My Rating
“Haunted House Hustle!”
In Riverdale, you don’t trick-or-treat a house; the house trick-or-treats you! Archie and Jughead thought they had seen every Halloween prank ever devised. Even the lame ones perpetrated by Reggie Mantle can get rather elaborate. However, a walking house seems to be in a league of its own.
Say hello to Medusa Arsnica Doom’s newest creation—the Eyegore “Monster House.” If you hurry, it can be seen stomping down Main Street near Third Avenue. Look out, Betty and Veronica! Uh, too late. The Eyegore Estate just ate the two girls and their Halloween ambitions. Who will fight over Archie at this year’s Halloween party?
Never fear, Cosmo the Mighty Martian is here! Surely an interplanetary adventurer can put a stop to a rampaging piece of real estate. Unfortunately, even Cosmo discovers that the Eyegore Estate isn’t your average fixer-upper. When extraterrestrial intervention isn’t enough, the Mighty Crusaders’ youngest member, Fly Girl, swoops in to lend a hand. Riverdale has officially gone from neighborhood Halloween emergency to superhero crisis.
With Betty and Veronica trapped somewhere inside the lumbering monstrosity, Archie and Jughead aren’t about to stand on the sidelines either. The boys must find a way to rescue their friends while Cosmo and Fly Girl do their best to bring Medusa’s creation under control. Unfortunately, getting swallowed by the Eyegore Estate might be the easy part. Once inside, the gang discovers that this is no ordinary haunted attraction.
The house may have a mind—and an appetite—of its own. Every room brings another supernatural surprise as Riverdale’s residents attempt to survive Medusa’s latest creation. If a Mighty Martian, a Mighty Crusader, and Riverdale’s most experienced Halloween troublemakers can’t stop this walking nightmare, who can?
Can Archie and his friends escape the Eyegore Monster House before Halloween night comes to an end? Or has Medusa Arsnica Doom finally created a haunted attraction capable of putting Riverdale permanently off the trick-or-treating map?
“The Secret Of The Old Music Hall”
MTV is calling, and The Archies need a new music video! Why, oh why did Veronica’s dad agree to let the band shoot their latest footage inside his rundown music hall? Can you say freebie?! The bigger question is, what—or who—is causing all those strange mishaps on the set?
Archie and Jughead have never heard of the Music Hall Ghost. Veronica and Betty sure have. According to the girls, the old building has a haunted history, and their unexpected guest doesn’t seem too thrilled about The Archies turning his stomping grounds into a music-video set.
Don’t run out on the band now, Archie! The cameras are rolling, the music is playing, and something supernatural is waiting behind the curtain. Things are about to get spooky!
“Haunt Taunt!”
Tourists—they want to be pampered, especially when those tourists happen to be Archie and Jughead. The boys stand at the base of a mountain, staring up at the famous Haunted Castle perched high above. Oh, the adventure that must await them! But who in their right mind would want to hike all the way to the peak to find out?
Wait, what’s this? Here comes a taxi—and not just any taxi. The sign proudly reads “Haunted Castle Taxis.” What luck! Archie and Jughead can ride to the top in comfort and save their aching feet for whatever horrors await them inside.
There’s just one little problem. Their driver looks an awful lot like a ghoul.
“A GHOUL?!”
Maybe that hike wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
“Monster Bash”
Welcome to Veronica Lodge’s annual Halloween bash and extravagant display of wealth! This year’s theme is Hollywood Horror Monsters, and Riverdale’s finest have arrived dressed to frighten. Who will take home the prize for the scariest costume? Jughead the Wolfman? Ethel the Blob? Perhaps even Franken-Moose? The competition is downright monstrous!
But wait! Why isn’t Reggie Mantle dressed for frightening success? Surely Riverdale’s resident prankster wouldn’t miss an opportunity to steal the spotlight. Is he planning another one of his infamous Halloween tricks, or is something more sinister afoot?
There’s only one way to find out. It’s time to investigate!
“Clothes Make the Monster”
Dilton Doiley has seen his fair share of slaves to fashion—thanks to Betty and Veronica. But costume domination? That’s a new one! Why are Archie and the rest of the gang acting so strangely after suiting up for tonight’s Halloween party? Something suspicious is happening at the new costume shop on Mockingbird Lane, and Riverdale’s resident boy genius is determined to get to the bottom of it.
This isn’t one of those pop-up Spirit Halloween stores that seem to dominate every street corner come October. Oh, no! This is something much, much worse! The mysterious shopkeeper is a fifth-level sorcerer supreme, and his merchandise comes with a little more than a price tag. It seems these Halloween costumes have a mind of their own!
Can Dilton unravel the supernatural mystery before his friends become permanent slaves to their Halloween disguises? Or has Riverdale’s smartest teenager finally encountered a problem that can’t be solved with a scientific equation?
Look out, Dilton! Science can’t help you now!
Review
Archie Comics has once again delivered a frightfully entertaining Halloween spectacular! This year’s annual brings together a wonderful collection of republished stories spanning three separate decades, along with an all-new tale, “Clothes Make the Monster.” From haunted houses and Hollywood monsters to supernatural costume shops, Riverdale’s favorite teenagers find themselves in one bizarre predicament after another. What a fun little collection this turned out to be!
My favorite part of this issue is undoubtedly the superhero and monster mashup featured in “Haunted House Hustle.” Seeing Cosmo the Mighty Martian and Fly Girl of the Mighty Crusaders sharing the spotlight with Archie and Jughead is an absolute treat. Throw in a rampaging monster house, a little Halloween mayhem, and the usual Riverdale shenanigans, and you’ve got yourself a winning combination. I would love to see Archie Comics explore more of these superhero crossovers in future Halloween specials.
The remaining stories offer a delightful mixture of nostalgia, humor, and supernatural mischief. “Monster Bash” celebrates the classic Hollywood horror monsters, while the Music Hall Ghost brings a little paranormal trouble to The Archies’ latest musical adventure. Meanwhile, the new story, “Clothes Make the Monster,” gives Dilton Doiley an opportunity to match his scientific intellect against the forces of sorcery. There’s something here for just about every fan of the Archie universe.
If I have one minor complaint, it’s that I would love to see more original material in these annual Halloween collections. Don’t get me wrong, the older stories are a blast to revisit, especially when they showcase different eras of Archie Comics. However, a few more new adventures would make these seasonal specials even more appealing to longtime readers.
Overall, Archie’s Halloween Spectacular (2026) is a terrific little celebration of everything that makes Riverdale such an entertaining place to visit during the Halloween season. It’s lighthearted, nostalgic, and packed with enough monsters, ghosts, and superheroes to keep this horror comic book fan satisfied.
I give this issue a frightening four out of five stars!
