Murder, She Wrote: Spooky episodes to watch on Halloween

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Each year, as we approach Hallowe’en, I want to immerse myself in seasonally appropriate television. In particular, I wanted to create a playlist of Hallowe’en-themed episodes of my favorite show: Murder, She Wrote. However, I found that, unlike many other American series produced in the 80s and 90s, Murder, She Wrote didn’t specifically produce episodes to match the season. For example, many episodes set in the summer often aired in the middle of winter. Nevertheless, if you look beyond the episodes that originally aired in October, you will find several that featured ghosts and witches and other supernatural elements. Below, I have put together a list of spooky Murder, She Wrote episodes that would make for perfect viewing on Hallowe’en.

This post was originally published in October 2020 and was extensively revised in October 2023 to include an extended list of spooky episodes.

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Season 1: “Murder Takes the Bus” (ep.20)

There are several episodes from Season 1 that others have put forward as potential Halloween episodes. For instance, the pilot episode “The Murder of Sherlock Holmes” is often mentioned due to it taking place at a costume party; episode 5 “Hooray for Homicide” is often named for taking place in a horror-themed film set; and episode 9 “We’re Off to Kill the Wizard” is noted for its setting in a horror theme park.

However, for me, the one episode in Season 1 that truly makes me think of this spooky time of year is episode 20 “Murder Takes the Bus”. While it may not be as explicitly horror-themed as the other episodes I mentioned, it is the only episode (in what I believe to be the entirety of Murder, She Wrote‘s run) that shows Cabot Cove in the fall, with orange and yellow leaves blanketing the ground.

Season 2: “Reflections of the Mind” (ep.6)

The only truly spooky episode of Season 2 was episode 6 “Reflections of the Mind”. This episode features a friend of Jessica’s who thinks she is being haunted by the spirit of her first husband. Notably, this episode originally aired quite close to Hallowe’en—on November 3rd 1985–so it was likely purposefully scheduled for the season.

Season 3: “Night of the Headless Horseman” (ep.11)

In the subsequent season, the show presented viewers with an episode that references Washington Irving’s famous horror story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and the protagonist schoolmaster Ichabod Crane. In episode 11 “Night of the Headless Horseman”, Jessica visits her literary protégé, a poet working as a teaching at a boarding school in Vermont. The protégé witnesses what appears to be a headless horseman riding through town on the same night that a murder happens.

Season 4: “Curse of the Daanav” (ep.14)

The spookiest episode of Season 4 is arguably episode 14 “Curse of the Daanav” as it involves a curse and magic. Many aspects of this episode reference Wilkie Collins’ classic mystery novel The Moonstone.

Season 5: “Fire Burn, Cauldron Bubble” (ep.13)

Season 5 episode 13 “Fire Burn, Cauldron Bubble” unambiguously makes every Halloween list for referencing witches and the witch trials. Set in Cabot Cove, this episode centers on the supposed appearance of the ghost of a long-dead witch, who had been burned at the stake. The appearance of this witch coincides with the release of a book published on the subject, which initially leads Jessica to suspect this is just a publicity stunt.

Season 6: “Night of the Tarantula” (ep.7)

As blog reader Becky mentioned in the comments, Season 6 episode 7 “Night of the Tarantula” has it all! “There are snakes, skulls, voodoo, secret passageways” and let’s not forget the final scene involving zombies!

Season 8: “The Witch’s Curse” (ep.12); “Incident in Lot 7” (ep.13); “Day of the Dead” (ep.19); and “Angel of Death” (ep.20)

Although there weren’t any truly spooky episodes in Season 7, Season 8 more than made up for it by bringing us four (!) episodes appropriate for Halloween:

• First, several seasons after an episode featuring a witch, viewers were treated to yet another episode where a supposed witch visits Cabot Cove in episode 12 “The Witch’s Curse”. In this episode, the supposed witch arrives while the town is staging a play based on a historical witch trial.
• Second, immediately after that, we have episode 13 “Incident in Lot 7” which refences Alfred Hitchcock’s classic horror film Psycho.
• Third, a little later in the season, episode 19 “Day of the Dead” is clearly set to take place around Halloween. The episode revolves around Día de los Muertos, a festival that honors the dead on November 2nd.
• And finally, immediately after that, we have episode 20 “Angel of Death” — and episode quite similar to Season 2’s “Reflections of the Mind” by featuring someone who thinks they are being haunted by a dead spouse.

Season 9: “Threshold of Fear” (ep.16)

Out of all the episodes in Season 9, episode 16 “Threshold of Fear” is the spookiest as it features a young woman who is being haunted by nightmares about her mother’s murder.

Season 10: “The Legacy of Borbey House” (ep.3)

Season 10 episode 3 “The Legacy of Borbey House” is another unambiguous Halloween-themed episode. In this Cabot Cove episode, a newcomer is suspected of being a vampire. Jessica investigates after his body is found with a wooden stake driven through his heart. This episode also originally aired quite close to Hallowe’en—on October 3rd 1993–so it was likely purposefully scheduled for the season.

Season 12: “Nan’s Ghost” (eps. 6 & 7)

While there weren’t any particularly spooky episodes in Season 11, Season 12 made up for it by bringing viewers a spooky two-parter. In episodes 6 and 7 “Nan’s Ghost”, Jessica Fletcher travels to Ireland to visit Ballynook Castle, where the apparition of a young wailing woman in a white shroud has been witnessed. This episode also originally aired quite close to Hallowe’en. Part 1 aired on November 2nd 1995 and Part 2 aired November 9th 1995.

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Murder, She Wrote books set during Hallowe’en

This post would not be complete without mentioning the Murder, She Wrote spin-off novels that also fit the season. To date, there have been two published so far.

Trick or Treachery by Jessica Fletcher & Donald Bain

In this 14th book in the series, Jessica Fletcher is in Cabot Cove, a newcomer that was suspected of being a witch is later found dead in the graveyard!

Click here to read more about Murder, She Wrote: Trick or Treachery.

The Ghost and Mrs Fletcher by Jessica Fletcher, Donald Bain, & Renee Paley-Bain

In this 44th book in the series, Jessica’s friend and local real estate agent, Eve Simpson, is tasked with selling a Cabot Cove house that is rumored to be haunted.

Click here to read more about Murder, She Wrote: The Ghost and Mrs Fletcher.

Additionally, while it is not part of the standard Murder, She Wrote novel series featuring Jessica Fletcher, there is also a Young Adult novel series featuring Jessica Fletcher’s grand-niece that also takes place in the Halloween season.

By the Time You Read This I’ll be Gone by Stephanie Kuehn

You can read my review of the novel on this website, or check out it’s page on Amazon to read more reviews.

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