Summary

• The Bob's Burgers Halloween episodes are highly enjoyable and a great way to celebrate the spooky season with the Belcher family.
• Bob's Burgers has achieved significant success as one of the most successful cartoons, ranking among the Top 60 Greatest Cartoons of All Time by TV Guide and winning Emmy Awards for Outstanding Animated Program.
• Each year, Bob's Burgers airs a Halloween special, similar to The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror, which allows audiences to have fun and celebrate the holiday with the colorful characters of the show.

The Bob's Burgers Halloween episodes are a great way to celebrate the spooky season with the Belcher family. Bob's Burgers has quickly become one of the all-time most successful cartoons. Introduced in 2011, the animated series has gone on to enjoy tremendous critical and commercial excellence. In 2013, the show was ranked among the Top 60 Greatest Cartoons of All Time by TV Guide. In 2014 and 2017, the series won Emmy Awards for Outstanding Animated Program. While there are many standout episodes, a highlight in every season are the Bob's Burgers Halloween episodes.

Each year Bob's Burgers, similar to The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror series, airs a Halloween special that allows audiences to celebrate the holiday with these colorful characters. Whether it's the Belcher kids going out Trick or Treating or Linda decorating the restaurant with bats, the show usually finds a lot of fun ways to have Halloween fun. As the show continues to grow in popularity while showing no signs of slowing down, it seems likely fans can enjoy the Bob's Burgers Halloween episodes for many years to come.

Bob's Burgers is available to stream on Hulu.

11 "Heartbreak Hotel-oween" (S11 E4)

The Belcher Kids Get Caught Up In A Séance-Centered Murder Mystery

The season 11 Bob's Burgers Halloween episode, "Heartbreak Hotel-oween", offers a mystery storyline at its center with the Belcher kids delivering a burger to a woman who is performing a séance while on their way trick-or-treating. She is attempting to contact her deceased partner who she believes cheated on her the night he died. As Louise, Tina, and Gene get caught up in the supernatural marital dilemma, Bob and Linda try to donate blood at a vampire mobile-themed van.

The episode is a great example of how even the lesser of the Bob's Burgers Halloween episodes can be a lot of fun. While the main plot with the kids is a bit convoluted to latch onto, there are plenty of funny side bits and moments like Louise's year-long vendetta against a house that denied her candy last year. While it's not the best Bob's Burgers Halloween episode, "Heartbreak Hotel-oween" still delivers on the unique humor the show's known for.

10 "Apple Gore-Chard (But Not Gory)" (S13E6)

Louise Starts An Apple Harvesting Cult

The season 13 Bob's Burgers Halloween episode "Apple Gore-Chard (But Not Gory)" doesn't quite match up to some of the earlier spooky specials, but still has some great moments and nods to popular horror movies. The main storyline finds Louise on a field trip to an apple orchard where she becomes chosen as the one to lead the annual harvest festival. Meanwhile, Tina and Gene wait back at school for her to complete their entry into the Halloween costume contest.

The main storyline plays on horror movies about cults, like Midsommar and The Wicker Man, but it never dives into parodying the plot of a specific one. There are some funny elements to the B-story with a Twister-inspired costume and Linda having to repeatedly return to the school to fix it being among the more notable moments in the most recent Bob's Burgers Halloween episode.

9 "Pig Trouble In Little Tina" (S10E4)

Tina's Chance To Hang With The Cool Kids Comes With Genuine Scares

In the season 10 episode "Pig Trouble In Little Tina", Tina finds herself given the opportunity to hang out with the cool kids on Halloween, but her dream night is threatened by nightmares of the dead pig she dissected in science class. Meanwhile, Bob and Linda square off with a large wad of ear wax that has been giving Bob hearing trouble.

In terms of Halloween frights, this episode is one of the best for Bob's Burgers as there are some genuinely eerie aspects to the dead pig. It is also a great display of Tina as one of Bob's Burgers' best characters, as she goes very hard on herself for succumbing to peer pressure but is also unafraid to stand up for herself in the end. While the ear wax subplot isn't the most inventive Bob's Burgers storyline, this episode still has enough great Tina moments to make it a worthwhile watch.

8 "The Pumpkinening" (S12E3)

Linda And Gayle Try To Cover Their Tracks

"The Pumpkinening" is Bob's Burgers season 12 holiday episode, and has a Linda-focused story when a mysterious note is sent to her on Halloween. Determined to find out what it means, Linda and her sister Gayle visit their hometown where they're forced to confront something they did 27 years ago. While Linda is gone, the kids and Bob are busy at Bob's Burgers which is swarmed with trick-or-treaters thanks to Bob getting a hold of the year's most popular brand of candy.

Any Bob's Burgers episode with Gayle is sure to be hilarious, and this remains one of her best appearances. Linda and Gayle's efforts to cover up a past crime that is absurdly minor is a lot of fun and leads to a sweet conclusion to the mystery. The Belcher kids are usually given the spotlight in the Halloween and holiday episodes, and are relegated to the sideline here — and after the recurring theme of Bob failing to get acceptable Halloween candy, seeing him redeem himself only for it to backfire is a lot of fun.

7 "Teen-A-Witch" (S7E3)

Tina Tries Her Hand At Witchcraft

In Bob's Burgers season 7's Tina-centric Halloween episode, the eldest Belcher daughter turns to wicked witchcraft to win her school Halloween costume contest. However, when she gets overzealous with the flaunting of her new dark powers, she gets more trouble than she bargained for when she runs into a real witch who curses her. Meanwhile, Bob finds his pumpkins being continuously stolen from the storefront leading up to Halloween.

