Fall TV died a slow and painful death many years ago. But that doesn’t mean we’ve all lost the plot on Halloween. Even in the streaming era, television shows still know when to drop the occasional Halloween episode, wherein familiar fictional characters dress up as other familiar fictional characters. So now is a great time to throw on a few favorites while you put together your last-minute costume. (You do have a costume, right?)
If horror movies, even the not so-scary ones, aren’t the vibe you’re looking for, let good ol’ TV help set the tone for All Hallows' Eve. From classic shows like The Brady Bunch to more modern favorites like Abbott Elementary, there is no shortage of great Halloween-themed episodes to binge before November 1. In the spirit of Halloween, Esquire’s entertainment editors spent some time digging through our favorites to settle on the best 30 Halloween episodes ever.
Grab some candy corn, put on your coziest jack-o'-lantern socks, and settle on the couch. These are the best Halloween-themed episodes of TV ever made.
Ted, “Subways, Bicycles, and Automobiles”
Ted and John’s annual tradition of throwing eggs at bad Halloween costumes is thwarted when Blaire ropes Ted into being her designated driver for a party. Between Blaire’s impressive Catwoman costume, a killer gag referencing the Milgram Experiment, and a surprisingly moving story about seizing the day, Ted somehow has one of the best Halloween episodes in the entire streaming era.
Bob’s Burgers, “The Hauntening”
One of the most popular episodes of Bob’s Burgers is this Halloween episode from season 6. When Louise claims she’s never been frightened by anything, the family tries to scare her good with their own haunted house. Just as the kids are ready to write off their parents’ lame efforts, the house seems to come alive. Stay for the credits to hear the hot new single from Boyz 4 Now, “I Love You So Much (It’s Scary).”
The X-Files, “Home”
“Home” is one of the darkest episodes in all of The X-Files, which is really saying something. Originally aired in October 1996, the episode sees Scully and Mulder investigate a secluded farm home in Pennsylvania. While the episode is basically a tribute to American horror classics like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, “Home” delivers its own hair-raising scares in the Peacocks, a family of violent inbreds. Though The X-Files was limited in what it could show onscreen due to broadcast restrictions, its suggestive nature lends the episode its pitch-black power.
Home Improvement, “The Haunting of Taylor House”
For quintessential ‘90s sitcom antics, look no further than Home Improvement. The first Halloween episode of the series mostly centers on Brad being in his first-ever fight with his girlfriend, which only Tim can help him sort out. But the Halloween stuff happens in the subplot, where Tim and Al build a haunted house to scare the daylights out of one smug kid in particular.
Supernatural, “Scoobynatural”
Zoinks! This immaculate crossover from Supernatural’s thirteenth season feels ready-made for an All Hallows’ Eve marathon. (Never mind that it aired in March 2018.) In “Scoobynatural,” Sam, Dean, and Castiel get sucked into a television set and crash the Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? episode “A Night of Fright Is No Delight.” The Scooby Gang has met a lot of pop culture legends—Dick Van Dyke, Batman, John Cena—but their outing with the Supernatural guys marks the first time they ever tangled with genuine mystical evil.
BoJack Horseman, “Mr. Peanutbutter’s Boos”
Decades of Halloween parties are our way into Mr. Peanutbutter’s psyche and patterns of problematic behavior. In this season 5 episode of BoJack Horseman, the annoyingly upbeat Mr. Peanutbutter throws his annual Halloween party at BoJack’s place, which happens to be ground zero for his biggest relationships coming apart. Set against four different Halloween parties—in 1993, 2004, 2009, and 2018—audiences find new angles to a staple character we thought we had figured out.
South Park, “Pinkeye”
South Park has been on the air long enough to have several Halloween episodes, but this season 1 hit is still the best. After Kenny is killed (again), he’s brought back to life as a zombie, whose condition is mistaken for a severe case of pinkeye. As “pinkeye” spreads through South Park, the boys try to celebrate Halloween with some very questionable costumes.
Abbott Elementary, “Candy Zombies”
In Abbott Elementary, Halloween festivities descend into madness when a stolen bag of candy turns all the kids into hyperactive, sugar-infused monsters straight out of 28 Days Later. As the teachers try to corral the student body, Janine stresses over a Halloween party invitation. The episode caps off with a perfect Avengers: Infinity War reference.
