Retro RePost: Fox's Halloween Bash from 1994

The world is so different now.  

I was trying to explain television programming blocks to my daughter, specifically ones programmed for a holiday.  Thanks to a particular episode of "Bluey," she now considers the 80s and 90s to be "weird and wild," which, I guess, I could see how someone born during this generation would see it that way.  It didn't help that she started quoting this episode when I explained how "it used to be."

I was trying to explain how we couldn't watch anything on demand at any time. I also tried to explain how difficult it was to record something rather than just one click and done.  

She looked at me like I was confused or lying, and I realized I may as well stop talking because her world of streaming and immediacy just doesn't compute with our old pre-digital world.  

Before I gave up, though, I told her how we would rush home from trick-or-treating (or anything) to ensure we could watch certain events.  We'd look forward to a new show or movie for WEEKS; if we missed it, we'd likely never have another opportunity to see it again.  As a kid, I really enjoyed trick-or-treating, but I enjoyed rushing home for the Halloween television specials even more.  

For comparison, we began watching Halloween shows in August this year thanks to streaming.  

The town we live in has a set time for trick-or-treating.  What a fantastic concept!  Where we used to live, it was a free-for-all all day long. The little ones would come around 1:30pm or 2 to get their candy in before nap time.  Then, when their older siblings got home from school, they'd all come around again all evening.  The teenagers who didn't even bother to wear costumes would come around 9:30 or 10pm, even if your porch light was long turned off. 

Here, everyone goes out during the two-hour window, and then it's done. Blissful! No doorbells ring late, no dogs bark, and no constant getting up during dinner.  

It was not so for little Jeff, I told her.  Most television stations did not broadcast good Halloween programming until the week of Halloween.  With so much to choose from and so little air time, I couldn't even guarantee I'd get to watch my favorite in case something was on one channel and I wanted to watch a program on another.  

One of the "special events" I looked forward to each year was the Fox Halloween Bash.

The Fox Halloween Bash was an annual programming block run on the Fox Network. It ran from 1991 to 1996 and typically ran for a complete or half-week leading up to Halloween.  The network offered spooky movies or Halloween-themed episodes of its shows in primetime.  Celebrity hosts would get a few minutes in between commercials for light banter or pre-taped comedic vignettes.  They'd promote the shows and the network's sponsors, and we'd head right back into the Halloween episode.  

These little segments were enjoyable, and some were quite memorable.  My favorite was the 1994 Bash, which starred... Who else?  Elvira!

Please Click Here To Read All About the Fox Halloween Bash!