Best Halloween TV: The Top 5 Halloween Television Specials for Children and Adults

Halloween is in the air as mother nature sweeps in with her crisp chilly October winds making fallen leave dance through the dark and eerie night. Its another year of ghoulish little boys and girls darting door to door with the anticipation and excitement of getting their favorite chocolate bar. The spirit of Halloween is different from any other holiday. Halloween is the only holiday that exiles the pressure of buying presents and seeing family. Instead this devious holiday is all about having fun, doing what you want to do regardless of what the rules say, and being whoever it is you want to be. Children can be doctors, lawyers, ghosts, and super heroes. While adults have the best costume of all, being children once again.

Halloween is not only special because of the atmosphere it presents but also because of the enchanting television programs. I remember that one of my favorite childhood memories was sitting around the TV with my brother watching Halloween specials while comparing out bountiful stash of candy, candy, candy! Just like Halloween these top 5 television specials are enjoyed by trick or treaters year after year.

#1. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown - There was no doubt when choosing the #1 Halloween TV special. A Halloween without Charles M. Shultz 1966 "Peanuts" tale would be like a Halloween without candy. Linus armed with his blue blanket is on a mission to prove to the gang that the Great Pumpkin is indeed real by spending his entire night in a pumpkin patch. This masterpiece is highlighted Charlie Browns hand scissor coordination in making a ghost costume, Snoopy's alter ego (World War I Flying Ace) battling with the Red Baron, and tricks-or-treats where everyone gets an assortment of goodies from each house except Charlie Brown who keeps getting rocks.

Year after year this classic lives up to the viewers expectations and treats the entire family. Maybe this will be the year where Linus is able to find the most sincere pumpkin patch and prove to his critics that the Great Pumpkin is real. I know I'll be rooting for him this year when Peanuts and the gang returns to ABC for its annual celebration.

#2. Garfield's' Halloween Adventure - Although this Jim Davis 1985 classic has not been aired on CBS since the year 2000, Garfield's Halloween Adventure will always standout as an undisputed #2 to the Great Pumpkin. The worlds favorite gluttonous cat, Garfield is at it again with the bright idea of taking his pal Odie trick-or-treating so he can get double the candy. Little does Garfield know that his insatiable desire for candy will take this pair on a terrifying adventure to a haunted mansion.

The overwhelming charm of Garfield's Halloween Adventure is found in the enchanting musical numbers "What Should I Be," "Over the Raging Sea We Go (pirate song)," and "Scaredy Cat." I will always remember and sing along to each and every word like I did when I was a child. This program is a pleasure for the whole family and a must see during the Halloween season.

#3. The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror (series) - It all started in 1990 with Bart, Lisa, and Maggie telling scary stories in the family treehouse while Homer eavesdrops. Since then writers, producers, and animators have taken on challenge of creating something innovative and special for each Halloween. Every year they live up to expectations bringing new fun horror, sci-fi, and supernatural stories into our homes. These episodes commonly parody classic movies and television programs. This includes The Exorcist, The Shining, Nightmare on Elm Street, King Kong, E.T., and episodes of The Twilight Zone. Last year the Treehouse of Horror series even did a parody of #1 on our list, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror series is not only an over the top production but has subtle nuances that have been staples of the program since it first aired. Sixteen of the nineteen episodes feature "scary names" for all during the opening and closing credits such as Matt "Mr. Spooky" Groening, Creepy Conan O'Brien, and Phil "Brain-On-A-Stick" Hartman. This enjoyable feature was cut from Treehouse of Horror XII and Treehouse of Horror XIII. "Scary names" were brought back by popular demand for Treehouse of Horror XIV and remain on a permanent basis . Another exclusive feature are two giant green space creatures named Kang and Kudos. These visitors from another world have made appearances in all nineteen Treehouse of Horror episodes. They have been integral parts of the story, showed up for short cameos, or briefly popped up during the opening segment. Regardless of how big or small their role is The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror has not aired without the presence of Kang and Kudos.

This series is far and away the pinnacle of original Halloween entertainment and received serious consideration for the #1 spot on this list. The magnitude of how successful this series has been is acknowledged by 8 of the annual episodes receiving Emmy award nominations. The only knock on this Halloween special is that it may be too scary for some children which drop it to #3. It's an amazing time for 99.9% of the family. Twenty years ago I would have never imagined that I'd be anticipating a 20th all new episode in 2009. If you aren't a small child who is very easily scared then you need to mark this Halloween special down on your calendar, make sure not to miss it, and enjoy.

#4. Halloween, Halloween II - In 1978 Halloween introduced us to Michael Myers with the most haunting opening scene in horror movie history. This classic movie instantly became the mold for horror movies that would follow and continues to influence the industry today. Halloween unveiled new ways to use camera angles and music to create suspense. Slasher movies that followed mimicked that style and technique to attain the same effect. Halloween also became the standard for developing characters and writing a storyline in this genre. The format was characters that drank, used drugs, had sex, and wandered off on their own would be murdered. The hero was usually a women who was innocent and pure. They storyline was the female hero would outlast and triumph over the killer to be the lone survivor. Women were traditionally viewed as the helpless victim in cinema and Halloween transformed them into the heroine. Halloween also created the formula for the horror movie sequel. The body of Michael Myers which appeared to be dead vanished at the end of the first movie and he returned in the 1981 sequel looking for vengeance. This scenario seems oddly familiar because horror films have been following the Halloween template for decades.

Every year AMC airs Halloween I and Halloween II in sequence as part of its special Halloween programming. This is obviously not a Halloween special recommended for children which is why it is at #4. If you are an adult these two films must be seen during the Halloween season. Unless your too scared.

#5. Ghost Hunters Halloween Special - Rounding out the list at #5 is reality televisions spin on Halloween specials. Ghost Hunters is a show on the Sci-Fi channel where a real life group of ghost busters called TAPS explore the most haunted environments using high tech electronic equipment believed to have the capability of detecting ghost.

The exciting part about this show is that for Halloween the past 3 years they have aired the show live on Halloween. In 2006, the ghost hunters visited the Stanley Hotel which the book and movie The Shining was based upon. In 2007, TAPS made a visit to Waverly Hills Sanatorium which is known as being one of the most haunted hospitals on the east coast. In last years edition they made a trip to Fort Delaware which was used during the Civil War to hold Confederate prisoners of war. This year they have not yet released plans for an official Halloween special but some fans feel that because the television schedule for the entire day is Ghost Hunters that a 4th live episode may be in store.

This has the potential to be something special. Live television of real ghosts on Halloween could be must see. There is no telling what could happen on live TV. Imagine on Halloween in 2010 you're sitting next to the ghost of your great grandmother enjoying It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. During the a commercial break she stops to ask you where you were during the live Ghost Hunter Halloween Special. During that episode the Ghost Hunters unlock the secret of communicating with the dead and because of them you are now hanging out with great grand mama. Everyone is now partying it up with dead people. Its crazy. Okay, maybe that's a bit imaginative on my behalf but worse case scenario the show will be entertaining for anyone into the paranormal.

Happy Halloween - Why are you still reading this?

The 5 best Halloween television programs are out there with tricks and treats for children and adults of all ages.