Buffy The Vampire Slayer

No less than Buffy the Vampire Slayer herself elicited frequent mentions. "The Buffy episodes were classic," recalls Bananagirlc, citing the one where the Scooby Gang essentially "changed" into the costume they had on. (Ergo, Xander made a point to refit himself as James Bond.) "It was pretty amazing," adds Giggedy. "It might be my favorite Halloween-themed episode of any TV show ever." Similarly, Buffy’s "Fear, Itself" episode found the slayer and her cohorts frequenting a haunted frat house. Says Lameal, "The best moment was when the roaring, booming-voiced monster turned out to be a tiny squishable one, and Giles realized the photo in the book said ’Actual Size.’"

From Buffy we go to Betty, as in Ugly Betty, which a year ago served up a frightfully funny episode. "Without a doubt, ’The Lyin’, the Watch and the Wardrobe’" gets Jake Lipson’s vote: "Marc’s costume alone" — he dressed as frumpy Betty — "has got to be one of the most hilarious things that show has ever done." Adds Kim, "I loved Betty in her butterfly costume!"

Another "new kid" on the block, CBS’ How I Met Your Mother, has in short order cemented one of its Halloween larks as a classic. "The Slutty Pumpkin," in which stalwart Ted tries to track down a mystery hookup from a previous Oct. 31, "pretty much nailed the holiday’s spirit," says Eekthecat85. "Without a doubt, that is my favorite holiday show — followed closely by the Peanuts special it’s based on." Helping keep things festive were Barney’s opportunities to "dress up" his trademark directive. "Flight suit-up! Penguin suit-up!" recites Itsmaddi.

Of course, few shows have as estimable a track record in having a very ghoul time as Roseanne. "They did Halloween-themed shows every year, the costumes were always exceptional, and they did some nice pranks," remembers Shelwood. Carrie0930 singles out an episode where "Roseanne is visited by the ghosts of Halloween past, present and future. I was a kid and it really gave me the creeps!" In other words, the Conners made an art of scaring us silly.