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 Dead Like Me episode “Haunted.”
Basic Info
Directed by: James Whitmore Jr.
Written by: John Masius & Stephen Godchaux
Episode Number: Season 2, Episode 15
Where to Watch It: Hulu (with Showtime)
Why It’s Great
This is the series finale of Dead Like Me and while it’s a quiet finale, it’s also satisfying. Protagonist George Lass has never been particularly happy, so it’s a nice little moment to hear her narrate, “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t having fun. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to be here.”
Why It’s Full of Halloween Spirit
Despite being a surreal fantasy show, this show is incredibly realistic when it comes to emotional moments. This episode explores a holiday based in fear and morbid feelings exceptionally well. As George’s sister Reggie puts it, “It’s supposed to be disturbing.”
George explains in voiceover, “That’s the thing about Halloween. I wouldn’t have loved it so much if there wasn’t something to be afraid of. If some of the houses I peered into weren’t haunted.”
In an incredibly creepy but understated subplot, a serial killer goes around the neighborhood and the reapers collect his victims.
Like many fantasy shows, they have their own rules for what Halloween means to these characters. Reaper legend says that Halloween is the one day a year where they appear as they did when they were alive. This is confirmed when an old man recognizes Daisy from his youth.
Costume Count
Roxy Harvey is The Witch of the Northwest
Daisy Adair is a cop
Suzanne is a skeleton
Bobby is- the devil
Joy Lass is an usherette