Halloween on TV: Five Freaky TV Witches and Vampires

The freaks come out at night—or at least during primetime! Halloween is on the horizon—and so are some of TV’s most memorable Halloween witches and vampires. But we’re not talking beautiful creatures like the characters on “Bewitched” and “Buffy.” No, these witches and vampires were the real deal: pointy noses, warts, fangs and sometimes even green skin!

Check out this rundown of the freakiest TV witches and vampires of all time.

Witch Hazel- “Looney Tunes”

This Looney Tunes witch made an appearance every Halloween, asking her magic mirror if she was the ugliest of them all in the classic animated short, “Broom-Stick Bunny.” She wasn’t, but she did have a knack for making rabbit stew-- just ask Bugs Bunny!  

Wicked Witch of The West- “The Wizard of Oz”

Although she was originally made for the big screen, this classic witch has been a television staple since 1956. The 1939 movie “The Wizard of Oz”  featured the totally scary Wicked Witch of the West, played by Margaret Hamilton.  With her green skin and flying monkey henchmen, this witch was one mean girl, but  Hamilton was equally terrifying as the character of the bike-riding  Miss Gulch in the same film. 

Witchiepoo- “H.R. Pufnstuf”

She may have been a caricature of sorts, but this Saturday morning witch (played by Billie Hayes) was one ugly broad.  OK, we'll admit "H.R. Pufnstuf's" resident witch was fairly harmless,  although her main mission in life was to swipe the psychedelic Freddy the Flute. (This was the early 1970s, after all.) You can check out Witchiepoo—and her terrible cackle-- here:

Barnabus Collins- “Dark Shadows”

The theme music to this show alone was enough to scare a person!  The gothic soap opera "Dark Shadows" aired from 1965 to 1971 and its lead vampire was light years ahead of “Twilight.” When Barnabus Collins (played by Jonathan Frid), showed his fangs, you knew he meant business! "Dark Shadows" —and Barnabus—was resurrected from the dead in 2012, courtesy of Johnny Depp, but Frid remains the vampire by which all others are measured. Check out Jonathan Frid as Barnabus Collins here:

Grandpa Munster- “The Munsters”

He may have been TV’s funniest Dracula, but when Grandpa Munster got mad—watch out! The quirky character's name was actually Sam Dracula, Count of Transylvania, but fans affectionately referred to him as Grandpa on the 1960’s dark comedy, "The Munsters."  Lewis, who died in 2006, was actually a year younger than his TV daughter, Yvonne Decarlo! Check out  the show's intro: