13 of the Best Halloween Episodes of Mystery Shows

Not a horror fan? Get into the Halloween spirit with your favorite shows instead.

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  • Photo Credit: Featured still from "Pretty Little Liars" via Warner Bros.

Nothing goes better than Halloween and mysteries. They go together better than peanut butter and chocolate. After all, it’s the night when anything is possible.

The veils between worlds become thin, and strange things are afoot. And there’s nothing better than watching your favorite characters embrace this spookier side.

From the hilarious to the terrifying, here are thirteen of the best Halloween episodes from our favorite mystery shows. 

Bones

“Mummy in the Maze”

Bones Halloween episode
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  • Photo Credit: Still from "Bones" via 20th Century Fox

Bones and Cam are all dressed up and not expecting to work. But when a mummy is found in the middle of the maze at the Halloween event, Bones makes the eerie discovery that the body is real.

Then another real mummy is found hidden in a pile of fake bodies. When they find out a teenage girl is missing, the possibility that she’s the third victim haunts the team. 

Charmed

“All Halliwell's Eve”

Charmed Halloween episode
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  • Still from "Charmed" via CBS

It’s Halloween and the Halliwell sisters have their hands full. As two Grimlocks attack their home, the sisters are sent back in time—to Virginia in 1670.

They’ve been tasked with bringing a woman and her unborn baby back to the side of good. But to do that, they have to stay out of the witch hunters chasing them down and avoid the evil duo determined to keep the woman in their clutches.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

“Halloween”

Brooklyn Nine-Nine
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  • Photo Credit: Still from "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" via NBC

Cementing an annual tradition, Jake makes a bet with Holt that he’s practically guaranteed to lose.

Halloween is always a busy time for any police precinct, but the increased antics of the officers add mayhem and hilarity as the clock ticks down to midnight.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

“Halloween”

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Halloween episode
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  • Photo Credit: Still from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" via Disney

Buffy and her friends learn that Halloween is the one night vampires tend to stay away. Even more exciting, the new costume store has something for everyone.

Buffy is an 18th century maiden, Xander is a soldier, and Willow chooses a ghost instead of something sexy. But everything goes wrong when the shop owner invokes a Roman god that turns everyone into their costume.

Criminal Minds

“Devil's Night”

Criminal Minds Halloween episode
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  • Photo Credit: Still from "Criminal Minds" via Paramount+

For the last three years, someone in Detroit has been burning people alive in the three days leading up to Halloween. When the fire department notices the pattern, they call in the BAU.

With no obvious connections, they start their investigation by comparing the first murder with the most recent, unlocking a pattern between victims and a possible identity of the unsub.

The team races against the clock to stop a killer on Halloween night.

Friday the 13th

“Hellowee'en”

Friday the 13th Halloween episode
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  • Photo Credit: Still from "Friday the 13th" via Paramount

Everyone expects to see ghosts on Halloween. Unfortunately for cousins Micki and Ryan, that ghost is their late uncle Lewis. And he’s all too real.

When he tricks them into giving him an amulet that will let him inhabit a new body, it’s all they can do to keep him from succeeding before dawn, when he’ll be sent back to hell.

Tales from the Darkside

“Halloween Candy”

Tales of the Dark Side Halloween episode
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  • Photo Credit: Still from "Tales of the Dark Side" via CBS via

Mr. Killup is a disgusting, grumpy old man. The only person who puts up with him is his son, Michael. For Halloween, Michael buys a bag of candy to give to trick-or-treaters.

But the nasty Mr. Killup has a better idea. He uses the candy to taunt the kids. Only one of his visitors isn’t in the mood to be tricked. Not even Michael can save him from this Halloween surprise.

Are You Afraid of the Dark?

“The Tale of the Twisted Claw”

Are You Afraid of the Dark Halloween Episode
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  • Photo Credit: Still from "Are You Afraid of the Dark" via Nickelodeon

The night before Halloween, two boys decide it’s never too early for some spooky pranks. But they chose the wrong little old lady to harass.

When they ring her doorbell on Halloween night, she gives them a wooden vulture foot. It seems like a treat because it grants wishes. Or is it a trick that grants curses instead.

It is a twist on The Monkey’s Paw that is perfect for a Halloween scare.

Pretty Little Liars

“The First Secret”

Pretty Little Liars Halloween episode
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  • Photo Credit: Still from "Pretty Little Liars" via Warner Bros. Entertainment

Before Alison went missing, the friends want nothing more than to score an invitation to Noel’s Halloween party.

But not everything is okay between the friends. Jenna doesn’t like that Ali has Queen Bee status, and Byron has a shocking secret that Aria soon discovers.

Scream Queens

“Halloween Blues”

Scream Queens Halloween episode
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  • Photo Credit: Still from "Scream Queens" via 20th Century Fox

Before Alison went missing, the friends want nothing more than to score an invitation to Noel’s Halloween party.

But not everything is okay between the friends. Jenna doesn’t like that Ali has Queen Bee status, and Byron has a shocking secret that Aria soon discovers.

Stranger Things, Chapter Two

"Trick or Treat, Freak"

Stranger Things Halloween episode
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  • Photo Credit: Still from "Stranger Things" via Netflix

While all the other kids are dressing up, Hopper tells Eleven it’s too dangerous for her to go trick-or-treating, even as a ghost. She tries to contact Mike anyway, though their connection doesn’t go through.

After seeing something terrible on Halloween night, Mike can’t help but wonder if Eleven is still out there somewhere, and when Will goes home, he has a strange dream from the Upside Down.

But scariest of all, might be what Dustin finds in his trashcan.

Monk

“Mr. Monk Goes Home Again”

Monk Halloween episode
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  • Photo Credit: Still from "Monk" via NBC

An armored car driver is shot with his own gun on Halloween day. Monk finds out at the crime scene that his father is coming to visit. 

As he waits, there’s a candy thief on the loose with one house in common—Monk’s brother Ambrose. But it’s a dead pigeon that ties all the crimes together, leading to the crime being solved.

Psych

"Scary Sherry: Bianca's Toast”

Psych Halloween episode
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  • Photo Credit: Still from "Psych" via Universal

Twenty years ago, Shawn and Gus watched a woman die. Twenty years later, another woman dies the same way, seemingly chased by a ghost.

As Juliet goes undercover in the building, now a sorority, Gus and Shawn investigate. Is it a ghost, or is there a killer?

Featured photo: Still from Pretty Little Liars via Warner Bros.