Supernatural Season 3 titles explained: Where did the episode titles come from?

Like all other seasons, the episode titles for Supernatural Season 3 were inspired mostly by books, movies, and songs. Here’s a look at where the inspiration for each of the titles came from.

Supernatural Season 3 gave us more pop culture-inspired episode titles. This was the season where far more titles were linked to some sort of book, movie, or song, while the first two seasons mostly focused on the monster of the week at hand.

It’s always fun to delve into the world of the inspiration. Before going into the episode, the titles can often share a little of what to expect. It’s possible to guess how a storyline could play out or what the monster of the week is going to be.

Here are the 16 episode titles from Supernatural Season 3 with the inspiration for each.

Episode 1: The Magnificent Seven

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This is very easy to work out. It’s taken from the Western of the same name. Of course, the Western is to do with gunslingers, whereas the title for this episode is focused on the Seven Deadly Sins.

Since the release of this episode, there’s been a remake of the Western movie with Chris Pratt and Denzel Washington.

Episode 2: The Kids Are Alright

Considering the timing of the episode, this title would have been taken from The Who’s “The Kids Are Alright.” Many Supernatural titles were taken from classic rock songs, especially the likes of The Who and Led Zeppelin.

Since the release of the episode, there has been a movie and an upcoming TV show with the same title.

Episode 3: Bad Day at Black Rock

The actual title would have been taken from the 1955 movie of the same name. However, the setting for the episode was in Black Rock, Buffalo, which was likely given because of the episode title. In the movie, a one-armed veteran is searching for a man named Komoko. This vet is met with disdain from everyone in the town and it takes a dangerous turn.

Episode 4: Sin City

No explanation is really needed for this. The episode title comes from the movie Sin City, but is also based on the idea of Las Vegas begin “Sin City.” In this episode, the “city” is Elizabethville, Ohio and the “sin” is just pure human nature.

Episode 5: Bedtime Stories

This title isn’t taken from the Adam Sandler movie (which was released a year after this episode). The title was likely taken from the 2000 series of the same name. However, it was also likely taken from the use of the Grimm Brothers (and other) fairy tales. They are considered bedtime stories for children and that is a focal point for the doctor whose daughter is in a coma.

Episode 6: Red Sky at Morning

"“Red sky at morning, sailors’ warning. Red sky at night, sailors’ delight.”"

You’ve likely heard of the saying (although if you were brought up around Yorkshire like me, it may have been “shepherds” instead of “sailors.”) Whichever version you heard, this is where the title comes from. The ghost ship is a death omen; a warning that the person seeing it is going to die.

Episode 7: Fresh Blood

“Fresh Blood” is the name of an Alice Cooper song, which is where the title will come from. It links perfectly to the storyline of Gordon becoming the monster he hated the most: a vampire.

Episode 8: A Very Supernatural Christmas

A traditional saying is to have a “very merry Christmas.” Then there’s the song that was used in the episode, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

This is one of the first times the title has been adapted slightly to fit the show–and would become used more in the next couple of seasons. It’s also the first time a holiday-themed episode is used in the series.

Episode 9: Malleus Maleficarum

Malleus Maleficarum was the title of a treatise on witches in the 15th century. This was at the time when witchcraft was viewed as an evil practice by the Christian faith, as a way for the Roman Catholic Church to push its influence further. However, it’s important to point out that the Church never supported this treatise. Witches were more likely women because they were more susceptible to temptation and the influence of evil (like Eve in the Garden of Eden).

In the 15th century, that treatise because the handbook to persecute witches. Many of the “witches” were innocent women who were considered outcasts. The title is Latin for “The Hammer of Witches.”

Episode 10: Dream a Little Dream of Me

You likely have the song stuck in your head the minute you read the title. I know I do every single time. Performed by The Mamas & The Papas, the song was used in the episode during Dean’s dream of Lisa and the picnic blanket.

Episode 11: Mystery Spot

The title is taken from the visual-illusion spots around the world. They’re tourist traps that make people believe chairs can hang upside down and that gravity has disappeared in certain spots. Lights and well-placed string help to give the illusion of something mysterious going on. Of course, a mystery spot in the area is used as the initial reason the Winchesters are in town.

Episode 12: Jus in Bello

This is another episode where Latin is used for the title. It connects to the end of the episode, something that Ruby mentions. “Jus in Bello” translates to “justice in war” and offers the guidelines for “fighting well” in war.

Ruby chastizes the Winchesters for their lack of willing to sacrifice one for the many. Because they refused to sacrifice the virgin to kill all the demons (including herself), lots of people died including their precious virgin.

Episode 13: Ghostfacers

This Supernatural Season 3 episode title needs absolutely no explanation. It’s taken from the web series that this technical backdoor pilot would become. This is the name of the group of ghost hunters.

Episode 14: Long Distance Call

While the title likely links to the fact that the calls are “long distance” as they’re supposed to come from the dead, there’s a pop culture reference. “Long Distance Call” was also the title of an episode of The Twilight Zone back in the 1960s.

During the episode, a young boy communicates with his grandmother from his toy phone just because she dies. This is mimicked through the young boy communicating with his deceased mother through the toy phone. The scene is also a mimic of the 1986 movie Making Contact, where a young boy gets a call from his deceased dad through his toy phone.

Episode 15: Time Is On My Side

The title of this Supernatural Season 3 episode comes from the song “Time Is On My Side” performed by Kai Winding and his orchestra and written by Jerry Ragovoy. The song was covered by The Rolling Stones and has become the most famous version of the song.

Episode 16: No Rest for the Wicked

If you’re anything like me, you get the Cage The Elephant track “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” stuck in your head when you read this title. The song did come out in the same year this episode aired. However, that’s not where the title comes from.

The title is from the Ozzy Osbourne album of the same name. It’s also a very popular saying and connects to Dean’s death still not being a rest for him.

Did you know of all the connections to pop culture through the titles of the Supernatural Season 3 episodes? Which ones are you surprised to learn about? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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