorned with the fanciest of fonts sending warm wishes from many local businesses.
If you were a small TV station that needed public money and advertisement to keep afloat, I'm sure this was easy money during the holidays. I actually used to love these when I was a kid. It was this weirdly small, solemn moment that felt so calm and Christmas-y, even if you were in the middle of watching a TV airing of Alien or something.
The Coca-Cola greeting at the end is a particularly lavish affair, that even includes a few seconds of Coke's massive commercial with the Christmas lights on their 18-wheeler delivery trucks. La-tee-dah.
Christmas Day on CBC
I thought this was fun, so I decided to throw it in.
Every Christmas my family would go to an extended family get-together on Christmas Day. We'd gorge ourselves on delicious food, open presents, all that good stuff. Come the evening of Christmas Day, it was wide open. I'd usually play with my new toys and video games and my parents would have friends over for drinks and visiting.
I can't say I watched much TV on Christmas Day, because I was busy, but another reason was that it always seemed like blackhole. Nowadays it's become a tradition to air movie marathons and tons of Christmas specials, but back when I was a kid there was lots of religious programming, and old black-and-white movies I didn't yet have the appreciation for.
Case in point is the programming block for CBC on December 25th, 1997, which included back-to-back-to-back Christmas classics from the 40s, capped off a musical special from Canadian royalty, Tom Jackson.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with any of this, but when I was a kid there is about a -1000% chance I would've watched one second of this on Christmas Day.
And there you have it! Just a few of the wonderful Christmas commercials I mined from this tape. I'll hopefully make another post soon with some more of the cool stuff I found on here, but if not I hope you enjoy these clips and the warm fuzzies they bring!
I've forcibly put myself into a post-Halloween cooldown period, but after a few days I feel like it's time to take a moment and chronicle all the greatness that was Halloween 2024!
I don't think I could possibly write meaningful words about everything that dropped this season, but I want to highlight some of my favourite spooky snacks, events, movies... whatever!
Sodie Pop!
There were some fun pops to hunt for this season. I want to say that Fanta took home the gold. Not because the Haunted Apple tasted the best - it's terrible - but between a bright green Beetlejuice soda and the latest film's branding on their other products, it seemed like this was the biggest chase.
Personally, I missed WTFanta, but I guess with VooDEW being the crowned king of mystery sodas, Fanta decided to sit that one out.
Speaking of VooDEW, Mountain Dew finally brought their popular secret soda to Canada... sort of. Instead of releasing the current flavour that dropped in the US, they gave us last year's American offering. It's not that it's altogether awful, but for a guy that imports these every year, it would've been nice to be on par with our American friends. I still haven't come across a can of the US version, but I'm hopeful I will in the coming weeks.
Things look bleak for VooDEW right now - the hubbub is that this was the last year for it and that Mountain Dew will start offering brand crossover sodas next year, but at least VooDEW officially graced Canada at least once.
My favourite of the seasonal offerings that were new (at least to me) this year was 7-Up Zero Sugar Cranberry. I love cranberry ginger ale and lemon-lime pop, so this was a slam dunk for me. I still prefer Cranberry Canada Dry, but it was nice to switch it up. Also, I do love me a zero sugar!
Bucket List!
This was a big year for buckets! These were the only two I saw available in Canada this year, but I know Dunkin' Donuts did a Munchkins (their version of Timbits) bucket that was very popular.
My favourite was the Timbits bucket. Not only did it come in a spider or ghost variant, but this year it was glow-in-the-dark! I'm not sure when I'll ever desperately need to find my Timbits in the pitch black, but... who am I kidding, we all know I'm sitting in a dark room gorging on fat pills.
The Boo Buckets have been back the last three years and I still appreciate them. This year McDonald's decided to go for something different with all-new designs and honestly, they're pretty great. I'm not going to lie, though. I kinda hope they switch things up next year and bring back Halloween McNugget Buddies and blow the Internet wide open.
Monster Mash!
I knew it was going to be a big year for Halloween when I found Monster Mash fruit snacks on August freakin' 1st. For reference, the Monster Cereal brand has been circling the drain in Canada the last few years. I've been lucky to even find Count Chocula some years.
For 2024, General Mills went all out in the US, with the Monster Cereal characters getting pet marshmallows. Here in Canada we at least got the fruit snacks from last year and finally a new cereal: Carmella Creeper!
