I love a good scary movie. There are so many classics out there, and we seem to be in a golden age for new horror as we speak.
But if you don’t have time to sit and watch an entire movie, you might just want to sit and watch a single episode of some scary TV. Or…maybe just sorta Halloween centric TV.
Below is hardly an exhaustive list of great Halloween specials. I’ve simply chosen a few of my favorites to share with y’all. Pick one or two out and give them a watch this year!
If nothing else, the creepy janitor made this episode. (Image property of Disney)
Boy Meets World - And Then There Was Shawn (Season 5, Episode 17)
Colloquially known as “The Scary Episode”, or perhaps “The Scream Parody,” this episode of Boy Meets World is often considered one of the best. And I would certainly agree.
Now I have to admit that this episode, like a couple others mentioned here, did not actually debut during Halloween season. It was released in late February. But what’s better than an unexpected scare on a random Friday night in late winter?
The scary episode featured the continued drama between Shawn and Cory and Topanga, the latter two recently experiencing a difficult break-up, as Shawn tried to come to terms with his two best friends no longer being the perfect couple. It’s interesting to think about, since Shawn didn’t really have a good model of love in his own home life, that Cory and Topanga’s relationship represented his only real example of a stable couple. Perhaps that’s why he took it so hard. Hard enough maybe…to kill?
Spoiler alert, this whole episode turns out to be a dream sequence. But it’s the rare exception of a dream sequence where you don’t really feel cheated. Everything that happens works on a character level, and it’s just really fun. Even the cameo of 90's scream queen Jennifer Love Hewitt.
What’s so great about this episode is that it is genuinely scary. I remember watching it as a kid and being really freaked out for a bit. It didn’t help matters much when a popcorn bucket in our kitchen fell and made a loud thud as soon as the episode ended, but that’s what great horror TV is for.
It’s a testament to the cast and crew that they could make a truly scary episode of TV without the “blood and guts” that would surely be out of place in a family comedy. If you want a great family-friendly scare, go for this heralded episode of 90’s TV.
Best Moment: Eric Matthews answering the phone, mocking the killer on the other end, and dropping this great line: “He said what all killers say. He’s going to come and kill us. He wants us to wait right here.” [Everyone runs away.]
Where to Stream: Disney +
Because…Friday the 13th? Get it? And they aired on Tuesdays? (Image Property of Tagline Pictures)
Psych - Tuesday the 17th (Season 3, Episode 15)
For the second episode in a row, I’m picking a horror movie parody/homage that originally aired in February. So…that’s kinda strange.
Even among Psych fans, this episode might be a controversial choice. It’s not that it isn’t great, it is similarly rated as one of the best in the series. It’s just that there were a couple Halloween-themed episodes that might have fit better. The season-one finale “Scary Sherry - Bianca’s Toast” is wonderfully scary and actually does feature some Halloween celebration in it. And then the episode immediately following this one, the season-three finale “An Evening With Mr. Yang,” introduces one of the creepier villains in Psych history.
Still, as a fan and devotee of the classic Friday the 13th slasher films, this episode really has a special place in my heart. Super sleuths Shawn and Gus visit their childhood friend at the old Camp Tikihama, a sleepaway camp that the cleverly named Jason Cunningham is reopening. Before long, the creepy nature of the camp starts to rear its head and camp counselors end up dead. Which should not be a surprise at all. I’m pretty sure secluded camps in the woods are required to have at least three violent deaths per appearance in TV or movies.
But of course, the episode is not as straight-forward as it would seem. I don’t want to spoil the twist, I am going to let you see the fun for yourself there. What makes this episode truly great, though, is the B-Story featuring Detective Carlton Lassiter. In a plot that has nothing to do with camp and nothing to do with murders, the usual straight-laced Lassiter is giddy about having dinner with his estranged wife. The emotional gravitas that Lassiter’s storyline brings to the table is incredible and somehow works alongside a campy (no pun intended) homage to slasher films.
Best Moment: Shawn sees camp counselor Annie sitting in the dark, the missing girl he was told about, and he approaches her from behind: “Annie? Are you okay? Are you okay? Are you okay…Annie?” (Her head falls backwards and he sees where she’s been strangled.)
Where to Stream: Amazon Prime or Peacock
Don’t worry. It makes sense. It helps if you imagine the hits of Abba playing in the background. (Image Property of Krasnoff-Foster Productions/Harmonious Claptrap)
Community - Epidemiology (Season 2, Episode 6)
Community has two of the best Halloween episodes ever made. The third season’s “Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps” was nothing but amazing riffs on classic horror stories as each of the main characters took their turns telling scary stories. It was wonderful…and I clearly have a type.
So we’re going with a different episode that featured absolutely zero homages of any kind. It’s just your standard “Someone buys bad taco meat and everyone turns into zombies” episode of TV. Nope. No homage at all.
The annual Halloween party, set up by budget-conscious Dean Craig Pelton, slowly and subtly takes a turn for the worse when various side characters start to fall ill after eating the aforementioned taco meat. While proper health measures call for Sterno fuel to keep taco meat warm, this was no standard taco meat. This was military surplus taco meat, which had the bizarre side effect of turning people into zombies. I know I’ve felt pretty rough after eating a taco before, but this is another level entirely!
