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.

Halloween TV: Supernatural

This is a show you'd think would be a natural fit with Halloween, but they've only had one explicitly Halloween-y episode.  I guess because it's about creepy, spooky stuff year round, they felt they didn't need to acknowledge the high holiday of all that is spooky and creepy?  If so, that's bull, Supernatural!

Season 4, Episode 7, 10/30/08


It’s the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester

Sam and Dean meet Castiel and his fellow angel Uriel, who warn the brothers to avoid intervening in a town where a witch is attempting to summon the demon Samhain, opening one of the Seals.

Halloween TV: Bones

This was the episode that got me watching this show, which is now a regular on my DVR.

Season 3, Episode 5, 10/30/07


Mummy in the Maze

A Halloween pumpkin patch maze becomes a lot scarier when the mummified remains of a young girl are found in it. Booth and Brennan go to investigate, and are shocked to find that the victim has been dead for over a year. To make the situation even creepier, a second body is found at a Halloween amusement park funhouse, again mummified, but this time dead for approximately two years. Booth and Brennan get wind of a third missing girl and link her to the person who killed the other two girls. They must now race to find the killer before he or she strikes again this Halloween.

Halloween TV: Malcom in the Middle

Why did I have it in my mind that this was one of the shows that had good Halloween episodes every year?  I only found one in the descriptions on tv.com.  Fox shows kind of get the shaft when it comes to Halloween episodes because almost all of them get pre-empted for the World Series in late October.  Damn you, baseball!

Season 7, Episode 4, 10/28/05


Halloween

After Malcom and Reese go on a haunted Halloween tour of the neighborhood, they discover that there was a multiple murder and then suicide twenty years ago. Malcolm winds up sick and stays home with Hal who spends the whole night freaked out about the deaths. Reese and Dewey egg a man by accident and he starts chasing them. Lois' work gets chaotic, ruining her night.

Halloween TV: Reba

Yet another goofy, dumb sitcom I didn't really catch until after it had gone off the air.  These types of sitcoms really are like the comfort food of TV for anyone who grew up in the heyday of Full House, Family Matters, Perfect Strangers, etc.  Bonus: watch out for the classic Elaborate Prank Halloween Episode in Best Li'l Haunted House in Texas!

Season 3, Episode 7, 10/31/03


The Ghost and Mrs. Hart

Reba convinces Barbra Jean her house is haunted by the previous owner, but the joke wears thin when Barbra Jean moves in with her. After a "ghost-ridding" ceremony, Reba finds out that after all this time Barbra Jean thinks she stole Brock from her.


Season 5, Episode 6, 10/28/05

Best Li’l Haunted House In Texas

Reba is beyond disappointed when her plans for a fright-filled Halloween fall through because everyone in the family has other plans. Meanwhile, Van's green-eyed monster comes out when Cheyenne starts spending an inordinate amount of time with her handsome sponsor, Frank.

Halloween TV: 8 Simple Rules

This is another one I didn't watch until it came on in reruns on ABC Family and I saw that they had done a couple Halloween episodes.  I don't mean to speak ill of the dead, but I cannot stand John Ritter.  Like, it's almost pathological, just the sound or sight of his name gives me the pee shivers of grossness.  I don't know why, it's just one of those weirdly visceral reactions that's inexplicable.  Might this show have gone for a perfect record and had a Halloween episode in the second season if Ritter hadn't died in early October that year?  I guess we'll never know.

Season 1, Episode 7, 10/29/02


Trick or Treehouse

Paul seems to be the only one looking forward to a family Halloween, as Bridget, Kerry and Rory make plans to spend the spooky evening away from home and with their friends. But Paul's wish to relive the past by having the family get together for one last Halloween campout in the old treehouse may turn out to be the biggest nightmare of the evening.


Season 3, Episode 6, 10/29/04

Halloween

Kerry doubts Bridget's ability to put together the school's Halloween party as part of her Student Body President duties. Meanwhile C.J. is hired as the party's security guard and sets his sights on catching Rory pulling off a prank, and Jim finds himself under attack by the neighborhood kids when he refuses to hand out candy to the trick-or-treaters.

Halloween TV: Hope & Faith

Cross my heart, I never watched this show when it was on (but maybe I should have, considering it featured in probably one of the last iterations of "TGIF").  It's a really dumb sitcom, but I kind of like dumb sitcoms sometimes.  Sitcoms these days are too smart and good and clever, dammit!  Except Two and a Half Men, but that one's so bad even I can't watch it.  So, truly, I have never watched this show until I caught these Halloween shows on Oxygen as reruns years later.  But bravo to you, Hope & Faith, for putting out a Halloween episode each year you were on the air!  And not only that, but for going all out in the second season for the insane/improbable/drawn-out Halloween prank episode!  Not seen since the classic sitcoms of the late 80's/early 90's!

Season 1, Episode 6, 10/31/03


Hope Has No Faith (The Halloween Story)

On Halloween, Faith meets and falls for a guy named Paolo. Hope, of course, thinks that he is just another idiot, leading her on a spy caper to find out. Back at home, Sydney gives Hayley tips on how to attract her math partner.

Season 2, Episode 5, 10/29/04

Faith Scare-Field

Hope and Faith receive an invitation to a Halloween party from their crazy next door neighbor, whom they terrorized as girls. Halloween turns out to be scary when the woman gets her revenge- by trapping the women in a torture chamber.

Season 3, Episode 6, 10/28/05

The Halloween Party

There’s a neighborhood Halloween party contest between Hope and her neighbor Trudy but what can Faith do when she is invited to Trudy's party as the date for Trudy's rather attractive cousin?

Halloween TV: That 70's Show

Is it weird of me to admit that I have a soft spot in my heart for this show simply because I thought my husband looked like Topher Grace when I first met him?  A little?  Yeah.  They only did two Halloween specials in the early seasons, but they were good ones.

