(Credit: Netflix)

Halloween specials are the ultimate TV snack for Netflix lovers. Who wants to sit through a two-hour slasher when you can just go ahead and click on the best episode?

And Halloween episodes are generally the best. You have everything that can go wrong, from costumes to drunk teens. Friendships are tested by too much candy and one jump scare that makes us pretend we weren’t just hiding behind a pillow.

Netflix is loaded with these little gems. Here, they are not about being the scariest thing ever, but more about making us laugh, scream, and sometimes cry into a KitKat. Half the fun is remembering exactly where you were when you first watched them and realised, Oh, this episode is different.

The best thing? They’re all rewatch gold. Every single one of these feels like putting on a sweater straight out of storage. They are familiar, a bit silly, but somehow perfect.

So, let’s talk about the five best Halloween episodes streaming right now and the ones we’ll happily rewatch until our popcorn runs out.

Five best Halloween episodes on Netflix

Brooklyn Nine-Nine: “HalloVeen” (Season 5, Episode 4)

The heists are always good, but this one? Nine-Nine’s legendary Halloween heists will be remembered for ages by generations. This is the Super Bowl of Brooklyn Nine-Nine Halloween episodes. Boyle scheming like it’s a matter of national security, Holt parading around with a fake Cheddar like it’s high art, and Gina? She basically treats the whole squad like pawns in her little chessboard.

And then Jake just casually drops a proposal mid-heist. Like, sorry, what? We came here for petty thefts and ended up crying happy tears. It’s the ultimate mix of thrill, emotions and unexpected turns. One second you’re laughing at Terry being duped, the next you are texting everyone, “Remember the HalloVeen proposal??” And though all the heist episodes are amazing, this one hits different.

Gilmore Girls: “Twenty-One Is the Loneliest Number” (Season 6, Episode 7)

Stars Hollow doesn’t even need Halloween to feel the cold autumn breeze, but this episode doubles down with pumpkins everywhere and costumes in the background. It feels warm until you remember Rory and Lorelai still aren’t speaking, which turns every festive porch into a reminder that the Gilmore Girls are low-key miserable.

And then Rory’s 21st birthday spirals, complete with that insane Madeleine Albright dream cameo. Now that’s the kind of Halloween where the jump scare is just… family drama. That’s nothing but classic Gilmore Girls for you.

Stranger Things: “Trick or Treat, Freak” (Season 2, Episode 2)

As the whole world is preparing for the final season to land, many of us have already started the rerun. But if you have not and are planning now and saving it for November, you can at least watch the Halloween episode to satisfy that urge. The boys in Ghostbusters costumes? Peak Hawkins energy. The argument over who’s stuck as Venkman is so painfully real that it hurts. Max scaring the life out of them with a Michael Myers mask is just a chef’s kiss.

But then Stranger Things does its thing: Eleven hiding out under a sheet like the saddest little ghost, Nancy drinking her feelings at a party, and Will… yeah, Will seeing that vision. It goes from candy-corn cute to nightmare fuel in about five minutes. That’s Hawkins, baby.

Ginny & Georgia: “Boo, Bitch” (Season 1, Episode 5)

This is every suburban Halloween distilled into one episode of Ginny and Georgia. Georgia is living her best Pinterest life, decorations and all, while Ginny is just trying not to implode under the pressure of high-school costumes and friend group politics.

The Britney Spears group costume? One word: Iconic. And beneath all the glitter and sugar rush, it nails the teenage feeling of putting on a mask, both literally and metaphorically, just to survive the night. Relatable, messy, and kind of fabulous.

Orange Is the New Black: “Mischief Mischief” (Season 6, Episode 5)

And if you think you have seen all the nice and warm Halloween episodes, it’s time for some jail time. Here, you can forget the pumpkin patches or the candy. Halloween in prison is prank wars and guards treating the whole thing like fantasy football with actual inmates, now that’s the real spirit of Orange Is the New Black. It’s dark, it’s mean, and somehow it’s hilarious in that “Oh god, should we even be laughing?” way.

It’s the anti-Halloween special, so you get no cosiness, no costumes, just sharp humour and mischief that bites. Perfect for anyone who likes their spooky season with an aftertaste.