What Is All Hallows' Eve? A Miserable Little Pile of Peanut Butter Kisses

As is tradition here around the Base, as the season comes to a close, I share my favorite Halloween special again.
The Halloween That Almost Wasn't (or The Night Dracula Saved the World, depending on which way you watch it) is pure Halloween. The silly acting, the low-rent costumes that look more like Halloween costumes than they probably should, the kind of plot they just don't write anymore. It's literally what Halloween looks like to me.

When I was a kid, they'd show it on the Disney Channel all October. I even had it and Witches' Night Out taped on a VHS cassette that eventually would only play from just before The Halloween That Almost Wasn't through the end of  Witches' Night Out. I'd watch it all year, and somehow the cheap tape survived.

Good thing my older brother forgot about the Rankin/Bass The Return of the King cartoon he had recorded just before I taped the specials after it. Because eventually it wouldn't even play anymore. The tape only worked in the spot where the Halloween specials lived.

Stuff like this is partially where cursed VHS tape urban legends come from. Worn-out video cassettes that selectively worked only in certain spots, with the rest full of static and bleed-through.

However, instead of dying in seven days, the curse from this one was me forcing it on everyone every Halloween. Of course, it's a good curse.

How could you not like watching an obviously high cast stumble through the set while delivering their lines like it was the most important gig they'd ever worked on? It's the most punk rock Halloween thing ever made.

Happy Halloween. Dracula saved it for you and me.

Dead Cat's Tell no Tails

There's certain hallmarks of a holiday. For Halloween, it's pumpkin spice, jack-o'-lanterns, and leaves raked into neat piles... for some reason. No, seriously, why the hell do we do that?

One Halloween tradition that should be mandatory is *Garfield's Halloween Adventure*. It is for me, and by way of this site, it is for you readers.

Garfield has the ultimate Halloween. He makes a costume, goes trick-or-treating, and gets scared by pirate ghosts. Most of us only do one or two of those on Halloween.

Michael Myers wants you to have a Safe and Fun Halloween

If there's one person who wants you to have fun but be safe, it's Michael Myers. Halloween is his day and he'd hate for you to ruin it by tripping on the sidewalk, getting ran over, or eating poisoned candy. Take it from him, Halloween can be fun. But nothing's better than having fun, safely.

Originally Posted 10/06/2021

Not a Mandela Effect

Most people think you're lying when you mention Tiger Games' Game.com, and they definitely think Resident Evil 2 for the ill-fated console was BS.

I'm pretty sure somebody will think this commercial was made with AI. But no, it all happened, and it's all real.

The commercial is pretty extreme, considering it would've aired on Fox Kids between episodes of Beetleborgs. I was pretty tempted to get a Game.com at the time. You've got to admit, it looked pretty neat.

I'd love to have spent Halloween in 1998 playing Resident Evil 2 on it.

Instead, I was dressed up like Michael Myers and riding in a canoe while my stoned friend paddled between playing a guitar.

True story.

Meal or Monster

2025 was... literally just last year. Not a long time ago at all, and yet this feels like forever ago. Probably because I never saw it.

There's something wonderful about a family of mummies ordering the Halloween special item at a drive-thru, you know?

I do wish I'd known about this, as I'd have loved to get the specifically spooky take on Burger King classics. Though with the way my luck goes with fast-food restaurants, they'd have just given me the regular items after I paid and then told me they were out.

I, uh... sigh

Evil in a Residential area

I love the original Resident Evil. Love it. Hands down my favorite 'scary' game to this day. One thing my wife and I had been talking about lately is what to put in each others Trick or Treat pails this year. She'd like a copy of the new Luigi's Mansion while I'm finding myself drawn to the new Switch re-releases of older RE games. Sure would be a great way to enjoy Halloween night. 

Originally Posted 8/28/2019

Dance with Disney in the pale moon light

I've said it a million more times than anyone cares to listen to, and I'll keep repeating myself.

Disney does Halloween right. Dead ass.

It's pretty jerky of me to say my Disney Channel was better than anyone else's... but it definitely was a better channel to me when I was a kid and a teen. That extends to Disney+, which is absolutely awesome during Halloween.

This little ad for their block of spooky season programming in 1994 is a prime example of how pumpkin spicy they bring it.

See? Awesome

Who Spooked Rodney?

Rodney is a big old fraidy cat. If there's a superstition, Rodney is scared of it. Which one begs to reason... why does he even go trick or treating? Or even to a haunted house? Does he just relish pooping his pants or something? And what's up with that one kid while they're in the haunted house? Is he ok?

Originally Posted 10/25/2023

Ok, ok... I'll watch

I've praised Disney's contributions to Halloween so much, you'd think I was on the payroll. Nope, that's those other sites (and YouTubers).

ME? I just like what I like and have always liked how Disney does Halloween.

This spot advertising the 1989 spooky season programming gives each show its own little mini trailer. That's pretty great because you'd probably skip over some of these going by the name alone.

Okay... I'm still skipping over Rusty and Buttons.

Plenty of Headroom

So maybe I relate to this one a little bit. Not just because I drive a Corolla and am tall, but also because I like Frankenstein.

Okay... okay, Frankenstein's Monster. That's how you can tell when someone has nothing to bring to a conversation, when they say, "You mean Frankenstein's monster? Frankenstein is the scientist."

Real ones know the scientist is the monster.

Regardless, man, I love those old world production values at the beginning of this commercial. You can love modern and old-world at the same time, and man, I do love those old haunted castles and the way they filmed them on older film stock.

Absolute peak cinema... and a pretty good car to have.

