Wednesday, September 11, 2024
TV shows love taking big swings come Halloween season: Shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Bob's Burgers, How I Met Your Mother, The Goldbergs, Modern Family, The Office, etc. are all shows that have had near-annual Halloween episodes involving characters dressing up and getting involved in spooky seasonal hijinks. Some shows, though, take it a bit further, using the opportunity to detour wildly from the typical style: The Simpsons' "Treehouse of Horror" episodes are some of its most beloved, throwing whatever logic the show has out the window in favor of an anthology format in which anything can happen, and it's probably going to be bloody.
That's what we're celebrating here. I'm mostly avoiding more typical "Halloween" episodes—the kind of thing Roseanne was justifiably famous for—in favor of shows that try to do something genuinely spooky. Sometimes these episodes throw logic out the window for a week; others suggest that it's all been a bad dream; while the boldest of them manage to barely squeeze the horrific events into the continuities of shows that aren't known for being freaky (looking at you, The Waltons). If you need to spice up your TV viewing with some horror for spooky season, these are all good bets.
"And Then There Was Shawn," Boy Meets World
Season 5, Episode 17
One of Boy Meets World's best-remembered episodes, this one definitely gave nightmares to some '90s kids. Recently broken up, Cory (Ben Savage) and Topanga (Danielle Fishel) get into a fight that sees the whole gang in after-hours detention. A creepy janitor locks them all in, and the words "No one gets out alive" are scrawled in blood on the chalkboard. They make it out of the classroom only to find out that the building is chained shut—then they start to die. A pencil through the head; a pair of scissors to the back; a pile of books to the head ... as suspects are eliminated one by one, the gang is forced to conclude that the killer must be one of them. It's an effectively creepy parody of slasher movies in general, but also of the Scream-type movies that were all the rage circa 1998.
Where to stream: Disney+
"The Empty Child," Doctor Who
Season 1, Episode 9
Doctor Who, famous for having kids hiding behind the couch in the '70s, is no stranger to scary monsters. This standout from the early days of the show's revival, though, is an all-time spooky standout. The Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) travels with companion Rose (Billie Piper) into the middle of the London Blitz. The pervasive terror of that era creates a nerve-jangling backdrop for the show's creepiest creation: a kid in a gas mask demanding "Are you my mummy?" of everyone he meets. Trust me: It's chilling. The first of a two-parter, the story concludes in the similarly effective "The Doctor Dances."
Where to stream: Max
"Seven Little Indians," The Facts of Life
Season 8, Episode 12
It's late at night and late in the series: Mrs. Garrett is gone, replaced by Cloris Leachman's Beverly Ann, who runs a Spencer Gifts-style novelty/crap store with help from the girls and also occasionally from neighbor George Clooney. In this Twilight Zone take-off, a killer is stalking the gang on a dark and stormy night, with novelty dice and neon inflatables serving as effectively goofy murder weapons. As in the Agatha Christie book referenced by the title, they start to fall one by one—even George Clooney, whose character likely had a name, isn't safe. It's more goofy than scary, and perfectly well-suited to the faint of heart.
Where to stream: Tubi
"Rabbit Ears," American Dad
Season 14, Episode 4
After picking up an old TV from the trash, Stan finds himself obsessed with an old 1960s TV series—the only one that comes in on the box. The jazzy, boozy "Playboy After Dark"-style show only doesn't come up on a Google search, and Stan finds that only a very small group of people have ever even heard of it. There's just one episode, but it changes, subtly, on repeat viewings. And that's before Stan notices a missing friend in the background. It's American Dad, so there's plenty of silliness, but there's also a real Black Mirror/Twilight Zone feel to the whole thing. It's a parody episode that takes its source material fairly seriously and winds up being genuinely a bit chilling.
Where to stream: Hulu
"The Changeling," The Waltons
Season 7, Episode 5
Whatever else you might remember about this generally cottagecore show, there was occasionally some very weird shit going down on Walton's Mountain. An earlier episode had seen the family dabbling in seances, but this one absolutely went for it. Youngest Walton daughter Elizabeth is just about to turn 13, and finds herself struggling with the draw of young womanhood but also with not being ready to give up little girl things. Which is absolutely all you need to summon a poltergeist—wind out of nowhere whipping up everybody's hair, vases smashing on the floor, radios that don't work and phones that ring for no reason. The "real-life" Enfield Poltergeist had been in the news not long before this episode was produced, and Carrie had been a pretty big hit; it's not hard to see influences from both here. For many of the episodes on this list, the horror elements in non-genre shows wind up being dreams, fantasies, or easily explained misunderstandings. Not here! Everything the family experiences is 100% Waltons canon.
