Halloween season on TV means a wave of animated specials, spooky one-offs, and returning traditions across broadcast and streaming. This guide rounds up the Halloween 2026 TV specials and streaming events, with titles, dates, and where to watch.
New for 2026
The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror Presents: The Revengening (Fox and Hulu). The Simpsons’ second Halloween special this year premiered Sunday, October 18, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Fox, a week before Treehouse of Horror XXXVII. “All hell breaks loose on Halloween when a killer comes to Springfield and hacks their way through town,” Fox’s listing says. Bloody Disgusting and iHorror report that it streams on Hulu the day after it airs. The rest of this year’s Treehouse of Horror is in my Treehouse of Horror 2026 page.
Coven Academy (Freeform, Disney+, and Hulu). Freeform’s new teen-witch drama premiered Thursday, October 1 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, and the full season went to Disney+ and Hulu the next day. Set in New Orleans and created by Tim Federle, it stars Tiffani Thiessen and features a guest turn from Devon Sawa. It is the marquee new title on Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween this year. See our full write-up on Coven Academy.
Vampirina: Teenage Vampire, season 2 (Disney Channel and Disney+). The live-action musical series returned October 6 on Disney Channel, and the season went to Disney+ the next day. Kenzi Richardson stars as Vee, a young vampire keeping her identity secret at a human performing arts school, and this season she tries to make sense of a prophecy that says she and Elijah (Shaun Dixon) can never be together. Jodie Sweetin and Ava Jean join as recurring guest stars.
The Spirit of Halloween (Hallmark Channel and Hallmark+). Hallmark’s Halloween movie premiered Saturday, October 10, at 8/7c on Hallmark Channel and is streaming on Hallmark+. Meghan Ory plays Everly Stone, who is firmly anti-Halloween until three friendly but spooky spirits visit her, and Kevin McGarry plays Beau. For the Spirit Halloween stores, which share the name, see my Spirit Halloween locations guide.
Is It Cake? Halloween, season 2 (Netflix). Mikey Day hosts again as six hyper-realistic cake artists build spooky cakes to trick celebrity judges, with a cash prize and the title of Is It Cake? Halloween Champion on the line. The new season is on Netflix now with three episodes, each 36 to 41 minutes long. Its guest judges include Wednesday stars Hunter Doohan, Joy Sunday, and Isaac Ordonez, plus Bianca Belair, Blippi, Lil Rel Howery, Cedric Yarbrough, Kristen Schaal, and Paul Scheer.
Evil Dead Burn TV premiere (HBO and HBO Max). HBO gave Evil Dead Burn its TV premiere on Saturday, October 3 at 8 p.m. ET, after special showings of Evil Dead (2013) and Evil Dead Rise. The film has streamed exclusively on HBO Max since Friday, October 2. See my Halloween streaming guide for the rest of the season’s new horror.
Family Guy: Happy Hell-o-ween (Hulu). Family Guy’s 2026 Halloween special sends Brian and Stewie to Hell, where they answer for 24 seasons of bad behavior and, after annoying the Devil himself, end up running the place. Succession star Kieran Culkin guest stars as Satan. Revealed at San Diego Comic-Con, it has been streaming on Hulu since October 5 and is also on Disney+. See my full write-up on Family Guy’s Happy Hell-o-ween.
Spidey and the Avengers: Halloween Team-Up! (Disney Jr. and Disney+). This Marvel preschool crossover teams up the casts of Spidey and His Amazing Friends and Iron Man and His Awesome Friends. It premiered Thursday, September 24 on Disney Jr. and Disney Jr. on Demand, and it has streamed on Disney+ since Friday, September 25. The special features Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy as the villain Jack O’Lantern and Este Haim of HAIM as Hallows Eve, with new songs written by Stump, and it sets up the Avengers: Mightiest Friends series coming in 2027.
