Ten Halloween Favorites On TV

"It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" is a critically-acclaimed and very popular animated television special based on the comic strip "Peanuts" by Charles M. Schulz.

The special depicts one Halloween night in which Linus van Pelt, Charlie Brown's security blanket-toting best friend, eagerly awaits the arrival of "the Great Pumpkin", who Linus believes to travel around the world each Halloween giving toys to all the good little children (in the manner of Santa Claus each Christmas).

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown was the third Peanuts special to be produced and animated by Bill Melendez. Its initial broadcast took place on October 27, 1966, on the CBS network; CBS re-aired the special annually through 2000, with ABC picking up the rights beginning in 2001.

Gilda Radner is the voice of a washed-up wacky witch who manages to dig up a potent spell that turns everyone in town into their favorite spooky character for one Halloween Eve. Kind of kitschy, and it was made in 1978, so the animation isn't that sophisticated, but if you can catch this one, it's good fun.

This is one of my favorite "Buffy" episodes. It has great dialogue and is very well done all around. You have to watch this one right to the end - it's worth it. In "Fear, Itself", it's the night before Halloween, and the "Scooby Gang" has decided to attend a costume party at a fraternity house. Oz helps prepare the sound system, accidentally cuts himself and drips blood onto an occult symbol a frat brother is painting on the floor. Unbeknownst to everyone, the symbol summons the fear demon Gachnar, who forces everyone to face their fears. As Buffy, still hung up on Parker, fears being alone, Oz fears the monster within himself. Meanwhile, Willow fears she cannot control her magic, and Xander fears his friends will forget about him.
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The following is some of my favorite dialogue from this episode:

Xander (taunting the fear demon): "Who's the little fear demon? Come on, who's the little fear demon?"
Giles: "Don't taunt the fear demon."
Xander: "Why? Can he hurt me?"
Giles: "No, it's just... tacky."

"Halloween is Grinch Night" is a 1977 animated television special written by Dr. Seuss.
This little-known sequel to the much-better-known "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" came out in 1977 as a TV special. It's worth noting that the only mention of Halloween is in the title (indeed, starting in the late 90's, it was released under the name "It's Grinch Night", leaving Halloween out altogether). However, the events portrayed here clearly take place in late autumn. Grinch Night, perhaps, is the Whoville equivalent of Halloween.

Every now and then, environmental evidence points to a coming "Grinch Night" in Whoville. A Sour-Sweet Wind is in the air, the Gree-Grumps growl, the Hakken-Krakks yowl, and every one knows to stay indoors, for the Grinch will be coming down from Mount Crumpit in his "paraphernalia wagon". Exactly what will happen when the Grinch gets there is not clear, but possibly to scare them, since his wagon is filled to the brim with spooks. In one song, Whos claim they wouldn't go out on such a night for "a dollar and fifty cents". During the course of the song, that amount ranged, from $2.50, to $6.60, to $60.60, to "sixty-six million, six hundred thousand dollars and an extra sixty-six cents!"

Ukariah, a young bespectacled Who, decides to take matters into his own hands, and enters the Grinch's wagon to be subject to all manners of spooks and demons within, all to an up-tempo orchestra. Though he is frightened, Ukariah's courage keeps him on his toes long enough for the sour-sweet wind to die down, thus forcing the Grinch to pack up and retire to his cave. As he leaves with his head in shame, the Grinch tells the audience, "I'll be coming back... someday!"

This was aired on TBS, TNT and the Disney Channel many times over the years, up until about the mid-late 90's.

(...from Wikipedia)

Casper goes out on Halloween dressed as a real boy, but only a group of orphans accept him. Together, the new friends try to stop evil Hairy Scary in a musical adventure. The animated cast includes: Hairy Scary, Mr. Duncan, Skull, J.R, Winifred the Witch, Gervais, Carmelita, Screech, Dirk, Black Cat, Nice Man, Butler, Dog, Lovella, Dowager, Rural Man, Rural Lady.

(...from The Big Cartoon Database)

"The Flintstones Meet Rockula and Frankenstone" was a 60-minute Halloween television special featuring Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble. It was produced in 1979 by Hanna-Barbera Productions and aired on October 30, 1980 on NBC. When Fred wins the big prize on the "Make A Deal or Don't" game show, he and Wilma plan a vacation with Barney and Betty to Count Rockula's spooky castle in Rocksylvania where they encounter Rockula and Frankenstone, who have both awakened from a 500-year sleep. Rockula falls in love with Wilma and it's a game of hide-and-seek as the Count and Frakenstone try to catch Fred, Wilma, Barney and Betty.

"The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror" (on screen title: "The Simpsons Halloween Special") is the third episode of The Simpsons' second season, which aired on October 25, 1990. It was the first of a series of many Halloween themed episodes. "The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror" episodes are a yearly tradition.

One mainstay of the Halloween shows is the appearance of the two space aliens Kang and Kodos, introduced in the second segment of the first "Treehouse of Horror." They're not always important to any story in the special; starting with "Treehouse of Horror III" they began appearing just to keep up the tradition. While they have had significant parts in other "Treehouse of Horror" episodes, they often only appear in the middle of a totally different story out of context, maybe just watching. In later years they would sometimes appear at either the beginning or end of the episode, outside of any of the stories; for example, one year they appeared between the last segment and the credits wondering why The Simpsons producers hadn't called them to be in the episode. Soon they get a call offering them to be on a commercial for something called "Old Navy".

(...from Wikipedia)

"Disney's Halloween Treat" (1982) is a Halloween-themed clip show compiling Disney animated shorts involving spooky or supernatural themes. Both short cartoons and excerpted segments from Disney feature films are included in the special.

The forty-seven-minute version that originally aired on Halloween of 1982 featured a jack o'lantern as its narrator, and was shown throughout the 80's. A ninety-minute version in which the Magic Mirror (from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) served as its narrator aired numerous times on both ABC and the Disney Channel. The Magic Mirror version is properly known as A Disney Halloween. The home video that was released on VHS in 1984 features the jack o'lantern rather than the Magic Mirror, although the Magic Mirror is the version that aired from 1983 to the late 90's.

(...from Wikipedia)

"Garfield's Halloween Adventure" is a 1985 Halloween animated television special starring garfield and friends. The special was released on VHS in 1992, and later on DVD in 2004 as part of the Garfield: Holiday Celebrations collection. Garfield is awakened by the Binky the Clown Show and learns that it is Halloween. Garfield enlists Odie's help in trick-or-treating, hoping to get twice as much candy for himself. After trying on different costumes in the attic, the pair settle on pirate costumes and set off for Halloween fun.

One of my favorite Scooby Doo episodes is so perfect for Halloween. In "Scooby Doo & The Headless Horseman", the gang is having fun at a Halloween costume party with their friend who happens to be a descendant of Ichabod Crane. Crane manor is the perfect place for a party right up until their fun turns into a nightmare when the headless horseman shows up.