Where to stream: Freevee
"Schisms," Star Trek: The Next Generation
Season 6, Episode 5
You wouldn't expect an alien abduction story to work on TNG, at least not as horror; after all, these people live and work (and sometimes fight) with aliens everyday. And, yet something weird is going on with first officer Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and a handful of other crew members. They're showing signs of sleep deprivation, they're on edge, and they're all having strange reactions to everyday objects. A trip to the Holodeck helps them to collectively recreate a room that they all can only dimly recollect. Doctor Crusher discovers, chillingly, that Riker's arm has recently been severed, and then surgically reattached—something you'd think he'd have remembered. The vibe is effectively mysterious and creepy, giving The X-Files a run for its money.
Where to stream: Paramount+
"Epidemiology," Community
Season 2, Episode 6
Maybe don't purchase your party snacks at an army surplus store. Just a thought. The gang's annual Halloween party involves the aforementioned snacks and a playlist made up entirely of ABBA music, with a zombie-like infection rapidly spreading by bites. The only solution is to lower the temperature in the building to stop the spread of the infection, something only accomplished by a scary trek through a dank basement populated by one entirely unhinged cat.
Where to stream: Peacock
"Teddy Perkins," Atlanta
Season 2, Episode 6
While we're talking about Donald Glover shows: Atlanta takes a wild detour when Lakeith Stanfield’s Darius answers an ad for a free piano owned by a famous musician. He winds up in a mansion overseen by a very pale, very strange man (who, it must be said, bears no small resemblance to Michael Jackson), who claims to be the brother of the piano’s owner. Darius really wants the piano, but feels like he’s being stalled—as though he’s not meant to leave. And he’s not. Comedy and horror can be a potent blend, and, in this case, the funny bits only make the whole thing that much more unsettling. This standalone episode is a half-hour horror movie, full stop.
Where to stream: Hulu
"Just the Four of Us," The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse
Season 1, Episode 10
Donald and Daisy Duck are freakin' exhausted, and it's hard to blame them. Recalling double dates and death-defying adventures with Mickey and Minnie, the two really just want to hang out at home and watch TV. When they beg off of a date by telling their friends that they're sick, their mouse pals decide to come over and take care of them. Cue the very relatable horror music. The short episode has a lot of fun with the creepy horror movie vibes as the Ducks hide in terror while they're sought by their overly solicitous pals. It's a pretty smart horror movie send-up, and absolutely chilling if you've ever just wanted a night at home.
Where to stream: Disney+
"Toys in the Attic," Cowboy Bebop
Season 1, Episode 11
The anime epic Cowboy Bebop played with a variety of styles and tones over its rather short (only 26 episodes) run. Episodes were alternately dark, emotional, or downright silly, and "Toys in the Attic" is one of the show's most impressive tonal achievements, blending an impressively constructed and creepy homage to Alien (a mysterious creature is stalking the crew, immobilizing them one by one) with a genuinely goofy reveal in the final act. That chuckle at the end doesn't at all detract from the creepiness that came before.
Where to stream: Hulu
"The Boogieman," Quantum Leap
Season 3, Episode 5
The anthology-esque format of Quantum Leap lends itself to a variety of tones and genres, though the show rarely went into horror territory. But here we have one of the show's spookiest episodes, as well as one of its all-out weirdest. Sam (Scott Bakula) leaps into the life of horror novelist Joshua Ray on Halloween in 1964, where Joshua has been planning to host a local haunted house attraction with the help of his fiancee Mary and his assistant, Stevie (a nod to Stephen King). People start dying around Sam/Joshua under mysterious circumstances, and his friendly hologram Al (Dean Stockwell) isn't acting himself. I'm just going to spoil this here: It's because Al isn't Al, he's been replaced by the literal Devil, with whom Sam must do battle before he can leap on to his next adventure.
Where to stream: Digital rental
"Countrycide," Torchwood
Season 1, Episode 6
This Doctor Who spin-off largely involved the titular government agency dealing with weird mysteries involving aliens. Which is how this one seems like it's going: 17 people missing within a small area in rural Wales, with local villagers worried that an inexplicable "they" might be coming for them. Sure sounds like aliens, right? The team find themselves hunted as they investigate the increasingly brutal murders, before discovering, in the most disturbing manner imaginable, that humans are capable of far worse than any alien invader.
Where to stream: Max
"Marionette," Fringe
Season 3, Episode 9
I feel like we don't talk enough about Fringe, a very smart sci-fi crime procedural that served as a true successor to the X-Files (wrapping up more satisfyingly than that show ever did) while also doing the multiple universe thing well before Marvel started beating us over the head with it. The show could veer into the creepy, but this one definitely made an impression: The team is on the hunt for a man (played by Mark Ivanir) who's running around harvesting organs (a heart, a couple of eyes, no big) while apparently trying to keep his victims alive. It seems that he's been trying to rebuild a ballerina who died by suicide, building to a genuinely chilling setpiece that makes the episode's title quite literal.
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