Practiced on

During the Halloween Season 

Country of Origin 

United States - 1950s

Key Points / Halloween Connection

- Evolved from television specials and holiday themed sitcom episodes into iconic themed movies, animated classics and month long-marathons

Brief Bio

The television sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet aired the episode titled, "Halloween Party on October 31, 1952, which is widely considered the earliest and probably first Halloween themed episode of a regular tv series. Popular shows like The Honeymooners and Lassie would soon follow with their own Halloween themed episodes with other popular shows following suit in the coming years.

Following the success of Halloween themed sitcom episodes and after the massive success of the animated special A Charlie Brown Christmas, CBS requested another animated Charlie Brown special, but this time they wanted  it to focus on Halloween. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown was another massive hit and is considered the gold standard for animated specials.

Approximately a decade later, the first Halloween themed horror movie would premier on October 25, 1978, titled Halloween. Halloween would unleash Michael Myers into popular culture and go on to become the most successful independent horror movie of all time.

In the coming decades, Halloween specials would no longer become the exception for network television but the norm. Many networks now have month long movie and television marathons dedicated to the holiday. With hundreds, if not thousands of Halloween themed episodes and specials appearing yearly, there is still one series that stands above all -The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror. This annual animated special is not only considered the king of modern specials, animated or otherwise, but it is also the longest running.