October’s rolled around again, and with it comes the horror season. For horror flick fans, the October nights just make you crave to roll up the blinds, turn out the lights, and tune into your favorite spooky flick. From classics like Bram Stoker’s Dracula to lightheaded favorites like Halloweentown.
Well, what’s a more horror-filled programming block than Freeform’s annual horror marathon?
Every October night is filled with some of the spine-tingliest, most terrifying shows you’ll find on TV. Just thinking about it has got us reaching for the popcorn and pulling up the covers.
But herein lies the problem: Freeform isn’t a basic cable channel. If you’re still on cable, you’ve got nothing to worry about. But if you’ve already kicked the cable habit and joined the cable-cutting gang, well, you might be out of luck…
At least, you’d generally assume that.
Thankfully, internet tv has got your back. With some of these services carrying Freeform, the best spooky marathon is no longer locked behind the cable paywall.
So, to help you get through the season of the witch while enjoying the perfect horror movie binge, we’ve gathered the best streaming platforms that include Freeform in their channel lineup. As R.L. Stein famously wrote, “Reader beware, you’re in for a scare!”
What is Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween?
Dating back to the late ’90s, the 31 Nights of Halloween is Freeform’s annual horror movie marathon that pays tribute to October and its association with horror. Initially, it started airing in 1998, beginning its life as, “The 13 Nights of Halloween.” It started on the 19th of October and aired nightly horror movies until the night of Halloween.
Then in 2018, Freeform extended the marathon to include all nights of the month, transforming into the 31 Nights of Halloween that we know today. When it first started airing, the channel focused on made-for-TV/B-movie grade flicks. Back then, the programming block had more of a cheesy/low-budget tone rather than a horror-themed one.
In 2004, the channel shifted the block to focus on more family-oriented and Halloween-themed films and became the marathon we know and love today. For instance, the Disney classic, Hocus Pocus, is a favorite member of the annual marathon.
What Watch During the Freeform Marathon
So, what can you look forward to during this year’s 31 Nights of Halloween?
Plenty of options! To be more specific, you can catch the ‘90s favorite Halloween banger throughout multiple nights of the marathon. For instance, Hocus Pocus has a scheduled timeslot for October 29-31 if you don’t want to miss it.
Then there’s also the Simpson’s Holloween specials to look forward to. Who doesn’t love the Treehouse of Horror? You can catch a marathon of the best Treehouse of Horror episodes across several nights during the marathon.
Finally, what’s a good Halloween marathon without some actually spooky movies? For example, Jordan Peele’s Acadamy Award-winning film, Get Out, makes its Freeform debut during this year’s 31 Nights of Halloween!
If you’re interested in catching the full 31 Nights of Halloween schedule, you can check out Freeform’s website.
How to Watch Freeform Without Cable?
Now that you have the low-down on the marathon, you must be itching to catch it, right? Well, we won’t keep you on the edge of your seats. Here are the best streaming services that have Freeform in their lineup.
#1 Sling TV
| Sling Orange Great Value $40.00/ month | 30+ channels ESPN New subscriber special 1 simultaneous stream | Try Sling |
| Sling Blue Great Value$40.00/ month | 40+ channels Fox, NBC, CNN, MSNBC New subscriber special 3 simultaneous streams | Try Sling |
| Sling Orange + Blue Best Value $55.00/ month | 45+ channels ESPN New subscriber special 4* simultaneous streams | Try Sling |
If you’re looking for a service that you can tailor to your horror-filled needs, Sling TV’s just the right partner. Not only is it a budget-friendly option, but you can also customize your subscription to the perfect meld of channels to your liking.
If you’re specifically looking for Freefrom, you’ll need to subscribe to either the Sling TV Orange or Sling TV Orange + Blue package. So with Sling TV, you’ll get to enjoy the taste of the spooky season with Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween.
But if you’re looking for more quality horror movies, you can get your fill on Sling TV. By adding the Hollywood Extra bundle to your Sling TV Account, you’ll get some of the best channels to catch the latest horror movies like:
- Sundance TV
- REELZ
- GRIT
- Bounce
- Start TV
All in all, Sling TV is one of the best ways to catch Freefrom’s 31 Nights of Halloween.
You can check out our Sling TV channel lineup article if you want to know more.
#2 fuboTV
| Pro 7-day free trial $69.99/ month | 138 channels 10 simultaneous streams 1,000 hours of DVR space | TRY FREE |
| Elite 7-day free trial $79.99/ month | 202 channels 54 more channels with fubo Extra 12 more channels with fubo News Plus 10 simultaneous streams 1,000 hours of DVR space | TRY FREE |
| Latino Monthly $8 off for the first month $33/ month | 45 channels 2 simultaneous streams 250 hours of DVR space | SIGN UP |
| Ultimate 7-day free trial $99.99/ month | 240 channels 54 more channels with fubo Extra 12 more channels with fubo News Plus Showtime Live and On Demand Sports Plus with NFL Redzone 10 simultaneous streams 1,000 hours of DVR space | TRY FREE |
On the other hand, if you’re in the market for a more robust service that features Freefrom, fuboTV’s just the ticket for you. With fuboTV, you can get a subscription with a channel lineup of up to 236 different channels.
