The Halloween Podcast

Latest Episodes:

When Nick at Nite (Nick@Nite) Got Spooky Sep 16, 2026

Show notes

For a generation of Xennial kids, staying on Nickelodeon long enough meant eventually crossing over into the wonderfully strange world of Nick at Nite. Suddenly we were watching television made years—or even decades—before we were born, and because so much of it was wholesome and family-friendly, it was the kind of television grown-ups could happily watch with the kids still in the room. But Nick at Nite also had a wonderfully bizarre sense of humor, especially when it took perfectly innocent old television and repackaged it like something out of a horror movie, paranormal investigation, or conspiracy documentary.
This time, Lyle takes the lead with an entire episode inspired by Nick at Nite’s hilarious fake horror promos and bumpers—most of which Meghan either never saw or simply doesn’t remember. From The Pants That Ate Fred Mertz to The Lost Brady and other gloriously ridiculous bits of classic-TV mythology, Lyle introduces Meghan to a side of Nick at Nite she somehow missed the first time around. Then, near the end, Meghan shares her picks for the spookiest shows from the Nick at Nite lineup. It’s classic television, fake scares, genuine nostalgia, and a whole lot of laughing—this one was hilarious good fun.

45 days until Halloween!

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Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheHalloweenPodcast
Email: Info@TheHalloweenPodcast.com
Haunt Line: 731-400-0472

Support the show on Patreon to get the full countdown experience including exclusive shows and giveaways, early listening access, and behind-the-scenes content:
www.Patreon.com/TheHalloweenPod

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Justin Shenkarow Interview (Eerie Indiana, Hey Arnold) Sep 15, 2026

Show notes

For today’s Xennial Countdown to Halloween, we’re joined by Special Guest Justin Shenkarow, whose career is woven through some of the television that helped define a Xennial childhood.

Justin takes us back to growing up as a working actor in the late ’80s and ’90s, from his early days in the business and a first-season holiday appearance on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to playing Simon Holmes in the wonderfully strange Eerie, Indiana and becoming the unmistakable voice of Harold Berman on Hey Arnold!

Naturally, we spend plenty of time in the spooky end of Justin’s résumé. We talk about what it was like making Eerie, Indiana as a kid, the wonderfully weird television being made for young audiences at the time, Hey Arnold!’s 1997 Halloween special, “Arnold’s Halloween,” and some of the other spooky and Halloween projects that have cropped up throughout his career. We also look back at what Halloween was actually like for Justin growing up during the era we’re celebrating.

And then Justin gives us what may very well be the GOAT of all guest paranormal experiences we’ve heard on the podcast to date. We are absolutely not spoiling that one here—you need to hear it from him.

It’s a trip through spooky ’90s television, childhood Halloween memories, behind-the-scenes stories and one paranormal experience we will not be forgetting anytime soon.

46 days until Halloween!

Follow The Halloween Podcast:

Website: http://www.thehalloweenpodcast.com/

Facebook: www.Facebook.com/TheHalloweenPodcast

Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheHalloweenPodcast

Email: Info@TheHalloweenPodcast.com

Haunt Line: 731-400-0472

Support the show on Patreon to get the full countdown experience including exclusive shows and giveaways, early listening access, and behind-the-scenes content:
https://www.patreon.com/TheHalloweenPod

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Hey Arnold! Arnold's Halloween (1997) Sep 14, 2026

Show notes

For today’s Xennial Countdown to Halloween, we’re heading back to Hillwood for Hey Arnold!’s wonderfully spooky 1997 Halloween special, “Arnold’s Halloween.”

Lyle and Meghan have both seen this one before, and we’re revisiting Arnold and Gerald’s Halloween prank that gets wildly out of hand. We talk about the episode’s clever use of classic science-fiction scares, its very ’90s take on Halloween night, and why Hey Arnold! was so good at creating a world where the kids felt like actual kids—and the adults were often considerably more ridiculous.

From homemade costumes and neighborhood mischief to aliens, panic and one particularly memorable water tower, this is Hey Arnold! at its Halloween best.

47 days until Halloween!

Watch it here: LINK

Follow The Halloween Podcast:

Website: http://www.thehalloweenpodcast.com/

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Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheHalloweenPodcast

Email: Info@TheHalloweenPodcast.com

Haunt Line: 731-400-0472

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The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad | Sleepy Hollow (1949) Sep 13, 2026

Show notes

Disney’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow has been haunting Halloween television for generations. Meghan grew up with Ichabod Crane, the autumn abundance of the Van Tassel farm, Bing Crosby’s unforgettable narration and, of course, the Headless Horseman thundering through those wonderfully spooky woods. Lyle, on the other hand, somehow made it to adulthood without ever seeing it.