Trick or Trek

If you were a kid in Oakland County trick or treating on Halloween night 1995... you probably ran into the biggest wieners in the galaxy. Somebody's cousins decided to dress as a Klingon and host a 'fun' trick or treat party on public access TV. There, kids could have a safe and happy holiday while learning about Klingons. You can tell the kids loved it by Robin's excitement. No, no... he was excited... not ... the free candy wasn't worth it.

Originally Posted 9/01/2022

Witches Night

Last year I was pretty bummed. Witches Night Out had been bought up by some distributor and disappeared from all my streaming apps. Thankfully, it's now on Tubi, so it's easily watchable again! This is one of my favorite Halloween specials and it's admittedly pretty whacked out. I've posted it here every Halloween... but every season is someone's first. You've got some kids who are disappointed that their costumes didn't scare anyone and they meet a Witch who feels unwanted. Mayhem commences as the grown ups boring Halloween party gets a taste of the spooky shit! One thing that everyone notices is the solid colors the characters are represented in. I think first seeing this on Disney Channel made me make comparisons to Monsters in My Pocket and drew me in. Either way, it's pretty weird... and pretty great.

originally posted 10/28/2025

Phyllis Diller Spends Halloween At Disneyland

Disney does Halloween right. They do Halloween specials right. Somebody behind the scenes of The Mouse Factory did drugs wrong. I don't know if Phillis Diller did drugs, but I do know her name is slang for cocaine. I'm sure there was a mountain offstage on this episode.

Spooks and Magic, the Halloween episode of The Mouse Factory features Phyllis Diller as the guest star going absolutely insane with Disney characters. At one point she's breaking into the Haunted Mansion and harassing the ghosts, the next minute she's having a Halloween costume party with Donald Duck. Said costume party doesn't sound bad until she shows them her batshit family slides then runs them off by singing.

The whole thing ends with her forming a witches coven with King Louie, Goofy, and Witch Hazel. The latter is sent to Donald Duck's (who just left) house as a set up to the classic Disney 'Trick or Treat' short. In the end, Phyllis uses her evil witch powers to steal Snow Whites identity and... it just ends. That means she's still out there.

Originally Posted 10/02/2020

What the hell Imagic?

This is the second Imagic Atari video game commercial we've talked about this Halloween where another programmer they employ is some horrible monster.

Specifically, this time an alien warlord apparently programmed Atlantis after his race destroyed the real city of Atlantis. Then he just kills the guy talking to him before giving us a little jump scare.

Also, once again, Imagic's offices are apparently smoke-filled dens where nothing good occurs.

Maybe we should avoid them...

You're Doomed

This is... something.

We've all seen the various ways theaters advertise their snack bars or special events, but this animation promoting the theater's horror movies is the first time I've seen one outright tell you it's safer to die than watch their films.

I'm, uh... guessing they're not in business anymore.

Attack of the Demon Programmers

Demon Attack is often forgotten about these days due to... well, it was just another copycat game for the Atari that added to the growing problem that caused the video game crash.

However, the commercial is pretty great. You've got a room full of Imagic employees, and apparently a freaking monstrous demon is a programmer there. Just straight-up sitting there in the...

Wait, why is this company's office all dark and smoky? It looks like the back room of an illicit business where mobsters meet.

Man... the programming world is scary.

You might just have an alcoholic in your house

To be honest, the rules regarding Gremlins are pretty... crap.

Don't feed them after midnight. What time zone? How do they know? Do they update with daylight saving time?

Don't get them wet... how wet? There's moisture in the air. Does condensation count? Isn't hydration technically...?

Sunlight and bright lights? Okay, I get that one. I mean, that's workable... except when they're surrounded by lights in various scenes, but a random desk lamp is an issue.

Now... we've got to worry about them drinking and driving. Which is a pretty big rule for everyone, not just Gremlins. Like, seriously, don't do it. That's one of the most irresponsible things you can do, and you have to be a pretty big piece of shit to do it intentionally.

The Gremlins, though... they're already destroying everything, and then you let them behind the wheel of your Mom's '89 Ford Taurus, drunker than a sailor on payday?

While we're here, can we point out how many jump scares this PSA has?

Good thing Gizmo's adorable.

Bored in the Castle

Holy crap, Ghost Castle looks amazing. Why isn't this a household staple? WHY?

To be honest, a lot of board games are boring. It's in the name, but Ghost Castle looks so cool! You've got skulls falling through things, and is that treasure?

I mean, if Monopoly happened in a haunted castle, it'd be so much more fun.

I really like the ghost puppets in this commercial, too. Though I'm pretty amazed these kids gathered in a spooky mansion to play a board game together and not in the family room where Mom could make them pizza rolls.

Goosebumps in the Graveyard

Spooky season is the perfect time for a scary board game, and *Goosebumps: Terror in the Graveyard* looks pretty great. Like, if they’d release this without the Goosebumps branding, it’d probably be a hit on its own.

This could be just the thing to enjoy with others—some pizza, kids out trick-or-treating, and this on the coffee table.

The commercial itself is maybe too scary for a children’s book series tie-in board game. Clearly, the director felt like this was his time to shine, and NOBODY was taking away his moment to go down in the horror hall of fame. He probably still tells people about it.

Why is it always a pit?

It from the Pit is probably a lot of fun all year, but it definitely makes for some monster-movie-flavored fun with a cup of pumpkin-spiced latte.

While the game looks fun, the real star of this commercial is the animated segment, which makes me wish there was an ongoing story of adventurers facing off with that thing in the pit.

You know, just like quicksand, I seriously thought pits would be a bigger threat to my safety as a child. Never seen one.