If you can't smell pumpkin spice in the air, Halloween is almost here. What are you going to do on this big night? Are you going to... A) As a twenty-something, put on a mask and try to get away from trick-or-treating? B) Put on a hilarious pop culture outfit and hit the local bar with friends? C) Screaming in a haunted house? D) Stay home, snuggle up on your comfy couch, munch on some caramel corn, and marathon binge-watch old episodes of your favorite TV shows? Since I already know the answer (D, for obvious reasons!), I've compiled a list of the best Fringe episodes to watch in the run-up to Halloween.
Fox's beloved sci-fi series has its fair share of strange cases. From melting faces to ancient viruses, gravity-defying bank robbers to animated acid trips, Fringe 's five seasons have it all. It's not always scary—in fact, the show is often funny, poignant, or romantic—but when it is , it's something that lasts long after you turn off the TV. Long hours of fear.
To celebrate the holiday, here are nine of the scariest episodes of Fringe that you should rewatch this Halloween. They may not be the best or even the most memorable moments of the show... but they'll definitely send shivers down your spine.
"Unleashed" (Season 1, Episode 16)
Monster movies are a staple of Halloween marathons. A group of animal rights activists break into a testing facility and free all the caged creatures, including a lizard/bat/wasp hybrid that was supposed to be locked up and stalks the Fringe team through the sewers in a tense confrontation.
"Midnight" (Season 1, Episode 18)
When a woman becomes infected with a previously extinct strain of syphilis, she suddenly begins craving spinal fluid—meaning she stalks and seduces her victims, then bites their necks with her sharp teeth. Yes, that’s Fringe ’s take on the tried-and-true vampire genre.
"Night of the Ideal" (Season 2, Episode 2)
Reminiscent of the memorable (and terrifying) The X-Files episode "Home," season two follows the team as they investigate a series of disappearances in a rural Pennsylvania town. The secluded setting, creaky old house, and ubiquitous scarecrow gave this episode the perfect Halloween vibe.
"The Muppets" (Season 3, Episode 9)
"Fringe "'s riff on Frankenstein involves a man murdering transplant recipients...so he can retrieve their donated organs and reassemble a beloved, beautiful ballerina who tragically committed suicide. The moment when he "brings her back to life" with puppet-like strings is both nightmarish and eerily sad.
"6B" (Season 3, Episode 14)
A classic ghost story for All Hallows' Eve: When an old woman starts receiving visits from the ghost of her dead husband, is she communicating with a ghost? Or open a portal to another universe? The Fringe team must get to the bottom of this haunting case.
"One October Night" (Season 4, Episode 2)
Okay, so this one is on the list mainly because of its holiday-appropriate title. But this one, which involves Olivia and Fox Olivia hunting down a serial killer with the help of adversaries from a parallel universe, has plenty of doppelgangers and evil twin action to satisfy any Halloween fan's horror cravings.
"The Wallflower" (Season 4, Episode 7)
The story begins like another ghost story, with an invisible force killing the residents of a high-rise apartment, but things take a turn when the perpetrator turns out to be a young man who was made invisible by a science experiment and just wanted to be seen . It has to be even more tear-jerking. . The man (who can only be seen through ultraviolet light) pursues him through the building's darkened hallways like he's wandering through a haunted house from the comfort of his living room.
"Welcome to Westfield" (Season 4, Episode 12)
If Night of Desire was Fringe 's version of The X-Files , then Welcome to Westfield is the show's affectionate homage to The Twilight Zone . Olivia and her friends are trapped in a quiet town rocked by a series of inexplicable events. Residents are going crazy, becoming murderous, committing suicide, and no one else seems able to leave - all roads lead to the town one way or another. Dun, dun, dun!
"A Short Story About Love" (Season 4, Episode 15)
Like the other entries on this list, "A Short Story About Love" successfully mixes horror and poignancy. An ugly man murders men and then makes perfume from their corpses, hoping to distill the essence of love into a scent so he can trick their wives into falling in love with him. Of course, like most crazy experiments, this doesn't work and the Edge team has to figure out how to stop him.
Watching the nine episodes back-to-back only takes about six and a half hours, which is just right for a Halloween night at home. So pour your cider, pop your popcorn...and don't forget to check under your bed for chimeras and zombie puppets before you go to bed.
Image: Warner Bros. Television (9)
