Three ways to make an October evening

For a ghost-comedy evening, start with Ghostbusters and keep Beetlejuice as your second possibility. Both make room for the supernatural in everyday life, but their ghosts and humans have very different problems.

For a witch-night pairing, choose Hocus Pocus and Halloweentown. One begins with a dangerous return; the other with the discovery of a world that has been there all along.

For a television-special ritual, bring together Great Pumpkin and Garfield’s Halloween Adventure. Let the costumes and candy set the mood. Check current availability and content guidance before planning around a title; HMOT’s archive is not a live streaming guide.

Keep the plan small: one first choice, one backup, something to eat, and permission to call it a good evening after a single show.