The 2025 Halloween Movie Marathon Schedule [Fright-A-Thon]

Fright-A-Thon is a celebration of all things Halloween. The Halloween season is here starting with the calendar rolling over from August into September. To fully celebrate that season, it’s important to watch scary movies of all kinds, new ones, old ones, whatever. From today, September 1st all the way to October 31st, there’ll be at least one, sometimes two, maybe even three movies to watch each day. The first month is a celebration of all things modern, only movies from 2024 and 2025. That month is for the people out there that love to scream that there’s nothing new, no original ideas in horror. We here at Fright-A-Thon and THS like to celebrate scary movies of all kinds, so we’ll shine a spotlight on those newer movies you might not have seen or heard of.

That brings us to October, which is where the classics, hidden gems, underrated movies, and plenty of others that you need to see.

That change from August 31st to September 1st signifies something. It means the leaves are changing, the air gets crisp, the heat packs it’s bags and goes away. The pumpkins and ghouls of the night come out to play. That creepy feeling at the back of your neck comes back when you look into the dark.

Without further ado, here is the 2025 Fright-A-Thon Halloween Movie Marathon.

September 1st: Sinners (2025)

Now for a tribute to the legendary Stuart Gordon. His name doesn’t get discussed with luminaries like John Carpenter, Sam Raimi, Tobe Hooper, Wes Craven, or George Romero as a master of horror, but it should. His work in the ’80s and ’90s on films like Re-Animator, Dolls, and From Beyond is truly legendary stuff. From Beyond also has some of the best special effects work out there and flips the script on gender roles with Barbara Crampton and Jeffrey Combs‘s characters. It’s gooey and gross, but From Beyond is perfect in this runup to Halloween.

You can watch this one on Blu-ray from Scream Factory, on 4K from Vinegar Syndrome.

October 5th: Ginger Snaps (2000)

We wrote about Manhunter for the first ever Fright-A-Thon back in 2020, but the movie gets better and better the more I watch it. It might not be the *best* Hannibal Lecktor (spelled like that in this movie), but Brian Cox‘s schoolboy charm and biting wit set Anthony Hopkins up to give the performance of a lifetime in Silence of the Lambs. Michael Mann‘s directing and a haunting soundtrack make this one a perfect “early Halloween” film.

October 7th: The Watch (2012)

Thankfully, Netflix is putting out Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein in theaters on this day, so before you check that out, you can go see the classic Universal Pictures version from 1931. The new film stars Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz, and Ralph Ineson. By all accounts, this is set to be one of the horror main events of the year. To watch and make something great in the present, you’ve gotta learn from the past though, so double feature these two.

October 18th: Night Of The Creeps (1986)/Halloween III: Season Of The Witch (1982)/Creepshow (1980)

This is national Tom Atkins Day, and I’m declaring that. So to celebrate, watch three of his best performances ever with these movies.

In case you didn’t notice here at Fright-A-Thon we F**KING love Tom Atkins. Night of the Creeps might be his finest hour, and it’s a damn fun monster flick that harkens back to the classics while also giving a modern (’80s modern) take on those films. It’s got some awesome creature effects to go with an absolutely badass third act. Any movie with a flamethrower is good enough for me. Fred Dekker does it again writing and directing this one. It also does one of my favorite things in horror movies, naming characters after famous horror directors like Carpenter, Romero, Cameron, and Raimi.

You can watch this on Blu-ray from Scream Factory or rent it on Prime Video.

If you just called Halloween III: Season of the Witch, Season of the Witch, it would be one of the most beloved and classic horror movies ever. It’s got Tom Atkins, stonehenge, creepy masks, and takes us back to the old days of Halloween, when people were getting sacrificed to the gods. Well, the owner and operator of Silver Shamrock wants to take us back there with his new line of masks. People hate this movie for no good reason, and it sucks, because they’re missing out on something awesome.

You can watch the absolutely stunning 4K or Blu-ray from Scream Factory or rent in from Prime Video.

Finally, Creepshow needs no introduction, but Tom Atkins plays the evil dad in the frame of the film, and he’s fantastic. Watch all three, enjoy.

October 19th: Tales From The Crypt Presents: Demon Knight

Demon Knight deserves to be seen by more people. It’s got William Sadler absolutely kicking ass, Billy Zane having the time of his life as the villain, and one of the best ensemble casts ever assembled for a horror movie. Add to it that it’s a Tales From The Crypt movie and you’ve got an all-timer from director Ernest Dickerson. Billy Zane is so good as the villain here that you almost want to root for him, but not quite. It’s a classic “group gets trapped in one pace, siege” kind of movie. Between the story, the badassery on display from Sadler, and a soundtrack that’s awesome, this movie is one of my favorites every Halloween season.

October 20th: Ravenous (1999)

This is a hell of a movie. It’s got a bit of a mixed tone but that stems from some issues while filming, sometimes it doesn’t know exactly what movie its trying to be, but across the board, its entertaining as hell. There’s some fantastic performances from Guy Pearce, Robert Carlyle, Jeffrey Jones, and Neal McDonough here. The finale is a battle between superhuman cannibals and it doesn’t get much better than that.

October 21st: The Immortalizer (1989)

This one might look a little bit like Re-Animator from the cover, but that green color is really the only thing in common. It’s about a mad scientist who sends out his mutant creations to kidnap young, beautiful people to swap brains with older, rich people. There are some nice gore effects that make for an entertaining straight-to-video B movie from the 80s. If you’ve seen everything you can see from the 1980s, you might have missed this one. The performances here are also much better than you would expect from the era.

