Well it’s that time of year again. With Halloween just around the corner, who doesn’t like to turn on the television to catch a Halloween episode of their favorite sitcom? We’re well into the 13 Nights of Halloween and people everywhere are hoping to stumble upon their old favorites. As you turn the lights down low and flip on the TV, you may notice that most Halloween-inspired episodes circle around similar traits that are sure to have you shaking in your boots.

Trickery is one of the traits found in many episodes. In the “Home Improvement” version, the Taylor family is tired of Tim scaring them each year. This year, they decide to give him a taste of his own medicine. The family misleads Tim into believing their loyal neighbor Wilson has been murdered. The episode ends with the coroner wheeling Wilson (face half-way covered, of course) out on a stretcher. Wilson then pops up and surprises Tim, giving him the fright this time around.

The Connors are at it again in season two “Roseanne” episode “BOO.” Dan and Roseanne compete with each other for “Master of Halloween Fright.” Ultimately, Roseanne takes the cake: scaring Dan, who is waiting to hear about an important business deal.

You might not think a doll running amuck is that scary…until you watch an episode with a ventriloquist dummy. In the “Family Matters” Halloween episode, ventriloquist Steve Urkel’s look-alike dummy comes alive. He goes by “Stevil” and wreaks havoc on the Winslow family on Halloween night. The family joins forces and brings Stevil to rest…until season 9, that is. In episode 7 of that season, Stevil makes a shocking return in “Stevil II: This Time He’s Not Alone.” In round two, Stevil brings along a sidekick, Carlsbad. The dummies try to take over the souls of Urkel and Carl — doing away with anyone who gets in the way.

In “Goosebumps” “Night of the Living Dummy,” evil doll Slappy has a mind of his own. If his name doesn’t send chills down your spine, his actions will. Slappy is found in a dumpster by a girl who brings him home. What started out as a child’s toy quickly turns into an evil villain. Slappy is on a quest to imprison his new “family” and keep them as his own personal slaves.
Ventriloquist dummies may not be scary to some, but they had others throwing their dolls into the back of the closet for the whole month of October…or so I’ve heard, at least.

Another memorable setting that sitcoms use is the school. Many characters are often trapped in their schools because, well, few things are more terrifying than that.

In the Halloween episode of “My So-Called Life,” Angela and her friends are trapped in their school and teleported back to the 1960’s. Angela comes in contact with a boy from that era who has been dead for years.

Again, in the “Boy Meets World” episode, the gang finds themselves trapped in John Adams High. One spooky night, Cory, Topanga, Shawn, Angela, and Kenny get stuck in detention. Things start to get suspicious when Mr. Feeny disappears and “No One Gets out Alive” is written on the blackboard in blood. The students race through the locked hallways, searching for answers. The killer reaches the gang and starts to take them down one-by-one. The only survivors are Shawn, Cory and Topanga — until Shawn awakens from his dream, of course.

Though these frightful episodes might not give you the heebie-jeebies that they used to, it’s still fun to trail down memory lane. Oh what Halloween used to be…