I didn't see a topic like this floating around (none recent, anyway) so I thought I'd give it a whirl.

I make a point to watch a lot of scary stuff for my favorite holiday, and sometimes that includes the soaps. I grew up on Dark Shadows which I know by heart at this point, and Reilly's DOOL speaks for itself. But I was wondering if anyone else had any particularly special and scary soap eps/storylines that stuck with them for this time of year.

I'll probably tuck into an episode or two later of my Edge of Night 1980 backlog with the creepy Nola Madison witch saga, or the recently recovered Somerset ep with the infamous Jingles the Clown (wasn't that also Henry Slesar?). I also found the 1991 Halloween episode of OLTL nicely spooky recently, where little Jessica Buchanan runs afoul of the mystery in newcomer Asian Blair's secret room (her mad mother Addie).

Any favorites? IIRC James Stenbeck's big return on ATWT in the mid-'80s was right at or after Halloween.

Little Jessica trying to startle her father Clint in 1992. Notice Viki keeping silent allowing it to happen. 😂 👻 

Brooke's costume that she wore in private for Bill (in the bedroom) for Halloween years ago.

 

I shouldn't at all like it since I know it cheapens his legacy, but I did like the intro scenes to GH's Halloween either 2013 but more than likely 2014 where Faison was dressed as Beetlejuice and looks directly into the camera and say TRICK! to the Trick o Treaters. I liked Ander Hove was game to do it.

 

Overall, I'm happy given what the anniversary to me is that I made a (little) bit of an effect to watch horror movies this year. STAY (2025 version), SCREAM 7 trailer. CELLAR DOOR...though it's more of a thriller. SINISTER finally. TRICK OR TREAT. 

18 minutes ago, Taoboi said:

I shouldn't at all like it since I know it cheapens his legacy, but I did like the intro scenes to GH's Halloween either 2013 but more than likely 2014 where Faison was dressed as Beetlejuice and looks directly into the camera and say TRICK! to the Trick o Treaters. I liked Ander Hove was game to do it.

 

Overall, I'm happy given what the anniversary to me is that I made a (little) bit of an effect to watch horror movies this year. STAY (2025 version), SCREAM 7 trailer. CELLAR DOOR...though it's more of a thriller. SINISTER finally. TRICK OR TREAT. 

Yeees. I love Sinister btw. I have my own tradition to watch an old Betty Davis thriller called Dead Ringer or/and What Ever Happened To Baby Jane. This year however we'll be going to a party in a few hours so I won't be able to... Maybe after we come back I can pursuade my husband to watch at least Dead ringer. Hate to break the tradition.

P.S.

Dorian Lord as Morticia in 1991. She just looks like herself with a bit more makeup on. Lol.

 

Edited October 31Oct 31 by Maxim

I haven't seen it since it aired I was also very fond of Reilly's Terror Island saga on SuBe, a blatant and successful attempt to rip off the success of Scream. It was typically shoddy/silly script work from JER, but it worked tremendously on a teen viewer who also loved horror. It also managed to have a body count of known characters who added real weight, and a culprit ("Ben") that added stakes. It didn't become total embarrassing farce for me like the Salem Stalker. Of course I haven't since it almost 30 years, so I can't imagine it holds up that well.

Edited October 31Oct 31 by Vee

Happy Halloween!

The one that instantly comes to mind is Guiding Light 1995 (10/31 and 11/01 episodes). Young Abby, from the Amish Goshen community, who knows nothing of the modern world and is deaf, wakes up at Cedars Hospital. It becomes a house of horrors for her since she can't hear, she's never experienced Halloween before, nor all the machines and technology around her. Everyone is in costumes, they get in her face, she gets stuck in an elevator with many of those creepy costumes, and the director does an amazing job using her POV with sometimes no sound at all (representing her deafness), or creepy background music. She eventually finds a quiet dark corner of an unused room to escape to. Rick, with a mask and Halloween tie, finds her. She's scared at first, but he takes off his mask and realizes it's Rick. That's very close to the start of their relationship. 

You also have Brent/Marian switching Lucy's HIV status to Positive from the Cedars computers on Halloween day. Brent/Marian, of course, was spooky/scary throughout most of that storyline.

While not on Halloween, later that early December 1995, you have the Psycho-inspired shower scene with Brent/Marian and his big knife attacking Susan while she's showering. Very scary indeed!

LOVED Terror Island on SuBe as a child.  I'll never forget watching a Friday cliffhanger and then going to watch Scream 2 in the theaters.  

7 hours ago, alwaysAMC said:

You also have Brent/Marian switching Lucy's HIV status to Positive from the Cedars computers on Halloween day. Brent/Marian, of course, was spooky/scary throughout most of that storyline.

I recently watched this storyline, and I found it deeply disturbing. The acting was pretty incredible (even Lucy was not as boring as later on when I first saw her). I hate what happened to Nadine and how it had so little impact because her body wasn’t found for months.

