These Are The 15 Best Halloween TV Episodes Ever

The first Halloween episode from The Office was right around the time that the show really began to diverge from its British predecessor and form its own hilarious identity. Everyone at Dunder Mifflin is dressed up in fun costumes, including Three-Hole Punch Jim, Dwight as Darth Sidious, and Pam, Phyllis, and Angela all dressed up as cats (much to Angela's annoyance). But there's a major raincloud hanging over the holiday festivities: Michael (Steve Carell) was supposed to fire someone by the end of the month and decided to put it off until the very last day. It's one of the earliest displays of how much Michael is desperate to be liked by his employees and gets bonus points for being the first time Creed really gets to shine.

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The Halloween Heist was easily the best recurring gag in Brooklyn Nine-Nine, as it was always hilarious to watch the entire gang abandon all sense of camaraderie and human decency in order to be named the "Amazing Human/Genius." Which one is your favorite is really a matter of personal preference, but I've always been partial to the Season 2 heist because I think it took the entire concept from a fun gimmick to an essential part of the show's DNA. And it also played a huge part in Captain Holt's transformation from no-nonsense curmudgeon to deadpan maniac who is just as willing as everyone else to do whatever it takes to win.

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You could make the case that any "Treehouse of Horror" from the Golden Age of The Simpsons is the true masterpiece, and it would be hard to argue. But this has always been my favorite, as each of the three shorts are absolutely hysterical and are perfect homages to some of the best moments in horror history. You have Homer making a deal with the Devil (who looks a lot like Flanders), Bart trying to convince everyone a gremlin is trying to sabotage the school bus, and Lisa wondering if Mr. Burns is actually a vampire. It's all pure comedy gold, and once you're done, you'll probably want to put on a few more Treehouse episodes for good measure.

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OK, full disclosure: This is not technically a Halloween episode, as it aired in February. But also, it totally is. When Cory, Shawn, Topanga, and Angela end up in detention, they discover that there is a masked killer on the loose who starts taking out students one by one. The group has to try to stay alive long enough to figure out who the mysterious killer is, as they also start to wonder if the real culprit may be hidden among them. The episode feels like the perfect tribute to some of the best '90s horror flicks, most notably Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer. The show even brought in Jennifer Love Hewitt, who was the reigning scream queen at the time, to join in on the fun as transfer student Jennifer Love Fefferman. The entire episode is hilarious, and you may be surprised at how it actually manages to be pretty scary at moments. 

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After administering anonymous personality tests, Britta is horrified to discover one of the members of the study group is secretly a homicidal psychopath. Her plan is to figure out who is to naturally tell them a scary story to gauge everyone's reaction, but she "Britta's" it, and before long, everyone else is telling their own scary stories that serve as hilarious little horror vignettes, as well as perfect insights into each of the characters. From Pierce's racist and misogynistic heroic fantasy to Abed's overly logical tale of a couple in an abandoned cabin, every single one feels like it could have easily been its own fantastic episode. And the twist ending is exactly the sort of meta-absurdity that earned Community such a devoted fanbase.

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Bob and Linda agree to let their kids go trick-or-treating on their own for the first time, and Louise, Tina, and Gene end up at King's Head Island, a posh neighborhood where houses actually give away full-sized candy bars. But their dream becomes a nightmare when they learn about Hell Hunt, an annual tradition where unruly teens attack any kids who are still out on the streets. It turns into an epic and hysterical journey home, as the three Belcher kids need to make it back to Ocean Avenue without getting pelted by urine-filled water balloons.

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Mr. Peanutbutter is ecstatic to bring his much-younger girlfriend Pickles to BoJack's annual Halloween party (which, of course, BoJack never remembers he is throwing). But the night takes a grim turn when the relentlessly upbeat yellow lab begins to remember parties from previous years when he brought former wives and girlfriends, including Jessica Biel and Diane, and starts to do a bit of self-examination about his own less-than-healthy tendencies when it comes to relationships. What makes BoJack such a unique show is its ability to take a character like Mr. Peanutbutter, who started off as little more than a very annoying thorn in BoJack's side, and turn him into a character with just as much depth as everyone else. Plus, the time-jump means a ton of great jokes about each of the different settings.

