Here at Pop Culture Spin we refuse to accept that Halloween is only one day. We’re going to be celebrating Halloween all month, by highlighting one of our favorite Halloween episodes every day. Today’s we’re looking at the Supernatural episode “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester.”
Basic Info
Directed by: Charles Beeson
Written by: Julie Siege
Episode Number: Season 4, Episode 7
Where to Watch It: Netflix
Why It’s Great
In season four, Supernatural was in the middle of a big plot involving angels and, you guessed it, a looming apocalypse. But, the story was carried out in straightforward parts that fit the mystery-of-the-week formula of the show and in this episode we get a good old-fashioned whodunnit about a witch who’s making human sacrifices in order to raise a demon on Halloween.
This also marks a big turning point in the show, since it hast he first seen where Sam meets Castiel. It also introduces the angel Uriel. At first, Sam is very excited and almost starstruck to be meeting angels. But, the angels are not at all what Sam expected and he’s pretty disillusioned. There’s this whole thing about them being willing to destroy an entire town. As Sam so eloquently puts it, “My brother was right. You guys are dicks.”
Why It’s Full of Halloween Spirit
The Winchester brothers say themselves that every day is Halloween for them. This episode doesn’t step up the show’s game in terms of scariness. Instead, it has fun with all the sillier tropes of Halloween. The witch’s hexes are carried out through modern suburban superstitious like razor blades in candy and drowning while bobbing for apples.
One of the most memorable deaths on the show comes when Jenny gets jealous of the attention her friend Tracy (Ashley Benson) is getting and attempts to bob for apples in as sexy a way as Tracy. Instead of succeeding, she dies horribly. I think we can all in some way relate to trying to be as sexy as Ashley Benson and having it all go terribly wrong.
Like many supernatural shows, it also offers its own lore about how Halloween came to be. In this case, it’s the idea that wearing masks can allow people to hide from the demon Sam Hane.
Costume Count
There are tons of background costumes in this episode, but here are the costumes worn by named characters.
Tracy Davis is a sexy cheerleader
Justin is a car crash victim
Jenny is a sexy nurse
