Although the sitcom embraced plenty of holiday fun throughout its 11 seasons, the Modern family Halloween episodes stand out as some of the best. The series takes a look at an extended and dysfunctional family, following them on their many misadventures. However, when everyone got into the Halloween spirit, the show seemed to come alive in a new way with some memorable episodes and moments celebrating the spooky season.
Even though Modern family Ended in 2020, fans still return to the sitcom, especially when looking for a great Halloween-themed episode to watch. With seven episodes dedicated to trick-or-treating, haunted houses and other creepy fun, there are some that stand out more than others. From Claire’s obsession with scaring people to more than a few costume mishaps, the best Modern family Halloween episodes show why the series was so popular.
Modern Family Halloween Episode (Chronologically):
Halloween |
Season 2, Episode 6 |
Open house of horrors |
Season 4, Episode 5 |
Halloween 3: Awesome Land |
Season 6, Episode 6 |
Halloween 4: The Revenge of Rod Skyhook |
Season 8, Episode 5 |
This is the Great Pumpkin, Phil Dunphy |
Season 9, Episode 5 |
Good grief |
Season 10, Episode 5 |
The last Halloween |
Season 11, Episode 5 |
7
This is the Great Pumpkin, Phil Dunphy
Season 9, Episode 5
The fifth episode of season 9, “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Phil Dunphy” is fun but one that is lacking. Because of how important the holiday is to the Dunphys, it was a sad day when the Dunphy kids weren’t at Halloween anymore. While Claire tried her hardest to scare her kids, and later, her co-workers, her efforts fell flat. Meanwhile, Phil was busy trying to build a pumpkin to hide inside, which went wrong when he went rolling in his neighbor’s yard.
By season 9, the show was starting to lose a lot of its charm and sharp writing, and this episode is a strong indicator that Modern family Wasn’t what it was. Claire and Phil’s storyline had potential with the bittersweet moment of the kids outgrowing traditions, but it didn’t really build to anything memorable. That didn’t help either The rest of the storylines in the show barely addressed Halloween.
6
Good grief
Season 10, Episode 5
“Good Grief” is an unexpected Halloween episode as it started with Claire (dressed as a spider) and Phil (dressed as a fly) decorating their house for Halloween night. However, things took a turn when Claire received a phone call and soon learned that her mother (grandfather) had diedLeaving all the letters to deal with the relevant loss.
Dede’s death does not come as a sad moment, but rather a storyline that takes away from the expected fun of Halloween.
Modern family Was always good to mix humor and emotional moments, but it was misguided here. Dede’s death does not come as a sad moment, but rather a storyline that takes away from the expected fun of Halloween. However, there are some laughs with the memorable costumes with Mitch and Cam dressed as Prince Harry and Meghan, and Gloria dressed as Marilyn Monroe.
5
The last Halloween
Season 11, Episode 5
‘The Last Halloween’ was quite literal The last Halloween episode before Modern family came to an end. In the episode, Phil is determined to scare Claire for the first time while Gloria struggles with aging and being correctly pegged as Jay’s wife instead of his daughter. As more signs of time move on, Cam and Mitch deal with Lily attending her first Halloween party alone.
This episode still knows how to provide real Halloween fun with Phil’s elaborate plan to scare Claire with a big payoff.
This episode is a bit of a bittersweet experience because there are so many reminders of the show coming near the end. However, this is done in an effective way with Gloria coming to terms with getting older and Cam and Mitch accepting that their daughter is becoming more independent. This episode still knows how to provide real Halloween fun with Phil’s elaborate plan to scare Claire with a big payoff.
4
Halloween 4: The Revenge of Rod Skyhook
Season 8, Episode 5
“The Revenge of Rod Skyhook” showed fans that Luke is ready to host his first Halloween party. Regardless of everyone’s great Halloween costumes, there was a competing party on the same night that took away from Luke’s efforts, leading to his family assembling to help him out. Meanwhile, Manny struggles with fitting into the Halloween party while Cam heads on a mission to find what he thinks is their house.
The episode was a A beautiful example of how Modern family Embraces Halloween more than most sitcomsTell the three distinct storylines in fun ways that celebrate the holiday. The laughs aren’t as great as Luke becomes a more awkward character as the seasons progress and the character enters his awkward teenage years. However, the conclusion of Cam and Mitch’s story has a delightful twist that suits them Modern family Legacy of Halloween episodes.