Season 2, Episode 5, 10/26/99


Halloween

The gang, looking for something fun to do on Halloween, revisits their old grammar school, where they find their permanent records. Looking through them, they find out some interesting things about each other. Fez discovers trick or treating.


Season 3, Episode 4, 10/31/00

Too Old to Trick or Treat, Too Young to Die

A Halloween episode filled with parodies of Alfred Hitchcock movies: "Rear Window", "Vertigo", "The Birds", "North By Northwest" and "Psycho”.

Halloween TV: Sabrina the Teenage Witch

Yeah, this is what I meant when I said earlier that I would watch almost any show that had a Halloween special episode.  I mean, how can you be a show about a witch and not have great Halloween specials?

Season 1, Episode 5, 10/25/96


A Halloween Story

When she’s forced to attend a family affair on Halloween, Sabrina sends a clone to Harvey's party, where the simple-minded stand-in (who can only speak three sentences) agrees to streak naked in order to liven up the festivities. Meanwhile, the real Sabrina desperately tries to ditch her relatives: an obnoxious socialite and her brat of a daughter, whose hobby is putting people she dislikes into jars.

Season 2, Episode 7, 10/31/97

A River of Candy Corn Runs Through It

Angry that Libby is having a Halloween party that pointedly excludes them, Valerie blurts out that she and Sabrina are hosting the coolest possible party at Sabrina's house. When a reluctant Sabrina backs up her friend, she discovers that her aunt's new furniture delivery includes talking chairs and couches infested with talking termites; and when Libby's bored guests crash her party, she conjures up 10,000 Maniacs to distract her schoolmates, who assume everything that happens is a "cool" Halloween special effect.

Season 3, Episode 6, 10/30/98

Good Will Haunting

With Halloween rapidly approaching, Sabrina, Hilda and Zelda get invited to their Aunt Beulah's annual celebration. Seeing they have finally ran out of excuses for staying away from her party for the past 500 years, Zelda reluctantly sends back their RSVP, much to Hilda's displeasure. Since Sabrina made plans with Valerie and Harvey, she gets to ditch the party to spend the holiday with her friends. As a result, she gets an unexpected surprise from Aunt Beulah when a magical talking doll is sent over from the Other Realm. It doesn't take long for the "Molly Dolly" to start terrorizing Sabrina and her guests after her aunts leave for their party. Hilda and Zelda also get their own surprise when they discover that Aunt Beulah's Halloween is seemingly held in an insane asylum.

Season 4, Episode 6, 10/29/99

Episode LXXXI: The Phantom Menace

When Sabrina gets a job at a nearby coffee house, she decides to work on Halloween night instead of celebrating the holiday with her aunts. After Hilda and Zelda learn of Sabrina's plans, they try to warn her that she can't run away from Halloween, but Sabrina refuses to take their warning seriously. As Hilda and Zelda anxiously prepare for their Halloween dinner with Edgar Allan Poe, Sabrina and Dreama eventually celebrate the holiday in their own way: when a group of Other Realm Zombies arrive the coffee house to help them "experience the fun of Halloween”.

Season 5, Episode 6, 10/27/00

The Halloween Scene

After she learns Hilda and Zelda won't be home for Halloween, Sabrina decides to throw a party at their place- and soon regrets the decision when Other Realm monsters show up at the party. Also, Sabrina must repair the love of two monsters: Frankenstein & Bride of Frankenstein when Roxie gets in the way of their meaningful relationship. Meanwhile Salem stalks a college girl and Hilda and Zelda's outfits may not be appropriate for the galaxy opening.

Season 6, Episode 4, 10/26/01

Murder on the Halloween Express

Sabrina takes a holiday idea from Salem and brings her friends on the spooky Mystery Train for a Halloween adventure. There's just one problem: It's in the Other Realm. Sabrina soon learns that the mortals can leave only if she solves the puzzling mystery when she goes back into something out of a 1920 mystery movie.

Halloween TV: 90's Must See TV

Here are a few Thursday night shows that only had a few Halloween episodes between them, so I'll put them together in one post.  How is it that Friends only had one Halloween episode in its entire run?  Weak, Friends, weak.

Will & Grace


Season 1, Episode 5, 10/26/98

Boo! Humbug

Will and Grace plan to spend a serious Halloween together watching Ingmar Bergman movies at home - until Harlin drops off his over-eager kids at their place when he's called away on business. Meanwhile, Jack convinces Karen to accompany him to the downtown parade where she becomes an honourary drag queen.

Season 5, Episode 5, 10/31/02

It’s the Gay Pumpkin Charlie Brown

Will and Grace take a day off work to go on a Pumpkin-picking bike ride with Leo and his pal in the Catskills; meanwhile, Karen decides that she has to tell Stan about her affair with Lionel Banks, only to find that there's something he isn't telling her.


Friends

Season 8, Episode 6, 11/1/01

The One with the Halloween Party

Monica and Chandler decide to throw a costumed Halloween party. Phoebe runs into Ursula, who’s getting married next week, and invites her and her fiancé to the party.

 
Frasier


Season 5, Episode 3, 10/28/97

Halloween

Everyone attends Niles’ literary themed Halloween party, including Roz, who tells Frasier she may be pregnant.



Season 9, Episode 6, 10/30/01

Room Full of Heroes

Frasier holds a "Dress as Your Hero" Halloween party, but nobody can tell who he is. Meanwhile, Niles dresses as Martin, Daphne as Elton John, Martin as Joe DiMaggio and Roz as Wonder Woman for the party.



Season 10, Episode 5, 10/29/02

Tales From the Crypt

Frasier is infuriated when Bulldog successfully pulls several practical jokes on him. He vows to get revenge, and plots an elaborate prank that he takes way too seriously. Martin and Roz predict that he will fail because he is terrible at carrying out pranks. Frasier seeks the help of an unlikely ally to prove them wrong. Meanwhile, Mrs. Moon wages a prank war of her own against a trick or treater who eggs Niles' door after he forgets to buy Halloween candy.