Once again, putting Tina at the head of the Halloween episode makes for a funny and charming story. Seeing her turn to the dark side a little is a nice change for the usually very kind and thoughtful character. However, the promise of the setup doesn't quite feel lived up to by the conclusion, and while the episode does have some standout moments, it's far from the best Halloween episode in Bob's Burgers.

6 "Tina And The Real Ghost" (S5E2)

The Ghost Tina Keeps In A Shoebox Becomes A School Celebrity

Ryan Gosling is at the center of a couple Bob's Burgers movie references in the season 5 Halloween episode. Even the title, "Tina and the Real Ghost", riffs on the offbeat Gosling comedy, Lars and the Real Girl while Louise dresses as his character from "the trailer" for Drive. After playing the Ouija board and attending the cemetery with the older crowd as a Halloween ritual, a ghost named Jeff is summoned from the Belcher's basement. Tina begins to fall for the ghastly entity, which she keeps with her in a shoebox.

There is a sweetness to Tina's romance — as odd as it is — and the way Jeff becomes the popular kid in school so quickly is a surprising and hilarious direction to take the story. It is also a great episode to showcase the loving nature of the Belcher family, with Louise standing up for her sister, Linda fully believing Tina's claim about her ghost boyfriend, and Bob being uncomfortable yet supportive about the whole thing.

5 "The Wolf Of Wharf Street" (S8E3)

The Belchers Go Werewolf Hunting

While the Bob's Burgers Halloween episodes usually tell two parallel plots, season 8's "The Wolf of Wharf Street" finds a clever way to tie the A and B storylines together. When Linda tries to score cool points with her kids on Halloween night by hunting down a werewolf ravaging the neighborhood, things get hectic. Elsewhere, Bob injures himself and is put on medication, prompting him to believe that Teddy has turned into a werewolf.

The Belchers going werewolf hunting on Halloween makes for some funny moments with Linda and the kids. However, Bob's storyline is the true standout in season 8's Halloween special, with some hilarious interplay between him and Teddy — especially when Teddy accidentally dresses as a "sexy nurse" rather than just a regular nurse to take care of his friend.

4 "Full Bars" (S3E2)

Trick-Or-Treating In A Wealthy Part Of Town Blows The Belcher Kid's Minds

While the first Halloween episode of Bob's Burgers didn't arrive until Season 3, the inaugural holiday-themed episode is still among the best. With candy rations low, the Belcher kids opt to go trick or treating in the glitzy Kingshead Island neighborhood where full-size candy bars are handed out. The Halloween oasis soon reveals its darker side when the older kids come out to terrorize. Meanwhile, Bob and Linda attend a party at Teddy's which turns into a murder mystery with the death of his hamster.

The kids' adventure in the affluent neighborhood is funny and wonderfully captures the joy of youngsters enjoying trick-or-treating before turning into a thrilling The Purge-like story. The death of Teddy's hamster is also a darkly funny B-storyline with some great moments from Teddy himself who gets a chance to steal the show.

3 "Nightmare On Ocean Avenue Street" (S9E4)

Louise, Tina, And Gene Track Down A Candy Thief

"Nightmare on Ocean Avenue Street" from Bob's Burgers season 9 is easily one of the best Halloween episodes so far. On All Hallows Eve, the Belcher kids investigate who in the neighborhood is stealing bags of candy. As this happens, Teddy overzealously festoons the restaurant with Halloween decorations so he can outdo a street vendor.

Once again, putting a mystery plot at the center is part of what makes this Bob's Burgers Halloween episode so memorable. The desperate nature of the kids protecting their candy is great fun, while the reveal of the thief's identity at the end is a hilarious one. It is also another Halloween episode that lets Teddy shine with his insecurities running rampant and leading to some hilariously bad ideas to improve the decorations.

2 "Fort Night" (S4E2)

Louise Gets A Stalker

Season 4's "Fort Night" introduces a great and unsettling villain for the Halloween episode with Molly Shannon voicing Millie, a young neighbor who is obsessed with Louise. However, when Louise rebuffs her, Millie's unhinged side shows and she traps the kids in a cardboard box fort so that they will miss all the trick-or-treating fun. Meanwhile, the B-plot offers something relatable to parents as Bob and Linda struggle to finish the kids' last-minute costumes.

The kids' story operates somewhat like a bottle episode with the high-stakes need to escape their small prison in order to get candy in time. Millie is hilariously vindictive and adds a lot of fun to the episode. While the storyline with Linda and Bob isn't as memorable as some of Bob's Burgers Halloween plots, the introduction of Millie and some of the genuinely unnerving moments when the depths of her Louise obsession are revealed more than make up for it.

1 "The Hauntening" (S6E3)

The Belchers Try And Survive A Night In A Haunted House

Not only is Season 6's "The Hauntening" the best Bob's Burgers Halloween episode, but it is also one of the best Bob's Burgers episodes of any kind. On the night before Halloween, Louise confesses she has never been scared before. As a result, the Belcher clan decides to rectify that by staying in a legitimate haunted house overnight. However, Louise is still unimpressed only for things to take an eerie and unexpected turn.

It is a rare Halloween episode that brings the whole family together and greatly benefits from the Belchers playing off each other in a high-intensity situation. While the trajectory of the plot becomes quite clear long before the reveal, "The Hauntening" is still a fun, fast-paced journey filled with hilarious moments and enough creepiness to make for an ideal Halloween viewing option for those seeking a spooky Bob's Burgers episode.