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Has any episode of a TV show explored the unavoidable pain of losing your innocence better than Freaks and Geeks' phenomenal Halloween adventure? If one has, I haven't seen it. While Sam and his geeky buddies suffer the humiliation of trying to continue trick-or-treating despite being in high school, Lindsay decides to ditch spending time giving out candy with her mom in order to hang out with her new burnout friends. While Sam is trying too hard to cling onto the joys of childhood for too long, Lindsay is trying too hard to let it go, and the result leaves them both slightly heartbroken and wondering where they belong in the confusing world of adolescence. 

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Parks and Recreation got off to a rough start in its first season and into the second season, but this was arguably the first really great episode of the show, with Leslie facing off with her self-declared arch nemesis: a mischievous teen named Greg Pikitis. Leslie is determined to keep Greg from vandalizing the statue of Mayor Percy, which has become an annual Halloween tradition. The ensuing game of cat and mouse allows Poehler to flex her comedic muscles through Leslie's relentless intensity, and we also get our first look at Burt Maclin, Andy Dwyer's FBI agent alter ego. It's such a memorable episode that Cody Klop even revived the role of Pikitis toward the end of the series.

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Monica decides to throw a last-minute Halloween party, and obviously, all sorts of wacky hijinx ensue amongst our titular friends. Rachel wants to prove she's ready to be a mom by handing out candy to kids but ends up making a little boy cry, while Chandler and Ross get into a heated competition to prove who is stronger. The episode is filled with the type of hilarious, low-stakes shenanigans that made Friends such a beloved show, so much so that Lisa Kudrow later referred to it as her favorite episode in the entire series.

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Nobody can make a mountain out of a mole hill like Larry David, and this time, he gets hoisted on his own petard when he refuses to give candy to two teen girls who show up at his door with no costumes. As an act of revenge, they end up tee-peeing his house and spray-painting "BALD ASSHOLE" on his front door. Larry calls the cops and ends up having a hilarious exchange that starts with him declaring the actions a hate crime against bald people and ends with him telling one of the cops that he does not consider him a member of the "bald community" because he shaves his head. It's all the brilliant nonsense that makes Curb one of the funniest shows of this century.

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New Girl had plenty of great Halloween episodes, but the funniest was definitely its Season 3 episode where it revealed that Nick has secretly been pretending to be Michael Keaton for years, as Schmidt believes the former Batman is his lifelong penpal. Nick is at his funniest when he is failing miserably at trying to keep up a lie, and, of course, every time he tries to make it better, it only gets worse. The whole thing culminates hysterically at the loft's Halloween party, which features Schmidt in a disturbingly tight lizard costume and a reminder that Nick and Schmidt have one of the most genuinely sweet and loving friendships ever shown on TV.

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In this Hangover-meets-whodunnit-style episode, the Gang tries to solve the mystery of who actually got Dee pregnant on the night of their Halloween party after she says that one of them is the father. Through the flashbacks, we got nonstop hilarity and debauchery from the five worst people in the world, including weird bathroom hookups, possible incest, and so, so many jokes about Dee looking like a bird (including one of the funniest sight gags in the show's entire run). And the final reveal of who is actually the dad is exactly as stupid and hilarious as It's Always Sunny fans have come to expect.

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Expectations for the second season of Stranger Things were ridiculously high after the show's first season became a cultural phenomenon. Fortunately, the show proved that it was more than up to the challenge with this fantastic Halloween episode that showed off its unique blend of nostalgia, comedy, and genuine horror. Having the boys dress as the Ghostbusters is the obvious play, but what really makes it work is Lucas and Mike arguing over which of them gets to be Venkman. Because every true nerd knows that you don't want to be Winston.

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Glee doing Rocky Horror felt like a natural fit, and over a decade later, the two remain a match made in heaven. The actual plot of the episode is a bit of a letdown, but let's be real: The only thing that really matters here is the Glee cast covering Rocky Horror's iconic songs. And boy, do they deliver, with Mercedes belting out a fantastic cover of "Sweet Transvestite" and John Stamos even popping in to sing "Hot Patootie" while he tries to sweep Emma off her feet. This episode will mostly make you wish that Glee had simply redone the entire movie. 

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