I love everything about Halloween: the fact that October means it’s (usually) getting colder and summer is finally over; the fact that I get to eat more wintry foods and drinks; the scents of pumpkin, pine, spices, and leaves; the memories of going to high school football games or the beginning of my first semester of college; and, of course, picking a costume and dressing up.

But for me, it’s not really Halloween until I pull out a well-worn home video tape and watch my two favorite Halloween specials: “Dr. Seuss’ Halloween is Grinch Night” and “A Magic School Bus Halloween.”

The first special is technically a prequel to the beloved Christmas classic “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” in the lore of the Dr. Seuss Expanded Universe. Every year, the Grinch comes down from his mountain on ‘Grinch Night’ (basically the Whoville version of Halloween) to terrorize the resident Whos. To save his family and his home, it’s up to young Euchariah Who to save the town. The original was released in 1977, but the version I grew up with was recorded by my dad around 1995 when the special aired on TNT. It’s become an annual viewing for me since then, complete with commercials for the Barbie Pink N’ Pretty House and the latest Street Sharks action figures (which were “Jawsome!”). I know no other version, and every year I make Julia watch the commercials with me as part of my childhood Halloween experience.

The second special, “A Magic School Bus Halloween,” aired in 1995 and was shown on our local PBS station. It’s actually just two of the spookier-themed episodes of the show (about bats and sound, respectively) with a new, live-action setting to frame them. Students Katie, Howie, and Richie get separated from their classmates during a museum sleepover in the city museum (appropriately decorated for Halloween) and are so afraid they jump at every shadow. Luckily, they meet a mysterious figure in the basement, Dauntless, who teaches them that the things they’re scared of might not be so frightening after all. It’s cheesy, corny, and I love it.

Like me, everyone has their favorite traditions that really start the holiday season for them. Since TV has become such a big part of American culture, I’m sure you all have your own annual viewing traditions you take part in. But with so many shows, to revisit, it can be hard to keep track of what to watch. So to start off the Halloween season, here is a list of Halloween episodes from some of mine and Julia’s favorite shows that will hopefully help put you in the festive spirit.

Unfortunately, the state of streaming services being what it is, some of these shows may not be able to be viewed as easily as others. Do what you’ve gotta do, depending on how the Halloween spirit moves you, but just remember that the most shoddily-cropped YouTube upload is 100% more free from viruses than any other pirate site.

TV Shows

The problem with watching only holiday episode of a story-driven show is that you come into the story halfway through. In one season, two people hate each other, then the next season they’re married, and before you know it everyone is trying to get back to the island again. Most of these episodes are standalone story-wise, but beware potential spoilers for these shows (of which even the most recent Halloween episode aired 5 years ago).

Friends

Season 8, Episode 6 “The One with the Halloween Party”

Frasier

Season 4, Episode 18 “Ham Radio”

Season 5, Episode 3 “Halloween”

Season 9, Episode 6 “Room Full of Heroes”

Season 10, Episode 5 “Tales From the Crypt”

New Girl

Season 2, Episode 6 “Halloween”

Season 3, Episode 6 “Keaton”

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Season 6, Episode 7 “Who Got Dee Pregnant?”

Season 8, Episode 3 “The Maureen Ponderosa Wedding Massacre”

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Season 2, Episode 6 “Halloween”

Season 4, Episode 4 “Fear, Itself”

Glee

Season 2, Episode 5 “The Rocky Horror Glee Show”

Parks and Recreation

Season 2, Episode 7 “Greg Pikitis”

Season 4, Episode 5 “Meet ‘n’ Greet”

Season 5, Episode 5 “Halloween Surprise”

Season 6, Episode 6 “Recall Vote”

How I Met Your Mother

Season 1, Episode 6 “Slutty Pumpkin”

Season 6, Episode 7 “Canning Randy”

Season 7, Episode 8 “The Slutty Pumpkin Returns”

The Office

Season 2, Episode 5 “Halloween”

Season 5, Episode 6 “Employee Transfer”

Season 6, Episode 8 “Koi Pond”

Season 7, Episode 6 “Costume Contest”

Season 8, Episode 5 “Spooked”

Season 9, Episode 5 “Here Comes Treble”

Psych

Season 1, Episode 15 “Scary Sherry: Bianca’s Toast”

Season 2, Episode 16 “Shawn (and Gus) of the Dead”

Season 3, Episode 1 “Ghosts”

Season 3, Episode 15 “Tuesday the 17th”

Season 4, Episode 4 “The Devil is in the Details and the Upstairs Bedroom”

Season 4, Episode 8 “Let’s Get Hairy”

Season 5, Episode 11 “In Plain Fright”

Season 5, Episode 12 “Dual Spires”

Season 6, Episode 3 “This Episode Sucks”

Season 6, Episode 11 “Heeere’s Lassie”

Season 7, Episode 5 “100 Clues”

Season 8, Episode 9 “A Nightmare on State Street”

TV Cartoons

I grew up watching cartoons, which offered me plenty of different Halloween specials every year. I can’t list them all here, obviously, but here are the ones I revisit the most.

