British Comedy Guide

Eerie or creepy sitcom episodes

Some of my favourite episodes of sitcoms tend to be ones that have a distinctly eerie or supernatural vibe to them. Like when the characters end up staying in a haunted location, for example.

Here's a few examples that I really like:

Are You Being Served?, Again!/Grace and Favour - One of the episodes of this show has the characters dealing with eerie things that start happening in the big manor house they are running as a hotel. It's storming, the power goes out, strange sounds are heard. Just a good general Halloween-type vibe all around.

2point4 Children: Babes In The Wood, 1993 Christmas Special.
The Porters get lost in thick fog and take refuge in a deserted old house. Meanwhile, a dangerous psychopath has escaped from a prison van not far away. Members of the family start disappearing one by one. Nice and creepy episode.

Not Going Out: The House, 2013 Christmas Special. They go on a trip to spend Christmas at an old house, where seemingly haunted happenings start to occur.

I was wondering if anybody else was a big fan of these kinds of episodes, and if anyone had some good suggestions for similarly themed shows?

Only Fools and Horses had an episode with a funny sceance scene...that's allI can contribute to this thread.

I like supernatural themes, but not necessarily in comedy.

All of the League of Gentlemen.

I did find parts of the dogging clown episode of Not Going Out quite eerie.

I remember series two of The Mighty Boosh being eerie at times.

There's a hell of a lot more in 2point4 Children that has creepy or other-worldly undertones. The whole of Series 1 with the biker, and beginning of Series 2, for example.

Every episode of Darkplace

This Is Jinsy has some eerie episodes like the Kelpman episode. Don't know if it's a proper sitcom though.

Quote: zooo @ 31st March 2014, 8:11 PM BST

All of the League of Gentlemen.

I did find parts of the dogging clown episode of Not Going Out quite eerie.

The only part of League of Gentlemen that I thought was even slightly creepy were the scenes with Papa Lazarou. It was a very weird show, and honestly I didn't really take to it; I may give it another shot sometime though. The Not Going Out episode with the clown in the woods on the other hand I thought was great; the silent creepy guy in the woods wearing a clown mask was reminded me of a mixture of Michael Myers and Pennywise the clown.

Quote: Aaron @ 31st March 2014, 9:14 PM BST

There's a hell of a lot more in 2point4 Children that has creepy or other-worldly undertones. The whole of Series 1 with the biker, and beginning of Series 2, for example.

I've not actually seen the first couple series' of 2point4. I've really liked what I have watched though. It's very different from the "typical" family sitcom.

Quote: FracturedMirror @ 2nd April 2014, 9:51 PM BST

The only part of League of Gentlemen that I thought was even slightly creepy were the scenes with Papa Lazarou.

Really? :O
The Dentons, Hilary Briss and Pop the Greek dad were so creepy. And, well, there was fabulous creepiness all over the shop really. Watch it again! You know you want to.

Quote: zooo @ 2nd April 2014, 10:02 PM BST

And, well, there was fabulous creepiness all over the shop really.

Specifically, the local shop.

Lol, indeed!

Darkplace, almost every episode has something "eerie" I guess.

I could mention a few (I won't name the episodes as I'm not an anorak but people will recognise them>

The Rising Damp episode where Rigsby convinces his tenants that the house is haunted by The Grey Lady - and then is terrorised by her himself. Priceless. And the comic timing when e meets her on the stairs is superb.

Similarly in Dad's Army when the platoon have to spend a stormy night in a big old empty house. Strange things happen...

In Home to Roost Matthew tries to convince his dad that the spirit of a dead cat stalks his bedroom. Henry sets out to 'prove' it with a soft toy and later unexpectedly encounters a 'ghost' at the local railway station late at night.

When a programme normally concentrates on laughs, adding a creepy aura introduces a new twist. Not Going Out uses this technique in the Christmas Special and even dear old On The Buses manages to create a creepy atmosphere in Foggy Night when the double decker is stranded somewhere out in the countryside. Pity that Blakey couldn't somehow have reappeared as Dracula (which Stan and Jack were always calling him) when he gets lost trying to find a phone box. That would have made my day that would.

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