If you've got your Halloween costume picked out and the decorations hung, then you may be in the market for some fun Halloween facts to help get into the, er, spirit of the season.
You've come to the right place, because we've got a collection of Halloween trivia questions and answers that are guaranteed to put a spell on you (and the rest of your black and orange brethren).
For instance, did you ever wonder how the spooky holiday got its start? Well, according to some experts, it likely began with a Celtic celebration called “Samhain” that dates back to 600 AD.
How about Jack-O'-Lanterns? Why do we carve them? Or when did children begin trick-or-treating? You might be surprised to learn where all these Halloween activities originated from and you'll find the answers in the trivia collection below.
In addition to learning about some of Halloween's most popular traditions, you'll also pick up a few fun facts like which Halloween candy was once known as “chicken feed” and what U.S. state produces the most pumpkins annually.
In fact, there's a little something here for everyone and, dare we say, all of these Halloween facts are frightfully good.
So, settle in with a witchy cocktail or bowl of Halloween treats and get ready to put your spooky knowledge to the test. By the time you're done, we guarantee, you'll be a bone-a-fide (yep, another Halloween pun) expert.
Halloween Trivia
- Tom Cruise, Kirsten Dunst and Brad Pitt co-star in what 1994 horror movie? Answer: “Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles”
- Who penned the 1962 song “Monster Mash”? Answer: Bobby “Boris” Pickett
- What is the only mammal that can fly? Answer: Bat
- This popular cartoon ghost has appeared in dozens of films, tv series' and comic books. Answer: Casper the Friendly Ghost
- What real-life jelly beans notoriously boast the flavors earwax, grass, rotten egg, dirt, liver, earthworm and booger among others? Answer: Harry Potter Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans
- How many bones are in the average human skeleton? Answer: 206
- From 1947 to 1969 the U.S. Air Force investigated unidentified flying objects, or U.F.O.s, as part of a project named what? Answer: Project Blue Book
- The 1962 novel “Something Wicked This Way Comes” was penned by what author? Answer: Ray Bradbury
- In 2023, Travis Gienger nabbed the Guinness World record for heaviest pumpkin. How much did it weigh? Answer: 2,749 pounds
- What is another name for a pumpkin seed? Answer: Pepita
- Which of the “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” played the role of Lindsey Wallace in the 1978 movie “Halloween?” Answer: Kyle Richards
- What's another name for a lycanthrope? Answer: A werewolf
- What year did Charles M. Schulz's classic Halloween TV special, “It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,” first air? Answer: 1966
- What do you call a group of witches? Answer: A coven
- Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore star in what movie about the afterlife? Answer: “Ghost”
- Which U.S. city hosts the world's largest Halloween parade? Answer: New York City, which puts on the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade annually
- How did early New Englanders protect their homes from evil spirits? Answer: By hiding their shoes in the walls
- What vegetable was once thought to have supernatural powers on Halloween? Answer: Cabbage
- What day does All Saints' Day fall on? Answer: Nov. 1
- What do call a man who practices witchcraft? Answer: A warlock
- What does a magician say when performing a magic trick? Answer: Abracadabra
- Edward Cullen is a vampire in what popular movie and book series? Answer: “Twilight”
- Who wrote the 1818 classic book “Frankenstein?” Answer: Mary Shelley
- What is another name for a large kettle or boiler? Answer: A cauldron
- What actor played Laurie Strode in the 1978 movie “Halloween?" Answer: Jamie Lee Curtis
- Vincent Price provides the spooky monologue at the end of what popular Halloween song? Answer: Michael Jackson's “Thriller”
- What percentage of Americans pretend they're not home on Halloween? Answer: One in five adults (21%) said they play pretend in a 2021 YouGov poll
- Which movie tops Rotten Tomatoes' list of the Scariest Horror Movies Ever? Answer: “The Exorcist”
- Why do some people wear their clothes inside out on Halloween? Answer: Superstitious folks believe they'll see a witch at midnight
- Are pumpkins technically a fruit or vegetable? Answer: Fruit
- What movie serial killer is immortalized with a statue at the bottom of a lake? Answer: According to a YouTube video, there's a Jason Voorhees (of “Friday the 13th” fame) statue at the bottom of a mine pit in Crosby, Minnesota
- How much money do Americans spend on dressing their pets up for Halloween? Answer: Approximately $700 million, according to the NRF
- Which Halloween candy is considered the worst? Answer: Candy corn, followed by circus peanuts, according to a survey by CandyStore.com.
