Hallowe'en TV Documentaries and Autumnwatch

Television channels usually show a few documentaries about witches, the occult and the supernatural over Hallowe'en, in among the horror films and Hallowe'en-themed specials. Here are some of the documentaries that could be worth watching in the coming week:

How the Devil Got His Horns; Monday 28 October, 9pm. BBC4
Art Historian Alastair Sooke looks at how early Christian images of Lucifer show him as an angel, without horns. It wasn't until the Middle Ages that artists depicted the devil with horns, having turned to images of ancient pagan gods for inspiration. The pictures they painted, according to Alastair Sooke, were "more porno than inferno".

Horror Europa With Mark Gatiss; Tuesday 29 October, 9pm. BBC4
Horror film buff Mark Gatiss goes on a trip through Europe looking at the inspiration for horror movies.

Horrible Histories; Wednesday 31 October, 4.30pm. BBC1
Scary Hallowe'en edition about ghosts and superstitions

Autumnwatch
Unconnected to Hallowe'en except for the date it is being shown, a new series of Autumnwatch also starts this week on BBC2 - something I look forward to every year. Apparently it has a new format this season, and is only on for four days. It will be followed by Winterwatch for four days in January.

The picture shows devils in a fresco detail from the Rila Monastery, Bulgaria. The photo was taken by Edal Anton Lefterov