It's heeeere!

Well, it’s almost here. Halloween is Monday. Our house is completely decked out in orange and black, there is enough candy hidden in our drawers to give a perfectly healthy person diabetes, and my DVR is filled to the brim with all manner of Halloween goodness. There is FINALLY Halloween almost everywhere you look…and it will all be over in four days. Why is it that things only really pick up like this when there’s so little of the season left to enjoy? How am I going to get through 12 hours of Halloween TV before Monday night, after which the sight of anything spooky on my DVR will just be depressing? How am I going to suck the marrow out of these last few moments of my favorite time of the year? I always forget exactly how let down I always am as soon as the clock ticks over to 12:01 on November 1st. The Halloween sitcom reruns stop, only to return to the mundane everyday shows. The morning talk shows who had just yesterday decked their hosts out in the most extravagant costumes imaginable now return to their somber suits, regular news, and turkey talk. The lure of cooking elaborate feasts in three weeks, or the green and red and holly in four weeks, holds no sway over me. I look forward not to October 31st each year, but to the entire season. October 31st itself is usually a bit of a let down—if it’s not on the weekend, there’s not much to do except watch the last few Halloween tv shows, check out the costumes of Regis and Kelly, The View ladies, and the Today Show hosts, pass out candy to trick-or-treaters, and turn off the pumpkin lights at the end of the night. Even the promise of 75% off decorations and candy does little to alleviate the sadness of taking down the lights and decorations and putting them away for another 10 ½ months.


But I should be enjoying this moment. It’s not all over yet. Tonight is our traditional “eat gravy cheese fries and watch scary movies” Friday before Halloween. I’ve still got hours of Halloween TV to watch before the weekend is over. I’ve got my costume to finish. I’ve got a Halloween event to go to with my friends tomorrow. I’ve got pumpkins yet to carve. I’ve got a daughter to dress up and take trick-or-treating. I’ve got candy to pass out. There’s still lots of Halloween left to do in these last four days.

Finally...maybe?

Ah, September 1st. You are the day so many of us fall and Halloween nuts look forward to. Although pumpkins and scarecrows and hay bales have slowly been trickling into stores and magazines and advertisements over the past month, those who are not of our tribe see them and sniff and murmur “too early”. That is, until September 1st. It’s the day it’s finally OK to admit your longing for dead leaves and pumpkins and scarecrows without looking like a freak.


But. However. We’re looking down the barrel of about three weeks of weird in-betweenness. Yeah, the calendar says September but the weather is still screaming “summer” as loud as it can. The gloriously gloomy, rainy, thundery mornings that have greeted me yesterday and today have quickly given way to hot, bright, sunny afternoons and then into nights spent listening to the hum of the air conditioner. Still.

My brain wants sweaters and blankets and hot drinks and soups and cuddling, but the reality of three more official weeks of summer says “no, not yet.” The days are getting shorter, it’s getting dark around 8 o’clock now, but crappy summer reality programs and reruns are still dominating the TV schedule. I want to go home and bake cookies and make casseroles but the second I walk into my hot, humid kitchen all I can think is “salad and popsicles.”

Although I traditionally give myself permission to put out all of our fall décor at home out on September 1st, this year I think I may wait until after Labor Day. It seems right this year to leave out the flags and bunting and summery garlands at least that long. And it seems so very wrong to be putting up pumpkins and orange leaves when the temperature is hovering around 90. I can wait a few more days. Just a few.

Oh, and I do have more Halloween TV entries to post.  More to come, hopefully...

Halloween TV: Castle

I, unfortunately have never seen the episode listed here because I just got into Castle this past year.  But! I heard that they are planning a Ghostbusters-themed Halloween episode for this year.  Yay!

Season 2, Episode 6, 10/26/11

Vampire Weekend

It's close to Halloween, and a man is found murdered in a graveyard - with a stick through his heart, and sporting fangs. Castle and Beckett track the murderer to a vampire cult, all the while Castle is trying on costumes for his Halloween party - costume mandatory!

Halloween TV: Old School TGIF

There are probably more shows I could add to this post.  In my research, I couldn't find any Halloween-centric episodes of Full House.  WTF, Full House?  How could you get away with being a family sitcom on air for, like, a million years and never have a Halloween episode?  Well, at least Family Matters made up for you by having several good Halloween episodes.

Family Matters



Season 2, Episode 7, 10/26/90

Dog Day Halloween

Steve and Laura are held hostage during a Halloween bank robbery.


Season 4, Episode 7, 10/30/92

Whose Kid Is it Anyway?

Richie is upset when Eddie’s hot Halloween date conflicts with his promise to take his little cousin trick or treating.


Season 6, Episode 6, 10/28/94

Dark and Stormy Night

On a dark and stormy Halloween night the Winslows play Pass the Ghost Story in which Carl and Harriet are 19th century vampires licking their chops over the wayfaring Sir Steven.


Season 8, Episode 7, 10/25/96

Stevil

Ventriloquist Steve’s look-alike dummy comes alive on Halloween.


