Tuesday, October 23, 2018

13 Halloween TV Episodes to Watch Every October


I love revisiting some of my favorite Halloween TV episodes every October! My only problem is narrowing it down every year to a few favorites so I actually have time to watch them, haha! This year, I'm sticking with these 13 favorites, from a variety of TV genres like drama, horror, and (gasp!) comedy! I feel like whether you like the spooky stuff or not, these all offer some Halloween spirit for everyone!

And I realize there are about a bazillion other Halloween episodes I could have chosen, but these are the 13 I'm working through this year. If you have different ones you watch, please let me know in the comments, I want to know your favorites!

Here are 13 of my fave TV Halloween episodes I am re-watching this month in preparation for Halloween:
  1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer "Halloween" - In episode six of season two, Buffy and her friends are transformed into the characters represented by the Halloween costumes they purchased from a shady proprietor. This is definitely one of my favorite Halloween episodes! Just think if you were transformed into whatever Halloween costume you were wearing! This is available to stream on Hulu.
  2. Freaks and Geeks "Tricks and Treats" - This is episode three of Freaks and Geeks' only season, and it totally hits on everything everyone has experienced growing up - just when are you too old to go trick or treating? In this episode, Sam and his friends go out for one last trick or treating adventure, only to find it dampened by bullies, people not understanding their costumes, and others accusing them of being too old to trick or treat. Meanwhile, his sister Lindsay wreaks havoc with her friends and his parents are disappointed their kids don't want to spend the evening passing out treats with them.
  3. The Simpsons "Treehouse of Horror" - Pretty much any and all of them (though there are a few seasons that did have duds). The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror episodes should be on everyone's list of TV episodes to watch around Halloween!
  4. Roseanne "Boo" - Roseanne always had the best Halloween episodes, but this very first one from the second season is my favorite, as it sets the stage for the scary pranks Dan and Roseanne play on each other as well as the fun costumes the whole family puts together. 
  5. Bob's Burgers "The Hauntening" - In season 6, episode 3, when Louise insists that she cannot be scared, the Belchers decide to put on their own haunted house to try to scare here...but then strange things start happening to the family. I see a lot of myself in Louise, and one of the things we have in common is that I don't scare easy in haunted houses. So this episode hit close to home with me! You can stream this episode (and their other excellent Halloween episodes) on Hulu!
  6. American Horror Story: Murder House "Halloween Pt. 1" and "Halloween Pt. 2" - Available on Netflix and Hulu, Murder House is one of my favorite seasons of AHS. They have done numerous Halloween episodes, but I love how this one captures the essence of Halloween, with the dead able to wander the earth again to attend to unfinished business, not to mention the Murder House being spruced up for All Hallow's Eve. 
  7. The Office "Halloween" - Available on Netflix, this is the first Halloween episode of the show and appears in the second season. Michael is told to fire someone by the end of the day on Halloween. While in costume, the staff discusses who should stay and who should go.
  8. Dead Like Me "Haunted" - I loved this series when it was on, and this is the series finale (until the follow-up movie came around) that took place on Halloween. This is episode 15 of the second (and final) season, and the reapers are picking up the victims of a serial killer that is stalking the neighborhood. Also, on Halloween, legend has it that reapers can be seen by the living as they looked when they were alive, which makes Georgia want to visit her mom and sister.
  9. Parks and Rec "Greg Pikitis" - In the seventh episode of the second season, Leslie is after her arch-nemesis, a teenage vandal that defaces the park's statue every Halloween while Ann tries to throw a fun Halloween party. This is available to stream on Netflix and is just an all-around fun Halloween episode full of hijinks from the Parks and Rec crew.
  10. My So-Called Life "Halloween" - As someone who grew up in the '90s, I fondly remember this melancholy Halloween episode of My So-Called Life, where Angela breaks into the school to try and contact the ghost of a student that died years ago on school grounds. 
  11. Stranger Things Season 2 "Trick or Treat, Freak" - Speaking of nostalgia, I love this Halloween episode from season two of Stranger Things, especially when the group dresses up like the ghostbusters on Halloween! And the scenes of kids trick or treating on Halloween night in '80s costumes just brings me a rush of joy! The plot continues to follow the group, with Will having a terrifying vision on Halloween night, Mike feeling hostile about not being able to find Eleven, Dustin and Lucas make a new friend, and Eleven just wants to celebrate Halloween though Hopper thinks it is too dangerous for her to leave the hideaway.
  12. Community "Epidemiology" - At a Halloween party, the students of Greendale Community College ingest toxic taco meat, turning them into zombie-like creatures. Greendale students, including Pierce, ingest a biohazardous substance at a Halloween party that turns them into zombies; some must save themselves and the school when they are locked in with infected students. This episode from season two is the first Halloween episode of the series, and one of the best. 
  13. Scream Queens "Haunted House" - In season one, this Halloween episode (one of two in this season) introduced us to Chanel-o-Ween, all while the Red Devil stalks the campus while Kappa Kappa Tau plan a haunted house. Ummm I love Scream Queens and this Halloween episode is no different! 
These are 13 of my favorite Halloween TV episodes to watch every October, what are yours?

Stay spooky!

1 comment:

  1. One of my favorites is the "Hellowe'en" episode from the first season of Friday the 13th: The Series. Good, 80s, horror fun!

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