It's a bummer we're still getting the same lame boxes with the masks on the back - I'd much prefer the retro-styled ones in the US - but beggars can't be choosers and all that.
Out of the three cereals available, Chocula still remains my favourite. I want to love Franken Berry, but I just find it too sweet, which was mostly how I felt about Carmella. I'm so glad it's there, but it's just not for me.
As for Wedneday, again, I'm elated the cereal found it's way to the Great White North, but I just didn't like it. You'd think cookies and cream would be a solid gold hit, but I wasn't nuts about it.
I'm hoping these all sold well enough, though, and maybe next year we'll finally see another Monster Cereal here in Canada. I'll take Boo Berry at the very least.
Spooky Eats!
There were food promos for Halloween literally left-and-right this year. Honestly, I don't think I could keep up if I lived in the US, that had themed menus at several restaurant chains and cute little Frosty figures at Wendy's.
For me nothing beat the Addams Family Burger King menu. We had Gomez's Churro fries, Morticia's Kooky Shake, and the glorious Wednesday Whopper available in Canadian BKs. I only tried the Whopper, but honestly - that was enough. Look at that beaut!
This was really completely out of the blue as there wasn't a new movie in the Addams Family animated series this promo was tied to, but whatever - anything Addams Family is as hot as Hansel right now.
This seems to be a Canadian exclusive, but for the second year running McDonald's has released a Halloween-themed McFlurry! Last year we had the Trick n' Treat McFlurry, which was black and orange Smarties. This year they kept the same colour scheme with Reese Chipits and Fudge! They dropped the Trick n' Treat name, but they did continue with the spooky packaging, so I'd call it a win.
There were all sorts of other random finds this year, but another I'll mention is International Delight Pumpkin Spice Cold Foam. Tim Hortons, for some reason, opted not to have a Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew this year, so I had to take things into my own hands. I don't think I'd buy it again, but the cold foam and a bottle of Stok scratched the itch.
One big complaint I have is the lack of Reese Werewolf Tracks. Reese (or Reese's, whatever) has been pretty solid in releasing their Halloween-themed treats here every year, including the Frankencups. Heck, I usually find them first thing in August! This year, though, nada. They didn't even have Reese Pumpkins! Of course as soon as we hit late-October I could plenty of those Reese Trees, though. SMH.
Friday, September 13th!
This was the second year-in-a-row that we were treated to a Friday the 13th during the Halloween months. Last year it was in October proper, but September works just as well for me.
I've reached the point where I rarely watch a Friday the 13th when it isn't the actual day (or, what, holiday?). I've just watched them so many times at this point. As a result, it makes the day and the rewatches extra special.
The next Friday the 13th is actually in December of this year! But then we won't see one in the fall for several years, so I'm glad I savoured it and watched the Paramount "Zombie Jason Trilogy". So good.
Making a Scare at the Box Office!
What a year for horror films in general, though! There were so many box office triumphs. These little indie darlings were making big money at movies.
Highlights include the mystery thriller Longlegs, which is making a run at the Academy Awards, Terrifier 3, which is now the highest-grossing indie film of all time, and The Substance which stars Demi freakin' Moore in her comeback era.
I really like Longlegs, except for the ending, and although I'm still not sure about Art the Clown and the Terrifier series, I'm so glad to see horror doing big numbers. You know things are going the right way when a horror icon gets to ring the bell on Wall Street!
TV Tingles!
Let's not forget the (not-so) small screen! With all the UFO talk in the news lately and the resurgence of shows like Unsolved Mysteries, there's been no lack of spooky sci-fi and paranormal shows. In my opinion, these sorts of shows a perfect this time of year.
This season we had a new volume of Unsolved Mysteries, which certainly had plenty of true crime, but actually had episodes on Roswell and cattle mutilations! It felt a bit more like the Stack-era.
Not to be outdone, Disney dropped OUT THERE: Crimes of the Paranomal, which has almost the exact same look-and-feel of the new Unsolved Mysteries series on Netflix, but leans hard into the supernatural.
Speaking of sci-fi and supernatural, probably my favourite horror movie of the year was V/H/S Beyond, which was dropped on Shudder right smack-dab in the spooky season. It's mostly all alien and UFO science fiction themed, which is certainly my wheelhouse. It's honestly my fave in the series. By my estimation this is a series that is actually getting better with age and I hope we get lots of V/H/S for many years to come!
