What I've Watched: Ranking Bob's Burgers Halloween Episodes

In just a few days, Fox will air the ninth annual Halloween episode of Bob's Burgers. The Halloween episodes didn't start until the show's third season. Both seasons 1 and 2 debuted midseason, each missing Halloween by a few months. I don't watch Bob's Burgers regularly but I always make to sure to catch the Halloween episode. For the last three years I've made rewatching all of them an October tradition. Unlike its more famous counterpart, The Simpson's Treehouse of Horror, Bob's Burgers always manages to come up with an intelligent, Halloween-centric plot.

In honor of the show's history of always being there for those in need of fun, not so scary, Halloween levity, I present my ranking of the Bob's Burgers Halloween episodes.

Number 8: Pig Trouble in Little Tina

This episode is really the only disappointment for me in the Bob's Burgers continuity. While the premise of Tina being haunted by a dissected pig from school sounds Halloween oriented, the episode feels more bizarre than Halloween. When I want to watch a Halloween show, I want the trick-or-teat goodness crammed into as much of it as possible. It does redeem itself with a haunted hayride and a decent homage to Nightmare on Elm Street during the climax.

Number 7: Teen-a Witch

With a school costume contest and books of spells, Teen-a Witch ups the Halloween spook factor. At first glance, it seems to have most of the things I'm looking for. Honestly, I don't have a good reason for not liking this episode. Maybe because I never really got into the witch thing. Maybe it's because, while some of the other episodes aren't as Halloween focused as this one, the other episodes were simply more entertaining.

Number 6: Tina and the Real Ghost

From here on, the episodes start to get close. These next three were pretty much a toss-up. I ranked this one lowest mostly because the episode is more focused on Tina's personal issues - odd as they are - than on Halloween itself. The holiday does play a part and the scene with the exterminator at the beginning still cracks me up. But overall, I had to put this one just a notch lower than the others.

Number 5: Fort Night

Look at that poster. Glorious, isn't it? It also highlights the one thing that makes this episode stand out from the others ranked lower. Millie Frock. Most of the episode centers on the kids getting trapped in a cardboard fort behind the diner. This set up eliminates the opportunity for the usual Halloween tropes. Usually, tropes are something we frown upon for being so cliche. When it comes to cartoon Halloween episodes, I love cliche. But Millie Frock is entertaining enough to keep the fun moving ahead.

Number 4: The Wolf of Wharf Street

There's a wolf - and an escaped alpaca - on the loose, terrorizing the town. Trick-or-treaters stay inside and, in an effort to be the hero-mom, Linda takes the kids in search of the menacing lupus. For me, the main plot is mediocre. The real star of this show is the subplot of Bob having a bad reaction from pain meds and convincing himself that his friend is actually a werewolf.

Number 3: Full Bars

The one that started it all. Full Bars shows Tina, Louise, and Gene trick-or-treating without their parents for the first time. Frustrated in the poor quality of candy being handed out, the kids take a ferry to King's Head Island in search of more bountiful booty. This episode is steeped in Halloween. Trick-or-treating. Costume parties. Teenage pranksters. A solid launch to the Bob's Burgers Halloween tradition.

Number 2: Nightmare on Ocean Avenue Street

Someone is stealing bags of candy from trick-or-treaters as the kids go door-to-door for their Halloween goodies. I remember not being impressed with this episode the first time I watched it. Having recently re-watched it, I don't know what my problem was. This is complete Halloween purity. While not particularly original, this one checks all the boxes for a good time. Even my wife, who typically hates the humor on Bob's Burgers, laughed a few times. Nightmare on Ocean Avenue Street is simple and straightforward. Sometimes, that's the best kind of mindless pleasure.

Number 1: The Hauntening

Bob and Linda create their own haunted house for the kids in a strange neighborhood. Things don't go as planned when the family ends up being terrorized by a creepy neighbor. What this one lacks in Halloween feels, it more than makes up for in magical terror. While the real scares only encompass the last few minutes of the episode, The Hauntening is as close as you can get to silly scares without crossing over into true horror. It's fun with a hint of scare. Halloween perfection.