The special Halloween episode of Riverdale opens with the biggest twist in the show’s history: Bette still has a VCR in her house. Not only that, so does everyone else in Riverdale. And they all were sent creepy videos of the outside of their houses. Veronica watches hers hooked up to a modern HDTV. And the stalker was kind enough to find a VHS tape that does anamorphic widescreen. In an age where it’s never been easier to send creepy videos to people, leaving VHS tapes on front porches is just a weird choice.
Old-school Airdrops aren’t the only creepy thing happening in town. Jughead’s literature class is having a Halloween-themed meeting where they all bring their favorite horror stories. Brett sneers at Jughead for bringing H.P. Lovecraft, while he brought Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven.” Look, I know Riverdale is trying to use this to show Jughead as an interesting and cool outsider who really knows what’s up here. But Lovecraft? Look, I get it. I went through a Lovecraft phase, too. But even then, I knew I probably shouldn’t hold him up as some great master. Especially when I got to the story that features his cat… who definitely shouldn’t be named. Lovecraft was kind of the worst, guys.
Cody Kearsley as Moose and Cole Sprouse as Jughead — Photo: Diyah Pera/The CW
The episode keeps the cast largely separate so a few of them can have their own personal horror movie homage. Jughead’s classmates tell him about four students that disappeared mysteriously, bating him into researching them. They knock him out with some spiked coffee and Jughead wakes up trapped inside a coffin with only a Zippo lighter. No matter how much he screams and bangs on the lid, no one comes to get him. “Buried” isn’t the first movie that comes to mind when I think Halloween, but I’ll give Riverdale one thing. They picked a damn effective plot to borrow. Even if it is just doing the thing, the claustrophobic shots give me chills all the same. The next morning, their teacher lets Jughead out. Brett and his friends insist it’s some kind of hazing ritual. Jughead thinks differently though after he gets back to his room. Moose is gone.
Betty, meanwhile, is having the worst Halloween too and not just because her boyfriend’s not there. Despite being dressed as Laurie Strode from Halloween, her horror movie tribute is much more When a Stranger Calls. First, she has to relive all her trauma as every trick-or-treater is dressed as either the Black Hood or the Gargoyle King. That can’t be fun. Then she starts getting calls from someone claiming to be her father. She knows that can’t be true, she saw him die. Charles arrives hoping to spend Halloween with some family, and traces the call for her. It’s coming from Shady Grove, where Polly is undergoing treatment for her Farm brainwashing. Betty calls Polly to tell her off, but Polly doesn’t appear to know what she’s talking about. Is this the beginning of a new plot point or will this just be forgotten completely?
Lili Reinhart as Betty — Photo: Jack Rowand/The CW
Cheryl and Toni are dealing with what appears to be a haunted doll. After discovering Jason’s corpse in the chapel, Toni makes Cheryl re-bury it. She must have the patience of a saint. I know personally, keeping a sibling’s dead body in the basement is a relationship ender. And if that didn’t do it, suddenly talking to a doll that looks like said dead sibling definitely would. Toni throws it away and it reappears in the chapel. Total Chucky/Talking Tina situation.
Cheryl convinces Toni to hold a seance. Or play a game of Ouija. Same thing, really. Throughout the game, it becomes increasingly clear that this is all a ploy to get Jason’s corpse back into the house. Cheryl has been gaslighting Toni with the doll, so she’ll agree to let her keep a dead body in the basement. And she agrees to it! Oddly enough, the doll keeps showing up even after Jason’s back. Nana Rose says it’s the spirit of the lost triplet, whom Cheryl ate in the womb. Cool… Seriously Toni, get out! And Cheryl, get therapy.
Vanessa Morgan as Toni, Madelaine Petsch as Cheryl and Barbara Wallace as Nana Rose — Photo: Diyah Pera/The CW
Veronica has the scariest story of the evening. As she’s about to close up shop, a diner comes in asking for food. He’s a little creepy, but Veronica lets her guard down when he tells her about his family. It all sounds great until Veronica hears on the news about an escaped serial killer called The Family Man. He makes his victims cook for him before murdering them. Was this story necessary? Probably not. But it was exactly the scare I wanted from Riverdale tonight. The man chases Veronica down into the speakeasy, but she’s not some horror movie victim. She fills a giant cup with alcohol and hides in the dark. When the killer gets close, she lights the cup on fire and dumps it on him. That’s how you act when you’re in a slasher flick.
Each of those three stories felt like perfect Halloween treats. They built upon what this season was already doing to give us three scary shorts on night before the holiday. They were so well done, the rest of the episode was kind of a disappointment by comparison. Archie’s story involved hosting a Halloween party for kids at his community center. He deals with some gang members who threaten them with guns, while a guy who wants out of the gang hides inside. The show does nothing with this premise. Archie calls FP and waits out the situation. The guy hiding out inside tries to go confront the gang members and gets shot, but with so many better stories going on this episode, it’s really hard to care. I will say though, seeing Archie in a Pureheart the Powerful superhero suit is a fun nod to the comics.
Camila Mendes as Veronica — Photo: Jack Rowand/The CW
The cut to the next morning felt super awkward. The stories all reach a climax, and we just cut to the next morning. In each case, it feels like we rush to a conclusion. It does lead to an interesting twist in Betty’s story, though. As she and Jughead tell each other about their crazy nights, we see that Charles is listening in on her conversations. Is he actually behind the strange calls? Is he really even FBI. He was suspicious since the beginning, but now every scene with him is going to feel uneasy. Now that the cult’s gone, that is just the tension this season needs. Oh, and if that wasn’t enough, the episode flashes forward right at the end. To FP and Betty identifying Jughead’s body. What happens between now and then?!
Even though three of the stories clearly outshone the rest, this was pretty much exactly what I wanted from Riverdale this week. We got a collection of scary stories from a show that likes to steep in horror movie homages all year round. It was a fun treat and it even moved the season’s main story along a bit. And we still never got an answer as to who was sending those VHS tapes. I’m gonna guess that’s more than a Lost Highway reference. Riverdale has a new mystery to creep us out all season long.
Riverdale airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on The CW
Previously on Riverdale:
- Riverdale Season 4 Episode 3 Recap
- Riverdale Season 4 Episode 2 Recap
- Riverdale Season 4 Premiere Recap
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