Oh, and one last thing. I picked up the 4K release of A Nightmare on Elm Street, which dropped in October and damn that movie has never looked so good. I don't usually go in for 4K, honestly, but this one certainly sold me on the idea.
Here's to the season!
I can't express to you just how incredible Mother Nature was to us in Nova Scotia this year. Yes, it was uncomfortably hot at the start of September, but honestly the temperatures eventually became quite "normal" for us by the time October rolled around.
We are known for our beautiful autumns here, but in the last few years we've been smashed by multiple hurricanes. As a result, we end up losing most of our leaves far too early and, with that, our fall colours. This year, however, was very mild on that front, which I know is a blessing. For those of you who had to handle extreme weather this year, I feel for you. I don't mean for this to seem like a slight.
Not only did we have beautiful weather, but we were treated with some incredible celestial events. We had several back-to-back supermoons, including the Harvest and Blue moons. I wish I had my telescope prepared, so I could've gotten some proper pictures.
I also got to see the Northern Lights for the first time in my life! I've heard that in some northern and less light-polluted areas of NS that you can see them on occasion, but we had an and incredible showing that was very visible even in the urban areas and it was breathtaking!
I had made a promise to myself last year and this year that I'd try and do more cool outdoor events during the season. While I didn't get to do a haunt that I really wanted to (hard to do with young kids) we did have some incredible days, which included a picnic, hayrides, apple and pumpkin picking, and a jack-o'-lantern carving contest.
That's a (mummy) wrap!
As is typically the case, I did so much, but still had a lot left on the table in terms of things I wanted to do this year. I can't complain, though. This was definitely a Halloween for the books!
As I'm writing this, I know there's a lot of bad stuff going on in the world, but I think it's good to reflect on the things you love and care about: your family and friends, maybe your health, or hell - just a purple burger and a scary movie. Try and find whatever makes you happy and shake the shit out of it.
I hope you had a great fall and Halloween season and I wish you further enjoyment in the coming months!
I've made this spiel in the past and I don't want to beat a dead horse, so I'll keep this brief.
/me stands on his soapbox
During the month of October, Turner Classic Movies airs a bevy of amazing horror films! Check your local listings!
And yes, yet again I have tabulated a handy spreadsheet with all of the films on the schedule.
I still try my best to use broadcast TV and, honestly, some of the movies that TCM plays this time of year are hard to find even on DVD or Blu-ray, let alone on streaming. Heck, there are some films I don't even bother trying to buy, because I just sort of rely TCM to play them for me every Halloween.
So dust off your DVRs if you have 'em or just make sure you tune in! Here are all the films I deemed spooky from TCM's October 2024 schedule - all times in Eastern (with all the colourful Excel flair from prioryears!):
I'll take a moment to highlight some of the programming blocks I think you should look out for.
Unfortunately, since I'm posting this a few days late, it looks like a Bela Lugosi block aired on October 2nd. I'm willing to bet, however, that most of those films get a second airing later in the month.
There's a short back-to-back Roger Corman block with Little Shop of Horrors and A Bucket of Blood airing early on October 6th, starting at 7AM.
There's an English horror block airing in the wee hours of October 18th that looks really interesting, which includes The Wicker Man, The Lair of the White Worm, The Reptile, and The Plague of the Zombies. It starts at 12:45AM!
I'm mystified by this block, which has some more contemporary stuff, but only airs once starting at 12:45AM on October 25th. You'd think these flicks would air during primetime, but you'll either have to be a night owl or set these for record: Demon Seed, They Live, The Hidden, and The Shout.
On the 27th, there's a short Val Lewton block starting at 7AM, with Cat People, I Walked with a Zombie, and then a documentary on the man himself, Val Lewton: The Man in the Shadows.
There's another solid English horror block with some Amicus and Hammer films starting at 8:15AM on Devil's Night, October 30th, which features From Beyond the Grave, Dracula A.D. 1972, Frankenstein Created Woman, The Mummy, Horror of Dracula, and The Curse of Frankenstein.
This is followed up closely with a serial killer block, starting at 9:00PM on October 30th with Psycho, Peeping Tom, Blue Velvet, and The Strangler.
