The Black Flame candle has been lit, and Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween is running amuck with airings of Hocus Pocus.
The Sanderson sisters made their annual return to TV Monday night, officially kicking off Freeform’s spooky festivities, but those who missed out still have plenty of time to fall under the spell of Winifred, Sarah, and Mary. The network’s new expanded festive programming block, which has seen it grow from 13 Nights of Halloween to an entire month of Halloween, means that the classic 1993 film will air more than a dozen times.
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SO. MUCH. HOCUS. POCUS. 🎃 pic.twitter.com/MPK9GXijqr
— 31 Nights (@31Nights) September 29, 2018
Along with normal airings of the cult-classic film, which will resume Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. ET, Freeform is celebrating a quarter-century since its original 1993 release with Hocus Pocus 25th Anniversary Halloween Bash.
The 90-minute special, set to premiere on Saturday, Oct. 20 at 8:15 p.m. ET, will feature interviews with the cast and crew, including at least two of the Sanderson sisters – Sarah Jessica Parker (Sarah Sanderson) and Kathy Namijay (Mary Sanderson). With more guests set to be announced, there is still room for Winifred Sanderson herself, Bette Midler, to join the fun. It will also feature musical performances from Dove Cameron, PrettyMuch, and Junior New System as well as a Hocus Pocus themed costume contest.
Hocus Pocus 25th Anniversary Halloween Bash will be cushioned by a “Pop’n Knowledge” edition of the film featuring trivia, funny observations, and commentary that will air both before and after the special.
Along with its original airdate on Oct. 20, the special will also air again on Monday, Oct. 21 at 6:10 p.m. ET, Tuesday, Oct. 23 at 3 p.m. ET, Friday, Oct. 26 at 10 p.m. ET, and Tuesday, Oct. 30 at 3:40 p.m. ET.
Hocus Pocus will round out its annual return on All Hallow’s Eve with an all-day marathon.
For those not looking to catch a ride on a broomstick, or vacuum in Mary Sanderson’s case, there are plenty of other Halloween-themed movies in the lineup. Tim Burton’s much debated film The Nightmare Before Christmas will air a total of eight times over the course of the month, with its next airing on Tuesday, Oct. 2 at 5 p.m. ET. Others in the schedule include The Adams Family, Hotel Transylvania, Sweeney Todd, The Goonies, Warm Bodies, and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.