The Loving Murders was a fun watch during the pandemic, not as easy to find the whole thing now. I also enjoy that puppet killer story on Edge of Night. Edge has a lot of chilling stories.

9 hours ago, Vee said:

haven't seen it since it aired I was also very fond of Reilly's Terror Island saga on SuBe, a blatant and successful attempt to rip off the success of Scream.

I was hooked back then! I watched the first couple of months of the show and just found it bland. That story lured me back in, and it was a blast!

Didn’t ATWT do some horror movie rip off with Maddie, Luke, and Noah? They even shot on location. I just cannot remember the details. Was this when Noah’s dad was trying to kill them, or have I mixed something up?

I was thinking about finding the original Ryan story on GH earlier this week. I might rewatch that. The later story after Ryan was dead and Felicia was being stalked by Kevin who was having a mental breakdown was pretty good too.

Just now, titan1978 said:

Didn’t ATWT do some horror movie rip off with Maddie, Luke, and Noah? They even shot on location. I just cannot remember the details. Was this when Noah’s dad was trying to kill them, or have I mixed something up?

I was thinking about finding the original Ryan story on GH earlier this week. I might rewatch that. The later story after Ryan was dead and Felicia was being stalked by Kevin who was having a mental breakdown was pretty good too.

They did, but I'd long since given up on ATWT by that time. I think it was Noah's dad.

I have been meaning to watch some of the key Ryan episodes (like him attacking the Hardys). What little I've seen of the prior saga in '92, with Felicia's return, etc. is strong. Riche hit on something gold there in difficult times, bringing Kristina back In force with a lot of spark, and putting her with Mac (and of course hiring JL).

The Nola Madison/Mansion of the Damned stuff on EON is still so creepy. How she internalized the legend of the 'real' witch from the movie she was making, the layers of reality and fiction, etc. But Edge often seemed to dabble in supernatural touches, like with April's visions, etc. Some phenomena were later explained as being man-made (like the truly creepy image of seeing a ghost or witch on Margo Dorn's balcony at the movie party), others like the visions I think were not.

The Loving Murders still holds up and I am delighted I got to rewatch it in full for the first time since childhood. I'd pay for it on home video or streaming. I think it's still around in full on various spots.

2 minutes ago, Vee said:

I have been meaning to watch some of the key Ryan episodes (like him attacking the Hardys). What little I've seen of the prior saga in '92, with Felicia's return, etc. is strong. Riche hit on something gold there in difficult times, bringing Kristina back In force with a lot of spark, and putting her with Mac (and of course hiring JL).

After being so disappointed by GH for what felt like a long time, Riche and what she was doing hit the right spot to lure me in as a teenager. I was little but remembered the episode when Frisco pulled the hat off Felicia, and loved them whenever I could watch. So for Riche to put so much focus on Felicia, truly chilling Ryan, and Mac who was very sexy at the time, was gold to lure me in. Then to add Karen/Jagger/Brenda/Jason/Robin, and my family getting a VCR I could set to record! 

3 hours ago, titan1978 said:

 

Didn’t ATWT do some horror movie rip off with Maddie, Luke, and Noah? They even shot on location. I just cannot remember the details. Was this when Noah’s dad was trying to kill them, or have I mixed something up?

That was the summer of 2006, I believe. It led to the revelation that Maddie had been raped by her brother-in-law, and her sister was the slasher. I think the sister's name was Eve. I mainly remember it because Carly and Jack were broken up, and he almost went on a date with the woman.

The Salem Stalker was, as we all know, dumb and made no sense, but the first "murder" of Abe was well done...everyone was waitiing for him at the church, the bridesmaids were wandering around the courtyard waiting for him, while the bells were ringing ominously.  Also the Halloween episode where Maggie was "killed" and the messages that were sent of dancing skeleton with "Death never takes a holiday."

22 hours ago, Mitch64 said:

The Salem Stalker was, as we all know, dumb and made no sense, but the first "murder" of Abe was well done...everyone was waiting for him at the church, the bridesmaids were wandering around the courtyard waiting for him, while the bells were ringing ominously.  Also the Halloween episode where Maggie was "killed" and the messages that were sent of dancing skeleton with "Death never takes a holiday."

Salem Stalker wasn't horrible in theory and it was a pretty good mystery but, the failure was in the denouement. Depending who you believe it was all supposed to be real but it was changed in the end. Of course this was before DAYS was filming 2 years in advance.

6 hours ago, SteelCity said:

Salem Stalker wasn't horrible in theory and it was a pretty good mystery but, the failure was in the denouement. Depending who you believe it was all supposed to be real but it was changed in the end. Of course this was before DAYS was filming 2 years in advance.

Yea, I call bs on it being real...Marlena as the unpossessed, unbrain controlled killer of beloved characters? Alice murdered (I realize Alice being a victim was thrown in when they pulled..whatever it was out of their asses.)  And yes, the explanation...made no sense at all!!!