TCM Spotlights Classic Thrillers & Chillers as Creepy Cinema Unveils Its October Schedule
Time to dust off the plastic bats and unpack the 12-foot skeletons from Home Depot that got the HOA into a tizzy last year. Halloween season has arrived, and Turner Classic Movies is rolling out its killer lineup of Creepy Cinema.
Presented by the winning duo of actor-comedian Mario Cantone and journalist Ben Mankiewicz, each Friday in October brings a double bill of chilling, thrilling tales guaranteed to keep viewers in the Halloween spirit through October 31. For five Fridays, TCM serves up eerie atmosphere, sinister shadows, wicked women, evildoers aplenty, and more for cinephiles eager for an elevated experience.
‘Rain’ (Courtesy Everett Collection)
Cinematic rivals Bette Davis and Joan Crawford kick things off on October 3 with a double serving of overlooked gems. First up is one of Joan’s early features, Rain (1932), a pre-Code thriller adapted from the Somerset Maugham story about the clash between repression and desire. Crawford takes on the role of Sadie Thompson, a prostitute stranded during a tropical storm who becomes the target of obsession, hypocrisy, and tragedy.
Davis follows with Another Man’s Poison (1951), a noir pic in which she plays a mystery writer whose late husband’s criminal partner arrives at her remote home, shattering her world with murder, blackmail, and deception.
‘In Cold Blood’ (Courtesy Everett Collection)
Creepy Cinema ends with TCM Terror-Thon, in which the network offers two twisted tales perfect for haunting the psyche. The first is Richard Brooks’ unnerving interpretation of Truman Capote’s novel, In Cold Blood (1967), and the other is Joseph Cates’ Who Killed Teddy Bear? (1965), a gritty psychological thriller about a nightclub DJ (Sal Mineo) who becomes dangerously obsessed with a fellow employee.
Here is a look at the full schedule for October:
October 3: “Bette & Joan, but Not What Ever Happened To Baby Jane“
Rain (1932) – Directed by Lewis Milestone; Starring Joan Crawford, Walter Huston, Beulah Bondi
Another Man’s Poison (1951) – Directed by Irving Rapper; Starring Bette Davis, Gary Merrill
October 10: “Trapped in Trouble” – Claustrophobic Thrillers
He Ran All the Way (1951) – Directed by John Berry; Starring John Garfield, Shelley Winters, Wallace Ford
Die! Die! My Darling! (1965) – Directed by Silvio Narizzano; Starring Tallulah Bankhead, Stefanie Powers, Maurice Kaufmann
October 17: “All about Gene Tierney“
Leave Her to Heaven (1945) – Directed by John M. Stahl; Starring Gene Tierney, Cornel Wilde
Black Widow (1954) – Directed by Nunnally Johnson; Starring Gene Tierney, Ginger Rogers, George Raft, Van Helflin
October 24: “The Masters of Suspense“
Suspicion (1941) – Directed by Alfred Hitchcock; Starring Cary Grant, Joan Fontaine
The Fury (1978) – Directed by Brian De Palma; Starring Kirk Douglas, John Cassavetes, Amy Irving
October 31: TCM Terror-Thon
In Cold Blood (1967) – Directed by Richard Brooks; Starring Robert Blake, Scott Wilson, John Forsythe
Who Killed Teddy Bear? (1965) – Directed by Joseph Cates; Starring Sal Mineo, Elaine Stritch, Juliet Prowse
Click here to download the full October 2025 TCM schedule.
Remind