FearFest 2026 Programming to be Hosted by the Crypt Keeper
AMC Global Media today announced that the Crypt Keeper, the underground icon from the beloved ’90s cult classic Tales from the Crypt, voiced by John Kassir, will be the official host of FearFest 2026, marking the 30th anniversary of the epic horror celebration. The annual horror and genre programming event, featuring over 650 hours of iconic horror films, franchises, new series, specials and more, kicks off Thursday, October 1 on AMC and AMC+.
Famed special effects master, AMC’s longtime creative partner and The Walking Dead director, Greg Nicotero (Creepshow, Guts & Glory) re-created the legendary puppet for a ghoulish refresh, leveraging his expertise in practical effects and creature design to update the Crypt Keeper’s signature look, movement and personality for today’s audiences.
In collaboration with AMC Global Media’s Content Room, the company’s in-house branded entertainment studio, Nicotero directed the Crypt Keeper segments for FearFest 2026 with Kassir providing the signature cackle and wit that cemented the Crypt Keeper’s legacy.
“What a great honor and privilege to re-create this iconic character and get a chance to revisit some of his clever quips and puns with John Kassir again reprising his role,” said Nicotero. “Having the chance to re-create Kevin Yagher’s amazing puppet at my studio KNB EFX and get the opportunity to ‘direct him’ in a series of FearFest spots was like going back in time and I couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome.”
“FearFest has long been one of AMC’s most beloved horror traditions, and we couldn’t be happier to resurrect the Crypt Keeper as this year’s master of ‘scary-monies’ as we celebrate 30 years of FearFest,” said Kim Granito, chief marketing officer for AMC Global Media.
“Revived by Greg Nicotero, a master of special effects and genre storytelling, the Crypt Keeper will give fans a fresh and wickedly fun gateway into our incredible horror library. “We’re also proud to partner once again with Bacardi, a brand that perfectly complements FearFest and our celebration of the spirit, creativity and community of horror fandom.”
In addition to marathons of Tales from the Crypt, FearFest 2026 programming highlights include seasonal favorites and nostalgic franchises such as Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Final Destination, Insidious and the Stephen King library, including It (2017), IT the mini-series, The Shining, Misery and Christine.
The lineup also includes AMC premiere of The Terror: Devil in Silver, AMC+’s new supernatural thriller YAGA, starring Carrie-Anne Moss (The Matrix films, Humans), Noah Reid (Schitt’s Creek, The Vampire Lestat) and Hudson Williams (Heated Rivalry), plus themed marathons, such as “Fear the 80s” (Silver Bullet, Christine, Poltergeist, etc.), “Creature Feature” (Tremors, Lake Placid, Pet Sematary, etc.) and more.
FEARFEST 2026 PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE
ORIGINAL AND EXCLUSIVE HIGHLIGHTS
YAGA (AMC+ Exclusive Series) – Two-Episode Series Premiere Friday, October 23 on AMC+; New Episodes Continue Weekly until the Season Finale on November 27
Based on the hit play by showrunner and writer Kat Sandler, YAGA follows Rapp (Noah Reid, Schitt’s Creek, The Vampire Lestat), a private investigator who arrives in a small coastal town to investigate the disappearance of a young heir to a powerful fishery, Henry Park (Hudson Williams, Heated Rivalry).
He finds himself at odds with an apprehensive local detective, Carson (Clark Backo, Venom: The Last Dance, Letterkenny), a charismatic university professor with a taste for younger men, Katherine (Carrie-Anne Moss, The Matrix Films, Humans), and a labyrinth of enigmatic suspects, secret lives, and ancient magic.
The Terror: Devil in Silver (AMC Original Series Premiere) – Series Premieres Sunday, September 20 at 9:00 pm ET on AMC until the Season Finale on October 25; Binge all Episodes Now on AMC+
The newest installment in the acclaimed horror anthology, executive produced by Ridley Scott, stars Dan Stevens (Legion, Downton Abbey) as Pepper – a working-class moving man who, through a combination of bad luck and a bad temper, finds himself wrongfully committed to New Hyde Psychiatric Hospital – an institution filled with those society would rather forget.
There, he must contend with patients working against him, doctors harboring grim secrets, and perhaps even the Devil himself. As Pepper navigates a hellscape where nothing is as it seems, he finds that the only path to freedom is to face the entity which thrives on the suffering within New Hyde’s walls – but doing so may prove that the worst demons of all live inside him.
