Tonight, ABC’s Shark Tank will be celebrating its first ever Shark-O-Ween. While the program has seen a handful of horror-centric pitches in the past, this particular episode takes things much further, including special set decor, themed lower thirds, sinister title work, and — at least in the case of one pitch — a mariachi version of the show’s iconic theme song. Topping it all off is an appearance by special guest shark Jason Blum. If that name sounds familiar at all, it’s because that’s ‘Blum’ as in Blumhouse, which has produced numerous well-respected horror hits such as Paranormal Activity, Get Out, and M3GAN.
As you’d expect from a Shark-O-Ween episode, the first pitch the Sharks hear is spooky in nature as the entrepreneur is looking to build a family adventure, thrill, and scare center. Meanwhile, other presentations during this themed installment include a Mexican candy sauce (hence the mariachi band), a pumpkin carving company, and a tour group that takes travelers to ghostly locations. Will these small business owners get the treat-filled bag they seek or walk away empty handed? You’ll have to tune in to see for yourself.
Like nearly all of the guest Sharks I’ve seen in the past, Blum fits into the Tank perfectly. Some of the advice he provides the entrepreneurs throughout the episode was truly insightful. On that note, while Blum may be known as a horror guy, it should be noted that what really makes Blumhouse unique is their business model that, quite honestly, is basically the opposite of how Disney’s film division has operated in the past several years. Thankfully, this is all pretty well explained in Blum’s spotlight segment — which would have been even better if they could have spared us the painfully staged shots and reenactments that are always part of these packages.
By the time this rollickingly fun episode of Shark Tank concluded, I was left with a few questions. Namely, since the show typically films several pitches at a time and cuts them up into multiple episodes, does this mean that a Shark-O-Ween sequel is already in the can? Are we in for a Nightmare Before Christmas-esque crossover later this year? Or did they really do all of this set work for just four pitches? I need to know!
Regardless of whether or not we see this seemingly Mansion-inspired decor or the Shark-O-Ween moniker again in the future, I really hope to see Blum return as a guest Shark. While having him join during a special Halloween episode makes a lot of sense, I don’t think he should be limited to that arena in the future (unless of course he wants to be — I don’t know the guy). In either case, this Shark-O-Ween special is one that fans of the show won’t want to miss.
Shark Tank’s Shark-O-Ween episode featuring Jason Blum airs October 27th on ABC.