| "Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps" | |
|---|---|
| Community episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 5 |
| Directed by | Tristram Shapeero |
| Written by | Dan Harmon |
| Production code | 305 |
| Original air date | October 27, 2011 |
"Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps" is the fifth episode of the third season of the U.S. television series Community. It first aired on October 27, 2011 on NBC and is the series' 2011 Halloween episode.
In the episode, Britta is led to believe that one member of the group is a psychopath and is determined to find out who it is. Though her plan was to gauge the reaction of the other characters after telling them a horror story, all the other characters end up telling stories of their own. Each story illustrates how each character views each other and themselves. The episode is also notable for paying off the series' Beetlejuice gag, in a character uttering the name "Beetlejuice" and the character of Betelgeuse himself then walking by, after the name was previously uttered in the episodes "Communication Studies" and "Cooperative Calligraphy"; in the self-titled 1988 film, animated series, and musical, the character would suddenly enter the scene whenever someone said his name three times.[1][2]
The episode was written by series creator Dan Harmon and directed by Tristram Shapeero. It received positive reviews from critics.