HAUNTED HOLLOW Halloween is drawing near, and theres no better way to get in the spirit of things than watching television episodes that invite a case of the shivers and make your hair stand on end.
Whether you plan on hosting the perfect party on Halloween or just want a good scare from the comfort of your couch, heres a list of 10 television episodes that will have you sleeping with the lights on.
Bonus: All of the selections are now conveniently streaming on Netflix.
Content advisory: Not for little ones or the faint of heart, these 10 suggestions are more mature fare.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer S4.E10 'Hush'
Arguably the downright spookiest episode in the iconic shows history, Hush brings scary to a whole new level. If you need a great fright that will stay with you after you turn off the TV, select Hush for your Halloween partygoers.
Joss Whedons infamous episode brings a new set of baddies to town The Gentleman and theyre collecting hearts. How can they get away with it? By taking the voice of the people in the town so they cant scream while doing the dastardly deed. The Gentlemen even have a creepy theme song.
Fright factor: 5/5
The X-Files S2.E13 'Irresistible'
What happens when you add a creepy funeral home director and the uncanny exhumation of bodies in a Minnesota town? Plenty of the internal creepy-crawlies. Irresistible is a classic Mulder and Scully case, and it preys on the viewers' anxiety while testing their appetite. Its guaranteed to be 45 minutes of the willies.
Not to be forgotten: Irresistible originally had a more controversial plotline that had to be toned down for network TV. Yikes.
Fright factor: 5/5
iZombie S1.E1 'Pilot'
If youre looking for something more sassy than doom and gloom, Rob Thomas iZombie began streaming on Netflix just in time. Based on a comic book of the same name, the series pilot episode follows on-the-nose named Liv Moore through her transition from doctor to the undead. The initial episode is self-contained enough that viewers will enjoy it on its own and festive enough to satisfy those wanting a good scare.
Fright factor: 3/5
Doctor Who S3.E11 'Blink'
Two words: weeping angels.
If you dont already know about Doctor Whos most terrifying adversary, youre certain to never forget it after a viewing party.
Blink follows Sally Sparrow (Carey Mulligan) as she tries to communicate with the doctor who is trying to warn her about the weeping angels, foes that are trying to take his TARDIS. The horrifying feature of the malevolent statues is that they will come after you if you take your eyes off of them, or even close them for a brief moment.
So whatever you do, dont blink.
Fright factor: 4/5
Fringe S3.E9 'Marionette'
The horror genre has paid no small amount of attention to obsession, whether of the unhealthy Oedipal complex variety or more of a would-be-lover flavor. The latter features heavily in one of Fringes more disturbing episodes.
Bodies are piling up, so Olivia Dunham and the Bishop father-son duo go to work trying to fathom why donated organs have gone missing from the deceased. In an unsettling twist, they find that a man obsessed with a dead ballerina is trying to reconstruct her body. The title will make all too much sense when you see it.
Fright factor: 5/5
Supernatural S1.E5 'Bloody Mary'
If youve ever attended a sleepover, you likely had someone torment you with the tale of Bloody Mary.
Ten years ago, series Supernatural had the Winchester brothers explore the classic horror trope, and it sent shivers down everyones spines. What if the blood-curdling fable was real and Mary targeted people with secrets to keep?
Fright factor: 5/5
Alfred Hitchcock Presents S1.E1 'Revenge'
Halloween isnt quite the same if Hitchcock isnt knocking on the door to play a little theatrical trick-or-treat.
In 1955, Alfred Hitchcock Presents changed the landscape of suspense on television. Revenge, the series initial episode, set an intense tone. The plot devices may be decidedly mid-century, revolving around a housewife with a nervous breakdown, but Hitchcock understands human nature and masterfully plays on everyones nagging fears. Revenge is a perfect example of that.
Though the pace was different in the 1950s, dont go into the viewing feeling complacent.
Fright factor: 3/5
The Walking Dead S1.E1 'Days Gone Bye'
The best scary movies/TV series originate with a simple question: What if? What if you could see dead people? What if you were foreordained to rid the world of evil? What if you woke up in a world overrun by the undead?
If the last query troubles you, Days Gone Bye, the pilot episode of the popular TV series The Walking Dead is going to give you serious nightmares. Sheriff Rick Grimes terror will be your terror as he walks up to discover that nothing is as it was when he last knew consciousness.
Fright factor: 4/5
The Twilight Zone S1.E34 'The After Hours'
No spooky list worth its salt is complete without entering The Twilight Zone, and if you have 25 minutes, you have to watch The After Hours.
This short selection plays on a major fear of most people the question of sanity, the notion that what you believe to be true is not. Plus, mannequins have always been, and will always be creepy, no matter now charismatic Kim Cattrall may be.
Fright factor: 3/5
Goosebumps, TV special 'The Haunted Mask'
If you are a 90s kid, this childrens special likely ruined several good nights of sleep.
Who could forget Carly Beths petrifying predicament when the mask she put on for a good Halloween scare wouldnt come off again? R.L. Stines chilling book came to life for this 1995 two-part special that would be popped into the VCR at more than one sleepover, followed by begging to leave all the lights on.
