October has some of the best TV of the year! Not only are your favorite shows making a comeback, but most shows go big for their Halloween specials. No matter how you might feel about Halloween, you have to admit the episodes are usually excellent and a lot of fun, especially the sitcoms.
Of course, new episodes will be coming this fall, but we all have our favorite Halloween episodes from past seasons that we love to watch each year. To help get you in the Halloween spirit, here are 31 Halloween specials that are guaranteed to make you fall in love with Halloween all over again! Treat this as an advent calendar and watch one each night of October, or pick and choose your favorites!
Start the month off with a bang and stream the Halloween episode of The Office! This episode is so relatable. Let’s be honest, we all know someone like the characters of The Office. You know, the one guy who gets way too dressed up and the one who dresses up like a hole punch?
This episode has some hilarious jokes and is perfect to start off the spooky season!
Watch on Netflix (Season 2, Episode 5)
With 15 seasons under its belt, how could we not include a Halloween episode from the show that makes it Halloween year-round?
Supernatural has nailed the scary episodes, and they have also nailed the Halloween episodes, especially with “Monster Movie.” The episode involves Oktoberfest, vampires, werewolves, mummies, shapeshifters, and an old black and white setup. This episode embodies Halloween completely and steps away from the comedy The Office will bring you.
Watch on Netflix (Season 4, Episode 5)
Greg Pikitis is that kid on your block who you just knew would be trouble since he was five. Every Halloween, Greg vandalizes a statue in the city of Pawnee and Leslie can never seem to catch him… until now.
Meanwhile, Ann is throwing a Halloween party that comes with its fair share of work-place drama, and we all know what that feels like… yep, the drama doesn’t end when you leave high school, and this episode proves this with a Halloween twist!
Watch on Netflix (Season 2, Episode 7)
The Goldbergs is a very underrated show with some of the best Halloween specials on TV!
The show is inspired by actual events that happened in the writer’s life, making this show all the more hilarious! The show takes place in the 80s, which means lots of pop culture references from that time. Some of the best Halloween films came out of the 80s, and the show doesn’t miss out on that!
This episode is full of fun costumes and, as you can probably guess, uses The Ghostbusters as a source of inspiration!
Watch on Hulu (Season 1, Episode 6)
What’s surprising about this episode of Boy Meets World is that it wasn’t originally a Halloween special. In fact, this episode was released in February which, if you ask me, seems like a missed opportunity for a fantastic Halloween episode!
The plot of this episode is straight out of a horror movie, but funny. Think Scream meets I Know What You Did Last Summer meets Halloween, and you’ve got this scary-funny episode. In fact, many say this is the best episode created by the series!
Watch on Hulu (Season 5, Episode 17)
Of course, American Horror Story couldn’t not make a Halloween special. But instead of doing just one, they raised the stakes and did two, and we love them for that.
While the episode is very eerie, there are lots of Halloween references as it is the actual day of Halloween in these episodes.
Watch on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu (Season 1, Episode 4)
Now that you’ve had the night to recover from the first part of the two episodes, now it’s time for part two!
These two episodes are definitely the darkest of all Halloween specials, and that shows especially in part two. It’s hard to describe what happens without ruining for you, so I guess you’ll just have to watch to see what happens!
Watch on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu (Season 1, Episode 5)
After the past two night, you probably want something more light-hearted. Well, how much more light-hearted can you can than the classic cartoons you grew up on?
Growing up, these were the Halloween specials we waited all year for. Lucky for us, the power of streaming services has made it very easy to access the specials you probably forgot about! Growing up, I waiting year-round for these episodes as streaming services weren’t available yet. So for a long time, these specials were the ones I looked forward to and are the ones that signaled Halloween!
Of course, there is the classic Spongebob Squarepants Halloween special where Spongebob looks like a mattress. And who could forget that giant pumpkin he carves in the beginning? Since these episodes are so short, follow that one up with the episode where Squidward and Spongebob work the night shift… you know the one…
And if you’re craving a little more, finish off the night with the Jimmy Neutron Halloween special where Jimmy tries to make Halloween scary. Admit it, back in the day it might’ve scared you.
Watch Spongebob Squarepants on Amazon Prime (Season 1, Episode 13 and Season 2, Episode 16)
Watch Jimmy Neutron on Hulu (Season 2, Episode 5)
Stranger Things will forever be thought of as a Halloween show in my eyes, so when they did a Halloween special, it was like a Halloween episode on steroids.
This episode is full of Halloween costumes (notably Ghostbusters, how ironic) and Halloween parties and with parties will always come drama which makes for good TV. There’s also a fair amount of monster and shadowy figures, so this is definitely a step-up from Spongebob.
Watch on Netflix (Season 2, Episode 2)
The Slutty Pumpkin is a fantastic Halloween episode. Unlike many Halloween specials, this one doesn’t shy away from Halloween and make it a sub-topic of the episode. Instead, Halloween is the entire episode.
We’re all rooting for Ted and want him to find his wife… why shouldn’t it be the Slutty Pumpkin? Also, Ted’s hanging-chad costume is iconic, so who wouldn’t want to marry him?
Watch on Hulu (Season 1, Episode 6)
Modern Family has always had some of the best Halloween specials on cable TV. Each year, they’ve come up with hilarious Halloween episodes, but the first Halloween special really takes the cake.
Phil Dunphy is that guy on your street who decorates their house way too early and really goes all out. Personally, I would love to live with a Phil Dunphy around Halloween time. Haley also is that girl who tries to make every costume sexy, even a Mother Theresa costume.
The whole episode is hilarious and makes us wish it were Halloween all year!
Watch on ABC Go (Season 2, Episode 6)
American Housewife is a newer series that hasn’t gotten a ton of publicity, but it totally should! The show is hilarious and very relatable, and their Halloween special is to die for (pun intended).
In this episode, the Ottos receive their very first “boo” which is an anonymous note and goodie bag left on their doorstep… except it wasn’t meant for them. This episode is hilarious, and the costumes that the kids dress up as is equally comical. It also delivers a great message all wrapped up in a spooky setting!
Watch on Hulu (Season 2, Episode 5)
Being a teenager is hard enough. But being a witch too? Seems impossible.
With a TV show centered around witches, it only fits that the show would have the best Halloween specials. Most series tend to skip a Halloween special their first season, but not this one! For anyone who grew up watching this show, you remember this episode as one of the best!
As a witch, Sabrina is subject to some odd rituals and crazy aunts who obsess over Halloween. But Sabrina just wants to fit in, and she can’t do that if she goes to some other-realm dinner instead of going to Harvey’s party. So what does Sabrina do? She makes a double.
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, is vastly different from The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, but this series is hilarious and light-hearted and never shies away from a Halloween moment!
Watch on Hulu (Season 1, Episode 5)
While this episode isn’t necessarily a Halloween special, it has all the elements to make it one.
It’s impossible to deny that dolls are creepy and ever since Annabelle, we can’t look at another doll the same way. In this episode of Criminal Minds, women begin to go missing and reappearing paralyzed and dressed as dolls. If you thought Annabelle kept you up at night, think again.
Watch on Netflix (Season 5, Episode 12)
Now that we’re halfway through the month, you can finally watch The One With the Halloween Party. Yes, I know you were waiting for it, but now that 15 days have passed, you can finally watch it when it’s not too soon and not too late in the month!
Surprisingly enough, this is Friends’ only real Halloween special with everything that should be in a Halloween episode. Monica and Chandler finally decide to throw a costume party complete with a pink bunny costume and a potato!
This Friends episode is iconic for Halloween and a must-watch for the spooky season!
Watch on Netflix (Season 8, Episode 6)
Do you ever look at decorations and wonder if they’re real? Well in Superstore, that’s the reality in the Halloween special, Sal’s Dead.
After a tornado, poor Sal ended up in the walls of the store and got stuck there, leading everyone to believe he could be a decoration. While the store tries to fix the hole in the wall, more drama ensues involving work-place relationships, which, as we all know, are a great idea… not.
This episode is excellent if you’re a fan of The Office as the humor is very similar and unfiltered and the costumes are just an added bonus!
Watch on Hulu (Season 3, Episode 5)
Watch on Hulu (Season 1, Episode 6)
Of course, a series about a vampire slayer has to have a killer Halloween special, and Fear, Itself really comes through!
Imagine walking into a haunted house that actually ends up being a house of horrors. Well, with this episode, you don’t have to imagine it! This episode has all the elements that should be in a Halloween special such as pumpkin carving, costumes, candy… and demons. Out of all the Buffy Halloween specials, this is definitely the best and a must-watch!
Watch on Hulu (Season 4, Episode 4)
Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a series that will always come through with a great Halloween special. While some series will skip Halloween specials, Brooklyn Nine-Nine would never!
Each season has a Halloween special with the same plot in mind but completely different at the same time! Each special involves a heist of some kind, but the special from season 5 is a fan favorite!
This episode is full of pranks and costumes and makes for a fantastic episode to get you into the Halloween spirit!
Watch on Hulu (Season 5, Episode 4)
While The X-Files is an older show, the fanbase behind it is enormous! For those of you not 100% familiar with the series, it’s basically a bunch of FBI agents investigating crazy cases, and if you’re into conspiracy theories, this is the show for you!
In this episode of The X-Files, the FBI is investigating a bizarre death that seems to have occurred via computer… like a literal computer virus. We’ve all wondered if our devices are watching us and this episode combines those fears along with some Big Brother elements!
As an added bonus, this all takes place on Halloween which totally adds to the special!
Watch on Amazon Prime (Episode 1, Season 7)
We’re all heartbroken over the fact that The Office is leaving Netflix in 2021, so we need to get our fill in before that time! Which is why there are 2 Office episodes on this list… and it doesn’t hurt that this special is even better than the first one!