What made this episode especially excellent is what makes every episode of Community special. The character development that went on in the midst of the episodic chaos was top-notch. Troy and Abed cement their friendship with a friends “couple costume” that pays off expertly in the final act. Shirley and Chang both play havoc on the group with their ambiguous costumes. And Jeff, true to form, makes sure to wear a costume that accentuates his natural handsomeness. You might even say he’s more handsome than Ryan Seacrest, the guy famous for being handsome!
And how could we ignore the everlasting conflict between Rich “Doc Potterywood” Stephenson and Jeff, presumably over the affections of one Annie Edison. Sorta. Either way, Rich’s banana costume is especially over the top and perfect for a Community Halloween episode, as is his dramatic transformation to a banana zombie who wears Jeff’s suit jacket.
Best Moment: While there are so many great character moments in this episode, my personal favorite has to be the flying cat that leaps across the screen multiple times while Jeff, Troy, and Abed explore the basement. Reminiscent of every random cat that has ever leapt out during a heightened moment of tension in a classic horror thriller, this particular feline makes its presence known multiple times. It becomes such an issue that, even in the midst of their pending zombie apocalypse, with Troy trying to refocus Jeff away from the cat, Jeff shouts, “Backburner, Troy! This cat has to be dealt with!”
Where to Stream: Netflix
“I knew I shouldn’t have let that mousy bald guy bring taco meat!” (Image Property of Wind Dancer Productions/Touchstone Television)
Home Improvement - Crazy For You (Season 3, Episode 6)
When it comes to Halloween episodes, nobody did it better than Home Improvement. Really, any seasonal episode of Home Improvement was going to be the best in its class. Did they do an Arbor Day episode? Because I could see Tim wreaking some real havoc with a chainsaw and an oak.
I confess, I had the hardest time choosing my favorite Halloween episode of this 90s classic. Each one had its merits, and admittedly I may be the only person in the world who enjoyed Season 7’s “Night to Dismember,” where the youngest-child-turned-Creepy-Goth filmed a horror movie in which he brutally killed the entire Taylor family. Sure, none of the episode’s logic really made any sense, but none of the Halloween episodes do. And that’s okay.
In this thriller from Season 3, Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor gets a new experience. He is stalked by a love-crazy maniac. One of the recurring themes for the Halloween episodes is the Taylor family prank wars, which are usually won by Tim. Falling skeletons, heads in bowls, all sorts of epic Halloween pranks that could only really work in television land. And this episode is no different.
A mysterious woman in red starts to follow Tim around, going so far as to send “poisoned” cookies and showing up at tapings of Tool Time. The woman’s appearance is somewhat startling, as she walks around with her entire body cloaked in mystery. A flowing red dress and a dramatic red hood protect her true identity, and the way she weaves in and out of the episode is somewhat chilling. Of course, the genuine spookiness of the woman’s mysterious motives goes away somewhere in the middle of the second act as it is revealed that the Woman in Red is purely fiction, a contrivance of Jill Taylor, with help from Tim’s friends, as they all try to finally one-up him in the prank battles.
The rest of the episode derives humor from watching Tim try to escape the the insane obsessive’s amorous intent. And it is all so good.
Choosing the best Halloween episode from Home Improvement’s extensive catalogue is like trying to choose your favorite Halloween candy. It’s all a little subjective, and you’re still getting a sugar high no matter what you pick. And, unlike most Trick’r Treat troves, there’s no black licorice to be found in this pile. It’s all full-size chocolate bars. Unless you happen to like black licorice in which case…that’s weird. You shouldn’t.
Best Moment: The reveal at the end is pretty satisfying, but my favorite moment from this episode has to be when Tim, who is completely lost in his paranoia, steps out to film a new episode of Tool Time to find that the audience is full of women from the local sharpshooter’s club. And then someone brings out a bunch of balloons to pop. Does it make any sense? No. Does it work? Perfectly.
Where to Stream: Hulu
I can’t do better than the original quote from this episode. I just can’t. It’s a classic. (Image Property of NBC)
The Office - Here Comes Treble (Season 9, Episode 5)
I am going to confess something. This episode isn’t really all that good, in my opinion. It’s not my favorite. If I’m being even more honest, I can’t remember the Halloween episodes of The Office nearly as well as I remember the great individual moments: “Book Face” Jim, the three Jokers, Charley Chaplin. True to form, I only included this episode as an honorable mention for the single-best moment from any Halloween episode of any show ever filmed. And who better for the sign-off than the one and only Creed Bratton?
Where to Stream: Peacock
NOTE: Thanks for sticking around and reading up on some of my favorite Halloween television! If you appreciate a good spook the way I do, then perhaps you’d be interested in reading my books. I have a horror-western novel available for sale, as well as a collection of spooky short stories. Sure, you won’t get them delivered until after Halloween, but that’s okay! November is just as fine a time as any to get a little creepy reading in. Or December. Or January…or whenever. Just click here for more info!