Tales From the Crypt – All Seven Seasons Available on SVOD Exclusively on AMC+ and Shudder
Tales from the Crypt, the popular 90s horror anthology series inspired by the 1950s EC Comics, is back! Each episode is a self-contained story often featuring well-known talent and directors – and hosted by the Crypt Keeper (John Kassir), a wisecracking corpse known for his macabre puns.
With its signature unrestricted gore, profanity, and dark irony, the show’s episode styles range from comedy to drama and deliver twisted moral lessons where “bad people” meet poetically horrific ends – and issues like greed, lust, and moral decay lead to tragic consequences.
The Vampire Lestat (AMC Original Series) – Full Season Available to Binge Now Exclusively on AMC+
In the latest rock-and-roll-centric season, the Vampire Lestat (Sam Reid) goes on an electric, multi-city tour while haunted by “muses” from his wild and rebellious past. As his band’s popularity and star power rise, so does Lestat’s influence over vampires and humans alike, leaving others to contend with Lestat’s power in the face of the Great Conversion, an unnatural surge in the vampire population.
The series also stars Jacob Anderson, Assad Zaman, Eric Bogosian, Delainey Hayles and Jennifer Ehle.
The Walking Dead: Dead City (AMC Original Series) – Season 3 Available to Binge Now Exclusively on AMC+
In season three, Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) finally put aside their differences to build the first thriving community in Manhattan since the apocalypse, but when chaos in the city begins to arise, they are forced to question: have they learned from their old wounds or will their dark past spell doom for the entire city?
Also starring Jimmi Simpson, Raúl Castillo, Aimee Garcia, Logan Kim and Michael Emery.
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 1 – FearFest Halloween Kickoff Marathon
11 am: Halloween III: Season of the Witch
1 pm: Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
3 pm: Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
5 pm: Halloween II (1981)
7 pm: Halloween (1978)
9 pm: TNA iMPACT!
11 pm: Tales from the Crypt Marathon
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 2 – AMC Celebrates Insidious Marathon
8 pm: Insidious (15th Anniversary)
10:30 pm: Insidious: Chapter 2
1 am: Insidious: Chapter 3
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 3 – Stephen King Marathon
6:30 am: Graveyard Shift
8:30 am: Pet Sematary
10:30 am: Silver Bullet
12:30 pm: Stephen King’s It Part 1
2:45 pm: Stephen King’s It Part 2
5 pm: Christine
7 pm: It (2017)
10 pm: Carrie (2013)
12:15 am: Misery
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 4 – Slasher Sunday
12:15 pm: Halloween (2007)
2:45 pm: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
5 pm: Friday the 13th (1980)
7 pm: Halloween II (1981)
9 pm: The Terror: Devil In Silver Episode 103
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 5 – Final Destination Marathon
8 pm: Final Destination (2000)
10 pm: Final Destination 2
12 am: The Final Destination (2009)
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 6
5:45 pm: Thir13een Ghosts
7:45 pm: Ghost Ship
9:45 pm: Jeepers Creepers
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 7 – Chucky Marathon
3 pm: Child’s Play 3
5 pm: Child’s Play 2
7 pm: Child’s Play (1988)
9 pm: Bride of Chucky
11 pm: Seed of Chucky
1 am: Curse of Chucky
3 am: Cult of Chucky
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 8
4:30 pm: Stephen King’s It Part 1
6:45 pm: Stephen King’s It Part 2
9 pm: TNA iMPACT!
11 pm: Carrie (2013)
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 9 – Run Michael Run Marathon
1 pm: Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
3 pm: Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
5 pm: Halloween II (1981)
7 pm: Halloween (1978)
9 pm: Halloween (2007)
11:30 pm: Halloween II (2009)
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 10 – Creature Feature
11 am: Leprechaun
1 pm: Gremlins
3:30 pm: The Fly
5:30 pm: The Thing
8 pm: Tremors
10 pm: Lake Placid
12 am: Cujo
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 11 – Stephen King Marathon
7 am: Silver Bullet
9 am: Children of the Corn
11:15 am: Misery
1:45 pm: Christine
3:45 pm: Carrie
6 pm: It (2017)
9 pm: The Terror: Devil In Silver Episode104
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 12 – Nightmare on Elm Street Marathon
11 am: A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child
1 pm: A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
3:15 pm: Wes Craven’s New Nightmare
5:45 pm: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
8 pm: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984
10:15 pm: A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge
12:15 am: A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
2:15 am: Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 13
5:30 pm: House of Wax
8 pm: Thir13en Ghosts
10 pm: Ghost Ship
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 14
6 pm: Halloween (1978)
8 pm: Christine
10 pm: It (2017)
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 15
4 pm: Halloween II (2009)
6:30 pm: Halloween (2007)
9 pm: TNA iMPACT!