Season 9, Episode 7, 10/31/97

Stevil II: This Time He’s Not Alone

Stevil, the evil ventriloquist dummy, is back to haunt Urkel, but now he’s brought along a nightmarish sidekick, Carlsbad. Together Stevil and Carlsbad attempt to take over the souls of Urkel and Carl—wreaking havoc on the whole Winslow household.



Perfect Strangers


Season 4, Episode 3, 10/28/88

Aliens

Larry and Balki throw a Halloween party with their friends and after six hours of watching scary movies, Larry wakes up and discovers that Balki is an alien from Planet Mypos and is turning everyon into Mypiots by putting vests on them.


Season 7, Episode 6, 10/25/91

Fright Night

It’s up to Larry and Balki to rid the house of a ghost.

Halloween TV: Girlfriends

I have something shameful to admit: I'm a closet Girlfriends junkie.  I absolutely love this show, and I am completely mortified that I do.  I will watch the crap out of it when they show reruns on Oxygen or BET.  I thought they did one more Halloween-ish episode in one of the later seasons, but I may be mistaken.  Both the episodes listed here have great Halloween party scenes.

Season 1, Episode 6, 10/30/00


The Remains of the Date

Joan plans an elaborate scheme to get revenge on William for the latest in a series of Halloween pranks. Toni is put off when her date asks her to engage in a threesome—with a stuffed animal.


Season 2, Episode 7, 10/29/01

Trick or Truth

Toni suffers a breakdown after Greg cheats on her, then reveals he only took her back so he could get revenge against her. Lynn and Maya try to help her pick up the pieces, but Joan is less than sympathetic. Without Toni to round up male guests, William finds himself as the only man at Joan’s Halloween party, and becomes overwhelmed by all of the female attention.

Halloween TV: What I Like About You

I used to watch this show on Sunday nights when I was visiting my then-boyfriend (now husband) in another city.  We usually took naps on Sunday afternoons and I always woke up first because I was anxious and sad about leaving.  So I'd turn on the TV and this was the only thing on network TV on Saturday at 5 or 6.  I'd turn it off as soon as the boyfriend woke up, though, because...embarassing!  Now I'll catch it occasionally if I'm up late at night and there's a rerun on TeenNick.

Season 3, Episode 7, 10/29/04


Ghost of a Chance

The group celebrate Halloween by going to a party at the diner, where Holly and Ben dress up as Sonny & Cher, Gary and Danielle as Ike & Tina Turner, and Tina and Vince as Homer and Jessica Simpson. Lauren attempts to relax Val by taking her to a dude ranch that turns out to be something quite different. Val is shocked and angry to learn that Holly has dropped out of college to manage Danielle's potential music career, and when Val insists that she return to school, Holly concocts a deal with her.


Season 4, Episode 6, 10/28/05

Halloween

When Holly feels that she is ready to take her relationship to the next level with Vince, she is determined to make Vince feel the same. Meanwhile, Charlie proposes to Val, who doesn't want to tell him that Vic is actually her husband. When Vic feels like the 'monkey in the middle,' he decides that he and Val should take a break from each other. Then Val realizes she really does need Vic.

Halloween TV: New Last Year

A bunch of shows in their first or second season did Halloween episodes last year.  I hope they all continue the tradition!

Cougar Town


Season 2, Episode 6, 10/27/10

You Don’t Know

Jules' dad visits for Halloween, and she is determined to reconnect with him, even to the point that she dresses for him in Halloween, his favorite holiday. Meanwhile, Grayson hits it off with Jules dad, Bobby wants to remain being baby Stan's guardian, if anything happen to Ellie and Andy, and Laurie reminds Travis how fun can Halloween be.


Glee

Season 2, Episode 5, 10/26/10

Rocky Horror

The kids perform songs from Rocky Horror Picture Show.


Modern Family


Season 2, Episode 6, 10/27/11

Halloween

Claire, in her love for Halloween, makes the house look spooky for the trick or treaters. She wants to give each family member a role to play, but many problems come up to prevent it. Cameron hates Halloween because of a traumatic childhood experience, Mitchell had a bad day at work, and Gloria is acting weird because Jay and Manny teased her accent.


Parenthood

Season 2, Episode 6, 10/19/11

Orange Alert

Zeek goes overboard with the Halloween celebration and gets upset when Haddie, Amber and Drew refuse to join in the fun. Meanwhile, Adam and Kristina are nervous about Max's new plans for the holiday. Sarah's relation with Gordon gets even more complicated when she confronts him about the kiss. Meanwhile, Julia struggles with women right when Sydney chooses a costume she doesn't approve of.


The Middle


Season 2, Episode 6, 10/27/11

Halloween

Frankie tries to convince Mike to dress in a costume for an adult neighborhood Halloween party. Meanwhile, Reverend TimTom is back in town and is hosting a Halloween party at the church, which helps to lift Sue’s spirits, Axl and his friends go to an exclusive haunted house, and Brick chooses a unique Halloween costume.