Buffy the Vampire Slayer Wiki Guide


Halloween is the sixth episode of the second season.

Written by: Carl Ellsworth
Directed by: Bruce Seth Green
Original Air Date: 10/27/97

Buffy fights off a vampire--while someone else is recording it--which causes her to be late for a date with Angel. Cordy, of course, steps in to keep him company and Buffy walks in to see it. Angel notices her and goes to talk to her, but Buffy goes home, feeling like it's impossible for her to have a normal life.

At school, Principal Snyder forces people to sign up to take kids trick-or-treating, including Buffy, Willow, and Xander. Costumes are mandatory so they all have to get some.

Wanting to know more about Angel, Buffy and Willow steal one of the Watcher's diaries from Giles' office and read up on him as well as the girls around that time period. Cordy interrupts and asks about Angel, and they tell her that he's a vampire, but she doesn't believe them. Wanting to feel like a noble girl from way back when, Buffy gets a costume (a dress) that fits that era. Willow dresses up as a ghost and Xander dresses up as a soldier.

Meanwhile, Spike is studying a tape of Buffy fighting, trying to get to know his opponent. Drusilla, who has a type of psychic ability, tells him that Buffy will be weak the next night--Halloween. Like in Inca Mummy Girl, Oz sees Willow (and bumps into her while she has her ghost costume on) but still doesn't know who she actually is. While out trick-or-treating with the kids, Ethan Rayne, the owner of the costume shop, does a ritual that turns everyone into whatever they're costume is. Xander turns into a soldier and worst of all, Buffy becomes a noble woman from the 1700s. She loses her slayer abilities along with her memory.

Fortunately, since Willow was dressed as a ghost, her memory remains intact. Along with that, Cordy got her costume elsewhere so she's not affected. Willow brings them all together at Buffy's house and then she goes to inform Giles of what's going on. Angel then shows up. He fights off a vampire but in the process, Buffy sees his face, fangs and all, and runs off. Angel, Xander, and Cordy go after her.

Willow mentions to Giles that they got their costumes from a new place called Ethan's, so the two of them head there. Giles tells Willow to leave when they come across Ethan himself, and it's clear that the two of them know each other. At the same time, the others find Buffy as Spike and his minions close in. They hide in a warehouse but Spike's group is able to break in. Just as Spike is about to bite Buffy, Giles breaks the spell and everyone goes back to normal. Spike runs off. Afterward, Angel tells Buffy that he never even liked the type of girls back when he was young and prefers someone like Buffy.

Giles goes back to the costume shop and finds that Ethan has cleared out of there.

Cordelia: "That's nice, Willow. And you went mental when?"