Halloween 2025 arrived with a vengeance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, transforming the Ed Sullivan Theater into a labyrinth of ghoulish giggles and political poltergeists. Airing live on October 31, the special episode – Colbert’s 11th annual All Hallows’ Eve extravaganza – clocked in as the highest-rated late-night broadcast of the year, pulling 3.2 million viewers who tuned in for a cocktail of comedy, cameos, and Colbert’s razor-sharp takedowns. At 61, the host has mastered the art of blending seasonal silliness with substantive shade, and this year’s theme? “Monsters Among Us” – a not-so-subtle nod to the goblins in Washington and the ghosts of elections past. But let’s be real: If you thought last year’s pumpkin spice purge was wild, buckle up. This one featured everything from a rampaging Frankenstein to a puppet-led insurrection, proving once again why Colbert reigns supreme in the midnight hour.

The night kicked off with Colbert emerging from a fog-shrouded stage in full Dracula regalia – cape billowing, fangs gleaming, and a widow’s peak so sharp it could slice through cable news spin. “Welcome to The Late Show, where the only thing scarier than climate change is my hairline under these lights!” he quipped, launching into a monologue that had the audience howling louder than a werewolf at full moon. True to form, politics took center stage early: Colbert roasted the ongoing government shutdown as “the real zombie apocalypse – undead bills shambling through Congress, devouring taxpayer dollars.” He saved his sharpest fangs for President Trump’s Asia crown fiasco, reenacting the “Burger King” coronation with a prop tiara and a McDonald’s wrapper scepter. “Donald got a golden crown from South Korea,” Colbert deadpanned, “but let’s be honest – the only throne he deserves is the porcelain one after too many Filet-O-Fishes.” The crowd lost it, and social media exploded with #ColbertCrown memes faster than you can say “trick or tariff.”

But the monologue was just the warm-up act. The real chills – and thrills – came with the guests, starting with Sir Anthony Hopkins as the night’s undead headliner. At 88, the Silence of the Lambs legend didn’t just chat; he devoured the interview, regaling tales from his latest horror flick while munching on a comically oversized turkey leg (a nod to his cannibalistic Hannibal Lecter). “Stephen, in The Father, I played a man losing his mind – much like watching cable news these days,” Hopkins chuckled, his Welsh lilt dripping with dry wit. Colbert, ever the provocateur, pivoted to Hopkins’ iconic roles: “You’ve scared us as Lecter, terrified us as a swan in 84 Charing Cross Road – wait, was that scary?” The banter flowed like Chianti, culminating in Hopkins improvising a Lecter impression on Colbert himself: “Hello, Stephen… tell me about your childhood fears.” Cue the fake fainting spell from the host – pure gold.

No Halloween special would be complete without Colbert’s signature sketches, and 2025 delivered a double dose of delicious dread. First up: “The Colbert Questionert” – that fan-favorite rapid-fire quiz where celebrities spill secrets via puppet alter-egos. This time, it was Dr. Frankenstein’s Monster in the hot seat, voiced by a gravelly Jon Hamm (uncredited, but the timbre was unmistakable). Strapped to a faux laboratory table, the green-skinned giant fielded queries like “What’s your go-to karaoke song?” (Answer: “I Put a Spell on You,” naturally) and “Boxers or bolts?” The bit peaked with the Monster confessing his “first crush” was on Elsa Lanchester’s Bride – “She had that hair… electric!” Fans on X (formerly Twitter) went feral, posting clips with captions like “Hamm as Frankenstein? I’m deceased. #ColbertHalloween.” It was a masterclass in meta-humor, blending classic monster tropes with modern absurdity, clocking over 5 million YouTube views by midnight.

If the Questionert was clever, the cold open sketch was straight-up chaotic: “Kids Pitch: Monster Mash-Up Mayhem!” A troupe of pint-sized performers – think Severance‘s Britt Lower channeling a deranged puppet master from her 2022 Late Show cameo – pitched “terrifying” ideas for a new holiday blockbuster. Lower, reprising her unhinged energy, unveiled “Inside Out: The Exorcism Edition,” where Riley’s emotions battle a demon possessing her joy center. “Imagine Sadness with horns – box office brimstone!” she cackled, as child actors in demon onesies rampaged through a candy-strewn set, hurling fake ectoplasm at Colbert’s beleaguered intern. The chaos escalated when Norman Reedus popped in via pre-taped video (a throwback to his 2019 scary costume rating skit), judging the kids’ getups on a scale of “mildly spooky” to “Walking Dead-level nightmare.” “That one’s giving zombie apocalypse chic,” Reedus drawled, earning screams and applause. It was vintage Late Show: Over-the-top, inclusive, and laced with enough Easter eggs to keep rewatches rolling till Christmas.

Musical guests cranked the eerie vibes to eleven. Opener Thundercat, fresh off his October 28 appearance, returned for a midnight set blending jazz-funk with horror samples – think “Them Changes” remixed over creaking coffin lids. But the showstopper? A surprise drop-in from alt-metal spectralists Ghost, channeling their 2015 Halloween Eve debut with a blistering “Cirice” that had the theater’s ghosts (literal Ed Sullivan spirits?) rattling the rafters. Frontman Papa Emeritus IV, masked and menacing, prowled the stage while Colbert joined in on air guitar, shouting, “This is what democracy looks like – satanic and synchronized!” The performance, heavy on fog machines and pyrotechnics, blurred the line between concert and conjuring, leaving viewers glued to Paramount+ reruns.

Of course, no Colbert Halloween would skip the topical terrors. In a segment dubbed “ICE Scream,” the host skewered immigration policies with a mock haunted house tour: Ghosts of deported families wailed through fogged-up ICE vans, while candy corn tariffs rained from the ceiling. “Trick-or-treat? More like tariff-or-deport!” Colbert thundered, tying it back to Trump’s shutdown stubbornness. The bit drew praise for its bite – and backlash from the usual suspects – but that’s the Colbert magic: Laughs that linger like a curse. Wrapping the night, he led a “group exorcism” of 2025’s woes, from AI doomsaying to endless election ads, complete with a conga line of cast members in devil horns.

As the credits rolled under a shower of digital cobwebs, one truth haunted the air: The Late Show‘s Halloween tradition isn’t just entertainment; it’s a cultural séance, summoning the year’s spirits for a proper send-off. With rumors swirling of the show’s impending May 2026 curtain call (thanks to CBS’s “financial full moon”), this episode felt like a defiant full-moon howl – Colbert reminding us why he’s the high priest of late-night levity. Ratings spiked 15% over last year, proving monsters sell, but heart (and heresy) seals the deal.

Yet, the real spine-tingler? Whispers from insiders hint at a post-credits stinger: Colbert teasing a “farewell fright” for his finale, promising “the biggest monster reveal since Orson Welles panicked the nation.” Is it a Trump takedown doc? A reunion with old Daily Show demons? Or something so shadowy, it’ll redefine late-night legacies? One peek behind the crypt curtain, and you might never sleep again.