Today, Meghan introduces Lyle to this 1949 Disney classic as they explore its roots in Washington Irving’s original story, its gorgeous vision of autumn, its surprisingly rich language, memorable music and one of Disney’s most effective ventures into genuine Halloween scares. Does it still work for someone seeing it for the first time as an adult—or is nostalgia doing some of the heavy lifting?

48 days until Halloween!

Watch it here: Disney+

Follow The Halloween Podcast:

Website: https://www.TheHalloweenPodcast.com

Facebook: https://www.Facebook.com/TheHalloweenPodcast

Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/TheHalloweenPodcast

Email: Info@TheHalloweenPodcast.com

Haunt Line: 731-400-0472

Support the show on Patreon to get the full countdown experience including exclusive shows and giveaways, early listening access, and behind-the-scenes content:

www.Patreon.com/TheHalloweenPod

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Halloween is Grinch Night (1977) Sep 12, 2026

Show notes

The Grinch at Halloween? Meghan says absolutely. Lyle has… objections.

In 1977, Dr. Seuss brought the Grinch back to television for Halloween Is Grinch Night, a wonderfully strange special that has been part of Meghan’s Halloween season since childhood. For this episode, Lyle watched it for the first time — and the 2 hosts came away with very different opinions about what they had just seen.

Meghan makes the case for sour-sweet winds, monsters, eerie atmosphere and one completely unhinged Paraphernalia Wagon. Lyle has some thoughts of his own. Is this an overlooked Halloween gem, or does Meghan have several decades of nostalgia working against her? Listen to the debate, then weigh in: Does Halloween Is Grinch Night actually count as Halloween?

49 days until Halloween!

Watch it here: https://youtu.be/ygSEkwRCQPM?is=Rne8XZjPOFCf7xKE

Follow The Halloween Podcast:

Website: www.TheHalloweenPodcast.com

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Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheHalloweenPodcast

Email: TheHalloweenPodcast@gmail.com

Haunt Line: 704-666-1666

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Is E.T. A Halloween Movie? (1982) Sep 11, 2026

Show notes

If Die Hard Is a Christmas Movie, Is E.T. a Halloween Movie?

If Die Hard is a Christmas movie, does that mean E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial gets to be a Halloween movie?

Meghan is taking the case to Holiday Movie Court. Halloween isn't just a random scene in E.T. — it's established early, becomes an important part of the film, and ultimately gives Elliott the perfect cover for getting a very conspicuous extraterrestrial out of the house and through a neighborhood full of trick-or-treaters.

So Meghan has a proposition: if the arguments used to admit Die Hard into the Christmas-movie club are applied consistently, E.T. has a case for admission as a Halloween movie.

There's just one complication. Lyle doesn't particularly like E.T., and he's been appointed the jury.

Meghan presents the evidence, Lyle delivers his verdict, and then the case goes to the court of public opinion. You are the jury on appeal. When you see this episode on our social media, tell us whether you uphold Lyle's verdict or overturn it — and give us your best argument for why.

If Die Hard is a Christmas movie, is E.T. a Halloween movie?

50 days until Halloween!

Watch it here: Prime Video

Follow The Halloween Podcast:

Website: https://www.TheHalloweenPodcast.com

Facebook: https://www.Facebook.com/TheHalloweenPodcast

Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/TheHalloweenPodcast

Email: Info@TheHalloweenPodcast.com

Haunt Line: 704-666-1666

Support the show on Patreon to get the full countdown experience including exclusive shows and giveaways, early listening access, and behind-the-scenes content:

www.Patreon.com/TheHalloweenPod

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The Green Ribbon by Alvin Schwartz Explained Sep 10, 2026

Show notes

Today on the Xennial Countdown to Halloween, Lyle and Meghan revisit one of the most unforgettable pieces of spooky childhood reading: “The Green Ribbon,” Alvin Schwartz’s eerie little tale from In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories.

For generations of young readers, a simple green ribbon tied around a woman’s neck was enough to inspire curiosity, dread, and perhaps a lifelong inability to look at ribbon chokers quite the same way again. Meghan and Lyle return to the story, its wonderfully unsettling illustrations, and the particular kind of childhood horror that could hide inside a book meant for beginning readers.

51 days until Halloween!