While the episode doesn’t start off very Halloween, it is still absolutely hilarious, and trust me, it does turn to Halloween! This episode is a lot of fun because everyone in the office gets really into Halloween and dresses up in hopes of winning a coupon book… except for Jim, of course.
As always, this episode comes with some work-place drama that we’re all personally familiar with. I mean, the stakes are high! Who wouldn’t want to win a coupon book?
Watch on Netflix (Season 7, Episode 6)
In this episode of Parks and Rec, everyone’s favorite couple Andy and April decide to throw a Halloween party… but somehow forget to inform Ben, their roommate. But like many of us, Ben hates confrontation and decides to be passive-aggressive.
This episode has lots of fun and… interesting… costumes and tons of drama. Basically, Andy and April throw the ultimate Halloween party that we all want to be invited to.
Watch on Netflix (Season 4, Episode 5)
Who doesn’t love a good Halloween carnival for charity?
In this Halloween special, everyone goes to a Halloween carnival, but there is a lot of drama concerning relationships and haunted houses. We learn that Nick is, in fact, afraid of two types of “haunted houses” and the girl of his dreams is a biter.
Watch on Netflix (Season 2, Episode 6)
Despite the name, this episode actually doesn’t suck, and it is absolutely hilarious! Psych is a very underappreciated show about a guy who fakes being psychic but can solve crimes better than average police and detectives.
This episode is full of cameos such as Kristy Swanson, the OG Buffy from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Corey Feldman from the vampire film, The Lost Boys, also makes a cameo so there are lots of vampire references in an episode about vampires — very Halloween, if you ask me!
While this episode doesn’t explicitly mention Halloween or have any decorations, there are still costumes and vampires, what more could you ask for?
Watch on Amazon Prime (Season 6, Episode 3)
Rocky Horror Picture Show is one of the most iconic Halloween films with a huge cult following. It only makes sense that Glee would do their own version of it for a Halloween special!
This episode stays true to the original film and has the best songs from the show! You could even get some friends together and dress the parts to make this a real Halloween experience!
Watch on Netflix (Season 2, Episode 5)
Yet another Halloween special from The Goldbergs that is absolute gold. Poor Beverly just wants to bond with her son by making a matching couples costume with him, but when Adam finally has a girlfriend, Beverly feels left out.
Meanwhile, Adam is pressured into going to a haunted house instead of trick or treating with his girlfriend.
This is a fun episode to watch with the family and a great way to find a last-minute couples costume!
Watch on Hulu (Season 3, Episode 6)
In this episode of Family Matters, Steve’s ventriloquist dummy comes to life (which is scary enough on its own) and becomes evil. Stevil wreaks havoc and is an absolute nightmare. This episode is a mix between Annabelle and Child’s Play, but somehow it’s hilarious, and you’ll be laughing the whole time!
Watch on Hulu (Season 8, Episode 7)
In case you were satisfied with part one of The Slutty Pumpkin, don’t worry! The Slutty Pumpkin makes her comeback, and we are so thankful for it.
Ever since that fateful night when Ted lost the Kit Kat wrapper with the Slutty Pumpkin’s phone number, he goes to the same party every year dressed as the same thing in hopes they will meet again. Finally, they do, and he learns that sometimes, the idea of love is better than the actual thing.
Meanwhile, Lily has pregnancy brain and gives a kid a stapler when they are trick or treating… need I say more?
Watch on Hulu (Season 7, Episode 8)
A lot of people forget that The Addams Family was actually a TV show before it was a movie. Lucky for us, seasons 1 and 2 of The Addams Family is on Amazon Prime, and we can finally appreciate the OG family.
Of the two Halloween specials on Amazon Prime, the special from season two is my favorite. As you would expect, every day is Halloween for the Addams Family, and they really know how to throw a good Halloween party! Watching these specials will make you wish you were a member of the team!
Watch on Amazon Prime (Season 2, Episode 7)
In this Halloween special of That 70s Show, Fez has his very first Halloween and can’t see to get over the fact you get free candy for dressing up. Meanwhile, the rest of the gang is trying to figure out what to do on Halloween and decide to go to a burnt down school.
While at the school, the crew tells scary stories and stumble upon old school records and dig up buried secrets from the past… and middle names that haunt them.
Watch on Netflix (Season 2, Episode 5)
End the month with the baddest witch of them all: Sabrina.
You can’t run from Halloween when you’re a witch, and Sabrina quickly learns that when she spends the night working at a coffee shop. While all of Sabrina’s friends are out having fun and pulling pranks, Sabrina ends up waking the dead with her strong coffee (can I get some of that?) and battling a group of zombies.
Meanwhile, Zelda and Hilda spend the night trying to impress Edgar Allan Poe in hopes of getting scared, and Salem tries to convince everyone he’s scarier than the poet.
Watch on Hulu (Season 4, Episode 6)
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