I’m a big fan of Halloween! But I’m not very much into horror movies (thrillers are a different story, check out my Hitchcock article for reference). So I’ve found that a fun way to get in the Holiday Spirit is to watch Halloween episodes of some of my favorite shows and lighthearted, fun Halloween movies. These are all kid-friendly as well if you are watching with your family!
- Parks and Recreation
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Parks and Recreation has three Halloween episodes and they’re all great. They include Leslie trying to stop a Halloween vandal, a fun Halloween party thrown at April and Andy’s, and a proposal. The episodes are free to stream on Peacock.
(Episodes mentioned: S2: E7, S4: E5, S5: E5)
- Fresh off the Boat
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Fresh Off the Boat is one of my favorite shows and is absolutely hilarious, so check it out if you haven’t already. The show is about an Asian-American family living in the Florida suburbs in the ’90s. Every season except the first has a Halloween episode so there’s plenty of fun Halloween antics from the Huang family to enjoy! All seasons free to stream on Hulu.
(Episodes mentioned: S2: E5, S3: E3, S4: E4, S5: E3, S6: E5)
- Brooklyn Nine-Nine
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Brooklyn Nine-Nine does a Halloween heist every year, where someone has to steal a specified item and gets named “an amazing detective/genius”. The twists and turns of these episodes are always exciting and you’ll be laughing through all of them. All seasons free to stream on Hulu and Peacock.
(Episodes mentioned: S1: E6, S2: E4, S3: E5, S4: E5, S5: E4, S7: E11)
- Scooby-Doo and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
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These movies are pure campy Halloween fun. Scooby-Doo is an iconic part of Halloween and the live-action films don’t disappoint, largely due to the great cast. Real-life couple (they’re still married, guys!) Freddie Prinze Jr. and Sarah Michelle Gellar star as Fred and Daphne, Linda Cardellini plays the perfect Velma, and Matthew Lillard shines as Shaggy (he voices the animated Shaggy to this day). Both films are hilarious, and you’ll love it if you enjoy monsters and mysteries and Scooby-Dooby-Doo! Both are available on HBOMax or for rent on Amazon Prime Video.
- Twitches and Twitches Too
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“Twin! Witches! Twitches!” Anyone who grew up watching Disney Channel in the 2000s is familiar with these movies about twin witches Alex and Camryn played by Tia and Tamera Mowry. These girls discover on their 21st birthday that not only are they twins, but they also have magical powers and have to protect their home dimension of Coventry. These two fun films are genuinely great and super fun to watch for Halloween. Both films are available on Disney+.
- Phineas and Ferb
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Phineas and Ferb is one of the greatest cartoons and shows to exist and they have no shortage of Halloween episodes going on. Despite having many Halloween episodes, they also have the special “Night of the Living Pharmacists”, which involves a zombie apocalypse where everyone turns into Doofenshmirtz, it’s hilarious and one of my favorite specials from Phineas and Ferb. All seasons are streaming on Disney+.
(The season/episode order on D+ isn’t accurate but the Halloween episodes are “One Good Scare Ought to Do It”, “The Monster of Phineas-n-Ferbenstein”, “That’s the Spirit”, “The Curse of Candace”, “Drusselsteinoween”, “Terrifying Tri-State Trilogy of Terror”) - Buffy the Vampire Slayer
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While technically every episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer could be classified as a Halloween episode, with vampires, demons, and monsters galore, the show has three great Halloween-themed episodes. They involve people turning into what they are dressed as, a fraternity house that preys on your greatest fears, and Willow’s misadventures in magic. If you haven’t seen this show already (what are you doing?!) the Halloween season is a perfect time to check it out.
(Episodes mentioned: S2: E6, S4: E4, S6: E6)
- Various Disney Channel TV shows
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Many Disney Channel Shows have Halloween episodes, from the old-school shows like That’s So Raven, Lizzie McGuire, Hannah Montana, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, and Wizards of Wavery Place (in a similar category to Buffy where every episode could technically be Halloween-themed), to newer shows like Austin and Ally, Liv and Maddie, and Jessie. They are all fun Disney Halloween specials, so I would just pick your favorite show from the list and go and watch it!
(All episodes on Disney+).
- It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
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It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is an absolute classic and is on my must-watch list for every Halloween. Linus waits all night in a Pumpkin Patch for The Great Pumpkin to show up while Charlie Brown and his friends go trick-or-treating as ghosts. ABC Family usually airs this every year around Halloween so be on the lookout!
- Speechless
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Speechless was an underrated ABC comedy show about a family and their son with cerebral palsy. It’s a great show that’s both super funny and deals with disability issues. Their Halloween episodes are great! Some of the things involved in them are hallucinations caused by 50-year-old candy, a scheme to sneak candy away from the teachers in a school dance, and lots of Halloween parties!
(Episodes mentioned: S1: E5, S2: E5, S3: E3)
I hope these episodes and movies help get you in a fun Halloween mood and that you enjoy them!