Though the sitcom embraced a lot of holiday fun throughout its 11 seasons, the Modern Family Halloween episodes stand out as some of the best. The series took a look at an extended and dysfunctional family, following them on their many misadventures. However, when everyone got into the Halloween spirit, the show seemed to come alive in a new way with some memorable episodes and moments celebrating the spooky season.

Even though Modern Family ended in 2020, fans still return to the sitcom, especially when looking for a great Halloween-themed episode to watch. With seven episodes dedicated to trick-or-treating, haunted houses, and other creepy fun, there are some that stand out more than others. From Claire's obsession with scaring people to more than a few costume mishaps, the best Modern Family Halloween episodes show why the series was so popular.

Modern Family Halloween Episodes (Chronologically):

7 It's The Great Pumpkin, Phil Dunphy

Season 9, Episode 5

The fifth episode of season 9, "It's the Great Pumpkin, Phil Dunphy" is fun but one that's lacking. Knowing how important the holiday is to the Dunphys, it was a sad day when the Dunphy kids weren't into Halloween anymore. While Claire tried her hardest to scare her kids, and later, her co-workers, her efforts fell flat. Meanwhile, Phil was busy trying to build a pumpkin to hide inside, which went awry when he went rolling into his neighbor's yard.

By season 9, the show was beginning to lose a lot of its charm and sharp writing, and this episode is a strong indicator that Modern Family wasn't what it used to be. Claire and Phil's storyline had potential with the bittersweet moment of the kids outgrowing traditions, but it didn't really build to anything memorable. It also didn't help that the rest of the storylines in the show barely addressed Halloween.

6 Good Grief

Season 10, Episode 5

"Good Grief" is an unexpected Halloween episode as it started with Claire (dressed as a spider) and Phil (dressed as a fly) decorating their house for Halloween night. However, things took a turn when Claire received a phone call and soon learned that her mom (DeDe) ed away, leaving all the characters to deal with the significant loss.

DeDe's death doesn't come as a sad moment, but rather a storyline that takes away from the expected Halloween fun.

Modern Family was always good at mixing humor and emotional moments, but it seemed misguided here. DeDe's death doesn't come as a sad moment, but rather a storyline that takes away from the expected Halloween fun. However, there are some laughs to be found with the memorable costumes with Mitch and Cam dressed as Prince Harry and Meghan, and Gloria dressed as Marilyn Monroe.

5 The Last Halloween

Season 11, Episode 5

'The Last Halloween' was quite literally the last Halloween episode before Modern Family came to an end. In the episode, Phil is determined to scare Claire for the first time while Gloria struggles with aging and being correctly pegged as Jay's wife instead of his daughter. As further signs of time moving on, Cam and Mitch deal with Lily attending her first Halloween party by herself.

The episode still knows how to deliver real Halloween fun with Phil's elaborate plan to scare Claire having a great payoff.

The episode is a somewhat bittersweet experience as there are so many reminders of the show coming near the end. However, these are done in an effective way with Gloria coming to with getting older and Cam and Mitch accepting that their daughter is becoming more independent. The episode still knows how to deliver real Halloween fun with Phil's elaborate plan to scare Claire having a great payoff.

4 Halloween 4: The Revenge Of Rod Skyhook

Season 8, Episode 5

"The Revenge of Rod Skyhook" showed fans that Luke was ready to host his first Halloween party. Regardless of everyone's great Halloween costumes, there was a competing party the same night that took away from Luke's efforts, leading to his family assembling to help him out. Meanwhile, Manny struggles with fitting in at the Halloween party while Cam heads out on a mission to find the kind he thinks egged their house.

The episode was a fine example of how Modern Family embraces Halloween more than most sitcoms, telling the three distinct storylines in fun ways that celebrate the holiday. The laughs were not as great as Luke becomes a more obnoxious character as the seasons progressed and the character entered his awkward teen years. However, the conclusion of Cam and Mitch's story has a delightful twist that suits the Modern Family Halloween episodes' legacy.

3 Halloween 3: AwesomeLand

Season 6, Episode 6

In the season 6 entry of Modern Family Halloween episodes, Claire was working full-time and was too busy to decorate, leaving Phil to prepare the house for Halloween night. In a classic Phil way, he decided to get rid of the horror and gore and add a fun-loving energy instead, much to Claire's annoyance. There are some other fun storylines involving Jay's unhappiness with Gloria's costume choices for him and Mitch struggling with a big case on the holiday.

Claire's love of being scary on Halloween has been a big theme of these episodes and this installment wonderfully highlights the differences between her and Phil in of their personalities. Their interactions as Phil attempts to prove there is a more family-friendly approach to the holiday is what makes the episode so memorable while Jay's insecurities make for a fun side plot.

2 Open House Of Horrors

Season 4, Episode 5

The season 4 Modern Family Halloween episode has a lot of charming and heartfelt moments, which is surprising given the holiday in question. One aspect deals with Gloria becoming increasingly quick-tempered due to her pregnancy, which she takes to mean the baby is angry. Cam and Mitch also have to deal with the fact that Lily is starting to have questions about her mother. However, these sweet moments are mixed with Halloween fun as Claire decides to haunt Phil at his Halloween open house.

It is a nice mix of Modern Family's best aspects as the episode embraces the holiday while still telling great stories about the characters. The episode has a lot of laughs with Claire and Phil once again stealing the show, but the subplot with Lily's adoption is also handled very well.

1 Halloween

Season 2, Episode 6

The first Modern Family Halloween episode cemented how seriously the show takes the holiday and set a high bar for the episodes to follow. This is the first episode in which the audience sees Claire's fierce dedication to Halloween and how much she adores scaring people. After turning the Dunphy residence into a haunted house with spooky details, she gave each family member a role to play.

Seeing the family lose their cool together is always so much fun, but Claire steals the show...

While the show works well with separate stories interconnecting, it is a lot of fun to see the entire family together for the holiday episodes. The other Halloween episodes would fail to recapture that fun as even trying to put on a haunted house turns into a chaotic mess thanks to everyone's quirks, insecurities, and frustrations. Seeing the family lose their cool together is always so much fun, but Claire steals the show with her love of Halloween gradually causing her to lose patience with her loved ones.

Halloween Features One Of Modern Family's Best Running Gags

While there are plenty of sitcoms that would get into the Halloween fun each season, Modern Family found a great approach to adding a recurring joke within these episodes. One of the highlights of the Halloween episodes of Modern Family was seeing the different ways Claire and Phil approach the spooky season, with Claire going all out with her ion for everything scary and gory and Phil being uneasy about these aspects.

It always made for the biggest laughs of the Halloween episodes, but it also was a fun exploration of the dynamic between Claire and Phill.

The joke went through a lot of hilarious interactions, from exploring the pressure Claire puts on her family to pull off the holiday to her attempts to scare Phil to Phil attempting to add a bit of brightness and joy into Halloween. It always made for the biggest laughs of the Halloween episodes, but it also was a fun exploration of the dynamic between Claire and Phill.

Usually on Modern Family, it was Phil who would get caught up in the fun and excitement of activities, while Claire was the one who had to stay more grounded and pull back his expectations. Seeing Claire be the one who gets so interested in Halloween celebrations is a fun twist, but she also adopts it in a way that is perfect for her personality. She takes it too far and is so intense with it that she drains the fun out of it for others.

Of course, Claire's intensity might not be fun for the other characters, but it remains one of the most hilarious aspects of her character. She still has some of the "bad girl" energy that is often referred to throughout the series and it seems as though Halloween remains her outlet for this energy in her adult life.