13 Nights of Halloween Release

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WITCHES, WEREWOLVES AND WARLOCKS INVADE ABC FAMILY'S NINTH ANNUAL 13 NIGHTS OF HALLOWEEN

Includes ABC Family New Original Movie "Nature of the Beast" starring "Ugly Betty's" Eric Mabius and "American Pie's" Eddie Kaye Thomas

Line Up Also Includes The Basic Cable Premieres of "An American Haunting" and "Boogeyman"

   Burbank, CA (September 4, 2007) – ABC Family has a frightful line-up of new programming for its ninth annual 13 NIGHTS OF HALLOWEEN programming event.  The new ABC Family original movie "Nature of the Beast" and the basic cable premieres of "An American Haunting" and "Boogeyman" will join other Halloween themed programming airing the 13 nights leading up to Halloween (October 19 – October 31).
 
ABC Family's new original movie "Nature of the Beast," premiering Sunday, October 21 (8:00 – 10:00 PM ET/PT) is a darkly wicked tale of one happy couple's road to wedded bliss.  Julia and Rich are in the throes of planning their perfect wedding, when Rich's hairy secret is revealed – he is a werewolf. To Rich's surprise, Julia is SO not letting him off the hook, they're getting married.  Forget choosing silver – hit it!  The starring cast includes Eddie Kaye Thomas ("Til Death"), Autumn Reeser ("The O.C."), and Eric Mabius ("Ugly Betty") as a friend from the past who knows more about Rich's secret than he lets onto.

This year's 13 NIGHTS OF HALLOWEEN has two great films making their basic cable premiere.  The first premiere is "Boogeyman" on Tuesday, October 23 (9:00 – 11:00 PM ET/PT) and stars Barry Watson ("Samantha Who?"), Emily Deschanel ("Bones") and Lucy Lawless ("Battlestar Galactica").  Terrified by a childhood nightmare, Tim (Watson) must finally confront his fear of what lurks in the closet and in dark corners.  "An American Haunting" will premiere on Friday, October 26 (8:00 – 10:00 PM ET/PT). Based on true events, Donald Sutherland ("Dirty Sexy Money") and Sissy Spacek ("North Country") portray a couple in Tennessee who are tormented by an evil entity.

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Following is a listing of programming thrills and chills taking place October 19-31 during ABC Family's 13 NIGHTS OF HALLOWEEN.

Night One – Friday, October 19
Lock all the doors and windows as the 13 NIGHTS OF HALLOWEEN begins with E.T.   at 7:30 – 10:00 PM ET/PT.

Night Two – Saturday, October 20
The weekend is full of other-worldly apparitions beginning with an all day line-up of your favorite haunts.  The first ghost to welcome you is Casper, the friendliest ghost you will ever meet in Casper Meets Wendy at 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM ET/PT.  The day continues with a cauldron full of spells with the film Teen Witch (1:00 – 3:00 PM ET/PT) about one unpopular high school student who uses her new found powers to get revenge.  The eerie fun continues when Hocus Pocus airs at 3:00 – 5:00 PM ET/PT starring Bette Midler ("The Stepford Wives"), Sarah Jessica Parker ("Sex In The City") and Kathy Najimy ("Numb3rs").  Follow the Sanderson sisters on their quest for immortal life and the 300 year old cat that tries to spoil their dastardly plans.  Then true love is doomed in Tim Burton's Corpse Bride (5:00 – 7:00 PM ET/PT) when Victor (voiced by Johnny Depp, "Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest") finds himself mistakenly married to a corpse bride (voiced by Helena Bonham Carter, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory").  The evening comes to an electrifying end with back-to-back airings of the world's most lovable extraterrestrial E.T. (7:00 – 9:30 PM, 9:30 PM – 12:00 AM ET/PT).

Night Three – Sunday, October 21: "Nature of the Beast" Premieres
Witches, Werewolves and the Undead, oh my!  ABC Family brings all three to you on this hauntingly scary night.  Say this man's name three times and you are in for quite a terrifying ride!  Beetlejuice wreaks havoc for a married couple at 12:00 – 2:00 PM ET/PT.  The film stars Michael Keaton ("Herbie Fully Loaded"), Alec Baldwin ("30 Rock"), Geena Davis ("Commander in Chief") and Winona Ryder ("Mr. Deeds"). With an eye of newt and pinch of bats teeth the three Sanderson witches kick things off with Hocus Pocus at 2:00 – 4:00 PM ET/PT.  Then listen for the deadly wedding bells that are ringing for Victor and his undead bride in Tim Burton's Corpse Bride (4:00 – 6:00 PM ET/PT).  If you missed all of the hijinks earlier, catch an encore airing of Beetlejuice at 6:00 – 8:00 PM ET/PT.  The hair raising good times continue with the premiere of the ABC Family original movie Nature of the Beast (8:00 – 10:00 PM ET/PT) starring Eddie Kaye Thomas ("Til Death"), Autumn Reeser ("The O.C.") and Eric Mabius ("Ugly Betty").  If you missed the howling story of two love birds in peril, you can catch an encore presentation of Nature of the Beast at 10:00 PM – 12:00 AM ET/PT.