Then on Halloween, you can enjoy lots of classic Universal horrors, like The Bat, The Wolf Man, The Black Cat, Dracula, Frankenstein, and Bride of Frankenstein beginning at 12:30PM.
There you have it! If you're into old black and white scares, TCM has your back this Halloween. I always suggest you check out the Hammer and English horror films they feature every year. They are excellent and I find those in particular are difficult to get on physical media for a decent price.
So, instead of staring at Netflix for an hour trying to pick something to watch, pop the popcorn and let your TV take the wheel for a change! I think you'll be pleasantly surprised!
If you're reading this - and maybe you follow me online - there's a good chance you have fond memories of video stores from years past. What's been distilled into an app on your phone or TV was once a whole-ass store filled with boundless adventures and memorable nights spent with friends, family, or in glorious solitude.
I recently stumbled upon an image of one of my favourite video stores from my youth and I just really wanted to share. I give you... Cape Breton Family Video!
Photo by Raymond Doucette | Raytel Photography | Sydney, NS, Canada
I tried desperately to find one of those fancy A.I. apps that clean up old photos, but all they managed was to make this image look like a Van Gogh... which in retrospect isn't all bad, because I can certainly see myself printing this picture off and hanging it in my living room.
There's so much to unpack here, but first let's talk about the store itself.
If you're from Sydney, Nova Scotia - where Cape Breton Family Video was located - you undoubtedly went here on a regular basis. And, if I were to ask you one single memory you had about the store I know precisely what your answer would be: the popcorn.
Located smack-dab in the middle of the store was a classic, red popcorn cart that was constantly churning out fresh, salty popcorn that you could purchase with your video rental. It was on-par with what you'd buy at a local theatre if not better.
To this day the smell of popcorn can simultaneously make me think of going to the movies and to Cape Breton Family Video, it's that ingrained in me.
You can't tell from this image, but the shop itself was massive. This front-on image doesn't give you any idea of how long the store was. It ran almost a full block. I can't find any hard evidence, but I believe it was at one point a furniture store and showroom, which explains the size of the building.
Here's what the location looks like today (I'm revealing this already, but of course, Cape Breton Family Video no longer exists). It's now an H&R Block, but also - because of the sheer size of the building - like five or six other businesses, as well.
As you can see, the store was massive in size. It didn't encompass the lower section, and was only the street-level portion, but it did indeed run all the way to the back of this building.
When you first walked into the store the counter was off to the right, which was a massive space, because of the sheer number of tapes they had to keep. It looked like library stacks, filled with numbered, plastic video cassette cases. There was also a huge box with a slot outside where you could return your rentals.
After you passed the rental counter you'd walk straight smack-dab into two things: a stairway that lead downstairs, almost like a cellar access to a basement, and the aforementioned popcorn cart. How I wish I had photos of the inside of the store to share with you, but without smell-o-vision it wouldn't impress upon you how amazing it was.
If you look really closely on the far-right of the photo, you can actually see the wheel of the popcorn cart. I have no idea why it was in the corner like that, because I always remember it in the centre of the store, but... there it is!
I don't want to belabour this much more, but the far-left wall was all New Releases, which by the time you got to the back of store, weren't so "new". In the middle were racks separated by genre for the older tapes. I can't recall most of them, but I can tell you that the horror and comedy sections were located further to the back-right. The far-right side of the store was partially walled off. The walls didn't reach the ceiling and were more like fences, with the occasional opening that was curtained off. You know what that section was!
In the far back of the store there was an opening that led into two rooms. These were basically the kids sections. The first space was where the video games were kept and then behind that the kids videos. I can't tell you how many times I rented Gumby from that space without being embarrassed.
If ever I find a photo of the inside of Cape Breton Family Video, you can rest assured I'll share it, but for now let's head back outside and check out that garishly painted entrance!
First off, let's take a moment to appreciate this wood-paneled Station Wagon. If you're born in the 70s or 80s, you've encountered one of these fine automobiles. My family had one that looked exactly like this. The backseat had seatbelts so kids could sit back there, which in retrospect is still wildly dangerous. I can remember my folks taking my sister and I to the drive-in theatre where we'd watch the first movie and then build make-shift beds in the back to go to sleep, while Mom and Dad watched the second movie. Ah, the memories.