Fright factor: 3/5
Whether you plan on hosting the perfect party on Halloween or just want a good scare from the comfort of your couch, heres a list of 10 television episodes that will have you sleeping with the lights on.
Bonus: All of the selections are now conveniently streaming on Netflix.
Content advisory: Not for little ones or the faint of heart, these 10 suggestions are more mature fare.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer S4.E10 'Hush'
Arguably the downright spookiest episode in the iconic shows history, Hush brings scary to a whole new level. If you need a great fright that will stay with you after you turn off the TV, select Hush for your Halloween partygoers.
Joss Whedons infamous episode brings a new set of baddies to town The Gentleman and theyre collecting hearts. How can they get away with it? By taking the voice of the people in the town so they cant scream while doing the dastardly deed. The Gentlemen even have a creepy theme song.
Fright factor: 5/5
The X-Files S2.E13 'Irresistible'
What happens when you add a creepy funeral home director and the uncanny exhumation of bodies in a Minnesota town? Plenty of the internal creepy-crawlies. Irresistible is a classic Mulder and Scully case, and it preys on the viewers' anxiety while testing their appetite. Its guaranteed to be 45 minutes of the willies.
Not to be forgotten: Irresistible originally had a more controversial plotline that had to be toned down for network TV. Yikes.
Fright factor: 5/5
iZombie S1.E1 'Pilot'
If youre looking for something more sassy than doom and gloom, Rob Thomas iZombie began streaming on Netflix just in time. Based on a comic book of the same name, the series pilot episode follows on-the-nose named Liv Moore through her transition from doctor to the undead. The initial episode is self-contained enough that viewers will enjoy it on its own and festive enough to satisfy those wanting a good scare.
Fright factor: 3/5
Doctor Who S3.E11 'Blink'
Two words: weeping angels.
If you dont already know about Doctor Whos most terrifying adversary, youre certain to never forget it after a viewing party.
Blink follows Sally Sparrow (Carey Mulligan) as she tries to communicate with the doctor who is trying to warn her about the weeping angels, foes that are trying to take his TARDIS. The horrifying feature of the malevolent statues is that they will come after you if you take your eyes off of them, or even close them for a brief moment.
So whatever you do, dont blink.
Fright factor: 4/5
Fringe S3.E9 'Marionette'
The horror genre has paid no small amount of attention to obsession, whether of the unhealthy Oedipal complex variety or more of a would-be-lover flavor. The latter features heavily in one of Fringes more disturbing episodes.
Bodies are piling up, so Olivia Dunham and the Bishop father-son duo go to work trying to fathom why donated organs have gone missing from the deceased. In an unsettling twist, they find that a man obsessed with a dead ballerina is trying to reconstruct her body. The title will make all too much sense when you see it.
Fright factor: 5/5
Supernatural S1.E5 'Bloody Mary'
If youve ever attended a sleepover, you likely had someone torment you with the tale of Bloody Mary.
Ten years ago, series Supernatural had the Winchester brothers explore the classic horror trope, and it sent shivers down everyones spines. What if the blood-curdling fable was real and Mary targeted people with secrets to keep?
Fright factor: 5/5
Alfred Hitchcock Presents S1.E1 'Revenge'
Halloween isnt quite the same if Hitchcock isnt knocking on the door to play a little theatrical trick-or-treat.
In 1955, Alfred Hitchcock Presents changed the landscape of suspense on television. Revenge, the series initial episode, set an intense tone. The plot devices may be decidedly mid-century, revolving around a housewife with a nervous breakdown, but Hitchcock understands human nature and masterfully plays on everyones nagging fears. Revenge is a perfect example of that.
Though the pace was different in the 1950s, dont go into the viewing feeling complacent.
Fright factor: 3/5
The Walking Dead S1.E1 'Days Gone Bye'
The best scary movies/TV series originate with a simple question: What if? What if you could see dead people? What if you were foreordained to rid the world of evil? What if you woke up in a world overrun by the undead?
If the last query troubles you, Days Gone Bye, the pilot episode of the popular TV series The Walking Dead is going to give you serious nightmares. Sheriff Rick Grimes terror will be your terror as he walks up to discover that nothing is as it was when he last knew consciousness.
Fright factor: 4/5
The Twilight Zone S1.E34 'The After Hours'
No spooky list worth its salt is complete without entering The Twilight Zone, and if you have 25 minutes, you have to watch The After Hours.
This short selection plays on a major fear of most people the question of sanity, the notion that what you believe to be true is not. Plus, mannequins have always been, and will always be creepy, no matter now charismatic Kim Cattrall may be.
Fright factor: 3/5
Goosebumps, TV special 'The Haunted Mask'
If you are a 90s kid, this childrens special likely ruined several good nights of sleep.
Who could forget Carly Beths petrifying predicament when the mask she put on for a good Halloween scare wouldnt come off again? R.L. Stines chilling book came to life for this 1995 two-part special that would be popped into the VCR at more than one sleepover, followed by begging to leave all the lights on.
Fright factor: 3/5
