So, "Halloweekend" has once again come to an end. At college, I feel as though Halloween literally happens for about two seconds before its gone. With our great load of responsibilities, we often don't have the time to stop and smell the spice lattes. I'm here to provide you with a way to say goodbye to Halloween 2016: a TV marathon filled with spooks, tricks, and treats. Sure, we all love Hocus Pocus and Beetlejuice, but who has 90 minutes to spare? Television has gifted us with some great fall-themed episodes (other than It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown).
1. 'Friends' - "The One With The Halloween Party"
You will only have to show up to this party for 30 minutes to get into the Halloween spirit. This episode has everything you could ever want in a costume party episode - identical twin sisters (Phoebe and Ursula), Chandler wearing that iconic bunny costume, and Sean Penn guest starring wearing a black shirt with planets stapled to it. It also includes Rachel trying to hand out candy and failing miserably, as well as Joey dressed as Chandler and Ross trying to be funny (as usual).
2. 'How I Met Your Mother' - "Slutty Pumpkin"
Even if you're not a big fan of this show (spoiler alert: I'm not), you can still find entertainment and amusement in the fact that Ted spends this whole episode waiting for "The Slutty Pumpkin." Besides that, it features Marshall and Lily being relationship goals as always, dressing up as Captain Jack Sparrow and a parrot. You can also find something to relate to in this episode if you don't really find dressing up all that exciting - Robin refused to dress up as the Gretel to her boyfriend's Hansel. The myth of "The Slutty Pumpkin" continues to live on in the history of HIMYM.
3. 'Glee' - "The Rocky Horror Glee Show"
Before the train wreck that was "The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do The Time Warp Again," there was "The Rocky Horror" episode of Glee. Just like any other episode would, it features covers of seven songs from the cult hit musical - and cameo appearances from original cast members. This episode doesn't take much critical thinking or attention to plot (not that any episode ever did), but the costumes and the creepy Halloween atmosphere will do the trick. If nothing else, watch for the comedic and entertaining performance from John Stamos.
4. 'Gossip Girl' - "How To Succeed In Bassness"
Amidst all of the confusing plot points and relationship drama in this Season 3 episode, it actually does stem from the fact that it is Hallow's Eve on the Upper East Side. What better night to throw a club opening party than on Halloween? Perhaps the most cheerful Halloween character in this episode is Rufus, who just wants to carve pumpkins, hand out candy, and have a good time. That doesn't stop all the drama in between, including a vampire-trilogy plot line courtesy of Hilary Duff's character, Olivia. But, the Upper East Side knows how to do Halloween with class, and Chuck and Blair look dashing in 1920s costumes.
5. 'The Office' - "Halloween"
This isn't the only Halloween-themed episode you have to choose from as far The Office, but it is the one wear Jim dresses up as a Three-Hole Punch. In Michael Scott's opinion, Halloween is especially useful if you have been waiting to fire somebody. You can also use this episode as a reference for costume ideas. There's Michael with his extra head, Dwight in his $129 Sith costume, Oscar as...A Woman, Kelly as Dorothy, and Angela, Phyllis, and Pam as cats/kittens.
6. 'Supernatural' - "Everybody Loves A Clown"
Supernatural was a little ahead of the game when its Season 2 episode focused on clowns and all of their horror. This episode is particularly disturbing 11 years later, since we have dealt with our very own clown epidemic. You can be frightened along with Sam Winchester, who hates clowns more than anybody. While some of these clowns in real life have proven to be harmless, these clowns stand outside people's houses so they can murder and eat their parents when the children are gone. It's a lot of fun!
7. 'Criminal Minds' - "Boxed In"
If you're looking for a super creepy Criminal Minds episode to scare you, look into episodes directed by Matthew Gray Gubler, like "Mr. Scratch." For holiday purposes however, this episode does take place during Halloween. The storyline is about parents waiting for their kids to come home from trick-or-treating, except they don't come back - until almost a year later. Despite not being the scariest episode of the show, it is very disturbing, since the Unsub locks the children in a box underground. On the bright side, the end of the episode has an adorable moment where someone dresses up as their favorite BAU Profiler.
8. 'American Horror Story' - "Halloween"
It's obvious that American Horror Story screams Halloween. Season 6 is all the rage right now but we can't forget about the early days of Season 1: "Murder House," and its two-parter, "Halloween." In this episode, the Harmon family gets a special visit from the previous owners of the house, which includes the devilishly hilarious Zachary Quinto. We also see Violet and Tate being harassed by a group of particularly bloody teenagers. In fact, the whole series can get you into the fear factor mood, so all episodes apply here.
9. 'New Girl' - "Halloween"
Haunted houses can be lots of fun, especially when you are trying to convince the person you're with that you don't have feelings for someone else as you're walking through it. This episode also has super cute costume ideas that nobody would actually understand, such as Shelby in her "raining cats and dogs" attire. It also proves that haunted houses can be dangerous if someone gets scared easily, since Nick literally punches Jess in the face after she tries to scare him.
10. 'The Vampire Diaries' - "The Five"
In this Season 4 episode, everyone's favorite, unrealistically sexy cast of characters goes to a college party at the fictional Whitmore school. It's not just any frat party, it's a Murder House Party. The costume theme is to dress up as infamous murderers or their victims. It gets a little gory however, when Damon (dressed up as Jack The Ripper) decides that it is the perfect place to teach Elena how to feed on others. That gets out of control pretty quickly.
So, start streaming, and possibly screaming, before the clock strikes 12 and another Halloween is gone.