Spooky season is officially upon us, which means that we are strictly watching all things spine-tingling from here until October 31st (and quite possibly for a while after that). There are too many incredible Halloween-themed movies and TV series not to, and they’re everything from captivating and horrifying to hilarious and punny — and if you ask us, you can’t celebrate Halloween without including Family Guy.
It’s a series that makes the most of celebrating Halloween, which isn’t surprising to anyone who watches the show that follows the Griffin family. Family Guy takes everything to the next level, but that’s what you sign up for when you begin to watch a TV series with a talking baby and a dog that smokes and drinks — not that fans are complaining.
Family Guy takes you away from your everyday woes and into a realm where everything is lighter, more hilarious, and just fun to watch. In a time when things can feel otherwise overwhelming, the Griffin family provides just enough comedic relief and gasp-inspiring moments that you’re forced to step out of whatever is troubling you and into an animated world that greets you with excitement and intrigue.
The Halloween episodes are particularly fang-tastic, with some taking place on Halloween and some simply containing spooky themes. From “Halloween on Spooner Street” to “Petergeist,” there are just enough episodes for a Halloween binge, and we’ve got them all here for you! So grab your costume and get ready for your Family Guy binge-a-thon. These episodes are sure to keep you laughing and feeling a little uneasy all evening long.
“Halloween on Spooner Street” (Season 9, Episode 4)
“Halloween on Spooner Street” sees Brian and Stewie trick-or-treating on Halloween night. It doesn’t take long before they’re confronted by bullies who steal Stewie’s candy, forcing them to devise a plan to get it back. While they’re trick-or-treating, Peter and Joe decide to prank Quagmire, and it’s not long before he, too, makes a plan for revenge. Meg and Chris attend a party during the episode, and it leads to a rather unfortunate situation for the two of them.
This has to be one of the best Halloween episodes of Family Guy, and if you want to either begin or end your watch-a-thon with it, you’ll be making a fantastic choice.
“Petergeist” (Season 4, Episode 26)
“Petergeist” sees Joe building a new theater system in his home and a jealous Peter trying to outdo him. As Peter decides to take his theater system outside, he happens upon the problematic old chestnut of a Native burial ground, and takes an item from it. Of course, you don’t mess with the dead⏤even in a cartoon. The stolen item leaves Peter’s home and family haunted and Stewie in a terrible predicament.
A bit of a play on Poltergeist, obviously, this episode will likely spook you a time or two, and it’s also a way to get that spine-tingling feeling, without having to keep the lights on in your house after you watch it — and don’t pretend like you’ve never done that before.
“Family Guy Viewer Mail No. 1″ (Season 3, Episode 21)
While this episode isn’t Halloween-themed, it’s still on many lists of best Family Guy Halloween episodes because of its storytelling and content. Told as three minisodes within the episode, the strange storylines contain everything from Peter without bones after making a wish to our favorite characters as kids visiting a haunted house⏤and, of course, there’s the toxic waste!
That being said, this goes from being a not-so-Halloween episode to one perfect for spooky season immediately because, let’s face it, sometimes the best ways to celebrate the season are in those that are less obvious. Haunted houses and bone-less people? It doesn’t get more unnerving than that.
“Three Kings” (Season 7, Episode 15)
Another not-quite-Halloween but can totally pass for a spooky season-themed episode is “Three Kings.” Fans see their Family Guy favorites as they take on three Stephen King storylines. Misery, Stand By Me, and The Shawshank Redemption are all parodied, resulting in one of the all-time great Family Guy episodes. Peter reads the King stories and imagines himself and his friends and family inside them, so you know that the Peter Griffin spin on them is just the kind that King fans never anticipated but loved nonetheless.
Stephen King is synonymous with horror, so the idea that Family Guy took on some of his stories makes this a fan-favorite episode.
“And Then There Were Fewer” (Season 9, Episode 1)
Spooky is the name, and murder mystery is the game in this Family Guy episode that brings our favorite characters face-to-face with a series of murders occurring in a remote mansion. “And Then There Were Fewer” was the season 9 premiere special, which saw James Woods invite the citizens of Quahog to his estate for a dinner that goes awry in no time. Who makes it out alive, who is smart enough to solve the mysterious murders, and who will believe the stories the survivors live to tell?
The idea of a murder mystery party has Halloween written all over it, so this one is a must-watch during spooky season.
“Peternormal Activity” (Season 14, Episode 4)
What do you get when you mix Family Guy with paranormal haunts and a traumatic accident at the hands of Peter and his friends? The episode is titled “Peternormal Activity,” a play on Paranormal Activity. When Peter and the guys go to an asylum to find inspiration for a horror movie they hope to create; they bite off more than they bargained for and are thrown into a world they never imagined.
Suddenly, spooks and haunts become the name of the game for Peter and his friends, and it goes without saying that this one will have a few scenes that’ll scare you quite a bit, too. The big question is — will they make it out unscathed, or will they meet a haunted demise?
“Must Love Dogs” (Season 20, Episode 3)
Halloween Night introduces Quagmire to the girl of his dreams in this episode titled “Must Love Dogs,” but there’s one problem: Quagmire doesn’t exactly love dogs. So when he recruits Brian to play a role in his make-believe storyline, things seem to be going swimmingly⏤until an event happens where Quagmire can no longer hide his disdain for man’s best friend. In the same episode, Stewie discovers that someone is eating his Halloween candy, and his older brother tries to show him a way to keep it safe. What happens when Stewie finds out who’s been the culprit all along?
From the creepy to the hilarious, Family Guy nails all of the emotions during the Halloween season. Have you watched these episodes before? Which are your favorite to revisit during spooky season? Let us know in a comment!