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"When Halloween Was Forever" is the eighth episode of The Real Ghostbusters, first aired November 1, 1986. It was written by J. Michael Straczynski and introduces the villain Samhain. When ancient ruins from Ireland arrive in New York for examination, the spirit of Samhain is loosed and declares that Halloween should last forever, summoning an army of the night to make it so.1
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On the night before Halloween, a UBN news van pulls up where Ecto-1 is parked and reporter Cynthia Crawford begins a report, noting that hours remain before Halloween begins. Inside the building, the Ghostbusters trap several hairy ghosts in a job that proves unusually difficult. Back at the firehouse, Peter Venkman finds Egon Spengler deep in research. Winston Zeddemore wonders why the job was so hard, and Ray Stantz suspects the approach of Halloween has something to do with it. Peter blackmails Egon into talking by threatening to tell Slimer there is a cupcake hidden in Egon's socks. Egon immediately counters by telling Slimer there is a lollipop in Peter's sock. In the background, Winston is playing Checkers with Slimer. Egon explains that a large spike in P.K.E. readings is centered on ancient ruins brought to a New York museum from Ireland two weeks earlier, dated to the seventh century, and that Ray and he see a connection to the origins of Halloween.
Two goblins sneak into the museum chanting "Samhain" and draw an infinity symbol on the ancient Irish clock, releasing Samhain. He flies off to gather minions while the goblins head out into the city. When the goblins reach the firehouse, Janine Melnitz offers them bon-bons; they respond by blowing her against the wall. The Ghostbusters suit up and begin trapping ghosts across town as a city-wide manifestation overtakes New York and the P.K.E. Meter goes off the scale.
Slimer is dragged from the firehouse to a gathering of ghosts where Samhain, disgusted by the smell of humans on him, orders Slimer to join his midnight army or pay the price. The Ghostbusters notice that despite hours of work their watches have not moved. Samhain appears, asks why they are harming his "little ones," and reveals he has halted time to make an eternal Halloween night. Ray recalls that Halloween began as the feast of Samhain. When Egon shines a flashlight on him, Samhain flees, and the team realizes light is his weakness, only to find the city's lights going out.
Egon devises a plan: Peter, Ray, and Winston mount a frontal assault to distract Samhain while Egon moves spotlights into position and charges them from his pack. On the rooftop, Samhain holds a weakened Slimer hostage and orders the Ghostbusters to lay down their weapons, but Slimer breaks free when Ray shouts "Pizza!" Egon switches on the spotlights, stunning Samhain, who is captured along with the rest of the ghosts.
Back at the firehouse, Winston empties the trap and Samhain sits calmly in the Containment Unit. Egon predicts that, having waited centuries for freedom, Samhain will simply wait again for his eventual return. The episode closes with a floating-pumpkin scare that turns out to be Slimer, after which the team plays a tickle trick on Janine.
Samhain makes his debut in this episode. A Class 6 entity, he is described in-universe as a legendary spirit of Halloween dating back to seventh-century Ireland, where Halloween originated as the Feast of Samhain. He was imprisoned in the ancient stone clock before being brought unknowingly to New York. His powers include the ability to halt time, command legions of ghosts, and project black lightning. His principal weakness is intense light. Samhain is voiced by William E. Martin.
Samhain is one of the few recurring antagonists of the series. He returns the following Halloween in "Halloween II 1/2," and a third Halloween episode, "The Halloween Door," does not feature him.
The episode was recorded on July 7, 1986, and carries production number 75010.2 It is the first of three Halloween themed episodes of the series and the debut of Samhain. The episode is also one of two appearances of reporter Cynthia Crawford, who is seen again in "Citizen Ghost."
Like the rest of the season's episodes, it uses a track from the show's soundtrack; the song "Midnight Action" plays during part of the episode.
When Peter presses him, Egon claims he and Ray were building a Spectral Differentializer, a device the series finally puts to use in "Adventures in Slime and Space." This is also the first time the Ghostbusters are shown using the viewer to look at the universe inside the Containment Unit. Winston refers to the proton packs as "Power Packs" when he confirms they still work after the blackout.
Peter delivers the familiar trope line "It was quiet. Too quiet" early in the episode. During the scene in which Egon and Ray confer over their research, Winston can be seen playing Checkers with Slimer in the background.
The episode was later referenced in IDW Publishing's comics. The news anchor dressed as a clown appears on a screen in Ghostbusters International #10, and Ghostbusters Annual 2018 features several callbacks: the Wheel of the Year symbol the goblins used to free Samhain, a miniature of the relic he was freed from, and ghosts visually based on Samhain's midnight army. The two goblin minions also appear in the Annual 2018.
The episode appears on Season 1 of the series and was issued on home video as part of "The Real Ghostbusters: Complete Collection" (Volume 1, Disc 2).
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