All of the Halloween episodes of 'Friends' ranked for a festively fun TV marathon

Picking our favorite Halloween episode of Friends is like asking a mother to pick her favorite child: we have one, but we hate to admit it. 

But alas, as Phoebe feels compelled to sing and Ross cannot help but get married (and divorced, and remarried...), we needed to share our top picks with you in honor of the spookiest time of the year. The best part? All the episodes all festively fabulous. (*Monica voice* I know!)

But if you're looking to catch up with our favorite group of six, here's how to watch Friends online now that it's no longer streaming on Netflix. And, for future reference, (as the end of 2023 is quickly approaching) be sure to bookmark the Friends Thanksgiving episodes and the Friends Christmas episodes, too. 

How many Halloween episodes of 'Friends' are there?

As you know, Friends is an iconic sitcom covering many a topic...it just so happens that Halloween isn't necessarily one of them. There are plenty of Thanksgiving episodes (do we really need to go over the turkey?) and we cannot forget about the Holiday Armadillo, but when it comes to All Hallow's Eve, Friends doesn't give the October 31st holiday too much credit. "The One With The Halloween Party" is the only real Halloween-focused episode in the show's ten-season tenure. 

And, believe it or not, we were only treated to the spooky delight in the eighth season of the show. (We know, we're shocked, too.) However, it was well worth the wait, thanks largely to Monica's cat costume and Phoebe's drama with Ursula. Dare we say, it comes pretty close to the highest-rated Friends episode ever. (We know that's a loaded statement right there.) 

However, even though "The One With The Halloween Party" arrived late in the series, it's certainly not the first time the group has grappled with some spooky (yet hilarious) material, which made up for the lack of Halloween specials we've so desperately wanted. (Could you imagine a catalog of Phoebe's Halloween costumes alone? We can only dream!)

From playing tricks on each other in season 4's "The One With All The Haste" to scaring the living daylight out of one another in season 6's "The One With Unagi" (yet another one of the greats),  there have been some pretty Halloween-esque scenes on the show. Here are some of our favorites, ranked from top to bottom.

The best Halloween episodes of 'Friends' ranked

1. "The One With The Halloween Party"

Number one is of course the official Halloween episode, which came in season 8, episode 6. 

Monica and Chandler host a Halloween party at their apartment and there's a lot going on. Phoebe shows up in a supergirl outfit (a major highlight) but finds herself in a sticky situation with her twin sister Ursula—who is also at the party—when she develops a crush on her boyfriend, Eric. 

Meanwhile, Rachel is dressed as a pregnant woman “who spent a lot of money on a dress and she wants to wear it because soon she won’t be able to fit in it” and Joey is having the time of his life dressed a Chandler, who is wearing a pink bunny suit—you can probably tell why it's a great episode already! 

Then there's Ross...oh, Ross. He shows up as "Spudnik", his hybrid between a spud (a potato) and Sputnik, the Soviet Union’s first artificial earth satellite. As always, the pun made sense to Ross and Ross alone.

2. "The One With Unagi"

This hilarious episode is one where Ross really shines, once again for his weird behavior. 

Cast your mind back to season 6, episode 7, where he was determined to scare Rachel and Phoebe in an attempt to get them to sign up for martial arts classes. Not only was he jumping out at them at random moments throughout the day but he even hired a stranger to scare them (yes, really!) but they managed to watch their own back. 

It's all a little terrifying, but it's nothing compared to Monica when she discovers that Chandler's anniversary gift is a hand-me-down from an ex. You made your bed, now you have to lie in it, Chandler!

3. "The One With All The Haste"

While the guys are no strangers to playing pranks on one another, this "trick" was definitely Halloween-worthy. 

In season 4, episode 19, Monica and Rachel are desperate to win back their apartment after losing it to Joey and Chandler. While the boys are at a Knicks game, the girls move all of their stuff back into their apartment and take Joey and Chandler's stuff back to their original home across the hall. 

There had to be some sort of witchcraft involved in this whole ordeal, because every time we've moved, it's been a horrendous process, yet the girls manage to complete it in a few short hours. Talk about scary! 

4. "The One Where Joey Dates Rachel"

Anyone true Friends fan will agree when we say that the Joey and Rachel storyline was a truly horrifying sight to see. Why did they do it?! Honestly, the thought of this forced relationship alone is enough to send shivers down our spine. 

But there is yet another specific element of Halloween in this episode and no it's not just the same. At the end of season 8, episode 12 sees the two cuddled up on Joey's armchair (again, terrifying) watching 1983’s Cujo, which is about a rabid dog who kills a family. We told you this group gets into some seriously spooky territory!

5. "The One With the Fake Party"

Sure, this episode technically involves a costume party—not a Halloween party, per se—but as you know, we're starved for Halloween content, so we'll take what we can get.

In season 4, episode 18, Rachel tries to win over her work client, Jonathan, by throwing a fake leaving party for Emily, who is dating Ross at the time. Pulling out all the stops, she ends up dressing in her high school cheerleading outfit and performing cartwheels for everyone at the party. As you can imagine, it doesn't end well when she busts her lip. Ah, the things we do for work, eh? 

6. "The One With Two Parts"

Set right after Halloween, episode 17 in season one includes a spooky twin twist when Phoebe and Ursula go all Parent Trap on Joey. Joey starts dating Ursula but when Phoebe finds out that her sister plans on dumping Joey because she isn't that into him, she pretends to be her to let him down gently. (But since we're being honest, Ursula does give us the creeps 24/7, not just around Halloween season.)