‘The Office’ Halloween Episodes: The Complete List

Halloween brings plenty of seasonal trends around each October, but perhaps none more surprising than bing re-watches of The Office. The Sitcom has some of the most beloved Halloween-themed episodes in all of TV, and many fans are dusting off their favorites for this month. Here’s a quick reference guide to find all of your favorites.

The Office is still going strong as one of the most-binged shows in the age of streaming TV. The series originally ran from 2005 to 2013, but it has arguably established an even stronger legacy on streaming services since then. Fans nearly had a meltdown when the show left the Netflix catalog, and today it is one of the biggest draws for NBC’s in-house streaming service Peacock. It is also available on digital stores for purchase or rental, either by the episode or by the season.

While it may not have jump scares or monsters, it would not be fair to say that The Office isn’t scary at all. The show offers a haunting portrait of the daily grind, sprinkled in with a few characters that would terrify us if we encountered them in real life, like Michael Scott, for one.

More importantly, it captures the real spirit of Halloween — the reason we cover ourselves in face paint and thrift store costumes once a year. It translates that child-like sense of wonder to an adult audience, and for that, it is invaluable. Here is a look at all the Halloween episodes of The Office.

Season 2, Episode 5 – ‘Halloween’

Season 1 of The Office can be forgiven for skipping a Halloween episode, since it was only six episodes long. The show made up for lost time in Season 2, however, when Michael was faced with a dilemma: he had to fire one person by the end of the month.

This episode may be a series high in terms of absurdity, as all of the employees deal with the very real fear of termination, while wearing objectively ridiculous costumes. Even Michael suffers from some irony as the plaster head on his shoulder wears a creepy smile through all of his anxious dialogue.

Season 5, Episode 6 – ‘Employee Transfer’

The Office did not opt for another Halloween episode until Season 5, with “Employee Transfer.” This episode is set while Pam is living away in New York for art school, but is still working part-time at Dunder Mifflin corporate to pay her bills. Expecting a similar office environment, she dresses up for Halloween, wearing a Charlie Chaplin costume to work. No one else is dressed up, however, and Pam cannot get the fake mustache paint off of her upper lip.

Meanwhile, in Scranton, Dwight, Creed and Kevin all dress up as the Joker from The Dark Knight, which had just come out at the time. The real emotional gut-punch of the episode, however, is the news that Holly is being transferred back to Nashua, leaving Michael awkwardly devastated.

Season 6, Episode 8 – ‘Koi Pond’

There is a Halloween segment in The Office Season 6, but fans watching the standard episode will not see it. The episode actually began with a Halloween gag in the cold open, but it was cut after the very first broadcast. It does not appear on DVDs, streaming services or reruns of the show.

It featured a haunted house attraction in Dunder Mifflin’s warehouse, which ended with Michael Scott simulating suicide. It terrified the kids on the show, and the viewers in real life, causing the network to pull it from circulation. For some reason, however, NBC did make the scene available on YouTube just a few years ago.

Season 7, Episode 6 – ‘Costume Contest’

The following year, Halloween got a full episode once again with “Costume Contest.” This one features all of the employees putting their all into a costume contest, in hopes of winning a legendary coupon book. Here, Pam finally challenges Jim on his disdain for Halloween costumes, with a little help from their daughter. Meanwhile, other employees change costumes throughout the day, making for an impressive string of outfits.

Season 8, Episode 5 – ‘Spooked’

Even after Michael Scott (Steve Carell) left The Office, Halloween continued to be a big deal. The episode finds Erin working hard to try and impress Andy, with some awkward assistance from Gabe. It also has Dwight dressed as a gender-bending alien warrior, and Ryan as Jesse Pinkman from Breaking Bad.

In this episode, Jim and Pam hit rocky territory again as they debate whether ghosts are real. Unfortunately, they do not come to a conclusive answer.

Season 9, Episode 5 – ‘Here Comes Treble’

Finally, The Office‘s last Halloween episode was in Season 9. Named after Andy’s a capella group from college, the episode shows the new manager finally reunited with his old singing buddies. This opens the door for one of the show’s best cameos — Stephen Colbert as the legendary figure Broccoli Rob.

This is also the episode where Dwight gets his head trapped in a jack-o-lantern while trying to scare Erin, providing one of the most enduring GIFs from the whole show.

Costume Wrap-Up

For those that want to skip the whole marathon, The Office‘s official YouTube account created a highlight reel of the series’ most memorable Halloween costumes. It includes everything from the truly creative to the disdainfully simple, such as Jim’s many non-costumes.

The Office is streaming now on Peacock.