Halloween Episodes & SpecialsNo. 4766 · The 2026 edition
Halloween
The Dunphy family's Halloween traditions get hilariously complicated when Claire's perfectionism clashes with Phil's enthusiasm.
Our own summary of the original — the full post and photos live at en.wikipedia.org.
In this iconic Modern Family episode, Claire goes overboard with her Halloween decorations and strict rules, while Phil tries to have fun with his own spooky surprises. Meanwhile, Mitchell and Cameron compete in a costume contest, and Manny struggles to find the perfect outfit.
About this
This Wikipedia page covers "Halloween," the sixth episode of Modern Family's second season and the 30th episode overall. It documents the episode's plot, production, cast, ratings, critical reception and Emmy recognition. The page also includes the episode's awards and nominations plus reference and external links.
Facts from the original
- "Halloween" is the sixth episode of Modern Family's second season and the 30th episode overall.
- It was originally broadcast on October 27, 2010, on the ABC network in the United States.
- The episode was written by Jeffrey Richman and directed by Michael Spiller, and was based on an idea by cast member Eric Stonestreet.
- It was the first Halloween-themed episode of the series.
- It was the first episode Jeffrey Richman wrote for the series after joining the writing staff at the start of the second season.
- Parts of the episode were filmed on October 6, 2010, and October 8, 2010.
- Many cast members' costumes were revealed on the first day of filming by script coordinator Clint McCray through Twitter.
- Jesse Tyler Ferguson said the Spider-Man scene was his favorite to shoot, because he scaled down a wall in a Spider-Man costume and performed his own stunts.
- In its original American broadcast, the episode was viewed by an estimated 13.143 million households and received a Nielsen rating of 7.8 rating/12% share.
- It received a 5.1 rating/14% share among adults aged 18 to 49.
- It marked a nine percent rise in the 18-49 demographic from the previous episode, "Unplugged."
- It became the most viewed episode of the series in total viewers and the highest-rated in the 18-49 demographic, tying with "The Old Wagon."
- It became the highest-rated scripted program and the second highest-rated program overall for its premiere week among adults aged 18 to 49.
- With DVR viewers added, the episode received a 6.6 rating in the 18-49 demographic, adding a 1.4 rating to the original viewership.
- The episode received mostly positive reviews from critics.
- Donna Bowman of The A.V. Club compared it to the praised episode "Fizbo," especially the chaotic climax.
- The A.V. Club named it, with "Fifteen Percent" and "Truth Be Told," among the best 2010 episodes of Modern Family.
- James Poniewozik of Time gave a positive review calling it "fine," and named Gloria's storyline his favorite.
- Joel Keller of TV Squad praised the development of Claire and felt her "losing it" helped soften her character.
- Joye Eng of TV Guide named Gloria's storyline the best moment of the week and called Sofia Vergara's version of a typical American accent the most fun.
- Kara Klenc of TV Guide called it a "great episode".
- TV Guide later named it the eleventh best television episode of 2010.
- Michael Slezak of Entertainment Weekly gave a negative review, calling it possibly the least hilarious installment of the second season to date.
From the original
In the episode, Claire's enthusiasm for Halloween drives her to turn the Dunphy home into a haunted house for trick-or-treaters. Phil discovers that his neighbor Jerry has divorced, and comes to fear the same fate could befall his own marriage to Claire; he tries to be spontaneous, but his efforts backfire. Mitchell is excited that his new law firm permits Halloween costumes and wears a Spider-Man suit to work, only to learn too late that costumes are frowned upon; he throws a suit over it but is trapped in meetings all day and cannot remove it. Gloria is offended when Jay and Manny correct her accent, so she begins acting oddly and speaking differently. At the finished haunted house, everything goes wrong: Jay activates effects late, Gloria uses her "English" voice, Alex does a poor job of pretending to be a prisoner, and Cameron keeps recounting his "traumatic" Halloween story. After two failed attempts to scare trick-or-treaters, Claire and Gloria storm out in anger. Jay tells Gloria that her accented voice is what made him fall in love with her when they met, reassuring her, and Phil asks Claire if she is tired of him; she says they are happily stuck together. As they talk, the rest of the family completes the haunted house perfectly.