Night Four – Monday, October 22
Frightening terrors come to Friday night with the airing the horror classic Poltergeist at 7:30 – 10:00 PM ET/PT.  Craig T. Nelson ("The Incredibles"), JoBeth Williams ("Fever Pitch") and Heather O'Rourke ("Happy Days") fight the supernatural spirits that haunt their house.

Night Five – Tuesday, October 23
Check all closets and look under the bed because ABC Family is unleashing the basic cable premiere of Boogeyman (9:00 – 11:00 PM ET/PT) starring Barry Watson ("Samantha Who?"), Emily Deschanel ("Bones") and Lucy Lawless ("Battlestar Galactica").

Night Six – Wednesday, October 24
Back by popular demand, the ABC Family original film Nature of the Beast explores the darker side of love at 8:00 – 10:00 PM (ET/PT).    

Night Seven – Thursday, October 25
M. Night Shyamalan weaves his scary tale of an isolated town who believes the mythical creatures in the forest are out to get them in The Village (8:00 – 10:00 PM ET/PT).  The film stars Joaquin Phoenix ("Gladiator"), Adrien Brody ("Hollywoodland"), William Hurt ("The Good Shepherd"), Sigourney Weaver ("Infamous") and Bryce Dallas Howard ("Spider-Man 3").

Night Eight – Friday, October 26
Evil lurks in all areas and one couple from Tennessee (Donald Sutherland and Sissy Spacek) must deal with the entity that lurks in their house in the basic cable premiere of An American Haunting (8:00 – 10:00 PM ET/PT).

Night Nine – Saturday, October 27
At 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM, the screams and scares begin with a marathon of fan favorite Scariest Places on Earth.  Each eerie episode follows one brave family as they are challenged to spend the night in some of the world's scariest places.  The evening comes to a horrifying end at 8:00 PM – 12:00 AM ET/PT with the airing of Stephen King's It.  When a demonic creature dressed as a clown terrorizes their quiet town, seven youths must defeat it.  The film stars John Ritter ("8 Simple Rules"), Tim Curry ("Rocky Horror Picture Show"), Seth Green ("The Italian Job") and Annette O'Toole ("Smallville").
 
Night Ten – Sunday, October 28
A little lighter haunting fare fills the day, as we begin with Matilda (12:00 – 2:00 PM ET/PT) a story about one girl who uses her telekinetic powers to get rid of her evil principal and grouchy parents. The film stars Mara Wilson ("A Simple Wish"), Danny DeVito ("It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia") and Rhea Perlman ("Cheers").  At 2:00 – 4:00 PM ET/PT Jonathan Lipnicki stars as a boy who ends up befriending a vampire in The Little Vampire.  Then at 4:00 – 6:00 PM follow the tale of a friendly ghost named Casper, starring Christina Ricci ("Monster") and Bill Pullman ("The Grudge").  If you missed it earlier in the day, catch up with Matilda and her unbelievable powers in an encore showing (6:00 – 8:00 PM ET/PT).  The Scooby gang reunites when each member arrives to a mysterious island to investigate strange occurrences in Scooby-Doo (8:00 – 10:00 PM ET/PT).  The film stars Freddie Prinze Jr. ("Freddie"), Sarah Michelle Gellar ("The Grudge"), Matthew Lillard ("The Groomsmen") and Linda Cardellini ("ER").  The evening comes to a screaming halt with the airing of Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (10:00PM – 12:00 AM ET/PT).  The Scooby squad is back at it, this time trying to track down a masked villain who wreaks havoc at the Coolsville Museum of Criminology.

Night Eleven – Monday, October 29
Come meet the friendliest ghost you'll ever meet in Casper (8:00 – 10:00 PM ET/PT) as a paranormal expert (Bill Pullman, "The Grudge") and his daughter (Christina Ricci, "Monster") stay in an abandoned house full of mischievous spirits.

Night Twelve – Tuesday, October 30
"Grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize" with the airing of The Haunted Mansion at 9:00 – 11:00 PM ET/PT.  Eddie Murphy ("Shrek") stars as a father who brings his family to a haunted house that hides a much darker secret.

Night Thirteen – Wednesday, October 31
The petrifying thrills come to a frightening end on the most haunted night of the year.  To celebrate this ominous night, ABC Family will air Poltergeist (7:30 – 10:00 PM ET/PT).  The story of one girl's supernatural connection that brings evil spirits into her family's house stars Craig T. Nelson ("The Incredibles"), JoBeth Williams ("Fever Pitch") and Heather O'Rourke ("Happy Days").