Boy Meets World, “And Then There Was Shawn”
This season 5 episode of Boy Meets World is technically not a Halloween special at all. It premiered in February 1998. But when teen slashers like Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer were ruling the box office, Boy Meets World got in on the craze with a surprisingly emotional episode that interrogates Shawn’s guilt over the breakup of Cory and Topanga. During detention, the characters get locked inside the school with a masked killer on the loose.
The Brady Bunch, “Fright Night”
After the Brady boys scare the girls with a fake ghost, the girls strike back with a taste of their own medicine. “Fright Night” is classic Brady Bunch antics, as the whole household gets in on the fun. Never mind that at this point in season 4, Greg and Marcia look old enough to be at parties instead of coming up with pranks.
Superstore, “Sal’s Dead”
It's Halloween at Cloud 9, which is an oddly fitting time for them to find a dead body in the store. A creepy employee, likely peeping in on the women's restroom, apparently got stuck and starved to death in the walls. With hours to spend before the coroner can get the body, everyone at Cloud 9, employees and shoppers alike, must go about their day as a rotten corpse watches over them all.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, “Who Got Dee Pregnant?”
The Paddy's gang experiences a real scream when Dee gets pregnant, and everyone retraces their steps to figure out what the hell happened at their Halloween party. Leave it to It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia to turn their Halloween episode into a Rashomon scenario.
Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place, “Two Guys, a Girl, and a Psycho Halloween”
Before Deadpool, Ryan Reynolds was a sitcom star in the forgotten but outrageously funny Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place. In the show's first Halloween episode from season 2, it breaks all its rules by unleashing an evil doppelgänger of Reynolds' Berg who hacks his way through the group. Unfortunately, you cannot stream Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place on any platform in the U.S. But the heroes over at Shout! Studios produced a DVD box set that deserves a spot on your shelf.
Parks and Recreation, “Meet ‘N Greet”
When Ben starts living with Andy and April, he has to put up with their (unannounced) Halloween party. But while most of the episode follows conventional All Hallows hijinks, the real attraction is the cold open where Andy and April talk about “blood orphans” that sealed it as a classic. Would it surprise you to know that Widow’s Bay creator Katie Dippold wrote this one?
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
You can make the reasonable argument that It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is still the greatest Halloween special ever made. It gave us Snoopy’s World War I battle with the Red Baron, Lucy and the football, “I got a rock,” and so much more. Honestly, without Great Pumpkin, we wouldn't be here making this list at all.
Community, “Epidemiology”
Just days before The Walking Dead premiered and became a cable TV monster, Community spoofed zombie movies with the hilarious and memorable “Epidemiology.” At the shockingly well-decorated Greendale Halloween party, some bad mystery meat turns the partygoers into grotesque husks with a taste for flesh. The episode peaks in the climax, when Troy reclaims his impressive Aliens loader cosplay to save his friends. He fails, but it’s still a cool moment.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, “Halloween”
All of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is tailor-made for Halloween. But in season 2, the cult series delivered a banger with the simply-titled episode, “Halloween.” When Buffy and the gang buy cursed costumes, they spend Halloween night believing they are their costumed alter egos—including Buffy, whose badass slayer skills are neutered when she believes she’s a dainty noblewoman from the 18th century.
Power Rangers Zeo, “It Came From Angel Grove”
If you think this Power Rangers Zeo episode has the mighty morphin’ heroes clashing with a pumpkin monster or something, think again. In this Halloween special from the 1996 iteration of the show, the Green Ranger, Adam (Johnny Yong Bosch), falls asleep while watching a horror movie marathon. He then wakes up in a black-and-white world of vampires, werewolves, and mummies. Here, the Power Rangers pay tribute to the Universal Monsters, plus a few karate kicks.
Stranger Things, “Trick or Treat, Freak”
One year after Stranger Things became a Netflix juggernaut, it returned for its blockbuster second season. The premiere takes place during the greatest day of all: Halloween. While it is just the first chapter of another long and terrifying ordeal with the Upside Down, “Trick or Treat, Freak” is full of hijinks and house parties, and some of the sickest Ghostbusters costumes I’ve ever seen.
