Horror movies may rule spooky season in terms of entertainment, but television series have given us some not just creepy, but downright thrilling watch options for the Halloween season. From One Tree Hill and Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Grey’s Anatomy, there’s something special about seeing characters you love (and loathe) as they gear up to celebrate everyone’s favorite spine-tingling holiday.
With episodes taking place during Halloween parties, and at schools and hospitals with real-life ghosts haunting broken hearts, there are aspects of all things creepy and crawly mixed in with the continuing storylines.
Of course, not every episode we mention is intertwined with the undeniably scary; some are self-reflective, while others hinge more on the lighthearted side of Halloween. No matter which elements of the holiday you love most, there’s a watch option for everyone on our list. Oh, and if you think we’d write this list without including Peyton Sawyer’s infamous angel of death episode of One Tree Hill, you’re wrong — very, very wrong.
American Housewife — “Boo-Who”
American Housewife is a show my son first suggested we watch together, and this was the first episode we picked (we eventually watched it from season 1, episode 1, okay?), and it made me laugh hysterically. If you’re unfamiliar with the tradition of boo baskets, allow me to enlighten you: someone leaves a basket full of Halloween treats on your porch, and you get to proclaim that you’ve been boo-ed to all of your friends and neighbors. The baskets usually contain things like candy, blankets, cute socks, cups, wine, treats, and tricks for yourself and your kids; they’re so much fun to make and to pass out — and being boo-ed does feel a bit like a Halloween right of passage.
That is, of course, unless you realize that the boo wasn’t meant for you, which is precisely what happens in this episode!
The Vampire Diaries — “Haunted”
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve rewatched The Vampire Diaries, but I do know that each time, I notice something new, be it a scene in an episode I didn’t pay enough attention to before, or a line of dialogue I missed and suddenly love. The Vampire Diaries is a phenomenal series to revisit any time of year, especially during spooky season, and the Halloween episode isn’t just great; it’s relatable.
Abbott Elementary, “Candy Zombies”
Abbott Elementary is such a fantastic series, and the Halloween episode is full of fun for kids and adults alike. There are some jokes the adults will totally understand, like the safe situation, and some on-brand for kids; as is the story with much of the series, Abbott Elementary is an excellent watch for everyone. In this episode, a student takes a bag of candy that was supposed to be a special treat and gives it out during the school day, and we all know what happens when kids get too much sugar!
Sabrina the Teenage Witch – “A Halloween Story”
Sabrina had many a Halloween episode, but one of our favorites was the first season’s special. It’s Sabrina’s first Halloween as a witch, and her aunts want her to celebrate with them; the problem is, her beau Harvey is having a party, and she wants to be there, too. In fact, she’d rather be there than with her family, so what’s a witch to do? Cast a spell, of course, Sabrina creates a clone of herself to stand in her place, but things quickly go awry.
Boy Meets World – “And Then There Was Shawn”
Did this one really spook anyone else as a kid/teenager? …Just me? Cool! This episode sees the kids stuck in detention, and being haunted (or hunted) by someone spooky lurking around every corner. Of course, not everything is as it seems, and we soon learn that this episode is undoubtedly Halloween-centric and unnerving, but it’s also a lesson in self-reflection and realization.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer — “Fear Itself”
There’s nothing more perfect for Halloween than Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and quite frankly, I’m a little upset this series isn’t mentioned more when discussing fantastic Halloween episodes. Of course, the entire series, much like The Vampire Diaries, always dabbles in the spooky and undead, but there are specific episodes that scream spooky, and this is one of them. In this episode, Buffy and her friends want one night where things are ordinary and simple, and they attend a frat party in costumes. They soon realize that they’re trapped in a real-life “horror house” where things aren’t exactly what they seem.
Scream Queens — “Halloween Blues”
Scream Queens, as a series, is just sarcasm, spooky, and sex appeal at its finest. So, of course, they’d have a Halloween episode, and it would be absolutely bonkers. When they throw a party at the hospital, they’re attempting to catch a killer, but there’s a lot more on the horizon than they could have anticipated. It’s all hijinks and craziness in this episode.
Grey’s Anatomy — “Thriller”
In this episode, one of the interns at Grey Sloan is dealing with ghosts in his past (or skeletons in his closet?) and it makes the entire episode even more unsettling. Halloween at Grey Sloan is next level, with spooks and scares hiding behind every corner, and one patient that desperately needs the help of a recently-deceased Heather Brooks; there’s a lot to overcome in this episode for our favorite doctors and interns.
One Tree Hill – “An Attempt to Tip the Scales”
Perhaps one of the best television episodes of all time, One Tree Hill‘s third season took audiences to a Halloween party at Tric, where our beloved characters dressed up as everything from a devil to the angel of death and even Elvis, and they’re all gathering around for a party of epic proportions, one that is also an eye-opening experience for couples who need to find their way back to one another and others who will soon realize that its time to call it quits.
The thing is, everyone’s bonds at Tree Hill are being tested in the third season, be it in terms of friendship or romance, and Halloween is the perfect time to figure it all out. You see, if you need to hide behind a mask to tell your truth, there’s no better date, and if dressing up as an alternate version of yourself gives you the confidence to make a move or say the thing, so be it. Plus, we get Chad Michael Murray in eyeliner, and the world needs more of that.
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
It might not be a Halloween episode, per se, but the Charlie Brown Halloween special, where the Peanuts wait for the arrival of the Great Pumpkin, is prime spooky season watching. This one needs to explanation, but we’ll tell you this: if you need a reminder that this season is beautiful in all of the ways it changes everything, this will do it for you.