Halloween TV: Home Improvement

Next to Roseanne, this was my other favorite show for great Halloween episodes growing up.  No wonder every year I worked and planned for months ahead of time for a basement haunted house/Halloween party.  Everyone on TV had one, shouldn't I?

Season 2, Episode 6, 10/28/92


The Haunting of Taylor House

Brad and Jennifer plan to dress like Raggedy Anne and Raggedy Andy on Halloween, but she shows up with Danny and is instead dressed like him. After Danny tries to ruin Tim's "Catacombs of Terror", Tim scares him with the help of Al and Wilson.


Season 3, Episode 6, 10/27/93

Crazy for You

It’s Halloween and as usual Tim is up to his old tricks; however, Jill plans a prank of her own. Tim gets cookies from a fan named Rose but soon strange things start happening. She keeps calling him,and Wilson thinks she is obsessed with him. Tim tries to hide but it's no use.


Season 5, Episode 6, 10/31/95
Let Them Eat Cake

Tim, Jill, Al and Ilene are at an awards banquet and hope to win an award for Tool Time. The award usually goes to "Cooking with Irma." At home, Brad throws a Halloween party for some of the "new crowd" from school.


Season 6, Episode 7 10/29/96

I Was a Teenage Taylor

It’s a battle of Halloween pranks. First Tim scares Al, then Brad and Randy scare Jill, then a strange man shows up at the door asking to see the basement. Jill, Tim and Wilson tell Brad and Randy that years ago a man named Clifford Warren was accused of killing his brother, but because of his mental problems he was put in an insane hospital. Little do the boys know that it's a Halloween prank. Unfortunately, Al blows the secret and they invite him to help them pull a prank of their own, but Al blows that one too. Tim, Jill and Mark end up scaring Brad and Randy in the attic, and Al and Wilson pull a prank of their own on the Taylors.


Season 7, Episode 5, 10/28/97

A Night to Dismember

It’s Halloween at the Taylor's house. Jill is worried that Mark will spend the night alone with Ronnie. She asks Brad and Randy to take them to a party they're going to, but they refuse. Mark tells his parents that he and Ronny are in a film class, and that they're going to be making a horror film. He asks the family to be in it, and they accept. When they start, Jill and Tim worry that it won't be good because it isn't scary yet. When they find his video, they decide to watch it to see how it's going. They find out that it's about a boy, Clark, who has been ignored by his family, Jim, Lil, Chad and Andy. He sees a mad scientist, Dr. Wilsonstein, to get a potion that will turn them into freaks. He then decides to kill them. This makes Jill worry because she thinks Mark really does feel ignored, and wants to kill them. When they start the next scene, he is about to chop his father's head off, and Mark holds up a real knife. Jill has had enough, and decides that they need to talk.


Season 8, Episode 6, 10/27/98

Bewitched

At a Halloween party Tim encourages Wilson to break up with his girlfriend. who claims to be a witch. But, after he dumps her he mysteriously disappears. Tim blames the witch but when the police arrive Tim is accused of Wilson's disappearance.

Halloween TV: Beverly Hills 90210

This was another one that surprised me with the number of Halloween episodes they did.  Of course, I pretty much stopped watching this show after the main group graduated from high school.  Didn't everyone?

Season 2, Episode 13, 10/31/91


Halloween

Brandon and Emily take her two young cousins trick-or-treaing but lose them along the way. David and Scott decide to take part in an annual egg fight, a Halloween tradition for the former best friends. Meanwhile, Kelly is sexually assaulted at a party.


Season 6, Episode 8, 11/1/95

Gypsies, Cramps, and Fleas (AKA Halloween VI)

Colin appeases Kelly by ending his affiliation with Claudia and taking a teaching job. A fortune teller sets up shop at the Peach Pit for Halloween. In spite of her questionable credibility, her presence has an impact on many couples. She forces Susan to come clean with Brandon about a past relationship. David buys a love potion to use on Valerie, and the two become closer. Steve and Clare accidentally drink the potion and have a rendezvous in the club's dressing room. Donna spends time at the Halloween party with Joe Bradley, the university's star quarterback. A jealous Ray accosts her, prompting Joe to back off. Ray lurks at Donna's apartment and becomes physical when she refuses to talk to him. Joe returns and comes to Donna's defense; he had reconsidered his decision and wants to date her. Dylan and Toni take in a stray kitten. Toni finds Dylan's gun in the first aid kit and insists that he get rid of it. Toni's father meets her at the Peach Pit in the hopes of ending their rift. He refuses to give Dylan a chance, and Toni gets him to admit that he had Jack killed. Dylan disposes of his gun and vows to let go of his anger. He and Toni plan to move to Hawaii.


Season 7, Episode 7, 10/30/96

Fearless

Kenny orders Valerie to terminate her pregnancy. He agrees to pay her $100,000 to have an abortion. When he skips a meeting where he was to make the payment, she delivers diapers to his befuddled wife. Kenny angrily writes Valerie the check. Firefighter Cliff helps out with the Alphas' haunted house, where he encourages a young boy to overcome his fears. Cliff later has a date with Donna at the After Dark. Steve is miffed when Clare chooses to go to the Halloween concert with egotistical Dick Harrison, a Phi Beta Kappa. He uses an escort service in the hopes of making Clare jealous, but she learns that Steve paid the woman and mistakenly assumes that she is a hooker. Steve turns down Clare's proposal of an open relationship. Brandon and Tracy spend time together at the club, although he does not wish to pursue another workplace romance. He gives her a ride home and kisses her. David refuses to spend the weekend at his grandparents' house in Palm Springs. His father calls him to deliver the news that his grandfather died of a heart attack.


Season 10, Episode 6, 10/27/99

‘80’s Night

Joe Patch's parents visit Kelly and ask for her forgiveness. Matt tries to save a convicted rapist and murderer from the death penalty. Kelly is initially supportive, but changes her mind after hearing a description of the man's crimes. A meeting with the client's brother prompts Kelly to realize the anguish experienced by the families of criminals; she forgives Mr. and Mrs. Patch. She strongly objects when Matt appeals the judge's ruling against his client, and decides to stop seeing him for the time being. Donna wanders into the After Dark late at night and discovers the strip club. Gina recognizes David's father as one of the customers. She sneaks him out the back door when the police raid the club. Noah and Donna are among those arrested, as the cops mistake Donna for a prostitute. Dylan realizes that Gina was involved. She promises to stop lying to him, then immediately blackmails Mel. Dylan and Donna question David's on-air antics when he costs a listener his girlfriend. David eventually reunites the couple and decides to change his ways. Janet's college friends ask her to play bass in their band, which is performing at the After Dark's Halloween party. Although Steve stays home and organizes a haunted house for neighborhood kids, he eventually shows up at the club to support Janet.

Halloween TV: Roseanne

The absolute best show ever for Halloween specials!  Roseanne completely embraced the holiday and I looked forward to these episodes every year when I was little.

Season 2


BOO!

Roseanne celebrates Halloween, making a complicated haunted house for trick or treaters to go through. They play a prank on Dan along with a potential employer.


Season 3, Episode 7, 10/30/90

Trick or Treat

Roseanne shows up dressed as a bearded lumberjack to a Halloween party at the Lobo Lounge and spends the night in character.


Season 4, Episode 6, 10/29/91

Trick Me Up, Trick Me Down

Roseanne is on pins & needles, convinced that Kathy Bowman will take revenge for the Halloween prank she played on her; Jackie flirts with a moose at the Lodge costume party only to discover it’s former boyfriend Booker.


Season 5, Episode 7, 10/27/92

Halloween IV

Roseanne sends everyone to a party while she stays home—and is visited by the ghosts of Halloween past, present, and future to teach her a lesson about the Halloween spirit.


Season 6, Episode 6, 10/26/93

Halloween V

Halloween at the diner becomes complicated when Nancy complains that Dan doesn’t like her, and Roseanne discovers that Darlene and David are dating other people.


Season 7, Episode 6, 10/26/94

Skeleton in the Closet

Leon outdoes himself hosting a Halloween soiree with the Lunch Box clan and a bevy of his gay friends, many of whom seem to know Fred—intimately. Meanwhile, Jackie and Roseanne visit Bev’s hairdresser and become convinced that she wears a wig.


Season 8, Episode 5, 10/31/95

Halloween: the Final Chapter

Roseanne reigns as queen of the gypsies, consort of wizards, and seer of souls on Halloween. A Ouija board message from “The Dead” portends an unexpected event.


Season 9, Episode 7, 10/29/96

Satan, Darling

Jackie and Roseanne attend a party in New York, where they mingle with Manhattan’s upper crust as well as two flashy British women. As the evening progresses, however, Roseanne finds herself drawn into a creepy 90’s version of “Rosemary’s Baby”.

Halloween TV: Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

Going old-school with this one.  I have to be honest, I don't remember these episodes specifically, but now I'll know to look for them in reruns!

Season 1, Episode 8, 10/29/90


Someday Your Prince Will Be in Effect pt 1

The family goes to the mall to get costumes for Hilary's Halloween party. Will and Carlton compete to find a date for the party. Philip gets caught up at the gadget shop. Hilary and Ashley are detained for possible theft. Will and Vivian are discovered as singing talent.


Season 1, Episode 9, 10/29/90

Someday Your Prince Will Be in Effect pt 2

When Will and Carlton compete for dates for a Halloween party, Will boasts of knowing famous people and Carlton weaves his tall tales. Who will win the girl? Will she be worth winning? Will and Carlton will find out.


Season 4, Episode 7, 10/25/93

Hex and the Single Guy

Hilary summons an outrageous TV psychic and spirit channeler who arranges a séance to communicate with the dead and enable Hilary to get over Trevor once and for all -- and hexes a disbelieving Will.

Halloween TV: South Park

South Park has weird scheduling, so they don't often get to air an episode around Halloween.  But the couple they have done have been pretty good.

Season 1, Episode 7, 10/29/97


Pink Eye

The first Halloween episode starts off with the failure of the Mir Space Station, which crashes right on Kenny. An ambulance comes and takes his body off to the morgue. The boys start to brag about their Halloween costumes. At the morgue, a freak accident involving a bottle of Worcestershire occurs, and next thing you know Kenny is a member of the undead. Kenny breaks free and wanders off into the night.


Season 2, Episode 15, 10/28/98

Spooky Fish

Mrs. Marsh’s monthly visitor, Aunt Flo, gives Stan a goldfish for a present. Stan thinks it's spooky, but his mother makes him graciously accept it. The fish begins to kill people and his Mother believes it to be Stan, not the fish. Meanwhile, there is another Cartman walking around, who is an alternate version of his normal self walking around South Park. They soon come to realize that all the trouble is coming from the Indian Burial Ground pet store, and they set out to stop it.

Season 3, Episode 10, 10/27/99

Korn’s Groovy Pirate Ghost Mystery

It’s Halloween in South Park again, and all is not well. Father Maxi denounces the holiday as evil, and expresses his disgust in inviting the band Korn to perform, which could only compound the evil that day. Korn and the rest of South Park start seeing pirate ghosts (or are they ghost pirates?) around the pier, making the concert a distinct impossibility. With the help of their space chicken friend, Niblet, Korn set's out to foil the ghosts evil scheme.


