âHalloweenâ (season 5, episode 3)
The best Frasier Halloween episode is its very first one. Simply titled âHalloween,â this season 5 episode is not just one of the showâs best farces, but also contains a major reveal that changes a characterâs entire story arc across the series. At a Halloween party hosted at Nilesâ apartment, the very inebriated psychiatrist somehow gets the wrong end of the stick and believes that Daphne is pregnant with Frasierâs child. Someoneâs pregnant, alright, but it turns out to be someone else in the episodeâs jaw-dropping final twist. Itâs also notable for featuring a cameo from Kelsey Grammerâs then-wife, Camille. Itâs worth a watch for the sight of David Hyde Pierce in a Cyrano de Bergerac nose alone.
âRoom Full of Heroesâ (season 9, episode 6)
It took another four seasons before Frasier returned to the Halloween well. Perhaps because of the hi-jinks of what happened the last time, this Halloween celebration sees the gang gather for a more intimidate party at Frasierâs place. For a psychological experiment, Frasier demands that they all dress as their heroes and stay in character. Frasier is Sigmund Freud, Roz is Wonder Woman, Daphne is Elton John, Martin is Joe Di Maggio, but Niles goes as Martin. Father and son bond well at first, but a drunken Niles (apparently he canât get through Oct. 31 without getting sozzled) spoils the fun when he accidentally reveals his belief that Martin is ashamed of his sons. Thereâs lots of cosplay comedy in the first half, but the tragic turn this one takes makes it a surprisingly hard watch.
âTales from the Cryptâ (season 10, episode 5)
Frasier squeezed out one more Halloween episode in its penultimate season, which is one of the more memorable entries in an otherwise solid if slightly patchy run. In âTales from the Crypt,â Frasier and KACL colleague Bulldogâs old prank war begins again, with the stakes being raised each time until the hilarious finale, in which an attempt to convince Bulldog the zombie apocalypse has happened appears to take a murderous turn. The whole zombie attack sequence is a riot, with the various heist movie-like twists and turns giving the episode a unique format and feel. Thereâs also a complimentary subplot about Daphneâs mother Gertrude having her own prank battle with the neighbor kid who previously appeared in âRoom Full of Heroesâ (as played by Steven Anthony Lawrence â aka Beans from Even Stevens).