List of Halloween television specials


This is a list of Halloween special episodes on television.

Children and family

The TV channel Freeform annually presents their special "13 Nights of Halloween" with specialized Halloween episodes of regularly scheduled programs, as well as specified Halloween specials and movies to play for the 13 nights leading up to October 31.

''Beverly Hills, 90210''

In the UK, Halloween has to compete with Bonfire Night, hence it is not as big as an occasion as in the United States. British Halloween-themed television programmes were historically few and far between, but have become more frequent in the 21st Century as Halloween has grown there.

Children's

''All Saints'' (Australian medical drama)

The Canterville Ghost, based on the novel The Canterville Ghost, is a 1986 made-for-television film starring John Gielgud and Alyssa Milano.

''The Halloween Tree">The Halloween Tree (1993 TV film)">The Halloween Tree''

In 1993, Hanna-Barbera produced a made-for-television animated adaptation of Ray Bradbury's classic novel of the same name. Featuring narration by the author himself, the movie explains some of the history of the holiday as experienced via an across-time adventure with a group of trick-or-treating kids. The hand-painted backgrounds, haunting music of John Debney, and Bradbury's narration elevate this to much more than a children's Halloween special.

''[The Midnight Hour]''

The Midnight Hour is a 1985 comedy/horror television movie which aired on ABC on Friday, November 1, 1985 at 9:00-11:00 PM EST and stars Shari Belafonte-Harper, LeVar Burton, Peter DeLuise, and Dedee Pfeiffer.

''[Neighbours]''

This 1979 television anthology Halloween special was hosted by Vincent Price. It featured the stories "The Ghost Belonged To Me," "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," and "The House With a Clock In Its Walls."

''The Price Is Right''

Starting in Season 36, when Drew Carey began hosting the show, each season of the popular US game show has featured a full Halloween episode, with the host, announcer, models, set, and Showcases decorated for this holiday.
The Season 36 and 37 episodes featured models in costume during all One Bids and prize presentations, and monster-themed Showcases. Drew Carey has appeared with fake fangs and a hatchet, and Rich Fields appeared as Zorro in 2008.
The Season 38 episode featured contestants and the show's host, announcer, and models in costume, and debuted the annual Halloween theme, with the show's game props being the theme. The entire set was decorated for the holiday, with many of the set's changes in 2009 playing key roles. A "haunting" arrangement of the show's theme was played during the introductions, Carey introduced by his costume, and Halloween-themed decorations around the set, including appropriate colors replacing the show's usual colors. The new Showcase podiums were covered with tombstones featuring a door that opened to unveil the price, with different fonts used for both Grocery Game price cards and the Showcase video screen. Also, the traditional buzzer and losing horns were replaced with screams.
The following was how the show's major figures were dressed:
Season 39's Halloween theme was "The Wizard of Oz". The studio was decorated as The Yellow Brick Road and The Emerald City.
The following was how this show's major figures were dressed:
Season 40's Halloween theme was a "1970s Dance Party," in celebration of the show's 40th anniversary. A disco theme was announced, with the staff in costume of the era, disco balls on the set, and disco-style remixes of the show's cues are used.
Season 41's Halloween theme is "Carnival," with the following figures:
Season 42 featured a generic Halloween haunted house theme, with the curtains replaced for the episode, and the One Bid podiums featuring a haunted house theme:
Three pricing games had their names changed for the occasion, and in Cliff Hangers, the mountain climber was the Grim Reaper. Geoff Peterson from The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson also appeared on the show.
No episode was done in Season 43 because of extenuating circumstances; taping assignments were cancelled when host Carey was not cleared following surgery to repair a herniated disc.
Season 44 featured all the models and George Gray all dressed up as Drew.
There was no specific theme for Halloween in season 45 as everyone dressed up in various costumes.
In Season 46, a Justice League parody was the theme of the Halloween episode, known as "The Prize League". Their main enemy was "Dr. Trombones", an animated evil trombone who hates winning; possibly inspired by the losing horns that would sound for each pricing game loss. Each time a contestant lost a pricing game, he would appear on the screen and laugh evilly.
Season 47 had the come on down and main theme music replaced by a spooky version of it. Drew was dressed up as a ghost and George was dressed up as a werewolf. The models dressed up as scary characters.
Season 48's Halloween theme is "The 1950s". It features "Drew's Diner".

''The Wickedest Witch'' (1989)

This made-for-television film aired on NBC on October 30, 1989.

AMC Halloween movie specials

AMC broadcasts many Halloween classics, including the Halloween series, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, and An American Werewolf in London, during the month of October.