Season 10, Episode 11, 10/25/06

Hell on Earth 2006

Satan is throwing the world's biggest Halloween costume party, and no one is getting in without a blue wrist band. Unfortunately, even Satan can't plan for everything as a religious organization and the antics of the most notorious serial killers of all time might ruin his good time.

A break in TV for a quick update

Halloween is starting to pop up in stores and online:

Michael’s has fall stuff and a few Halloween things out

Dollar Tree has some Halloween out
Etsy has been featuring Halloween and autumn collections in their roundup emails
Spirit’s website has 2011 collection up
Grandin Road has Halloween stuff online
Pottery Barn has Halloween items online
Wal Mart has Halloween online
Bath and Body Works has their "Boo-tique" up online
Martha Stewart's website has Halloween in their Holiday Head Start section
Jo Ann Fabric has pumpkins, leaves, and scarecrows out, but nothing Halloween yet

A couple weeks ago here is what I was feeling about summer:

For the most part, surprisingly, I’m still feeling summer right now.  I’m longing for the kind of long, hot, sweaty, debaucherous summers of my early 20’s.  I’m wearing skirts and dresses, drinking a lot, barely eating, and being generally lazy.  I wish there were a little more excitement and activity.  I still want to throw a rager party at our house, I want to go out more with Josh and go to shows and parties.  I’ve mostly been avoiding TV, other than True Blood, Parks & Rec reruns and the occasional movie, and it’s been nice.  I’ve let a lot of responsibility fall by the wayside, which is the way summer should be—I’ve been lazy about meal-planning, grocery shopping, cleaning, we’re eating everything on paper plates so I don’t have to do dishes…  I still want to have a reason to put on a bathing suit and get wet sometime, I still want to take Georgia to the zoo.  I’m not done with drinking sweaty, cold drinks on the back porch.  I’m not done with getting away with almost zero cooking.  I’m not done with popsicles and ice cream and fruit and sleeping in cold air conditioning.

Today, here is what I feel about summer:

I think the heat wave this past week has just about done me in for summer.  It’s now late July, the first of September is within reach, and I’m ready for this hot weather to end.  August has always been the worst of the summer months.  It’s usually the hottest (though if it’s hotter than this July, I don’t know what I’ll do), and when you’re a kid you hate it because the end of August means school and you spend the month clinging desperately to your last few weeks/days/hours of freedom, and when you’re an adult you hate it because by the time it rolls around you’re pretty much done with summer and heat and you just want it to cool off already so you can shut the darn money-sucking air conditioner off.

Halloween TV: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

I'm ashamed to admit I didn't get into this great show until years after it went off air.  But I did come to recognize its brilliance, especially in the early seasons, so that counts for something, right?

Season 2, Episode 6, 10/27/97


Halloween

On Halloween Buffy, Willow and Xander are "volunteered" by Principal Snyder to take groups of kids trick-or-treating. Buffy seizes the opportunity to impress Angel by dressing as a woman from the time when he was human. When most of the kids in Sunnydale magically become whatever they were dressed as, it is up to soldier-Xander and ghost-Willow to find a way to break the spell and defend Buffy, who is now a weak and frail 18th century noblewoman.



Season 4, Episode 4, 10/26/99

Fear, Itself

To help Buffy get over the pain of having been used by Parker, the gang head to a fraternity Halloween party expecting a few cheap scares and a bit of harmless fun. Unfortunately, some accidental magic turns the party into a house of horrors where everyone's fears come to life.



Season 6, Episode 6, 10/30/01

All the Way

Dawn sneaks out and spends Halloween night with a friend and two hot guys. When they are invited into the home of an eccentric old man, however, things take a turn for the weird. Meanwhile, Tara expresses concern that Willow is using too much magic and an argument ensues.

Halloween TV: The Office

The Office has had more Halloween episodes than I remembered.  They've done one almost every year.  OK, the Diwali one was only tangentally Halloween-related, but there was the mix-up where Carol wears a Halloween costume to the Diwali celebration, and if I remember correctly, the episode was included in an all-Halloween lineup the night it aired.

Season 2, Episode 5, 10/18/05


Halloween

While everyone else in the office enjoys the spooky Halloween festivities and talks about the staff's costumes, Michael ponders who he should fire when the threat of downsizing becomes a reality and his boss orders him to fire one of his staff. Meanwhile, Jim and Pam put Dwight's resume on job-searching websites, which may make Michael's job a little easier, and Pam encourages Jim to set his goals higher by applying for a better job, which makes Jim consider his friendship with Pam.



Season 3, Episode 6, 11/2/06

Diwali

It’s Diwali and Michael encourages the entire Scranton branch to support Kelly and attend a local celebration, where Ryan faces Kelly’s family.



Season 5, Episode 5, 10/30/08

Employee Transfer

Michael helps Holly move following her transfer to Nashua, NH. Meanwhile, Pam discovers people at corporate are less enthused about Halloween than she, and Dwight agitates Andrew by applying to Cornell.



Season 7, Episode 6, 10/28/10

Costume Contest

The Dunder Mifflin staff have a Halloween costume contest. Michael’s upset after Darryl gives an idea to corporate without running it by him first. Pam tries to make Danny open up about their dating past.

Halloween TV: Freaks & Geeks

Again, one of my favorites. 

Season 1, Episode 3, 10/30/99


Tricks and Treats

Lindsay agrees to stay home and hand out candy with her mom on Halloween night. However when she gets an invite to go cruise around town with Nick, Daniel, and Kim, she ditches her mom to hang out with them. Sam, Bill, Neal, and Harris go trick-or-treating. Lindsay and the gang go on a vandalism spree that starts with smashing pumpkins and ends abruptly after Lindsay accidentally pelts Sam with an egg.

Halloween TV: How I Met Your Mother

I already gave a description of The Slutty Pumpkin, because it's one of my favorites.  But here it is again.