Up next, let's have a look at this enormous window painting for 31-in-1 on the Nintendo Entertainment System!
I think the cultural impact of the Nintendo Entertainment System on our society goes without saying, but - much like the video industry - it often goes unsaid how important rental stores were to the success of the system.
Buying new NES carts wasn't something you did very often. We all complain about the price of video games today, but considering inflation, the cost of a new game back in the 90s was much more expensive than it is today. Taking inflation into account, if we take the average price of a new video game from 1990 - $49.99 USD - then you'd be looking at approximately $115 USD today.
But at the video store? You could rent an NES game for the weekend for a couple of bucks! And there was no cartridge more coveted than the infamous 31-in-1! These were bootleg cartridges made in China that included 31 classic NES games. They wouldn't include big games, like Zelda or Super Mario Bros., but more basic games, like the original "black box" titles released for the NES. Still, if you had the choice of renting one game or THIRTY ONE... you can see how big of a deal this was.
Next up is Humpty Dumpty Potato Chips!
Although they weren't as good as my beloved Hostess Potato Chips, Humpty Dumpty were a solid second choice and in the years following the Lay's takeover of Hostess in Canada, Humpty Dumpty BBQ Chips were my go-to snack of choice. They still exist today in some fashion! The brand was bought out by Old Dutch, based out of Montreal, but they still produce several Humpty Dumpty products in different markets across Canada and in New England.
The image you see above would've been based on the old Humpty Dumpty mascot/logo, like this one.
Of course, potato chips were big business everywhere, but the chip wars between Hostess and Humpty Dumpty in Nova Scotia were legendary and getting huge ad space on Cape Breton Family Video like this would've been a big win for Humpty Dumpty.
In my attempt to crop these photos and make them easier to see, I think I've lost a lot of the detail, so feel free to refer back to the original image!
Let's start with the obvious character on the far right. It's pretty easy to make out He-Man holding his Power Sword! The only other character that I think is obvious here is Mighty Mouse on the far left. Unfortunately after that, it gets kinda murky. I think we might be seeing the top of an Autobot next to He-Man and the character mostly dressed in red looks a lot like Bucky O'Hare to me, but I don't see his tell-tale green rabbit head at all. Also, Bucky O'Hare came out in 1991 and this image is tagged as 1990, so I think that rules him out.
Let me know what you can make out!
I mentioned it above, but the back section of the store was dedicated to kids. It had way more cartoon options than any other store. This is where I used to rent the original Spider-man cartoon from the 60s, and some of my favourite Japanese shows like Tekkaman and Ultraman! It was also my go-to spot to rent the live-action My Pet Monster movie, which alongside Gumby, was on a constant rotation.
And that's Cape Breton Family Video! I'm glad I stumbled upon this image on Facebook recently, so I could share it. We had a lot of great video stores in our town and, if I'm being honest, this wasn't actually my go-to haunt, but I frequented it many, many times (I was a serial renter, visiting multiple stores like every single weekend) and I miss it dearly.
Even though this wasn't exactly your local rental shop, I'm sure you have similar memories of your own. Please,
I'm in complete shock right now. Just a few moments before writing this I was utterly gobsmacked by an ancient TV ad and I'm still reeling.
Have you ever had a memory that is so vivid that you just know it has to be real, but logic dictates that it unequivocally can't be?
I have had such a memory and I've just been simultaneously vindicated and crushed at the same time.
I've at least briefly written about my experiences with E.T. the Extra-Terrestrialin the past, but I really haven't sold just how afraid and scarred that film left me.
The Cole's Notes: My mom rented it for me as a kid. This had to've been around the 1988 release of the video. The film had been a runaway success in 1982, which is underselling it. For scale, it out-grossed Star Wars that year and the success saw a re-release in theatres in 1985.
So, by '88 there was E.T. fever and the video release sold gangbusters.
I was around 6 at the time and my parents had what I would call... difficulty understanding what was appropriate for kids to watch? When I got older this worked very much to my advantage. They actually had our video store tag my card so that I could rent anything 18A (Rated R) and below when I was likely too young to wield such power, but that's a story for another time.
