Top 5 Disney Channel Halloween episodes to binge this Halloween
By James Burkhalter
Picture of Disney World by Mark Wilard
Over the past few years, as high schoolers have gotten older, they have forgotten their Halloween roots: Disney Channel Halloween specials. Episodes with out-of-place plot lines, “spooky” theme music and egregious CGI littered the screen every October. This article will rank five different Halloween episodes from five popular Disney Channel shows. The episodes will be judged on whether or not their humor is still funny today, how important the context is and how strange the plot becomes.
Wizards of Waverly Place: S3: E2 “Halloween”
“Halloween” was surprisingly boring for a show about wizards. The humor in “Halloween” was a bit outdated and lent itself more to the audience of the time and less of a general one. “Wizards of Waverly Place” did, however, keep this episode very independent, as all Halloween episodes should be in my opinion. “Halloween” was quite tame in consideration of its setting, limiting itself in its “wizardry.” This episode is ranked fifth not because it is bad, but because it pales compared to other Disney holiday specials.
Lab Rats: S1: E17 “Night of the Living Virus”
This episode of “Lab Rats” was surprisingly set apart from the main storyline, which positively contributed to the holiday special. “Lab Rats” was a pretty episodic show compared to the others in this ranking, so the ability to keep this episode apart is impressive. The humor was obviously reliant on the early 2010 trends but did not hinder the quality of the episode entirely. “Night of the Living Virus” played with common Halloween tropes and was quite “Disney Channel” Scary TM.
Jessie: S2: E1 “The Whining”
“The Whining” leans even more into the scary side of Halloween with twists, turns and spoiled rich kids. “Jessie” seems to have its own style of comedy, and this episode sticks to it religiously. I’m not sure how well this humor perseveres, but it certainly sticks to its shtick. No further context is needed to enjoy this episode of “Jessie.” There are no ties to the main storyline, owing to most episodes of “Jessie” being independent. “The Whining” cranks up the insanity of a normal episode of “Jessie” in a uniquely spooky way.
Good Luck Charlie: S2: E25 “Scary Had a Little Lamb”
Like other Halloween episodes, this episode of “Good Luck Charlie” was able to stand on its own without in-show context. The humor in “Scary Had a Little Lamb” held up over time and was genuinely funny. Due to the type of show “Good Luck Charlie” is, this episode didn’t have to be scary and leaned into its pre-established character consistently. “Scary Had a Little Lamb” is unquestionably the funniest episode in this ranking.
A.N.T. Farm: S1: E14 “mutANT farm”
Once again, this episode can be consumed without relying on the rest of the show, and that is pertinent since this “mutANT farm” is virtually detached from “A.N.T. Farm.” Calling “mutANT farm” funny would be a bit of a stretch, but like all of these Disney shows, it caters to its audience effectively. The aspect of “mutANT farm” that makes it the best Disney Halloween special was how much it leaned into the Halloween theme. The episode did not just take place on Halloween, but showed the characters as monsters. The other addition that contributes to this episode’s spot as number one for this ranking was the original song “Calling All the Monsters”, which was a Disney Channel classic. This song became a Halloween anthem in 2011, integrating itself into every pre-teen’s “Spooky” Spotify playlist.
Keep in mind that this list is entirely subjective and bound to change with personal preference. Feel free to prove me wrong!