TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE

"The Village" (2004), 4:30 p.m., FX. If you haven't heard about this movie, that's good. Don't discuss it with anyone; settle back and savor the twists that work wonderfully as a metaphor or adventure. In this wooded village, elders warn of the creatures lurking nearby. People must cling to each other and to the old ways. Then a blind woman (the excellent Bryce Dallas Howard, Ron's daughter) makes a perilous trip. The huge plot holes are forgiven because of writer-director M. Night Shyamalan's brilliant work. It's the best of tonight's Halloween films.

"Independent Lens: The World According to Sesame Street," 9 p.m., PBS. Life can be brutal for kids in many countries. They face AIDS in South Africa, hunger in Bangladesh, hatred in Kosovo. In each of those countries a local "Sesame Street" was created, giving kids glimpses of warmth, fun and hope. This documentary (opening the "Lens" season) reminds us what some smart Muppets can accomplish in the U.S. and beyond.