Technically, Syfy‘s 31 Days of Halloween celebration started on Monday, but it really gets going tonight with the broadcast premiere of a special 90-minute episode of Paranormal Witness, “The Abduction.” Based on the 1975 UFO abduction case in Arizona, this docudrama will have you glued to your viewing device. It is astoundingly good.

At the other end of the month we’ll get to vote on the Face Off winner. In between will be episodes of Ghost Hunters and Syfy Original Movies and of course, the very excellent Haven.

TV Spot: Syfy – 31 Days of Halloween

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_trWr7Clw-M&hd=1[/youtube]

31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN
Premieres Monday, October 1 running through Wednesday, October 31 – Syfy’s annual month-long spook-a-thon showcases ghoulish programming from original series, original movies and theatrical films, concluding with a live Halloween episode of Face Off.

PARANORMAL WITNESS (SPECIAL EXTENDED EPISODE)

Premieres Wednesday, October 3 at 10PM – For the first time, all the key people involved in the most famous alien abduction case in history reveal what they saw and experienced during a special 90-minute episode of Paranormal Witness. In “The Abduction,” unparalleled eyewitness accounts, alongside original film and audio recordings, tell the story of the legendary 1975 abduction (and reappearance) of Arizona logger Travis Walton, whose five day UFO experience inspired the cult film, Fire in the Sky. Thirty-seven years later, Walton and the six loggers who lived through the events and ensuing investigation still stand by every word of their story. Other witnesses backing up their claims include the investigating sheriff, their polygraph analyst and the doctor who initially examined Walton after his reappearance.

AMERICAN HORROR HOUSE (NEW ORIGINAL MOVIE)

Premieres Saturday, October 13 at 9PM – On Halloween night, a sorority house is overrun with ghosts, while a vengeful housemother goes on a killing spree. American Horror stars Morgan Fairchild and Alessandra Torresani (Caprica).

RISE OF THE ZOMBIES (NEW ORIGINAL MOVIE)

Premieres Saturday, October 27 at 9PM – Survivors of a zombie plague escape their island refuge (Alcatraz) when it’s overrun and risk the outside world to find a scientist who is rumored to have found a cure for the disease. Rise of the Zombies stars Mariel Hemingway, LeVar Burton, Danny Trejo and French Stewart.

SCARE TACTICS (SEASON 5 MARATHON)

Premieres Monday, October 29 from 7:00-10:30PM – Host Tracy Morgan returns for this special marathon of all-new episodes of Scare Tactics, the hidden camera show with a sci-fi twist that pulls outrageous pranks on unsuspecting friends and family. In the season premiere, singer/actress Brooke Hogan makes her Scare Tactics debut as a ravenous zombie.

Elsewhere, sexy witches convince a handyman to help them in an off-kilter ritual and a repo man tries to avoid being turned into a human doll by a deranged shut-in.

TOTAL BLACKOUT (SPECIAL PREVIEW EPISODE)

Premieres Tuesday, October 29 at 10:30PM – Following the Scare Tactics marathon, tune in for a special preview episode of the hit Syfy extreme game show hosted by Jaleel White (Family Matters).

VIRAL VIDEO SHOWDOWN (NEW ORIGINAL SERIES)

Premieres Tuesday, October 30 at 10PM – From 495 Productions, the producers of Jersey Shore, and hosted by Kevin Pereira (Attack of the Show) Viral Video Showdown features the greatest viral video creators on the planet going head-to-head in an epic battle for bragging rights and a cash prize. Each week two teams will have to dig deep into their bag of viral tricks to create a video that best captures that week’s theme and impresses the expert panel of viral video judges.

FACE OFF LIVE FINALE (SPECIAL LIVE SEASON 3 FINALE)

Premieres Wednesday, October 31 at 10PM – Face Off unveils a crowning event for its third season with plans for its first live broadcast from Los Angeles on Halloween night. For the first time, America’s voice will be heard as viewers will make the final choice for the Season 3 champion via a live voting feature that will be available immediately following the October 30 episode. McKenzie Westmore will host the special event and reunite the contestants, including the three finalists who will find out live if they garnered enough viewer votes to win the season.

Click here for a clip from tonight’s Paranormal Witness, and click here to read our review.

It’s going to be a great month, Mafiosi!