October 22nd: Evil Dead (2013)

That poster promises a lot and Evil Dead (2013) delivers and then some. Fede Alvarez has already proven that he’s a master of horror with how he revitalized this series, Alien, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. This is one of the best examples of modern horror out there, taking a classic like The Evil Dead and modernizing it. I still don’t think this is a remake and its a sequel to that movie, but that’s up for interpretation. Either way, this is a hell of a crowd-pleaser.

October 23rd: The Black Phone (2021)

The Black Phone had a wild time actually getting to audiences with a couple of delays, but it’s gone on to be a massive success at the box office and on streaming. Ethan Hawke, C. Robert Cargill, and Scott Derrickson craft an emotional powerhouse of a thriller/horror movie that feels a lot like a Stephen King adaptation, but it’s from his son, Joe Hill. We’re even getting a sequel later this year…

October 24th: Black Phone 2 (2025)

Speaking of that, Black Phone 2 is the sequel to the Blumhouse classic from 2021. It brings back the cast from the original film including Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Jeremy Davies and Miguel Mora. The film releases on this day in theaters, so you can go see just how the Grabber comes back in this film. Here’s hoping that they knock it out of the park and we get another horror icon in our lives. We could use them.

October 25th: The Bride Of Frankenstein (1935)

The Bride of Frankenstein is one of my favorite movie characters ever. Somehow, from about ~5 minutes of screen time, we got one of the biggest and best horror icons ever. Universal has taken her story and ran with it for their Halloween Horror Nights house this year. Go back and check out her origins in one of the best horror sequels ever in The Bride Of Frankenstein. This one is available on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K from Universal. it should be up on Peacock in time for Halloween season.

October 26th: Slumber Party Massacre II (1987)

Slumber Party Massacre II continues from the first film but adds some strange supernatural elements to it. Are the events of the film actually happening? How did someone get a drill guitar like that? I don’t know, but it all adds up to an excellent sequel. It’s one of the most rocking horror movies out there and if you miss out on watching Trick Or Treat on the 1st, you can make for an excellent double feature.

October 27th: Dog Soldiers (2002)

That poster is heinous, which might be part of the reason why this movie didn’t do as well when it came out in 2002, but make no mistake, Dog Soldiers kicks an intense amount of ass. It’s werewolves, a siege, and a war movie all mixed up in one. There’s elements of Southern Comfort, An American Werewolf in London, and Assault on Precinct 13 here. It all comes together for a ripping time watching a movie. I watched this for the first time this year and was shocked that no one had recommended it to me before, so now I’m passing the favor along, and telling you to watch it this Halloween season.

October 28th: Trick Or Treat (1986)

Trick Or Treat is a celebration of all things 80s. It celebrates the biggest musical and movie genres in heavy metal and slashers. You get an absolutely kick-ass soundtrack from Fastway alongside some cameo appearances from Gene Simmons and Ozzy Osbourne. It might play right into the satanic panic BS of the 80s with its plot, but Trick or Treat gives some of the best of the 80s.

October 29th: Pumpkinhead (1988)

Pumpkinhead would really be the perfect film to start off a November 1st section of this marathon, it’s not a Thanksgiving movie, but it definitely captures that late Fall vibe from the imagery and plot on display. Lance Henriksen is in this one and he gets more than he bargained for when a vengeful demon named Pumpkinhead terrorizes his town. Stan Winston directs this one which means that the creature effects are among the best ever. Hope that it’s a little chilly so you can cuddle up with a blanket while watching this one.

October 30th: WNUF Halloween Special (2013)/Ghostwatch (1992)

if you’ve noticed across the years, these last two slots don’t change. I like a good holiday tradition, and my tradition is watching the WNUF Halloween Special the day before Halloween. If you ever remember seeing local news broadcasts when you were a kid in the late ’80s or ’90s, they looked like this. It comes complete with the made-up commercials between segments. What it all adds up to is a celebration of the holiday and era on film. It’s got a sequel, the Out There Mega Tape, but nothing tops the original for Halloween spirit. Terror Vision and Vinegar Syndrome have excellent physical media releases.

Adding onto the tradition of WNUF though, we’ve got Ghostwatch. This one has never been on the Halloween Movie Marathon and that’s kind of a travesty. It’s one of the best examples of these “fake” TV broadcast genre films. It was so good and convincing that it made people actually think the events of the movie were happening live. It’s creepy, unsettling, and one of the best examples of the genre.

October 31st: Halloween (1978)/Halloween II (1981)

Here it is, the reason for the season. You wait all year for Halloween. John Carpenter did it best with his slasher flick all the way back in 1978. It’s still one of the best examples of the genre and it’s a Halloween tradition around my house. You wait until it gets dark, grab the jack o’lanterns and sit around the TV. As the kids come and go, it only adds to the ambiance as Michael makes his rampage in Haddonfield. The night goes through, something strange happens: the light of the pumpkin casts a bit darker, a bit different. By the time the first film ends, the trick-or-treaters have dried up, and it’s time for Halloween II. As Laurie Strode is wheeled off in a different ambulance, your Halloween season ends, the spirits of the day heading back to hibernate for another year, the Jack ‘O Lanterns are all but extinguished, ready for another year, and awaiting their time to shine again.

Happy Halloween! That’s it for the 2025 Fright-A-Thon Halloween movie marathon!

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