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Warning: Post contains spoilers

While CBC hit series “Murdoch Mysteries” featured Christmas cases, its first Halloween special debuted with season 12 episode 6 “Sir. Sir? Sir!!!” But “Murdoch Mysteries” episode “Murdoch and the Cursed Cave” delivers a creepy, and quite literally campy, Halloween Murdoch special. Season 13 episode 5 finds Detective William Murdoch (Yannick Bisson) and his wife, Dr. Juila Ogden (Hélène Joy) poised to embark on a camping trip with Constable Henry Higgins (Lachlan Murdoch) and his wife Ruth Newsome of the Mimico Newsomes (Siobhan Murphy), as well as Constable George Crabtree (Jonny Harris) and his girlfriend Effie Newsome (Clare McConnell). Unfortunately, George and Effie can’t attend. As such, Julia, William, Higgins, and Ruth venture on a camping trip sans Effie and George.

However, the camping trip doesn’t go as planned. You can take Murdoch away from a case, but you can’t take the case away from Murdoch. Clumsy as always, Henry topples off the edge of a cliff where a dead body breaks his fall. Nearby, William finds an abandoned camp with another deceased victim. While investigating the campsite, Murdoch deduces that the pair were university students studying the paranormal. During his fall, Higgins dropped the tents which rolled into a river and washed downstream. Thus, the two couples are forced to sleep in a deserted cabin. Here, Murdoch learns of two brothers, former residents of the cabin, that disappeared some ten years prior. The locals blame a mythical creature known as the headpiecer. Local legend holds that the bird-human hybrid guards the entrance to the underworld which rests nearby.

Back in Toronto, Inspector Thomas Brackenreid (Thomas Craig) and his wife Margaret (Arwen Humphreys) prepare to celebrate their anniversary. But a group of children continues pestering the Brackenreids. First, they throw a baseball through the window of the Brackenreid household. Later, it’s a bundle of snakes slipped through the shattered window. However, the unsuspecting children picked the wrong couple to bother, as both Tom and Margaret are tough adversaries.

Observations:

Right away, “Murdoch Mysteries” S13E05 sets its spooky tone. The familiar “Murdoch Mysteries” theme song benefits from a horror-inspired twist infused with warbling theramin notes a la a 50s sci-fi or horror B-movie. Moreover, “Murdoch and the Cursed Cave,” which sounds as though it could be the title of a Hardy Boys novel, is chock-full of recognizable horror movie references. The kids heckling the Brackenreids mimic the children from “Village of the Damned.” When Higgins consumes a batch of hallucinogenic mushrooms, he sees maggots in the skillet of shrooms, a throwback to “The Lost Boys.” Then, he begins laughing hysterically as a bear head on the wall guffaws as well in a clever throwback to the “Evil Dead II” laughter scene. Margaret even dresses up like the old woman from “Insidious” to scare the kiddos who have been bothering her and Inspector Brackenreid. For horror aficionados, these are fantastic references to classic flicks.

Generally, “Murdoch and the Cursed Cave” arrives with intentional tropes of the horror genre: the local townsfolk offering a cryptic warning, monster lore, and of course a Halloween atmosphere. It’s a bit different than the controversial “Sir. Sir? Sir!!!” which proved to be non-canon. Instead, this “Murdoch Mysteries” Halloween special remains canon. Although Murdoch ultimately catches the culprit, there’s a bit of a twist. The episode culminates with a local storekeeper bringing the faux-headpiercer as an offering to what appears to be a genuine headpiercer. Therefore, the finale begs the question, is the headpiercer real? It’s left up to the viewer’s imagination, and I prefer to believe that, indeed, it is.

I absolutely loved “Murdoch Mysteries” Halloween special “Murdoch and the Cursed Cave.” It’s spooky, silly, and packed with horror movie references. Pitting Murdoch and Ogden with Ruth and Higgins makes for a riotously hilarious dynamic. Despite her protestations, Ruth is not suited to camping. Plus, we finally get a bit more Arwen Humpheries. Margaret’s screams delight, this go round both in fear and fun. And Margaret simply is one of the best “Murdoch Mysteries” characters, so it’s a blast whenever she’s on. Like “Sir. Sir? Sir!!!” “Murdoch and the Cursed Cave” is all treat, and no trick.