Season 1, Episode 6, 10/24/05


The Slutty Pumpkin

Ted makes his yearly pilgrimage to the rooftop Halloween party in search of a girl dressed as a pumpkin, whom he met years ago. Meanwhile, Robin is dumped after driving her new boyfriend away with her independent ways.


Season 6, Episode 7, 11/1/10

Canning Randy

Marshall doesn’t want to fire Randy, despite his continued incompetence. Zoey signs up for Ted’s class and gets his students on her side of the fight to save the hotel from being torn down. The gang tries to learn why Robin was amidst other women doing the post-Halloween walk of shame.

After not posting for almost a year...

It's time to get back into the spirit.  I had a post a while back about loving Halloween TV specials.  Well, thanks to an afternoon spent researching such things on tv.com, I'm going to post about one show's Halloween episodes every weekday from now until...I run out.  Reminisce with me!  I'll begin with one of the biggest entries--The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror episodes!

Season 2, Episode 3, 10/25/90

Treehouse of Horror

In the backyard treehouse on Halloween, Bart and Lisa try to frighten each other by telling three scary stories. In Bad Dream House, the family moves into a new house and eerie things begin to happen. In Hungry are the Damned, the Simpsons are abducted by aliens, Kang and Kodos, who seem to have plans on eating the family. In The Raven, Lisa reads the classic Edgar Allan Poe poem.


Season 3, Episode 7, 10/31/91

Treehouse of Horror II

After eating piles and piles of Halloween candy, Bart, Lisa, and Homer have nightmares that haunt them all night. In The Monkey’s Paw Lisa dreams the family goes on a trip to Morocco and buys a cursed monkey paw that grants its owner four wishes. By wishing for world peace, Lisa accidentally paves the way for an alien invasion by Kang and Kodos, who enslave the human race. The Bart Zone, Bart’s dream, in which he has the power to read minds and affect a person with his thoughts, which seems like a wonderful dream at first. But eventually he realizes he has used his powers for evil and repents. If I Only Had A Brain Homer dreams that Mr. Burns steals his brain for a giant robot he's building. Due to an accident, Mr. Smithers is forced to sew Mr. Burns' head onto Homer's body. Then he wakes up. It was all a dream, or was it?


Season 4, Episode 5, 10/29/92

Treehouse of Horror III

In this year’s special, the Simpsons gather for a Halloween party and exchange ghost stories. Clown Without Pity Lisa tells the tale of how Homer purchases a Krusty doll for Bart's birthday. Homer's life is quickly in danger though, when the possessed doll goes on a mission to kill him. King Homer Grampa spins a Simponsized version of King Kong, with Homer cast as the title ape, Marge as King Kong's object of affection and Mr. Burns as the millionaire entrepreneur trying to capture King Kong and make a profit from him. Dial "Z" for Zombies Finally, Bart tells a story in which he casts a spell from a book of witchcraft and accidentally brings Springfield's dead to life. The only thing that can send them back to their graves is the right spell.


Season 5, Episode 5, 10/28/93

Treehouse of Horrer IV

With a Night Gallery style opening, Bart introduces three tales. The Devil and Homer Simpson Homer falls asleep, while Carl and Lenny eat all the doughnuts. When he realizes that all the nearest doughnuts are gone, he sells his soul for a doughnut. The devil comes up and signs a contract with him, causing more mischief than Homer thought. His family saves him from an eternity of damnation by a fair trial. Terror at 5 1/2 Feet Bart dreams about his death on the schoolbus, and later realizes, that his dream is starting to become real when he is the only one to see a gremlin taking down the bus piece by piece. Nobody sees it except for him, so he tries to get it off. Bart Simpson's Dracula Mr. Burns is a vampire and Bart falls victim to his bite, Lisa convinces the rest of the family they must go to his castle and put an end to the curse.


Season 6, Episode 6, 10/31/91

Treehouse of Horror V

The Shinning The family becomes caretakers of an estate in the mountains owned by Mr. Burns, where he cuts the cable and takes out all beer, which leads Homer to insanity. Time and Punishment Homer fixes the toaster and it becomes a time machine. While visiting the past, he kills a bug, which affects the future in a big way. When he tries to fix the timeline, he breaks it again. He ends up trying numerous times until he settles on his family eating with frog-like tongues. Nightmare Cafeteria Principal Skinner finds a solution to his overcrowding problem and the quality of meat in the cafeteria: eating the students.


Season 7, Episode 6, 10/29/95

Treehouse of Horror VI

Attack of the 50 Foot Eyesores: Strange atmospheric conditions bring giant advertising statues to life. The Lard Lad is furious at Homer for taking his doughnut, so he, along with all the others, begin destroying the town of Springfield. Nightmare on Evergreen Terrace Willy's death, due to disinterested parents, causes him to come back into the dreams of their children, where he kills them, resulting in their deaths in reality. Homer3 Homer finds a strange area in the house behind the bookcase. When he steps through, Homer becomes trapped in a three-dimensional universe.


Season 8, Episode 1, 10/27/96

Treehouse of Horror VII

The Thing and I: Homer and Marge warn the children not to go up into the attic. Of course they do and there they discover Bart's Siamese twin, who plans to sew them back together. The Genesis Tub Lisa's science experiment becomes a quickly-developing micro-universe, where she is thought of as God and Bart is the devil. Citizen Kang Homer is abducted by Kang and Kodos. The aliens take Homer to Washington where they replace Clinton and Dole just in time for the election. Homer tries to explain the truth, but no one believes him.


Season 9, Episode 4, 10/26/97

Treehouse of Horror VIII

The Homega Man: Quimby insults the French government who launch a neutron bomb in retaliation at Springfield. Homer escapes the blast and begins enjoying himself in seemingly deserted town. Fly vs. Fly: The family visits Prof. Frink's yard sale. Homer purchases a matter transporter. Bart uses it in an attempt to become "Superfly", with comic and near disastrous results. Easy-Bake Coven: In 1649, Marge is accused of being a witch. It turns out she and her sisters actually are witches who learn that it's easy to scare people into giving them treats.


