In 1998, at the height of both teen slashers and Boy Meets World’s popularity, the show turned after-school detention into a funny, high-concept horror spoof with “And Then There Was Shawn,” guest-starring Jennifer Love Hewitt.
Cory and Topanga had just broken up, and the group was stuck in the classroom with Mr. Feeny when the pull-down map rolled up to reveal the words “No One Gets Out Alive” written across the chalkboard. When the lights went out, a random classmate named Kenny was killed with a pencil.
The episode played like a knowing spoof of the slashers that were dominating movie theaters at the time, equal parts scary and funny.
The network got nervous, worried it was too dark for a family show. Director Jeff McCracken pushed back, arguing that the jokes would keep it from going too far. He was right.
The episode became an instant fan favorite and is still the highest-rated episode of the entire series on IMDb.
It works as both a sharp time capsule of late-’90s horror culture and a reminder that even the most wholesome sitcoms could go for the throat when they wanted to.