Now, this wasn't really their fault. This was something that society was still working out back then. I mean, I could turn on the TV and watch cartoon versions of RoboCop and commercials for toys from The Terminator. This was a time before motherly advocacy groups were hitting the streets and protecting their precious children and Hollywood had no qualms on trying to sell kids on everything from Rambo to Freddy Krueger.
So, in my mom's defense, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was a PG-rated film sold as family-friendly. But for one little boy, it was absolute nightmare fuel that would riddle his psyche for years.
I promised Cole's Notes and gave you War and Peace. My apologies. In short: E.T. scared the shit out of me. And, of course, I was absolutely fascinated by it.
So all these many, many years later my memories surrounding E.T. are seared into my brain. And one of those memories I had come to believe I'd completely made up.
I've probably mentioned it in the past to friends - I don't think it's anything I've ever written about - but I have had a vivid memory of seeing a commercial for "E.T. 2" since I was a young kid. I'll walk you through it and this time, I will exercise brevity.
There's a shot of Elliott in his bedroom tossing his baseball in boredom when it suddenly stops mid-air. He excitedly looks to his window where a dead sunflower suddenly bursts to life. He runs out of his house into the backyard to see E.T.'s spaceship and E.T. himself! They share a touching moment, which is suddenly broken by evil versions of E.T. scurrying out of the ship and into the wild, much to the shock and dismay of E.T. and Elliott.
Again, I can't tell you just how real this whole thing felt. I eventually reached the conclusion that I'd dreamed the whole thing up... until now!
600 words later, I'll get to the point.
I've been re-reading old Dinosaur Dracula Christmas posts going back to 2012. Matt's loaded his site with great nostalgic Christmas content, and it's been a while since I did a re-read, so I've been having a blast going through his old articles over the past few weeks.
I mean, of course I somehow conjured up all the stuff about it being "E.T. 2" and the evil E.T.'s, but - again - I was 6. I'm actually pretty astounded with how well I remembered the rest of the beats for the ad.
On the one hand, I wasn't one of the few people (as in just me) who got to see some super secret teaser for a sequel to E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, but after all these long years I at least know that I'm not completely crazy and this ad does exist! Ya know, as a Pepsi cross-promotion for the VHS release.
Although the last entry didn't light the world on fire, I'm here to belabour you with more of the TCM horror schedule for the month of October!
It's really a shame that I haven't updated the TCM schedule since then, but honestly late September and early October were a complete blur around here and the latest TCM offerings didn't exactly blow my mind.
There were sporadic showings that were pretty good, but almost anything worth a damn was aired in the wee hours of the morning or sometime before noon. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind setting my PVR to record. There is something, however, to sitting down to the TV in the evening and being able to catch at least one horror flick.
Things are picking up, though!
Tomorrow morning there's an interesting block of Lon Chaney, Sr. films. These are silent era, so really only for the hardcore, but if you want to see the "Man of a Thousand Faces" at work, you can catch The Unholy Three, The Unknown, and West of Zanzibar. These aren't all technically "horror" films, but they can be creepy enough and seeing the work Lon Chaney did with practical make-up effects in the 20s is really something.
October 25th has some pretty heavy hitters, including a Dr. Phibes block, and then on the 27th TCM is featuring James Whales' Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein back-to-back, followed by Hammer's Horror of Dracula.
October 28th has a really great set of movies, like Chaney's Phantom of the Opera (1925), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920) and Val Lewton's Cat People (1944), but these flicks have that unfortunate late-night/early AM time slot again.
Then on Devil's Night, October 30th, we have pretty much a straight shot of horror hits for two days. Some highlights include The Devil Rides Out aka The Devils' Bride (a personal Hammer favourite of mine), Suspiria, Creature from the Black Lagoon, a Universal horror block (re-airing Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein again), and the grand finale at 11:45 ET, October 31st, the Mario Bava classic, Black Sabbath!
So, you might have to rely on your PVR for the next week or more, but on October 30th and Halloween you can feel free to cue up TCM on your TV and just let it ride!
I know that classic horror isn't for everyone and that a lot of folks settle in for the Universal monster movies and don't really go far afield, but I'd urge you to try some different movies out on this list. There are some real gems in here and you might find your new favourite old film.
Whether you actually took the time to read this or not, I hope you're having a great October and Halloween season! As always, the time is creeping up on us and before long it'll be all red and green twinkle lights, so just try and get the most out of these spooky days!