Season 10, Episode 4, 10/25/98

Treehouse of Horror IX

Hell Toupee: It’s his third strike, Snake is sent to the electric chair. He vows revenge on all on those who were there when he was caught, Apu, Moe & Bart. Snake is electrocuted and his organs are saved for transplant. The beneficiary of his hair is one Homer J. Simpson. The hair begins exacting the revenge promised by its former owner. The Terror of Tiny Toon Marge takes the batteries from the TV remote control. Bart substitutes plutonium with strange results as he and Lisa become cartoon characters in an episode of Itchy & Scratchy, where the violence is real. Starship Poopers When Maggie gets her first tooth, a fang, and loses her legs, which are replaced by tentacles. Marge confesses that Homer is not the father, but rather Kang is. To settle the dispute on what would be better for Maggie's future, Bart suggests they go on The Jerry Springer Show and of course a fight or two breaks out.


Season 11, Episode 4, 10/31/99

Treehouse of Horror X

I Know What You Diddily-Iddly-Did The family (with Marge driving) runs over and believes that they've killed Ned Flanders. After covering up their misdeed, the family is haunted by someone who knows what they diddily-iddly-did, Ned Flanders himself. Desperately Xeeking Xena Lisa and Bart are blasted with radiation, get superpowers and become "Stretch Dude and Clobber Girl". In the episode "Enter...The Collector", they must stop Comic Book Guy (a.k.a. "The Collector") who has kidnapped Xena to add his collection. His collection also includes, Yasmine Bleeth, Doctor Who (Tom Baker), Matt Groening and many other recognizable icons. Life's a Glitch, Then You Die Homer is the nuclear plant's Y2K compliance officer. His negligence causes the Y2K bug to get out and spread across the networks of the world, causing mass destruction. Causing the government's "Operation Exodus" program to be activated, taking the best and brightest off the Earth to a new civilization on Mars.


Season 12, Episode 1, 11/1/00

Treehouse of Horror XI

G-G-Ghost D-D-Dad Homer dies because he's eaten the deadliest plant on Earth, broccoli. When he arrives at the Pearly Gates of Heaven he finds he cannot get in because he hasn't done one good deed all his life. St. Peter gives him 24 hours to perform at least one deed. Scary Tales Can Come True Bart and Lisa are abandoned to the deep dark woods. With a book of Fairy Tales to guide them, the pair navigates their way past a troll and three bears eventually arriving at the house of the witch who lives in the gingerbread house. Meanwhile, Homer and Marge change their minds and he goes in search of the children giving Rapunzel a haircut along the way. Night of the Dolphin Lisa lets a dolphin go free but it turns out this particular dolphin is the dolphin's king. Now that he has his freedom he plots to take his revenge on the land dwelling humans. Soon the dolphins are back on land where they've belonged all along and the humans are banished to the sea.


Season 13, Episode 1, 11/6/01

Treehouse of Horror XII

Hex and the City The family sees a gypsy, but Homer's usual ineptitude causes the gypsy to seek her revenge by cursing him and his loved ones. In an effort to get the curse lifted, Homer catches a leprechaun and releases it upon the gypsy with surprising results. House of Whacks The family home obtains an upgrade, the Ultrahouse 3000, a computer that will do everything for them. Everything is going great until the house falls in love with Marge and tries killing Homer Wiz Kids Bart and Lisa are attending wizard school. The evil Lord Montymort and Slithers have designs on capturing Lisa, so that Montymort can take her essence. They use Bart's rivalry with his sister as the means to get at her.


Season 14, Episode 1, 11/3/02

Treehouse of Horror XIII

The Simpson family, along with Ned Flanders, holds a séance which brings the ghost of Maude Flanders back from the grave. With her presence in the room, she opens a book which brings us three haunting tales. Send in the Clones Homer finds that his new hammock is capable of making clones, and he begins making and using the clones to do all of his chores. When one of the clones permanently takes care of Flanders, Homer decides to get rid of the clones and the hammock. So he takes them both out to cornfield where he leaves them. Only the clones begin using the hammock and start to proliferate themselves at an enormous rate, soon the town of Springfield is under invasion by an army of Homer clones. It's up to Lisa to give the army a suggestion that help them eliminate the clone problem. The Right to Keep and Scare Harms Lisa finds the grave of William Bonney who was killed by gun violence. In his memory, she starts a gun control crusade, which makes Springfield totally gun-free; even the police no longer have guns. Now defenseless, the corpse of William "Billy the Kid" Bonney and his cohorts rise from the dead and start raising havoc in town. Professor Frink develops a time machine, which Homer uses to go back to the recent past to stop the ban on guns. The Island of Dr. Hibbert The family takes a trip to "The Island of Lost Souls," where they find Dr. Hibbert is running the island's resort. Marge thinks that something creepy is going on there, but when she goes off to investigate she is captured by Dr. Hibbert who turns her into a cat woman. Homer goes in search of a cure for Marge's condition and encounters Ned Flanders (who needs to be milked). Flanders takes Homer to meet the others who've been converted into beasts. While initially horrified at what they've all become, after thinking about it, he decides it might just be the life for him.