3
Halloween 3: Awesome Land
Season 6, Episode 6
In the season 6 entry of Modern family Halloween episodes, Claire was working full-time and was too busy to decorate, Leaving much to prepare the house for Halloween night. In a classic way, he decided to get rid of the horror and gore and instead add a fun-loving energy, much to Claire’s annoyance. There are some other fun stories with Jay’s unhappiness with Gloria’s costume choices for him and Mitch struggling with a major fall on the holiday.
Claire’s love of being scary on Halloween has been a big theme of these episodes and this installment wonderfully highlights the differences between her and Phil in terms of their personalities. Their interactions as Phil tries to prove that there is a more family-friendly approach to the holiday is what makes the episode so memorable while Jay’s insecurities make for a fun side plot.
2
Open house of horrors
Season 4, Episode 5
The season 4 Modern family Halloween episode has a lot of charming and heartfelt moments, which is surprising given the holiday in question. One aspect deals with Gloria becoming increasingly short-tempered due to her pregnancy, which she takes to mean the baby is angry. Cam and Mitch also have to deal with the fact that Lily is starting to have questions about her mother. However, the sweet moments are mixed with Halloween fun as Claire decides to haunt Phil at his Halloween open house.
It’s a nice mix of Modern familyIts best aspects are how the episode embraces the holiday while still telling great stories about the characters. The episode has plenty of laughs with Claire and Phil once again stealing the show, however The subplot with Lily’s children is also handled very well.
1
Halloween
Season 2, Episode 6
The first Modern family Halloween episode cemented how seriously the show takes the holiday and set a high bar for the episodes to follow. This is the first episode in which the audience sees Claire’s fierce dedication to Halloween And how much she adores scaring people. After turning the Dunphy residence into a haunted house with spooky details, she gave each family member a role to play.
Seeing the family lose their cool together is always so much fun, but Claire steals the show…
While the show works well with separate stories interconnecting, it’s a lot of fun to see the whole family together for the holiday episodes. The other Halloween episodes would not recover the fun as even trying to put on a haunted house turns into a chaotic mess thanks to everyone’s quirks, insecurities and frustrations. Seeing the family lose their cool together is always so much fun, but Claire steals the show with her love of Halloween gradually causing her to lose her temper with her loved ones.
Halloween has one of the best running gags of Modern Family
While there are plenty of sitcoms that would get in on the Halloween fun every season, Modern family Found a great approach to add a recurring joke in the episodes. One of the highlights of the Halloween episodes of Modern family was seen the different ways Claire and Phil approach the spooky season, with Claire goes all out with her passion for all things scary and gory and Phil is uneasy about those aspects.
It always made for the biggest laughs of the Halloween episodes, but it was also a fun exploration of the dynamic between Claire and Phill.
The joke went through a lot of hilarious interactions, from exploring the pressure Claire put on her family to pull off the holiday to her attempts to scare Phil to Phil trying to add some brightness and joy to Halloween. It always made for the biggest laughs of the Halloween episodes, but it was also a fun exploration of the dynamic between Claire and Phill.
usually on Modern familyIt was Phil who would get caught up in the fun and excitement of activities, while Claire was the one who had to stay more grounded and pull back his expectations. Seeing Claire be the one so interested in Halloween celebrations is a fun twist, but she also embraces it in a way that’s perfect for her personality. She takes it too far and is so intense with it that she drains the fun out of it for others.
Of course, Claire’s intensity may not be fun for the other characters, but it remains one of the most hilarious aspects of her character. She still has some of the “bad girl” energy that is often referred to throughout the series and it seems as though Halloween remains her outlet for that energy in her adult life.
Modern Family is a comedy series that follows the unconventional Pritchett-Dunphy-Tucker family as they redefine what makes a family in their modern times. Broken into sub-families, the three diverse groups shake up the nuclear formula with empty nesters, adopted children, gender neutrality, and more as they attempt to navigate the various pitfalls and comedic misadventures of their dysfunctional but warm-hearted family dynamic.
- Release date
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September 23, 2009
- Seasons
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11