Follow The Halloween Podcast:

Website: https://www.TheHalloweenPodcast.com

Facebook: https://www.Facebook.com/TheHalloweenPodcast

Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/TheHalloweenPodcast

Email: Info@TheHalloweenPodcast.com

Haunt Line: 731-400-0472

Support the show on Patreon to get the full countdown experience including exclusive shows and giveaways, early listening access, and behind-the-scenes content:

www.Patreon.com/TheHalloweenPod

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The Pumpkin Who Couldn't Smile | Raggedy Ann & Andy (1979) Sep 09, 2026

Show notes

Meghan and Lyle revisit the 1979 animated special Raggedy Ann and Andy in The Pumpkin Who Couldn’t Smile — an absolute childhood favorite for Meghan and a first-time watch for Lyle. Written, produced and directed by legendary animator Chuck Jones, this sweet little Halloween story brings together a lonely boy, a pumpkin nobody wanted and an aunt who may have forgotten something important about the magic of Halloween.

Meghan shares why this remains one of her absolute favorite Halloween specials, from its wonderfully autumnal imagery and memorable chase sequence to the banjo and harmonica music that still sounds like childhood October to her. Lyle brings a fresh perspective to the special, including its animation, music and whether this gentle piece of Halloween television still holds up for someone discovering it without the nostalgia.

52 days until Halloween!

Watch it here: https://youtu.be/zGC5sIIxTRY?is=8M3-8oOgGznwrxJQ

Follow The Halloween Podcast:

Website: https://www.TheHalloweenPodcast.com

Facebook: https://www.Facebook.com/TheHalloweenPodcast

Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/TheHalloweenPodcast

Email: Info@TheHalloweenPodcast.com

Haunt Line: 731-400-0472

Support the show on Patreon to get the full countdown experience including exclusive shows and giveaways, early listening access, and behind-the-scenes content:

https://www.Patreon.com/TheHalloweenPodcast

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Halloween That Almost Wasn't W/ Gerry (1979) Sep 08, 2026

Show notes

This time on the Xennial Countdown to Halloween, Meghan and Lyle are joined by Gerry from the Totally Rad Christmas podcast for a trip back to 1979 and The Halloween That Almost Wasn't — and Gerry actually handpicked this wonderfully strange little piece of Halloween television as the special he wanted to discuss!

Meghan and Gerry bring the nostalgia while Lyle watches the special for the very first time, as they revisit an Emmy-winning cast of familiar television faces, the peculiar magic of annual holiday specials, and a Halloween adventure that could only have come out of the late 1970s. Does it still hold up without childhood nostalgia? And just how much disco does it take to save Halloween?

53 days until Halloween!

Follow The Halloween Podcast:

Website: https://www.TheHalloweenPodcast.com

Facebook: https://www.Facebook.com/TheHalloweenPodcast

Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/TheHalloweenPodcast

Email: Info@TheHalloweenPodcast.com

Haunt Line: 731-400-0472

https://www.Patreon.com/TheHalloweenPod
Support the show on Patreon to get the full countdown experience including exclusive shows and giveaways, early listening access, and behind-the-scenes content.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Halloween at School: A Xennial Memory Sep 07, 2026

Show notes

Lyle and Meghan kick off the Xennial Countdown to Halloween by heading back to the classrooms, hallways and school libraries of the late 1970s, ’80s and ’90s to remember what Halloween was like at school. From construction-paper decorations, spooky library books and Halloween music lessons to homemade costumes, plastic masks, classroom parties, squeaking television carts and the all-important Halloween parade, school helped turn October 31st into something that felt much bigger than a single night.

They also remember how Halloween changed as we moved from elementary school into middle and high school, when innocent costume parades gave way to school dances, teenage costume drama and whispered stories about whoever had managed to get themselves sent home that year. Along the way, Meghan shares some of her own school Halloween memories—including a homemade Medusa costume and the Halloween spelling song she still hears in her head today—and considers whether spending weeks celebrating Halloween at school helped prime a generation of Xennials for the ever-expanding Halloween season we enthusiastically embrace as adults.

54 days until Halloween!

Follow The Halloween Podcast:

Website: https://www.TheHalloweenPodcast.com

Facebook: https://www.Facebook.com/TheHalloweenPodcast

Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/TheHalloweenPodcast

Email: Info@TheHalloweenPodcast.com

Haunt Line: 731-400-0472

Patreon: https://www.Patreon.com/TheHalloweenPod

Support the show on Patreon to get the full countdown experience including exclusive shows and giveaways, early listening access, and behind-the-scenes content.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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