The Terrors of Jordan Mendoza (Adult Swim and HBO Max). Adult Swim’s new live-action horror-comedy premiered Sunday, September 13 at midnight ET/PT. Created by and starring comedian Jordan Mendoza, the quarter-hour series follows a very scared man through a barrage of absurd, terrifying dreamscapes, with guest turns from Steve Buscemi, Haley Joel Osment, Wanda Sykes, and more. See our full write-up on The Terrors of Jordan Mendoza.
A Very Haunted Renovation (HGTV and HBO Max). HGTV’s new competition series drops six designers into Bihl Manor, a mansion in Fremont, Ohio billed as one of America’s most haunted homes, to renovate it over 31 days for a $50,000 prize. The horror-heavy judging panel includes Elvira (Cassandra Peterson), Eli Roth, and Jack Osbourne. It premiered Tuesday, September 15 at 8|7c and streamed the next day on HBO Max. See our full write-up on A Very Haunted Renovation.
Returning Halloween Traditions
The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror XXXVII (Fox). The Simpsons’ Halloween episode airs Sunday, October 25 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Fox and opens with a stop-motion Nightmare Before Christmas sequence, with Bart as Jack Skellington and Marge as Sally. In the three stories, Marge’s shed keeps giving her new husbands, Bart and Santa’s Little Helper switch bodies, and Homer is in scary driver’s ed movies. See my full write-up on Treehouse of Horror 2026.
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is on Apple TV, where it streamed free on October 17 and 18. The Peanuts special has its 60th anniversary this year. The other kids’ classics and where each one streams are in my kids’ Halloween movies guide.
Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween. Freeform’s monthlong movie marathon returns for 2026 with a full month of Halloween films, family favorites, and franchise nights, including a Tim Burton night on October 16. See the complete 31 Nights of Halloween schedule for the nightly lineup.
AMC FearFest (AMC and AMC+). AMC’s annual horror marathon turns 30 this year, and the Crypt Keeper from Tales From the Crypt is hosting, voiced again by John Kassir. The Walking Dead director Greg Nicotero re-created the puppet at his KNB EFX studio and directed the new Crypt Keeper segments, which AMC calls the first new Crypt Keeper content in 30 years. FearFest started Thursday, October 1 with a Halloween kickoff marathon and runs more than 650 hours of horror films, series, and specials through October, including the Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, and Final Destination franchises, a Stephen King lineup, and Tales From the Crypt marathons. See the full AMC FearFest 2026 schedule, day by day.
How to Watch
The 2026 specials are spread across streaming services. Is It Cake? Halloween streams on Netflix. Family Guy’s Happy Hell-o-ween is a Hulu exclusive, while Spidey and the Avengers: Halloween Team-Up! aired first on Disney Jr. before moving to Disney+. AMC’s FearFest airs on AMC, and many of its movies also stream on AMC.com with a cable login or on AMC+. Broadcast staples generally air on their home networks in the weeks leading up to Halloween.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Family Guy 2026 Halloween special? Happy Hell-o-ween, a Hulu special sending Brian and Stewie to Hell with Kieran Culkin voicing Satan. It has been streaming on Hulu since October 5.
When is the Spidey and the Avengers Halloween special? Spidey and the Avengers: Halloween Team-Up! premiered September 24 on Disney Jr. and September 25 on Disney+.
When does AMC FearFest 2026 start? Thursday, October 1, on AMC and AMC+. The Crypt Keeper hosts this year for FearFest’s 30th anniversary. Every marathon is in the full FearFest schedule.
When does Vampirina: Teenage Vampire season 2 come out? It premiered October 6 on Disney Channel, and the season went to Disney+ on October 7.
When does Is It Cake? Halloween season 2 come out? It is on Netflix now, with three episodes.
Will more specials be added? Yes. This is a living guide, updated as networks and streamers confirm their Halloween 2026 lineups.
Last updated: October 11, 2026. This guide is updated as more Halloween 2026 TV specials are announced.
