Halloween is (almost) here! It’s an exciting time for the horror community. There’s just so much to do. From watching scary movies, to treat-or-treating, to Halloween parties, there’s not always enough time for it all. That’s why I decided to put together this list of Bob’s Burgers episodes which are sure to put you in the Halloween spirit.
Just a little bit of background before we get started though. I adore Bob’s Burgers. It’s funny, sweet, and insanely clever (if you’re not familiar with the show, be sure to look out for the constantly changing puns during the show’s opening credits). Most of the show’s seasons feature a Halloween holiday episode. With 14 seasons, there’s plenty of Halloween episodes to choose from, and they’re all unique in their own little way. The ones below are just some of my personal favorites.
Over the past few years, Bob’s Burgers has become part of my family’s Halloween traditions. We usually try to watch a couple of Halloween episodes and eat little hamburger sliders as we watch. It’s a great time. And the really nice thing? The episodes are only 20 or so minutes, so even if you don’t have a ton of time, you can easily fit in one or two of these episodes into your Halloween schedule.
So, here are a few great, scary episodes of Bob’s Burgers you should watch this Halloween, and some of them just might surprise you.
"Full Bars” (Season 3, Episode 2)
This is the first Halloween episode of the series, and it’s one you simply can’t miss. Bob and Linda go to Teddy’s for a Halloween party, while the kids go trick-or-treating in an affluent community known as King’s Head Island. Both activities don’t go as expected, especially at Teddy’s. What I love about this episode is that Teddy really shines as one of the series’ more zany and endearing characters.
“Fort Night” (Season 4, Episode 2)
This episode introduces Louise’s seriously unsettling classmate Millie. She’s obsessed with being Louise’s best friend, but the feeling is nowhere near mutual. In this episode, Millie shows up just as the Belcher kids and their friends are about to embark on the best trick-or-treating of their young lives. As a result, the kids hide and get trapped in a homemade fort out in the alley. Between Milley’s completely unhinged antics and the inability to escape the fort, this episode is definitely not for the claustrophobic.
“Dawn of the Peck” (Season 5, Episode 4)
Okay, yes, it’s technically a Thanksgiving episode, but this episode still manages to be frightening, which is why I included it on this list. Basically, the Fischoeders organize a “run with the turkeys” style race to celebrate the holiday, but the wild birds they enlisted have other plans. A combination of Hitchcock’s The Birds meets a George A. Romero zombie flick, this is one of the great episodes and shows just how versatile the show can be. Also, fun fact: this is one of the first episodes of the show I ever watched, and the mish-mash of genres made me fall in love with it.
“Housetrap” (Season 5, Episode 19)
Again, not a “true” Halloween episode, but I love the spooky atmosphere of this one. It takes place on a dark and stormy night. Murder is in the air as Teddy (and the Belchers) do a handy man job at the home of the recently widowed Helen. As the Belchers snoop around, they come to suspect that Helen may not be as innocent as she looks.
"Nightmare on Ocean Avenue Street” (Season 9, Episode 5)
This episode is a clever whodunit. The kids go out trick-or-treating, and one-by-one, someone (or something!) steals their candy. This episode utilizes a fairly menacing “killer POV” a la John Carpenter’s Halloween, which I’m a fan of. Oh, and Bob and Teddy launch an escalating Halloween decoration war with a neighboring business. It’s pretty hilarious.
“The Hauntening” (Season 6, Episode 3)
The crème de la crème of Bob’s Burgers Halloween episodes in my book. In this episode, Bob and Linda try to scare the kids with a homemade haunted house. The kids are unimpressed at first, but then things start to get weird and scary. And I mean weird AND scary. There’s some truly unsettling imagery in this one that actually unnerved me a bit the first time I watched it. It’s probably one of the more intense episodes of Bob’s Burgers, but it’s still great.
So, there you have it, folks. If I missed any of your favorite Bob’s Burgers Halloween episodes, let me know in the comments below.
Happy Halloween!