Documentary-style sitcomModern Familyspent 11 seasonsshowing viewers the ups and downsofthree different but related families. It was beloved by audiences and critics alike, with consistently high ratings and awards recognition. It racked up an impressive 22 Emmy wins over the course of its run, including including five wins for outstanding comedy series. The seriesaired on ABC for 11 seasonsand ended in 2020.
Like many sitcoms,Modern Familysometimes had episodes focused on the holidays, Halloween included. While not every season of the show had a Halloween episode, the series still offered seven memorable takes on the beloved holiday, from the bittersweet to the hilarious, and they were often among the series' best episodes. And while the families' activities on Halloween night provided plenty of entertainment on their own, the real highlight was the costumes throughout the years.
Modern Family
7"It’s the Great Pumpkin, Phil Dunphy"
Season 9, Episode 5
In “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Phil Dunphy,” Phil (Ty Burrell) and Claire (Julie Bowen) began to question their love of Halloween when it became clear the others didn’t share it, the kids all had plans not related to the holiday. Phil and Claire set out to prove it wasn’t just for kids, with Phil attempting a Trojan Horse-style prank that backfired and he and Claire setting sail down the river in a giant carved-out pumpkin. Meanwhile, Mitch (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and Cam (Eric Stonestreet) are frustrated by how long Jay (Ed O’Neill) was taking to finish their kitchen remodel.
“It’s the Great Pumpkin, Phil Dunphy” took its title from the iconic Charlie Brown Halloween special.It was one of the sadder and weaker episodes ofModern Family, especially for a Halloween episode, it lacked fun costumes almost entirely and dealt with the kids growing up and holding on to traditions when it might be time to move on. But the episode was still wonderfully funny, with plenty of hilarious, memorable lines, and Phil’s prank gone wrong was one of its highlights.
6"Halloween 3: AwesomeLand"
Season 6, Episode 6
In “Halloween 3: AwesomeLand,” Claire had to work on Halloween, so she stepped aside and let Phil handle the decorating and planning, until he went for a more whimsical theme as opposed to creepy, and Claire couldn’t help but stay home and take over after the neighbors announced a contest for the scariest house. Meanwhile, Jay and Gloria (Sofía Vergara) disagreed over his costume when he wanted to dress as Prince Charming, but she bought him a Shrek costume.
Despite not being as full of the Halloween spirit as other episodes,“Halloween 3” was still a lot of fun and very funny, thanks to the characters, Phil’s take on the day was very decidedly, well, Phil, in stark contrast to Claire’s normally scary and gory approach. It was a great episode overall, and recurring guest starsSteve ZahnandAndrea Anderswere super fun to watch in their roles as annoying new neighbors Ronnie and Amber.
5"Good Grief"
Season 10, Episode 5
As the families were busy preparing for Halloween in “Good Grief,” Claire, Mitch and Jay all received calls informing them Dede (Shelley Long), Jay’s ex-wife and Claire and Mitch’s mother, had died. The episode followed the family as they gathered at the Dunphy home and each member processed their grief in different ways. Claire and Mitch went trick-or-treating and argued about their very different relationships with Dede, Dede had been cruel to Claire.
Like “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Phil Dunphy,” “Good Grief” was a reference to Charlie Brown’s famous catchphrase,but it also addressed the grief the family was experiencing after losing Dede. It was a bittersweet episode with the perfect balance of grief and humor. It also featured some of the family’s best costumes, with Mitchell and Cam as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Gloria and Jay as Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio and Claire and Phil as a spider and a trapped fly.
4"Open House of Horrors"
Season 4, Episode 5
After accidentally scaring local kids in Halloweens past after having gone overboard with scary decorations, Claire had to stick to a kid-friendly celebration in “Open House of Horrors,” forcing her to keep her love of everything gory and scary in check, with the exception of a quest to scare Phil after he told her she wasn’t scary. For his part, Phil decided to hold an open house in a Victorian mansion on Halloween night, and Claire succeeded in scaring him when she and the kids snuck in.
Part of the fun ofModern Family’s Halloween episodes was Claire’s eagerness to go all out, but that made it even better when she tried to tone things down. Her reputation in the neighborhood was a funny touch, among some other great moments in the episode. But like other Halloween episodes, the family spent much of it apart, detracting somewhat from the overall impact. Still, it was fun to watch how each family spent their Halloweens, and, of course, to see their costumes.
3"Halloween 4: The Revenge of Rod Skyhook"
Season 8, Episode 5
In “Halloween 4: The Revenge of Rod Skyhook,” Luke threw a Halloween party, and when Phil and Claire realized no one was going to go, they stepped in to help, with Claire heading out to convince people to skip another competing party. Meanwhile, Cam goes on a mission to find the kids he thought egged their house, when the actual culprit was Claire, and after learning Manny was attending a party at enemy Earl Chambers’ (Robert Costanzo) home, Jay planned to go with him.
“Halloween 4: The Revenge of Rod Skyhook” was full of chaotic silliness,perfect for aModern FamilyHalloween episode. Given Claire’s love of Halloween, she was the obvious choice to save Luke’s struggling party, and Cam’s hunt for the egging culprits ended in a great twist. But perhaps best of all, the episode had some of the best and funniest costumes, most notably Jay’s “Jaysus” costume, a hilarious foil to Earl Chambers’ devil, plus Gloria and little Joe as Mary and Joseph.
2"Halloween"
Season 2, Episode 6
In the very first Halloween episode ofModern Family, “Halloween,” Claire enlisted the whole family to get the house ready for Halloween and each had a role to play in a show designed to scare local kids, but everyone was preoccupied with other things. Cam didn’t like the holiday because of a traumatic experience as a child, and Mitch was almost as excited as Claire but had to hide his Spider-Man costume under his suit at work.
“Halloween” set the bar high for whatModern FamilyHalloween episodes could be:excellent costumes and all, Luke and Manny teamed up as Dr. Frankenstein and his monster. It would be hard, if not impossible, for anyone to beat Claire when it came to love of Halloween, but their disinterest was particularly frustrating for her, and her escalating frustration with everyone was what made it so fun to watch. The episode was nominated for multiple Emmy Awards.
1"The Last Halloween"
Season 11, Episode 5
Phil was determined to finally scare Claire in “The Last Halloween” and managed to pull it off after a full year of planning with a Psycho-inspired setup involving an abandoned house. Meanwhile, Gloria felt self-conscious about her age when someone finally assumed—correctly—that she was Jay’s wife, and Mitch and Cam went to a carnival after Lily decided to attend her first solo Halloween party. And finally, Alex and Luke’s evening with their respective significant others ended in breakups for both.
Modern Familysaved the best for last with the aptly titled “The Last Halloween” in its final season, with great storylines and callbacks to previous seasons. Phil and Claire—and their dynamic—were the highlight of the episode.It was satisfying to see him finally scare Claire, and her reaction was just as good. The episode also dealt with the youngest kids growing up, a theme explored in Halloween episodes prior but executed better here.