Season 15, Episode 1, 11/2/03

Treehouse of Horror XIV

Reaper Madness Death comes to the door of the Simpson home looking for Bart. A la a Benny Hill chase the family tries to elude Death. Homer kills Death and suddenly the world is without death. No one can die. Homer puts on Death's robe and suddenly finds himself "The Grim Reaper." He starts doing the job until he has to kill Marge. He gets out of the reaper job by pleading with God, but then he "pulls a fast one" on him by substituting Patty's body for Marge. Frinkenstein Homer gets a call telling him that he's won the Nobel Prize, only the call is really for Professor Frink. So that his father might partake in the awards ceremony, Professor Frink reanimates his father's corpse. His father's corpse escapes and goes on a killing spree to collect some replacement body parts. At the awards ceremony in Stockholm the Professor's father tries to make amends with his son for his recent organ harvest, until he sees all the brains filled with knowledge and rampages through the audience. Professor Frink, Jr. stops his father but is able to hold onto his father's soul. Stop the World, I Want to Goof Off Bart and Milhouse get hold of a stopwatch that actually allows them to stop time. They are having a great "time" and almost get away with it, until they are outsmarted by the mayor. On their run from the angry mob, the watch breaks and they are the only two moving in a world where time has stopped. Despite an easy to follow manual for watch repair, it takes the pair 15 years to get the watch repaired and for things to almost get back to normal.


Season 16, Episode 1, 11/7/04

Treehouse of Horror XV

The Ned Zone Ned develops a sixth sense that allows him to see the deaths of everyone he touches. When he sees himself murder Homer, he tries his best to keep his vision from coming true. Four Beheadings and a Funeral A take on the Jack the Ripper story that casts Lisa and Bart as Eliza Simpson and Dr. Bartley, who try to discover the identity of the "Mutton Chop Murderer." In the Belly of the Boss A parody of Fantastic Voyage in which the Simpson family goes on a rescue mission after Maggie is accidentally shrunk and ingested by Mr. Burns.


Season 17, Episode 4, 11/6/05

Treehouse of Horror XVI

It is game six of the World Series and Kang and Kodos decide to speed up the play of the game and they fire the acceleray. They shatter the fabric of the universe and everything is destroyed. B.I.: Bartificial Intelligence Bart falls into a deep coma from which he will never emerge. Well Bart does wakes from his coma only to find that his family has replaced him with David, a newly developed artificial robot son. Bart struggles to fit back in with his family and Homer and Marge decide they must get rid of one of their sons. They abandoned Bart, but harvesting parts from some abandoned robots he gets his revenge. The robot nightmare only turns out to be a dream when it is revealed that Homer has actually been possessed by the devil. Survival of the Fattest Homer and others are invited by Mr. Burns to his estate for “A Most Dangerous Game.” It turns out that they are participants on “The World Series of Manslaughter” featuring guest analyst Terry Bradshaw where they are the quarry and Mr. Burns is their hunter. Surprisingly Homer is the last contestant left standing, but it takes Marge’s intervention to even the score. I’ve Grown a Costume on Your Face It’s the Springfield Semi-Annual Halloween Party but the costume contest goes awry when a real hideous witch turns everyone into real-life versions of their costumes. Lisa, as Einstein, searches for a solution to their problem, but it is up to Maggie, who was dressed as a witch, as the only one with the power to reverse the spell.


Season 18, Episode 4, 11/5/06

Treehouse of Horror XVII

Three more scary tales are offered up in this 17th edition of the Treehouse of Horror. Married to the Blob After eating mysterious green goo from a meteorite, Homer grows to massive proportions while he eats everything in sight. You Gotta Know When to Golem Bart takes control of Golem of Jewish folklore, and forces the ancient statue to do his bidding by writing instructions on scrolls and placing them into the Golem's mouth. The Day the Earth Looked Stupid Taking place in 1938 Springfield, the townspeople react to Orson Welles’ famous War of the Worlds radio broadcast. However, they pay no attention when Kang and Kodos actually do invade the town.


Season 19, Episode 5, 11/4/07

Treehouse of Horror XVIII

The 18th installment of the Treehouse of Horror series. E.T. Go Home Bart and Lisa help Kodos "phone home," but Kodos uses their assistance to secretly plan something sinister. Mr. & Mrs. Simpson A parody of the 2005 film Mr. and Mrs. Smith, featuring Marge and Homer as the title characters. Heck House Flanders decides to scare Bart, Lisa, and their friends straight after they go too far with their Halloween pranks.


Season 20, Episode 4, 11/2/08

Treehouse of Horror XIX

Opener: When Homer casts his vote for Senator Obama the sinister electronic voting machine instead tallies a vote for Senator McCain.
Untitled Robot Parody: Bart buys a possessed Malibu Stacy convertible for Lisa for Christmas. A Transformers parody ensues.
How to Get Ahead in Dead-Vertising: A group of ad executives discover Homer and his talent of killing celebrities. With the celebrities out of the way, the advertisers can use their likenesses and not have to pay royalties--That is, until their ghosts seek revenge on Homer.
It's the Grand Pumpkin, Milhouse: A parody of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown starring Milhouse as Linus, Lisa as Sally, and Bart as Charlie Brown.


Season 21, Episode 4, 10/18/09

Treehouse of Horror XX

Title Sequence: Homer and Marge throw a Halloween party, and real monsters show up to it, creating havoc when their wives show up. Dial "M" for Murder or Press "#" to Return to Main Menu: Lisa winds up in detention for being disruptive in class when another student is chosen for a spelling bee. She and Bart meet and discuss their plan to prank their teachers, except Bart's meaning of prank is different... Don't Have a Cow, Mankind: Krusty's new burger makes the citizens of Springfield turn into zombies. 28 days later, the Simpsons are still locked up in their home, and discover that Bart's Krusty Burger immunity is the key to solving the zombie crisis. There's No Business Like Moe Business: Homer, Marge and Moe are the main players in a Broadway style musical set in Moe's Tavern that tells the story of their complicated love-triangle.


Season 22, Episode 4, 11/7/10

Treehouse of Horror XXI

War and Pieces: Bart and Milhouse must battle board games that come to life. Master and Cadaver: Marge and Homer charter a boat for their second honeymoon, but an unexpected passenger may kill more than the mood. Tweenlight: Lisa falls for a young vampire.