Halloween Episodes Available for Streaming

Watch it: on Netflix

Long before The Vampire Diaries hit its stride and allowed Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder) to become one of the good guys of Mystic Falls, he was pretty reckless with his vampirism and turned Vicki Donovan (Kayla Ewell) into a bloodthirsty biter just for kicks. This episode featured some of the tough emotional and physical fall-out of that decision, and let's just say, the kids were not all right. Appropriately, this was the first holiday-themed installment of the hit CW show, and although there were costumes aplenty still to come thanks to all the dances and historical events thrown around town, the stakes never felt quite so real as they did in this early thrill ride of an episode.

Watch it: on Netflix

There isn't anything scarier than company layoffs, and that's exactly what's happening in this classic from the second season of The Office. In addition to the usual "What costumes are the characters wearing?" question -- Jim (John Krasinski) as "Three Hole Punch Jim" and Dwight (Rainn Wilson) as a Sith Lord, for example -- the episode is loaded with big tension from Michael's (Steve Carell) task to fire someone in the office... without spoiling the fun of the office party. That wouldn't be so bad, except it's the end of the month and Michael still hasn't figured out who he's going to fire. Oops!

Watch it: on Hulu

Even two decades later, "Spookyfish" is still a treat. The Season 2 South Parkepisode features an evil goldfish that terrorizes Stan Marsh -- and the entire town by extension -- and when dead bodies start turning up, he has a hard time relaying his theory that it's his scaly little pet that's doing all that deathly bidding. Between the killer fish and a parallel dimension version of Cartman that isn't a foul-mouthed miscreant, this vintage Halloween installment is definitely worth a revisit.

Watch it: on Netflix

"This Is a Dark Ride," or as I fondly refer to it, the Ghost Train episode of Pretty Little Liars, is not the greatest Halloween episode of all time, but it is damn sure the most bananas one. It has everything I could ever need, want or imagine: Adam Lambert dressed as a vampire; a teenage girl escaping a mental institution by leaving a poorly painted mannequin head in her place; another teenage girl getting trapped in a crate with a dead cop and almost being thrown from a moving train; a third teenage girl getting buried alive only to dig herself out of her own grave; and an actual legitimate ghost. So even though I stopped caring who "A" was long before this, I will always be down to take another ride on the Ghost Train. -- Sadie Gennis

Watch it: on Netflix

Most TV shows go for spooks, thrills and/or eye-catching costumes with Halloween episodes, but Party of Fivestayed true to form and went for tragic heartbreak and ramped-up drama. The Season 3 episode "Personal Demons" marks the first time Bailey (Scott Wolf) officially cheated on Sarah (Jennifer Love Hewitt) with his seductive roommate Callie (Alexondra Lee). He later goes to Sarah's Halloween party out of guilt to try and make up for it (without actually coming clean about his infidelity), but gets in a fight with her there and continues to drown his sorrows in alcohol. Also, Claudia (Lacey Chabert) hires an exorcist to come to the house with the hopes of turning the family's luck around. But as every Party of Five fan knows, the Salingers are going to need a lot more than supernatural intervention to overcome their many, many troubles. -- Liz Raftery

Watch it: on Netflix

Parks and Recreation was always at its best when the whole governmental cavalry headed out of their drab office setting and cut loose a little. In this Season 2 episode, Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) trades her usual career for a turn as a private investigator trying to hunt down the town's titular teen vandal, and hilarity ensues. Adding in the extra glory of Anne (Rashida Jones)'s Halloween party being taken over by Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari) and Andy Dwyer's (Chris Pratt) Bert Macklin being reduced to tears by the punk kid, and, well, it's an episode for the ages.

Watch it: on Hulu

Ted Mosby's (Josh Radnor) journey to revealing the true story of how he met the mother of his children also took a turn into Halloweentown as he revealed the story of his brief dalliance with the "Slutty Pumpkin" in this Season 7 episode. After obsessing about a woman he'd seen wearing such a costume for 10 years, he finally manages to track her (guest star Katie Holmes) down and is disappointed to learn he shares no chemistry with her ... until she brings back the outfit that started it all, of course. Between that ill-fated romance and Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) having to come to terms with his Canadian heritage, there's a lot of raucous rooftop action happening in this How I Met Your Mother favorite.

Watch it: on Netflix

Friends' Thanksgiving episodes may have been the seasonal hallmarks of the series, but in Season 8, the show gave All Hallow's Eve a whirl. Thanks to some terrible costumes and the usual spate of ghastly relationship pratfalling, the segment stands out as one of the series' most memorable holiday-centric episodes of all. In it, Ross (David Schwimmer) struggles to impress his new love interest Mona (Bonnie Somerville) in one comically misguided get-up -- his "Spud-nik" is another man's "Space Doodie" -- while Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) meets her twin sister's hapless new fiancé and tries to scare him off. Meanwhile, a pregnant Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) spooks herself as she realizes that she might not be mother material just yet. All of this somehow culminates in an arm-wrestling match involving a potato and a pink bunny, proving yet again that the best Friends episodes (1) usually take place exclusively in the big purple apartment and (2) involve some seriously goofy physical comedy.