- Which first lady was the first to decorate the White House for Halloween? Answer: In 1958, Mamie Eisenhower decorated the White House for a Halloween luncheon
- Which U.S. president told a group of schoolkids that the White House was haunted by the ghost of Abraham Lincoln? Answer: In 1989, George H.W. Bush jokingly told a group of children that Lincoln was rumored to haunt the White House
- When did Halloween start? Answer: Though opinion varies, Halloween is thought to have started around 600 AD with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain
- How much money were consumers expected to spend on Halloween decorations in 2023? Answer: $3.9 billion, per the NRF
- Which actor said that “Hocus Pocus” was one of her favorite movie roles of all time? Answer: Bette Midler
- Which U.S. state produces the most pumpkins? Answer: Illinois, per the U.S. Department of Agriculture
- What percentage of people planned to celebrate Halloween in 2023? Answer: 73%, according to the NRF
- Why are the Halloween colors orange and black? Answer: While there are competing theories, it’s thought that orange is for pumpkins and harvest, and black represents night, death or darkness
- How much money were consumers expected to spend on Halloween costumes in 2023? Answer: $4.1 billion, according to the NRF
- Where was “Hocus Pocus” filmed? Answer: The most famous “Hocus Pocus” scenes were filmed on location in Salem, Massachusetts
- Where does the mask that Michael Myers wears in “Halloween" come from? Answer: It’s a modified Captain Kirk mask from “Star Trek”
- What does the word “Halloween” come from? Answer: Halloween was known as "All Hallows’ Eve” until 1773, when the Scots began referring to it as ‘Hallow-e’en’. The first known use of the word is in the poem “Halloween,” written in 1786
- What was the original title of the movie “Halloween"? Answer: “The Babysitter Murders”
- Who wrote “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”? Answer: Washington Irving
- What year was the song “Monster Mash” released? Answer: 1962
- What is the most popular Halloween costume for pets? Answer: Pumpkin (followed by hot dog, bat, bumblebee and spider) according to the NRF
- Where does the quote “Double, double toil and trouble” come from? Answer: William Shakespeare's “Macbeth”
- What was the most popular Halloween costume in the U.S. in 2023 according to Google? Answer: Barbie
- How much money did Americans spend on Halloween in 2023? Answer: Approximately $12.2 billion, per the NRF
- When was the first known guide on celebrating Halloween published? Answer: “Halloween: How to Celebrate It” was published in 1897
- According to the U.S. Census Bureau, how many potential trick-or-treaters are there? Answer: Approximately 41 million kids between the ages of 5 and 14 or 73.1 million children under the age of 18
- Where is Transylvania, otherwise known as home to Count Dracula, located? Answer: Romania
- What’s the most popular adult Halloween candy? Answer: M&M’s, according to YouGov's 2021 survey
- What’s the most popular kids' Halloween candy? Answer: Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, according to YouGov's 2021 survey
- Approximately how much money were Americans expected to spend on candy in 2023? Answer: $3.6 billion, per the NRF
- How many minutes does Michael Keaton appear on screen in Beetlejuice"? Answer: Approximately 17
- What was the original working title of the movie “Beetlejuice?” Answer: “House Ghosts”
- Which two fears from his own childhood did Steven Spielberg reportedly incorporate into the 1982 movie, “Poltergeist?” Answer: A clown doll and the tree with long branches outside the window of his childhood home
- What actor and talk show host auditioned for a role in “Poltergeist” but ended up in “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” instead? Answer: Drew Barrymore
- How much candy does the average American consume each year? Answer: Roughly 8 pounds, according to a study published in Advances in Nutrition
- Which 1980s band did “The Nightmare Before Christmas” composer Danny Elfman perform in? Answer: Oingo Boingo
- How long did it take to make the movie “A Nightmare Before Christmas"? Answer: Three years
- What was the original title of the Michael Jackson song “Thriller”?Answer: “Starlight”
- Which film inspired Michael Jackson to collaborate with director John Landis on the “Thriller” video? Answer: “An American Werewolf in London”
- What is having a fear of Halloween called? Answer: Samhainophobia
- What did Americans use for Halloween decorations in the early 1900s? Answer: Crepe paper, cardboard cutouts, corn stalks, pumpkins, gourds and hay
- What's the top grossing horror movie of all time? Answer: According to Box Office Mojo, the 2017 Stephen King movie “It”
- Before pumpkins, which root vegetable did the Irish and Scottish carve on Halloween? Answer: Turnips
- Why do we carve jack-o’-lanterns? Answer: The tradition comes from the tale of “Stingy Jack,” a man who cheated the devil and was sentenced to carry a glowing ember in a hollowed-out turnip for eternity
- Why was Halloween nearly canceled as a holiday in the 1930s? Answer: Pranksters and vandals were causing millions of dollars of damage to U.S. cities on Halloween night
- Why do we trick or treat? Answer: Trick-or-treating is thought to have began as a way for homeowners to reward pranksters for not vandalizing their home on Halloween
- Which Halloween candy was originally referred to as “chicken feed?” Answer: Candy corn
- According to the U.S. Census Bureau, how many potential stops for trick-or-treaters were there in 2020? Answer: There were 126.8 million occupied homes for trick-or-treaters to visit
- Besides horror, what other genre did “Dracula” author Bram Stoker publish books under? Answer: Romance
- What's the name of the fictional town in the movie “The Lost Boys?” Answer: Santa Clara, aka the “Murder Capital of the World”
- What ghoulish 1984 song returned to the charts on Billboard's “Hot 100” in October of 2023? Answer: Michael Jackson's “Thriller”
- When selling a house, is the homeowner obligated to disclose that it's haunted? Answer: No. A majority of states don't require sellers to disclose paranormal activity or any other dubious stigmas like murder or ghosts
- What historic weather event occurred on Halloween in 1991?Answer: The “Halloween Blizzard” of 1991, which dumped three feet of snow and two inches of ice across parts of the Midwest