11 pm: Ghost Ship
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 16 – Friday the 13th Marathon
10 am: Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday
12 pm: Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan
2 pm: Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives
4 pm: Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood
6 pm: Friday the 13th (1980)
8 pm: Friday the 13th Part 2
10 pm: Friday the 13th Part III
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 17 – Final Destination Double Marathon
7 pm: Final Destination (2000)
9 pm: Final Destination 2
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 18 – Freddy vs Jason Marathon
6:15 am: Friday the 13th Part III
8:15 am: Friday the 13th (1980)
10:15 am: Friday the 13th Part 2
12:15 pm: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
2:30 pm: A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge
4:30 pm: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
6:45 pm: Freddy vs Jason
9 pm: The Terror: Devil in Silver Episode105
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 19
5 pm: From Dusk Till Dawn
7 pm: Tremors
9 pm: Jeepers Creepers
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 20
6 pm: Friday the 13th (2009)
8 pm: Halloween (2007)
10:30 pm: Halloween II (2009)
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 21 – Insidious Marathon
7 pm: Insidious
9:30 pm: Insidious: Chapter 2
12 am: Insidious: Chapter 3
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 22
5 pm: Tremors
7 pm: Lake Placid
9 pm: TNA iMPACT!
11 pm: Final Destination (2000)
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 23
5:45 pm: Carrie
8 pm: It (2017)
11 pm: Silver Bullet
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 24 – Fear the ’80s
7:30 am: The Return of the Living Dead
9:30 am: Cujo
11:30 am: The Fly
1:30 pm: Fright Night
4 pm: The Lost Boys
6 pm: Christine
8 pm: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
10:15 pm: Friday the 13th (1980)
12:15 am: Halloween III: Season of the Witch
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 25 – Halloween Marathon
10:30 am: Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
12:30 pm: Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
2:30 pm: Halloween (2007)
5 pm: Halloween II (1981)
7 pm: Halloween (1978)
9 pm: The Terror: Devil In Silver Episode 106
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 26 – Friday the 13th Marathon
9 am: Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives
11 am: Friday the 13th: A New Beginning
1 pm: Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood
3 pm: Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan
5 pm: Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday
7 pm: Friday the 13th (2009)
9 pm: Friday the 13th (1980)
11 pm: Friday the 13th Part 2
1 am: Freddy vs. Jason
3:15 am: Friday the 13th Part III
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 27 – Nightmare on Elm Street Marathon
4:45 pm: Freddy vs. Jason
7 pm: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
9:15 pm: A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge
11:15 pm: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
1:30 am: A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 28 – Final Destination Marathon
6 pm: Final Destination (2000)
8 pm: Final Destination 2
10 pm: The Final Destination (2009)
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 29
6 pm: It (2017)
9 pm: TNA iMPACT!
11 pm: Thir13en Ghosts
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 30 – Halloween on Halloween Marathon
4:30 am: Halloween (1978)
6:30 am: Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
8:30 am: Halloween II (2009)
11 am: Halloween III: Season of the Witch
1 pm: Halloween (1978)
3 pm: Halloween II (1981)
5 pm: Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
7 pm: Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
9 pm: Halloween (1978)
11 pm: Halloween (2007)
1:30 am: Halloween II (2009)
4 am: Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 31 – Halloween on Halloween Marathon
6 am: Halloween II (1981)
8 am: Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
10 am: Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
12 pm: Halloween II (2009)
2:30 pm: Halloween III: Season of the Witch
4:30 pm: Halloween (2007)
7 pm: Halloween (1978)
9 pm: Halloween II (1981)
11 pm: Halloween (1978)
1 am: Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
2 am: Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
AVAILABLE NOVEMBER 1 – Halloween Hangover
6 am: Christine
8 am: Halloween (1978)
10 am: The Terminator
12:30 pm: Predator
3 pm: Men in Black
5 pm: Men in Black II
7 pm: Jurassic World Dominion