But if you’re looking for the 31 Nights of Halloween in particular, you can start off with the fuboTV Pro Bundle. With the Pro Bundle, you’ll get a channel lineup of 134 channels, including Freeform.
And if that’s not enough to convince you, one of fuboTV’s best features is its powerful DVR features. In case you miss out on one of the days of the 31 Nights of Halloween, fuboTV’s DVR can prevent losing out on those Freeform premiers. Better yet, with its robust 1000-hour DVR limit, you can potentially save the entire marathon to enjoy whenever you want.
So what are you waiting for? Get yourself a fuboTV subscription and enjoy Freeform’s annual 31 Nights of Halloween.
And, if you’re looking for more info, you can checkout our fuboTV review.
#3 Hulu + Live TV
| Hulu + Live TV No Hassle TV $69.99/ month | 75+ Live TV Channels 2 simultaneous streams Unlimited DVR Disney+ and ESPN+ Included | SIGN UP |
| Hulu + Live TV No Ads $79.99/ month | 75+ Live TV Channels 2 simultaneous streams Unlimited DVR Disney+ and ESPN+ Included | SIGN UP |
When it comes to streaming, you can go wrong with one of the pillars of the industry: Hulu. And with its Hulu + Live TV service, you’ll get all the benefits of Hulu with the bonus of enjoying your favorite cable channels.
Every Hulu + Live TV subscriber gets Freeform included in their subscription. So, you won’t have to worry about missing the 31 Nights of Holloween special.
If that’s not enough to scratch your horror movie itch, Hulu’s on-demand vault can get you all the horror you need! You can catch horror favorites like John Carpenter’s The Thing and The Evil Dead in Hulu’s on-demand content library.
As far as Freeform and its horror marathon are concerned, you can’t go wrong with subscribing to Hulu + Live TV.
If you’re interested in other features, you can read our breakdown of the Hulu + Live TV simultaneous streaming.
#4 DirecTV Stream
| Entertainment The Essentials $69.99/ month | 75+ channels Unlimited streams at home Unlimited cloud DVR space | SIGN UP |
| Choice Must-Have Sports $89.99/ month | 105+ channels Unlimited streams at home Unlimited cloud DVR space Regional sports networks | SIGN UP |
| Ultimate Sports, News, Movies $104.99/ month | 140+ channels Unlimited streams at home Unlimited cloud DVR space Regional sports networks | SIGN UP |
| Premier Maximum TV $149.99/ month | 150+ channels All you can watch Regional sports networks HBO Max, Showtime and Starz Included | SIGN UP |
While not as well known as its contemporaries like Hulu, that doesn’t mean that DirecTV Steam is something to scoff at. In fact, with DirecTV Stream, you can get some of the most desirable channels, like HBO Max.
And when it comes to Freeform, DirecTV Stream’s got you covered. All of its subscription tiers, from the basic Entertainment package to the premium Premier package, get Freeform included. So, you don’t have to miss any of the specials during the 31 Nights of Holloween special.
DirecTV Stream will easily get you what you need if you’re looking to binge the 31 Nights of Holloween.
If you’re interested in hearing more, you can read from our full review.
#5 Vidgo
Vidgo is another streaming service that offers a healthy selection of channels. You can expect at least 130 channels when you subscribe to Vidgo. And you won’t have to worry about missing the 31 Nights of Halloween because Freeform is included in every Vidgo subscription.
Another great selling point of Vidgo is its on-demand library.
If the 31 Nights of Halloween isn’t enough to sate your hunger for The Treehouse of Horror and the Simpsons, you can turn your eyes to the Vidgo on-demand vault. Here, you can catch every single episode of The Simpsons, so you won’t have to wait for the 31 Nights of Halloween to catch your favorite episodes of The Treehouse of Horror.
If you need a place to catch Freeform and the 31 Nights of Halloween, you can’t go wrong with Vidgo.
If you want to learn more, you can read more from our Vidgo breakdown.
Catch the Best Holloween Marathon with Streaming Services
Without cable, you might feel lost as far as watching your favorite horror movies are concerned. Especially with Freeform’s annual 31 Nights of Holloween airing! You might be getting second thoughts about canceling your cable subscription.
But you have nothing to worry about.
Thanks to streaming services like Sling TV, you can tune in to the 31 Nights of Halloween and, in some cases, have extra features to save the entire marathon for later viewing. Or have a diverse on-demand content library with mountains of different horror media to consume.
