Grey’s Anatomy: Every Halloween Episode in the Series, Ranked

Grey’s Anatomy does not hold back when it comes to sensitive or heavy topics. From dealing with sexual assault cases to discussing the frustrations that came with the real COVID-19 pandemic, the writers and directors know how to address things other shows would rather not touch on. Along with all the tragedies and heartaches that happen within the series, there are plenty of heartwarming and incredible moments strung throughout the show. In fact, there are several holiday episodes that remind audiences as well as the characters how important it is for them to juggle their social lives and families with their work.

The few Halloween episodes that can be found throughout Grey’s Anatomy are humorous, but they also address the real-life concerns hospitals deal with on the “heavy traffic” night. From people coming in slathered in fake blood to the amount of craziness that just comes with the spooky season, all the doctors have to be on their toes to handle the extra chaos for one night.

Check out every Halloween episode in Grey’s Anatomy, and see where they rank among one another.

5.Flowers Grow Out of My Grave (Season 15, Episode 6)

While this Grey’s Anatomy episode does not specifically talk about Halloween, there are quite a few characters celebrating and acknowledging the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead. In the very first scene, Miranda’s son asks if she knows anything about the holiday, and Meredith’s oldest daughter and her friend even dress up for it before heading off to school.

At the hospital, the family of a young girl named Flor has set up an ofrenda in her hospital room to celebrate their deceased family members. After Flor’s surgery goes well, her abuela stays behind with Meredith and tells her that the whole family, living and deceased, was with them to ensure the safety of the young girl. She then hands Meredith two marigolds, saying the flowers help guide spirits back to their families during the holiday. Jackson also gives Maggie marigolds because she is missing her mother who recently passed away from cancer.

While “Flowers Grow Out of My Grave” may not be packed with costumes and candy, it is a very heartwarming episode where some are accepting death while others are celebrating the dead.

4.Haunted (Season 19, Episode 4)

In this Grey’s Anatomy episode, Richard really gets into the Halloween spirit when he decides that the new interns need to compete in a pumpkin-carving competition. He mentions how all the skills used in the OR can be transferred to the contest, but they seem less than pleased with how they have to spend their evening.

Miranda is unusually chipper while at the hospital as she walks around in a Princess Leia costume, and she proudly tells Levi that her daughter Pru will soon be making the rounds for candy as a tiny Ewok. No one else seems to be in much of the festive spirit, but that does not stop Miranda from cheerfully embracing the holiday.

When Nick tells Meredith that their cadavers came in, she quickly calls on the interns to leave their pumpkin carving in exchange for a trauma certification course with Owen. She explains that they will be cutting into cadavers and learning how to work as a team rather than making hospital decorations. The crash course may sound spooky for the average person, but for these young doctors, it is a real treat.

3.Haunt You Every Day (Season 4, Episode 5)

Meredith wakes up from a nightmare and, believing her dead mother is really haunting her, immediately goes to pack her mom’s ashes into a plastic bag. At the hospital, Miranda excitedly announces to everyone that there is an annual chainsaw carving competition going on in Seattle, so everyone needs to be alert and ready for the inevitable accidents.

There are plenty of tricks as well as treats throughout this Halloween episode, but nothing beats the scene where a young boy named Ryan (played by the 13 Reasons Why‘s Dylan Minnette) goes up to Mark Sloan and tricks him into momentarily believing that he is his father. He lets the fear wash over Mark, tells him he is joking, collects payment from an amused Derek, and then proceeds to ask him to do a reconstructive ear surgery pro bono. Meredith learns about Ryan’s needs, so she does some trick-or-treating of her own to get people to agree to help with the surgery.

Elsewhere, Alex gets a treat when his former patient and love, Rebecca, shows up saying all she wanted to be for Halloween was Ava. In one of the more outrageous moments in the ER, a man saws off his own foot that he swears is haunted, bringing all the doctors to believe Halloween really does bring out the crazy people. Meredith ends the episode with washing her mother’s ashes down the drain in her favorite OR.

2.Thriller (Season 10, Episode 7)

The tricks and treats are all over the place in the Season 10 Halloween Grey’s Anatomy episode. Meredith is frantic about Zola’s butterfly costume having a tear in it, so she gives it to Derek to fix. Being that Derek should be a professional when it comes to sutures and intricate detail, Ben questions the botched sewing job he did on the sparkly wings.

Cristina and Meredith continue to grow apart as Meredith takes on more “mom duties” where she focuses on taking her children out trick-or-treating and forgets to invite her best friend. Alex, on the other hand, is more than happy to be forgotten about as he simply wants to sit at home in the dark eating candy by himself.

The real terror of the spooky night takes place in the hospital as a “zombie” man sinks his teeth into Leah’s neck while she was checking for a heartbeat, and Shane runs around the hospital looking for a deranged ghostly woman. Both patients turn out to be regular people, but they certainly scared nearly everyone who tried to help them.

1.Whistlin’ Past the Graveyard (Season 16, Episode 6)

While Meredith is still in jail awaiting the paperwork to release her, all she can think about is making it home in time to take her kids trick-or-treating. DeLuca does his best to help her children prepare for the holiday, but Zola does not take well to him trying to help her with the wings her dad fixed before he died.

Over at Pac North, Alex realizes he has more than a simple trick to deal with when the construction crew informs him that they found skeletons on their dig site. He learns that the hospital used to be specifically for patients with mental disorders, and if their bodies were not claimed by someone after they passed, they were thrown into an unmarked mass grave.

Levi steals the show in this Grey’s Anatomy Halloween episode as he puts together the annual pediatric Halloween parade at the last minute. He decorates the common rooms and makes sure everyone has a costume ready to go. When a young boy says he does not want to be a typical superhero, Levi gets a bit frustrated. His heart then melts when the kid says he wants to be a sunflower. Levi springs into action and makes them both matching costumes.