What’s on TCM tonight? Here is the full TCM schedule for Saturday, October 31, 2026, with times in Eastern Time (ET).

TCM on Halloween: the best horror lineup on television

See also: What's on tonight across all channels | Wednesday's TV guide

TCM has the strongest Halloween schedule on cable, and it earns that with horror from 1:15am until midnight and almost nothing else. Fifteen films, most of them from the 1930s through the 1960s, with a few from later, and the one to build the evening around is Bride of Frankenstein at 6:30pm ET/PT. It gets five stars, the only five I’m handing out today.

Start with Bride of Frankenstein

James Whale’s 1935 film stars Elsa Lanchester, Boris Karloff and Colin Clive, and it sits at 6:30pm for a reason: it is the natural opening to the evening, before the 8pm film. Running 90 minutes, it is short enough to watch properly before dinner and still be settled in for what follows. If you only watch one film tonight, make it this one.

The primetime pair

At 8pm ET/PT (7pm Central) comes Dracula, the 1979 version, at 135 minutes. It is the longest film on the day, and it is up against a busy field: the World Series on Fox, Halloweentown on Disney Channel and Ghostbusters: Afterlife on FX. That is a crowded 8pm. Dracula is the safe choice for a classic-horror night rather than a must-see, and I am giving it three stars.

At 10:15pm the channel moves to Phantom of the Paradise, Brian De Palma’s 1974 film. It is the oddest choice of the day: a musical, a comedy horror and a monster film in one, with Paul Williams, William Finley and Jessica Harper in the cast. It is also based on The Phantom of the Opera. Four stars. It faces only The Batman on TBS at that hour, so for a viewer who wants something unusual late, it has little competition.

The afternoon is the quiet strength

If you are home during the day, the afternoon run is where TCM shows its taste. The Mummy (1932) at 3:15pm stars Boris Karloff and was directed by Karl Freund, and it gets four stars. Before it, at 1:45pm, comes a 1931 Drácula. After it, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) at 4:45pm, directed by Rouben Mamoulian with Fredric March in the lead. Three classic horror films back to back, with Bride of Frankenstein to follow. That is a better afternoon than anything else on cable.

Earlier, at noon, there is a change of pace. Pufnstuf, a 1970 children’s film, is the one non-horror slot of the day, and it makes a useful break for anyone watching with younger viewers. The morning has Doctor X at 8:30am and Mystery of the Wax Museum at 10am, both directed by Michael Curtiz and both with Lionel Atwill and Fay Wray. Between them, there is Transylvania 6-5000 at 11:30am, listed at only 20 minutes, with a short Looney Tunes cartoon at 11:50am.

The overnight

The night before is Vincent Price’s. House on Haunted Hill at 1:15am, The Mad Magician at 2:45am and The Tingler at 4:00am all star him, and two of them were directed by William Castle. House on Haunted Hill gets four stars. They run at an hour when most viewers are asleep, so set the recorder. The Bat follows at 5:30am and The Hypnotic Eye at 7:00am.

Fifteen films, one cartoon and not one wasted slot. If you have to pick a channel for Halloween, this is the one.


Also on TV tonight at 8pm ET

  • ABC: College Football (from 7:37pm ET)
  • NBC: College Football (from 7:30pm ET)
  • CBS: FBI
  • FOX: 2026 World Series
  • PBS: Secrets of the Dead
  • The CW: WWE NXT (from 7pm ET)
  • ION: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
  • AMC: Halloween (from 7pm ET)
  • FX: Ghostbusters: Afterlife
  • Freeform: Hocus Pocus (from 7:20pm ET)

Every channel tonight, side by side · Movies on TV this week · Tomorrow’s TV


Frequently asked questions

What’s on TCM tonight?

On Saturday, October 31, 2026, TCM shows Dracula at 8pm ET and Phantom of the Paradise at 10:15pm ET.

Is there a movie on TCM tonight?

Yes: Bride of Frankenstein (1935) at 6:30pm ET, Dracula (1979) at 8pm ET and Phantom of the Paradise (1974) at 10:15pm ET.

What time does TCM’s evening start?

The evening schedule starts with Bride of Frankenstein at 6:30pm ET.