We are officially less than two weeks away from the spookiest holiday of the year! While Halloween in 2020 may look and feel a little different, soon we will be able to deck out in our scariest costumes, munch on our favorite candies and curl up in a blanket watching some ~ scary movies ~ (if you haven’t already started, of course).
But this time Fall Quarter also signals the arrival of the spooky midterm season. In an effort to ease myself into the Halloween spirit while also avoiding the ominous pile of assignments and exams coming up, I have watched all the The Office Halloween episodes. Because why not? So here’s a complete ranking of the episodes showcasing your favorite paper-company employees getting their spooky on. If you want a Halloween-themed break from school work or just want to get lost in the marvelous world of Dunder Mifflin, check out this list!
5. Employee Transfer (Season 5, Episode 6)
While Creed, Dwight and Kevin absolutely crush it in their costumes as Heath Ledger’s Joker from The Dark Knight, only a small portion of this episode is dedicated to Halloween. The bulk of it revolves around Holly and Michael (and poor Darryl) as she transfers back to the Nashua branch after corporate hears she and Michael are dating. They soon realize the roadblocks they will face long-distance, causing them to reevaluate their relationship. Meanwhile, Pam, as Charlie Choplin, shows up to work in New York to find she is the only one in her office dressed in a costume. Jim later heads to New York to have lunch with her and his two brothers to celebrate their engagement. A fair warning: this episode will have “Life is a Highway” stuck in your head as Holly and Michael replay it over and over again on their road trip. I ranked this episode at the last spot mainly because of how few Halloween-centric scenes there actually are. But if anything, Dwight and Andy’s competition over Cornell once Dwight announces he is applying there is a cute relief from Holly and Michael’s lovesick drama.
4. Here Comes Treble (Season 9, Episode 5)
In this episode Andy brings in his college a cappella group, Here Comes Treble (HCT), to the office for some Halloween music and entertainment. However, he quickly worries that his legacy, and consequently his identity, at HCT is being forgotten, leading to conflicts with his a cappella frenemy Broccoli Rob (a cameo from Northwestern’s very own Stephen Colbert!) This episode takes the fourth spot. While it does have more Halloween scenes, with Andy rocking his costume as George Michael, his childish behavior in the a cappella drama took attention away from some of the Halloween spirit. This questionable quote from Erin about Andy perfectly demonstrates my mixed feelings for this episode: “The more I heard about all this a cappella drama, the more I think it’s kind of pathetic. But when you’re with someone, you put up with the stuff that makes you lose respect for them. And that is love.”
3. Spooked (Season 8, Episode 5)
When CEO Robert California stops by the Scranton branch during its Halloween party, Erin faces pressures from the office to plan the ultimate spooky, adult party while also juggling her rocky relationship with Andy. Dwight dresses up as a wingless (thanks, Toby) Sarah Kerrigan from StarCraft. Jim, Darryl and Kevin are a dynamic trio of Miami Heat players. Kelly, Toby and Gabe coordinate to be the Skeleton Crew, with a cute little dance to match. Meanwhile, Pam is convinced that she has seen a ghost before, while Jim is bothered that she believes in ghosts at all, leading to some friendly debate in the office. Erin’s party is ultimately a success, and the conference room is transformed into a dark, smoky, haunted area that brings the Halloween spirit to its peak in the episode.
2. Halloween (Season 2, Episode 5)
In the first Halloween episode of the show, the office prepares for its annual Halloween party. However, Michael puts a damper to the holiday spirit by putting off firing one employee until the very last day. Unable to make this decision on his own, he tries to enlist the help of the other employees, even getting Dwight to try to fire someone instead. While Michael agonizes over this, Jim and Pam have some fun pranking Dwight by posting his resume on various job search sites in an effort to get him a job opportunity out of state, or as Jim said, “preferably Alaska. Or India.” Some decent costumes (my personal favorite: three-hole punch version of Jim), Pam and Jim’s classic prank and the looming decision of who to fire makes for an even “spookier” Halloween, earning this episode the second-highest spot in the ranking.
1. Costume Contest (Season 7, Episode 6)
The costumes are what really make Halloween so fun and special, and boy did this episode deliver! With a coupon book worth $15,000 in savings at stake as the prize, the office gets competitive as people pull out all the stops to show up in their best, most creative costumes—even if that means leaving work to go home and change into an even better costume. Amid the festivities, Michael is the only one who seems less than happy upon finding out that Darryl went over his head to pitch an idea to corporate that ends up being picked up. From the whole Halpert gang (Pam as Olive Oyl, Jim as Popeye and little Cece as Swee’Pea), to Gabe as an impressive Lady Gaga, Dwight as the Scranton Strangler and even Angela in a sexy nurse outfit, this episode makes it to the top of my ranking and is worth watching solely to see everyone walk the catwalk in their amazing costumes. If this won’t put you in the Halloween mood, I don’t know what will.
And that’s it! Here you have a comprehensive ranking of each The Office Halloween episode. Watch one or watch them all, and while they aren’t the scariest things on TV, they will make you laugh, smile and transition into a Halloween that is sure to feel different than years past. So happy binging and happy Halloween!
Thumbnail photo "Michael Scott's desk" by watchwithkristin is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0