History[edit]

From 1998 to 2004, the block consisted mainly of made-for-TV movies aimed at an older audience, such as Casper: A Spirited Beginning, The Haunting of Seacliff Inn, Lost Souls, The Spiral Staircase, When Good Ghouls Go Bad, Deadly Invasion: The Killer Bee Nightmare, Tower of Terror, The Hollow, and Grave Secrets: The Legacy of Hilltop Drive, and Halloween themed specials such as Scariest Places on Earth and Ghost Stories.


Then starting in 2006, the lineup shifted more towards feature films aimed at a younger audience such as Hocus Pocus, The Haunted Mansion, The Addams Family and its sequel, Monsters, Inc., and the Harry Potter film series. Hocus Pocus emerged as the block's sleeper hit, and by the end of the 2010s it had become the most prominently featured film in the block,^[3] earning an all-day marathon on Halloween itself.


The programming block was not aired in 2003 as ABC Family's new executives decided not to air the block for reasons that remain unclear, but it returned in 2004. Over the following years, the block focused more on family-oriented feature films and away from specific Halloween-based programs.


In 2011, ABC Family switched the focus of the programming block to its original purpose (primarily Halloween/Horror related films), while still remaining appropriate for children and families. Films that air during the lineup are usually edited for time constraints and for profane content, such as language or sexuality, to appeal towards all audiences.


With the launch of Freeform in 2016, the block remained largely the same, continuing to show Halloween-based family films.


On May 15, 2018, Freeform announced that the block will be renamed to 31 Nights of Halloween, meaning the lineup will start on the very first day of October rather than October 19.^[2]


In 2023, Freeform was permanently removed from Spectrum cable systems as part of the resolution of a carriage dispute between Spectrum and parent company The Walt Disney Company.^[4] As part of an initiative to keep Freeform's content available through Disney's streaming platforms,^[5] Disney made most of the 31 Nights of Halloween library available through Disney+ under the "Hallowstream" banner.^[6]