Dr. Seuss’ Halloween is Grinch Night

A Magic School Bus Halloween

It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

Hey Arnold!

Season 1, Episode 8b “Haunted Train”

Season 2, Episode 16b “Four-Eyed Jack”

Season 2, Episode 11 “Arnold’s Halloween”

Season 4, Episode 14a “The Headless Cabbie”

Season 5, Episode 21a “Ghost Bride”

Doug

Season 4, Episode 4 “Doug’s Halloween Adventure”

Rugrats

Season 1, Episode 9a “Candy Bar Creep Show”

Season 6, Episode 12a “Ghost Story”

Season 8, Episode 16 “Curse of the Werewuff”

Gravity Falls

Season 1, Episode 12 “Summerween”

The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius

Season 1, Episode 15 “Sleepless in Retroville”

Season 2, Episode 4 “Nightmare in Retroville”

Spongebob Squarepants

Season 1, Episode 13a “Scardy Pants”

Season 11, Episode 5 “Legend of Boo-kini Bottom”

The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror Series

There are 30 different episodes in this series that feature 3 segments each, usually spoofing a horror movie or trope. Since everyone has different tastes, take your pick.

Courage the Cowardly Dog

This is a show whose premise is to be scary and creepy, so there are any number of episodes that would be appropriate for Halloween viewing. Surprisingly, there aren’t any explicitly Halloween episodes, so here’s just a few especially creepy ones.

Season 1, Episode 7a “King Ramses’ Curse”

Season 1, Episode 2a “The Shadow of Courage”

Goosebumps and Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Like “Courage,” both of these shows were created to scare kids, so there’s a wide catalog of episodes to choose from. Unlike “Courage,” there ARE a few episodes that take place on Halloween.

Goosebumps: Season 1, Episode 1 “The Haunted Mask”

Goosebumps: Season 2, Episode 10 “Attack of the Jack-o-lanterns”

Are You Afraid of the Dark?: Season 1, Episode 4 “The Tale of the Twisted Claw”

Honorable Mention: Cry Baby Lane

Finally, no list of Halloween television shows would be complete with mentioning the infamous Nickelodeon special “Cry Baby Lane.”

On October 28th, 2000, I was 10 years old and looking forward to Halloween. As part of that year’s festivities, my sister and I decided to watch a new Halloween movie on Nickelodeon called “Cry Baby Lane.” We only got about 15 minutes in before our dad decided this was too scary for a 9 and 10 year old, turned the TV off, and immediately made a call to the local TV station to complain. Apparently, he was far from the only one. Nickelodeon received so many viewer and sponsor complaints that they not only pulled the movie from their lineup and never aired it again, but actively denied that ever had aired it in the first place. This was actually somewhat possible during this era of TV, before anything and everything was subject to being live streamed on Twitter and cataloged for all time in the cloud. Even my sister and I doubted we had seen it. For years the movie existed only as an urban legend on the playgrounds and cafeterias of America’s schools, adding to its mystery.

Then, in 2011, a post on Reddit finally broke the curse when a poster uploaded the entire movie and Nickelodeon was forced to admit they had made this movie. Nickelodeon took this in stride, actually using the mystery to its advantage, re-releasing it the same year to capitalize on that sweet, sweet 90’s nostalgia.

When I learned 18 years later that this movie did exist and that I wasn’t hallucinate it during some sugar-induced fever dream I was able to finally work up the courage to face the boogeyman of this movie that has lurked in the back of my mind ever since. And while the movie is definitely a “Nickelodeon scary” movie in the same vein as “Are You Afraid of the Dark,” it definitely has some very creepy parts that make me wonder how it aired on such a family-friendly network at all. The first 5 minutes alone features mutated children and sawing apart Siamese twins after death, not to mention the titular crying throughout the movie that is very creepy. Watch the intro yourself on YouTube and try to imagine how it might seem to 10-year-old you. All in all, it’s not a particularly scary movie now, but I’m glad I can finally experience the thing that has haunted me for all these years. Now, I can finally sleep peacefully.

Hopefully this list contains some episodes you’ll enjoy. Is there an episode or movie that you watch every Halloween to get into the spooky spirit? Let us know in the comments; we’re always looking for more to watch!

Happy Halloween!