Julia Jensen/ Art Director
Way back in my day, Disney Channel released some of the best and scariest episodes each year during what they called “Monstober.” With my expert knowledge of this topic, I ranked the 10 most memorable Halloween episodes. However, this list does not coincide with the ranking of my favorite shows from this era.
- “Shake It Up”: “Haunt It Up” (Season 3, Episode 19): The episode was broken into two storylines. First, Flynn, Deuce and Ty enter into a bet of who could last the longest in this haunted house that was basically a bunch of lame tricks and a 19-year-old dude screaming like a hungry infant, but that was not the worst of it. CeCe and Rocky find out from a co-dancer that they are “too old for Halloween.” Their solution was to, of course, watch a really sad movie, pass out raisins and knit. The episode ends with a final scary prank from Flynn that involved his friend pretending to be dead. This was entertaining, so that is why it is No. 10. I LOVED “Shake It Up,” but watching this was just so painful and was a wake-up call for me.
- “Hannah Montana”: “Torn Between Two Hannahs” (Season 1, Episode 17): In this episode, Miley’s insultingly Southern, evil cousin from Tennessee, Luann, comes to visit and then proceeds to try to steal Miley’s identity. I wanted to like this episode so badly, but the Southern accents were so terrible that I could not believe they were actually from the South. Luann hogties Miley in her closet and then tries to expose her Hannah secret at a Halloween party, all while trying to rizz up Oliver. Somehow, Miley gets loose and saves the day. It was not the worst thing I have ever seen, but the writers definitely did not do any member of the cast a single favor.
- “Good Luck Charlie”: “Scary Had a Little Lamb” (Season 2, Episode 25): This episode got on the lower half of the ranking simply because it was somewhat boring. In this episode, Gabe had to clean Mrs. Dabney’s house, PJ briefly dressed goth and Teddy sought revenge on some guy that scared her younger sister, Charlie, by pretending to murder her best friend, Ivy. Overall, I do not have much to say about this episode, as it was strange and uninteresting.
- “Gravity Falls”: “Summerween” (Season 1, Episode 12): As you know, if you have seen the show, Dipper and Mabel are only at the Mystery Shack over the summer. To be able to make a Halloween episode at the end of June, personally, I think should be celebrated. The majority of the plot was devoted to this murderous blob of a monster that required candy and Dipper’s crush on Wendy, once again, impairing his judgment. The episode ended with them defeating the monster by Soos eating it? It was kind of strange, and compared to the others on this list, this plot was not my favorite, as it is one of the least scary episodes of this show.
- “Jessie”: “The Whining” (Season 2, Episode 1): This episode references the movie “The Shining” with references to the creepy twins and the ending scene of the movie. I think the reason this one is at six for me is because there is little to no mystery. Certain elements, such as the creepy twins, were on-theme for spooky season. However, the main plot, that Jessie turns into a murder nanny, was explained before it happened, with her starting the beginning of the episode by saying why she is angry and what her ideal punishment for the children is: limiting TV. All in all, not too bad of a watch, but certainly not the best.
- “Kickin’ It”: “Wazombie Warriors” (Season 2, Episode 17): This episode is not included in the Disney+ Halloween section. I am not sure if I totally made up this episode coming out during Halloween, but I am including it because I think that this episode was my first experience with horror. After I conquered a 20-minute episode about karate-fighting zombies, I could get through anything. I think Jack and Kim belong together since they are both so hot, and that is honestly why I love this episode so much. With the whole burping zombie plot, that is surprisingly scary, combined with the fact that there is Jack and Kim content, I think this episode is worth the watch.
- “Phineas and Ferb”: “Terrifying Tri-State Trilogy of Terror” (Season 4, Episode 18): Unlike “Phineas and Ferb”-typical 10-minute half-episodes, this episode is a full 30-minute feature. The episode is focused around a narrator telling three scary tales. The first is about Candace wishing her stuffed animals to life. Then, there is a story about Doofenshmirtz making a wish on a giant baby head. The last, and my favorite, is about how pouring grape juice on a platypus creates an evil clone. After the kids get overrun with the evil platypi, they discover that soap is the key to defeating them. It is a great episode from a great show and definitely worth the rewatch.
- “Wizards of Waverly Place”: “Halloween” (Season 3, Episode 2): After the Russos are told that the haunted house they were hosting was not scary, Alex is sent out to the wizard world to collect real ghosts. Alex comes back with some rather subdued ghosts at first, but then she brings one that used to haunt her brother, Justin. Comparatively, it made me cringe the least out of all of them, and this has always been my favorite Disney Channel show. I highly recommend you give this one a rewatch.
- “A.N.T. Farm”: “MutANT” (Season 1, Episode 14): Although this show is not a favorite of mine, this episode includes all the elements that make a perfect Halloween episode, such as a dance, switching perspectives between characters and all of the younger cast dressed as monsters. What truly puts this at No. 2 is the ultimate Halloween bop, “Calling All the Monsters,” that China Anne McClain blessed us all with in this episode.
1. “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody”: “The Ghost of Suite 613” (Season 1, Episode 19): Watching this episode was the first time that I enjoyed being scared. In this episode, the friends try to get revenge on Zack by telling him an exaggerated ghost story of a room in the hotel being haunted by a scorned woman. As the episode continues, it is revealed that this ghost is actually real. What I love about this episode is that it does not hurt the “real-life” aspect of the show while also not explaining away the spooky haunting of the room by blaming it on pranks. All in all, this is my favorite episode to get me in the Halloween spirit, and I absolutely recommend that you watch it too.
