35 Best Halloween TV Episodes That Are More Fun Than Frightening
October just got a whole lot better!
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Everyone loves watching a holiday TV episode, especially when that holiday is Halloween! Seeing your favorite characters dress up in costume and attend fun Halloween parties makes the plot feel all the more relatable. Plus, these specific episodes tend to be filled with a little extra drama, which is always more exciting. But, which show has the best Halloween TV episode? That's a hard question to answer because there are so many good ones out there. Just look at the list of iconic Halloween episodes below and you'll see what we mean!
Sitcoms like Friends and The Office have multiple Halloween-themed episodes that skirt the scares and give us some good laughs instead. (Who could forget Michael Scott's two-headed costume or Ross Geller's punny twist on Sputnik?) Meanwhile, series like Pretty Little Liars and Buffy the Vampire Slayer go all in on the chills and thrills in their Halloween episodes. (You might not want to watch these right before bedtime!)
The best part is that it doesn't have to be October 31 to watch these Halloween episodes. Anytime is the right time to give these specials a stream—just be sure to have some of these Halloween appetizers when you do!
Turn your TV into a Halloween mania:
The Mindy Project — "Halloween"
When Josh invites Mindy to a prestigious Halloween party, she frantically searches for the perfect costume to impress him. Meanwhile, Danny and Jeremy sneak out of work early to (finally) take their driver's license tests. You'll want to see how it all hilariously goes down!
That '70s Show — "Too Old to Trick or Treat, Too Young to Die"
In a homage to Alfred Hitchcock, this entertaining episode follows the gang on Halloween as they find themselves caught in a series of strange situations—from roof chases and stalkers to feeding crows!
Black-ish — "Jacked o' Lantern"
In this scarily funny episode, Dre's cousin (who he is terrified of), and Dre's children's cousins (who they are similarly terrified of) stop by for Halloween. Their presence leads to a chaotic holiday special full of family feuds and plenty of laughter!
Glee — "The Rocky Horror Glee Show"
Fans of The Rocky Horror Picture Show will enjoy singing along as the New Directions cover seven songs from the cult classic musical movie. But as Will chooses to produce the musical just to reconnect with Emma while Sue encourages him for nefarious reasons, will the Glee Club actually be able to put on the show as planned?
WandaVision — "All-New Halloween Spooktacular!"
It's Halloween in Westview! Wanda and Pietro take the twins trick-or-treating while Vision sneaks off to wander the small town. He then grows suspicious as he notices the townspeople acting strangely, the further they are from Wanda. Not even costumes can hide the fact that their fictional world is starting to crumble!
Derry Girls — “Halloween”
Fatboy Slim concert on Halloween? Nothing sounds better than that to the Derry Girls (Erin and Clare... and the rest of the gang.) If you know anything about this group, then you're aware that things did not go entirely to plan.
Abbott Elementary — “Candy Zombies”
Halloween at an elementary school means costumes, excitement, and sugar. Lots and lots of sugar. Though, over at Abbott, you can expect things to be turned up a notch—especially with Janine, who decided that dressing up as James Harden was the way to go this year.
Curb Your Enthusiasm — "Trick or Treat"
Some people are too old to be trick-or-treating, and Larry from Curb Your Enthusiasm will make that known. So when two women show up to his door step for some candy, he decides to let them know why they should be ashamed.
Angel — "Life of the Party"
Being naturally green and having horns coming from your forehead doesn't seem desirable ever, but on Halloween, it's pretty natural! Lorne (the monster in question) takes this as his opportunity to throw a party for his friends, but it quickly goes south when uninvited demons from another realm begin showing up.
The Goldbergs — “Who Are You Going to Telephone”
Beverly Goldberg plans to spend Halloween how she spends most of her days: with her kids. Though, her kids have other things in mind... like being with their friends and sharing candy with their crushes. Will Beverly take it well?
The Addams Family — "Halloween With The Addams Family"
Halloween is the perfect opportunity for these two robbers to disguise themselves before entering the Addams' house party. Though, if there's one fact about Thing (the looming hand), it's that nothing gets past him!
Ugly Betty — "The Lyin', The Watch And The Wardrobe"
Betty made the unfortunate mistake of being the only one to show up in a Halloween outfit at the office party. Can she shake the embarrassment or will being the the subject of corporate gossip be a little too much for her?
New Girl — "Halloween"
The friend group in New Girl are horrified of commitment—even more-so than Halloween! So, you can imagine just how petrified they are when they all face some sort of relationship problem in this episode.
Community — "Epidemiology"
For our eclectic crew of characters that make up Community, the horrifying trope of a zombie epidemic becomes a reality when a bunch of them accidentally eat food products that are contaminated with a virus. Oh, and they learn all of this at a Halloween party.
Frasier — "Halloween"
Roz is feeling pretty shaken up during this episode, but it's not because of Halloween. Instead, she realizes that she may be expecting a child, and more people know this secret than she thinks.
Freaks and Geeks — "Tricks and Treats"
Say hello to '80s costumes, angsty teens, and childhood nostalgia! Freaks and Geeks may have only gone on one season, but each episode was golden, including this Halloween special that centered around Sam, Bill, and Neal and their decision to trick-or-treat one last time before "growing up."
The Vampire Diaries — "Haunted"
Vicky is a newish vampire, which means her thirst for blood is strong! But that's honestly the least of her concerns—because the Halloween party is coming up, and there's sure to be loads of drama...
Stranger Things — “Trick or Treat, Freak”
Stranger Things as a whole is already creepy, but this episode specifically just screams Halloween! It sees Will and his crew go trick-or-treating, where they receive a load of candy, plus something a little more sinister.
My So-Called Life — "Halloween"
No one actually thinks summoning the spirit from a deceased person is a good idea. Yet, it's exactly what Angela (Claire Danes) and her friends do when they find out a student at their school died within its walls some decades prior. What happens after makes them all regret it!
The Suite Life of Zack & Cody — "The Ghost of Suite 613"
Haunted hotels are nothing but a myth. That's what Zach, Cody, and the rest of gang tell themselves, at least. Their confidence on that claim starts to dwindle when a ghost finally makes an appearance, scaring the socks off of everyone!
Josiah is the Digital Content Producer for the commerce team at Popular Mechanics, Best Products, Runner’s World, and Bicycling Magazine. He also writes for “BIO Buys”—a column on Biography.com—giving readers the lowdown on what products their favorite celebs are using. In another life, Josiah was an editor at ThePioneerWoman.com, where he sharpened his expertise on all things lifestyle, food-news, and entertainment. Outside work related matters, he’s a fan of Studio Ghibli films, unimportant reality TV drama, and melancholy Lorde songs.
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