Frightful programming will haunt most network schedules a full week before Halloween.
AMC, as usual, has the most ambitious -- a marathon of chilling movies. "FearFest" is slated to get under way on Oct. 23 and continue through Halloween, Oct. 31. More than 50 movies are on tap, including "The Fly," "Dracula" and "The Shining."
Three "AMC Celebrates" specials, highlighting particular cinematic contributions to the genre, will focus on the 30th anniversaries of "Alien" and "The Amityville Horror" plus the 35th anniversary of "Young Frankenstein."
Halloween will spotlight a digitally re-mastered "Night of the Living Dead," airing at 6 p.m. EDT.
Cloris Leachman, Margot Kidder, George Romero, Lance Henriksen and special-effects producer Shane Mahan will help host the marathon.
Over on Spike TV, horror is given applause with the annual "Scream Awards," awarding the best of the genre in TV and films. Honorees include the cast of "Twilight," Marvel Comics icon Stan Lee, "True Blood" and "Battlestar Galactica."
"The Scream Awards" gets under way at 10 p.m. Tuesday.
Seeking a more family-friendly fright? NBC will air the "Monsters vs. Aliens" spin-off "Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space." The animated comedy will feature the voices of Seth Rogan, Reese Witherspoon and Rainn Wilson.
"Mutant Pumpkins" will invade the schedule at 8 p.m. Wednesday.
If you need even more chills, the Travel Channel will have a live seven-hour investigation of the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Weston, W.Va. The special begins airing at 8 p.m. Friday.
Three "ghost adventurers" will lock themselves inside the facility and try to detect if any paranormal activity develops.
Other highlights for the week of Oct. 25 to 31 (listings subject to change; check local listings):
SUNDAY
-- "Dexter" (9 p.m., Showtime). Dexter's wife begins to suspect that she doesn't know him quite as well as she thinks. Well, duh. She's unwittingly married a serial killer.
MONDAY
-- "Cake Boss" (10 p.m., TLC). Season two begins with the harried life of a family running a bakery in New Jersey.
-- "No Excuses" (10 p.m., VH1). Master P conducts an intervention for a former gang member in Los Angeles.
WEDNESDAY
-- "Friday Night Lights" (9 p.m., DirecTV's 101 Channel). A fourth season opens with Coach Taylor trying to rebuild his reputation with a new team.
THURSDAY
-- "The League" (10:30 p.m., FX). Male friends get a little too caught up in their fantasy football league in this new sitcom.
FRIDAY
-- "Invitation Only: Brooks & Dunn" (10 p.m., CMT). The country duo is featured in this performance special, taped just a few days after they announced their split.
SATURDAY
-- "Ghost Hunters" (9 a.m., SyFy). A marathon of the ghost-seeking reality series will stretch out all day long.
(E-mail Terry Morrow of The Knoxville News-Sentinel in Tennessee at morrow2(at)knews.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)
TVHILIGHTS
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