The Office, “Halloween”
You know what's scarier than a ghost? Firing someone. In the first Halloween-themed episode of The Office, Michael Scott is forced by corporate to fire one of his employees before EOD. While later episodes of The Office would crank up the volume on the outrageousness—including a wildly controversial cold open from season 6 that was pulled from DVD and streaming—“Halloween” represents exactly the sort of banal black comedy that made the series so great in the first place.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine, “HalloVeen”
From its perfect cold open to Jake proposing to Amy, “HalloVeen” takes the belt (sorry, cumberbund) as not just one of the best episodes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine but among the best Halloween episodes in any TV show. It’s the fifth annual Halloween Heist at the Ninety-Ninth Precinct, but this time, the stakes are higher than ever. Normally, the Halloween episodes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine are skippable filler, but given how this one cements Jake and Amy’s relationship in stone, fans can’t miss this one.
Friends, “The One with the Halloween Party”
Friends might have some great Christmas and Thanksgiving episodes, but season 8's “The One with the Halloween Party” tops them all. As the pals throw a costume party in their improbably large New York City apartment, Phoebe runs into her twin sister, Ursula, and her fiancé (played by guest star Sean Penn). Peep some corporate synergy, as this Warner Bros.-produced sitcom dressed up Monica and Phoebe as Catwoman and Supergirl.
Freaks and Geeks, “Tricks and Treats”
This show aired for just one season, so it has only one Halloween episode. But it’s a great one. Lindsay thinks she’s too cool to get into Halloween, but her mom wants her to stay home and pass out candy to trick-or-treaters. Meanwhile, we get some pretty solid costumes (“I’m not a girl, I’m a... Bionic Woman!”) from Sam, Bill, and Neal, who take to the streets for one last childhood All Hallows’ Eve.
Curb Your Enthusiasm, “Trick or Treat”
Only Larry David would accuse trick-or-treaters of rigging the system. In this episode from season 2, Larry gets irritated after some older kids end up at his doorstep. But he gets what's coming to him when he wakes the next morning to find his backyard vandalized. “I didn't know there was going to be felony or treat!”
That ’70s Show, “Too Old to Trick or Treat, Too Young to Die”
What starts as a pretty normal Halloween episode becomes a love letter to filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock. In this season 3 episode of That ‘70s Show, the guys feel stuck between childhood and adulthood while watching a Hitchcock movie marathon on Halloween. But when they suspect that Bob has murdered Midge, they spring into action, Rear Window style.
The Simpsons, “Halloween of Horror”
You can spend all of Halloween watching every Treehouse of Horror special from The Simpsons. There are dozens of them. Literally. But “Halloween of Horror” from season 27—the first time that The Simpsons ever did a “normal” Halloween episode—is a strong episode that uses the season to explore real emotions like fear and bravery. After a traumatic night at Krustyland, Lisa has a hard time getting over her new fear of everything.
How I Met Your Mother, “The Slutty Pumpkin”
It’s Halloween in New York City, and what’s Ted Mosby doing? Waiting for the Slutty Pumpkin. This season 1 episode of How I Met Your Mother playfully rips off Charlie Brown as Ted, dressed in a comically dated costume, waits for the mysterious girl who got away all those years ago at a Halloween party. Years later in season 7, Ted finally closed the book on the Slutty Pumpkin when she surfaced at last, and was played by guest star Katie Holmes.
Modern Family, “Halloween”
In the first Halloween special for Modern Family, Claire tries to claim Halloween as her holiday (after Gloria had seized on Christmas and Thanksgiving) by creating the greatest haunted house in the neighborhood. While the episode is primarily concerned with Claire opening up about feeling sidelined in holiday traditions, this season 2 episode soars when Mitchell, dressed as Spider-Man, tries to avoid embarrassment at work... by climbing out of the building.
WandaVision, “All-New Halloween Spooktacular!”
When the Marvel Cinematic Universe returned for Phase Four, it did so with WandaVision, the franchise's first Disney+ series. A tribute to TV sitcoms, “All-New Halloween Spooktacular!” grounded the show in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s with a Malcolm in the Middle-style episode where Uncle Pietro (guest star Evan Peters, whose appearance bridges the X-Men franchise to the MCU) comes to hang out on Halloween. Peep Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany donning their characters' original costumes from the comics.
New Girl, “Halloween”
New Girl knew how to have fun on Halloween, and in season 2, it used the spooky season to interrogate the scariest thing in dating: situationships. When Jess takes a job working as a zombie at a haunted house, her not-that-serious boyfriend Sam comes to see her—but Nick finds out just how detached he is from her. Meanwhile, Schmidt and Cece wind up with an “accidental” couples costume.