Watch it: on Hulu

Buffy the Vampire Slayer was consistently funny, frequently emotional and sometimes even terrifying, but it was at its best when it was all three at once. "Fear, Itself," one of the show's few true Halloween-themed episodes, hit all those beats and then some. As someone who dislikes being scared -- the exquisite "Hush," though a personal favorite, remains nightmare fuel for me nearly 20 years later -- "Fear, Itself" is my go-to episode this time of year. From Oz's (Seth Green) God costume and the introduction of Anya's (Emma Caulfield) fear of bunnies, to Giles' (Anthony Stewart Head) cheerful attitude and Gachnar's actual size, the hour dismantles our preconceived notions of what a Halloween episode should be, and in turn is everything a gal could ask for. -- Kaitlin Thomas

Watch it: on Hulu

One of the best Halloween episodes of all time didn't even air in October. This Boy Meets World spook-fest aired Feb. 27, 1998, and parodied teen slasher flicks that were all the rage at the time. On the surface, it seems like just a fun ol' send-up -- featuring all the trappings and beats of a whodunit?, and tons of shout-outs (South Park! Scooby-Doo! Jennifer Love Hewitt Fefferman!) -- but the real twist is a reveal that none of us was ready for: Shawn (Rider Strong) is the killer in his own nightmare. The horror rampage manifestation was a result of his anger and denial about OTP Cory (Ben Savage) and Topanga's (Danielle Fishel) breakup. When Boy Meets World wanted to go deep, it went deep. And this was one of its classic, heartfelt, sleight-of-hand life lessons that helped all of us deal with something we weren't ready or willing to accept yet. Plus, it gave us Kenny. #neverforget -- Joyce Eng

Watch it: on Netflix

As part of BoJack Horseman's very existential fifth season, the show revealed that its title TV star has been reluctantly hosting Halloween parties for decades, with Mr. Peanutbutter spearheading the effort since 1993. A series of vignettes from four different installments of these shindigs reveal that the setting isn't the only thing that never changes; BoJack, Mr. Peanutbutter and Princess Carolyn are also stuck in a rut of repetition, never quite able to satisfy their needs or correct their mistakes. The costumes may have changed over time (well, in our feline friend's case not so much), but their problems remain the same. In a show that's grown increasingly introspective and thoughtful, this episode tells us almost everything we need to know about the trio of anthropomorphic animals in the center of it all.

Watch it: on Hulu

Bob's Burgers is one of those happy place shows that can always put a smile on your face, whether it's because of Louise's (Kristen Schaal) hijinks, Gene's (Eugene Mirman) songs, Linda's (John Roberts) drinking or Tina's (Dan Mintz) love of butts. However, the animated show's Season 6 Halloween episode went for the unexpected and turned into a genuinely terrifying half-hour of television. Bob (H. Jon Benjamin) and Linda go all out to try and scare their unflappable youngest child, Louise, and in the process genuinely freak out their audience. If your worst nightmare is serial killers, this episode is prone to scare you even more than whatever gore fest is on television this season. -- Megan Vick

Watch it: on Netflix

You don't even have to watch the full season of American Horror Story: Hotelto appreciate what "Devil's Night" brings to the table. The episode centers on an annual Halloween night ritual in which some of the most infamous (and dead) serial killers of all time come together to celebrate at the Hotel Cortez -- except, there's nary a Halloween costume in sight, as they are the real deals. Among the spine-tinglingly familiar faces are Aileen Wuornos (Lily Rabe), Jeffrey Dahmer (Seth Gabel), John Wayne Gacy (John Carroll Lynch), and more. Watching these guest stars bring back to life some of history's most horrific humans is enough to make anyone shudder.

Watch it: on Hulu

Almost 10 years later, 30 Rock's "Jack Gets in the Game" episode remains an enduring Halloween treasure -- and it's not even about Halloween! The episode does, however, feature "Werewolf Bar Mitzvah," the hit novelty record from lovable buffoon Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan). You have to see it to get it (or, not get it as it were): a fake music video for an appallingly low-budget and nonsensical "Thriller" ripoff showing "boys becoming men, men becoming wolves." Overnight, fans took to message boards to praise the ridiculous song; it spawned a full length release, remixes, fan art, and of course Halloween costumes -- the very definition of a cult/hipster/goofball get-up that announces an affinity for great TV. Yours truly actually dressed up as Tracy Jordan-as-"Werewolf Bar Mitzvah" once. Although 80 percent of people had no idea what I was dressed as, the 20 percent that did were so overcome with delight, it made all the preparation worth it. -- Malcolm Venable