'Pretty Little Liars' Halloween: Surprises and Big Ratings

The annual "Pretty Little Liars" Halloween special is always a hot episode, but this year it was more than just seasonal fun. Not only did the episode serve as a lead-in for a new spin-off series, "Ravenswood," but it also introduced a riveting and important plot twist for "Liars" itself.

As an introduction to "Ravenswood," the Halloween special did an admirable job. The special itself was a big ratings hit, drawing 14% more viewers than last year's special did, for a total viewership of 3.2 million, making it the second-biggest cable show of the night behind "Sons of Anarchy." The premiere of "Ravenswood," which immediately followed the special, was only able to hold on to 2.1 million of the "Liars" viewers, but that was enough to make it the best series debut of the year for ABC Family.

But it wasn't all about ratings. The big news of the night was about revelations—specifically the revelation that—spoiler alert—Alison is alive and lurking in Ravenswood. Well, at least she was for awhile, until Ezra showed up and scared her off.

The news that Alison is alive came as a shock to most fans, and it raised more questions than it answered. Those questions won't be answered, however, until the second half of "Pretty Little Liars" season four begins airing in January.