SNL or Saturday Night Live has just reached it's 50th season! That is a lot of years of comedy, coming from some of the most talented comedians and celebrities alike, performing opening monologues and skits.
When done right, these moments leave a lasting impact, whether they are touching on current affairs or events of the past. Seeing as how Halloween is right around the corner we wanted to compile a list of 7 of the best Halloween moments in SNL history.
From the nostalgic to the downright sidesplitting, which moments do you think made our list?
1. Michael Keaton on Trick-or-Treating (Season 8)
Our list begins with something a little different. While no one can deny that Michael Keaton has been exuding humor and star power from the beginning, his monologue about Trick-or-treating has us feeling a little nostalgic.
Who doesn't remember Trick-or-treating as a kid? Who doesn't recall how lucky they felt when they found the ideal neighborhood that gave out full-sized candy bars?
During his monologue and even today, candy is smaller, and you still have those people who give out fruits and vegetables. While his monologue provides some humor, it's mostly a homage to the Halloween tradition and how it's changing.
Kids today may never know the true beauty and fun of Trick-or-treating years ago. As emotional as we may have gotten, we can smile at the wonderful memories and hope future generations can find equally happy ones as Trick-or-treating passes on year after year.
2. Matt Foley - A Scary Story on Halloween (Season 19)
Repeat after us, "I live in a van down by the river!" What happens when David Spade, Melanie Hutsell, and Christian Slater cause some mischief on Halloween?
Why they get special visit from the legendary Matt Foley, here to scare them straight thanks to their dad Phil Hartman (gone too soon). Oh, and Foley is played by the equal legendary Chris Farley (also gone too soon).
Aside from the insanity of a man such as Matt Foley being a motivational speaker, whilst yelling the entire time, is the way everyone in the scene begins cracking as this hilarious performance unfolds. If we learned anything from this skit it is that we are thinking twice before committing any pranks on Halloween.
3. Firelight (Season 35)
There was a time when vampires were not seen as bloodthirsty, monsters who'd turn into bats and kill without mercy. Thanks to the popular and successful Twilight franchise, based on a collection of books, we have handsome, misunderstood vampires who glitter in the sunlight...(odd choice).
Therefore, when SNL released their spoof of Twilight called Firelight, we get one unforgettable and amusing Halloween-themed skit. Starring Taylor Swift as the Bella Swan female lead and Bill Hader as the Frankenstein monster she falls in love with, the spoof doesn't fail in making us laugh over the ridiculousness of long, drawn-out pauses, dramatic stares, a female lead with no personality and her horrible choice to fall in love with a literal monster.
The entire spoof is a near scene-by-scene copy of several key moments in Twilight. There is just something so asinine about a young teenage girl falling for a less-than-attractive Frankenstein monster.
But even this spoof of a love story is better than Twilight.
4. Vincent Price's Halloween Special (Season 36)
Vincent Price made a career out of being the King of all things creepy and scary. With a long and successful career in Hollywood, we were pleasantly surprised at how well Bill Hader portrayed him.
In this black and white skit, Hader AKA: Price holds his own Halloween special complete with special guests and Hollywood royalty Gloria Swanson, James Mason. Even Liberace shows up!
All Vincent Price wants to do is have a Halloween special, but it is constantly being ruined by Hollywood talent of the past causing drama by simply being themselves. As these Hollywood legends come off more like caricatures of the real performers who graced the silver screen, audiences get a look into the past combined with the eerie and chilling nature of Halloween.
5. Haunted Elevator (ft. David S. Pumpkins)
One of the most iconic Halloween characters in SNL history is David S. Pumpkins played by Tom Hanks. When a couple just wants to experience a scary Halloween attraction via elevator, David S. Pumpkins shows up.
Needless to say, he's hardly scary nor threatening like the other actors are. He's goofy, has two skeleton sidekicks, and shows up at random to the point the couple is growing increasingly frustrated.
Unlike the other actors, who are performing as popular or well-known scary characters, no one knows who David S. Pumpkins even is. He just shows up almost assuming you know who he is.
This skit doesn't need all the bells and whistles to be funny and memorable. It's Tom Hanks, he's wearing the coolest yet easiest Halloween outfit ever and puts on a show, even if it's not what the couple is looking for.
6. Hallmark Horror (Season 49)
Hallmark is known for a multitude of things, most of which is their copy-and-paste tactic for nearly every film, regardless of the subject matter. In this skit, we learn what happens when girl reunites with boy in the country who also happens to be a serial killer.
He may be killing innocent people but that's not stopping our main female lead from falling in love. Even though she still has a life back home in the city, complete with an unlikable fiancé.
But spending time with her old classmate, learning his ways, and surrounding herself with blood and body parts, makes her more sure than ever that he's the one. Honestly, we'd love to see an actual Hallmark movie based on this concept.
7. Spirit Halloween (Season 50)
Last but not least is a very recent Halloween-themed skit based on the popular Halloween store, Spirit Halloween. The fake ad plays out like most: a town in financial trouble, job opportunities practically non-existent...that is until Spirit Halloween shows up at the latest empty storefront for only a few weeks.
After Halloween is over, as the ad perfectly shows, they bounce until next year. Spirit Halloween may have started as your ideal Halloween shopping experience, competing with the likes of Party City to provide customers with the best in Halloween supplies from costumes to decor.
But after some time, the store became a meme of itself, making this addition to our list pure Halloween humor perfection.
What is your favorite Halloween SNL moment?