90 Halloween Trivia Questions and Answers for the Scariest Day of the Year

Halloween isn't just for kids! The frighteningly fun holiday is a favorite for adults too—though many people don't know the origins of many Halloween traditions, from trick-or-treating to costumes or carving pumpkins. So, if you think you know a lot of Halloween facts, show off how scary-savvy you are about everything (from the history of jack-o-lanterns to classic horror movies) with these 90 Halloween trivia questions and answers!

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Halloween Trivia Questions and Answers

Question #1: Where does the term "jack o'lantern" come from?
Answer: The term "jack o'lantern" originates from an Irish folktale about a cheap man named "Stingy Jack" who made a deal with the devil. Get the full, fun story here.

Question #2: Where is the world's longest haunted house?
Answer: The Haunted Cave in Lewisburg, Ohio, is a whopping 3,564 feet long. It's located 80 feet underground!

Question #3: Which film in the Paranormal Activity franchise was the most commercially successful?
Answer: Paranormal Activity 3.

Question #4: Why did women look in mirrors while walking downstairs at midnight on Halloween?
Answer: To see their boyfriends.

Question #5: What sort of mask does Michael Myers wear in the original Halloween?
Answer: Because the studio had such a small budget, they had to use the cheapest mask they could find. It was a $2 William Shatner mask that they spray-painted white.

Question #6: How many pounds of candy corn are produced each year?
Answer: A whopping 35 million pounds of candy corn is made every year—amounting to about 9 billion pieces.

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Question #7: What vegetable is part of a tradition on the night before Halloween?Answer: Cabbage is often used in pranks on Mischief Night, sometimes called Cabbage Night. People would sometimes leave stinky, rotten cabbage near neighbors' doors.

Question #8: How much did Americans spend on Halloween last year (2023)?
Answer: $12.2 billion.

Question #9: What was the original title for Disney's Hocus Pocus?
Answer: Hocus Pocus was initially called Halloween House—and it was more horror than comedy.

Question #10: Only one holiday surpasses Halloween in annual consumer sales. What is it?
Answer: Christmas actually takes the cake!

Question #11: Why are black cats associated with Halloween (and bad luck)?
Answer: The Puritans associated black cats with witchcraft, leading to the onyx-colored felines' association with Halloween. In many other cultures, black cats are actually signs of good luck and are revered!

Question #12: When was Trick or Treat for UNICEF founded?
Answer: 1950.

Question #13: What was candy corn originally called?
Answer: Chicken Feed.

Question #14: Why did people start dressing up in Halloween costumes?
Answer: Many Europeans, including the Celtics, dressed in costumes to repel spirits that they believed came back to Earth on what we now know as Halloween.

Question #15: What medieval English tradition inspired trick-or-treating?
Answer: On All Souls Day, the poor would go "souling," knocking on doors and offering prayers for residents' deceased loved ones in exchange for food.

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Spooky Trivia Questions for Your Next Halloween Party

Question #16: What did Scottish women hang to see their future husbands on Halloween?
Answer: Wet sheets in front of a fire.

Question #17: What is Des Moines, Iowa's pre-Halloween festivity called?
Answer: In Des Moines, the night before Halloween is called Beggar's Night, in which kids go door-to-door telling jokes, reciting poems or dancing in exchange for sweets.

Question #18: Who was the first First Lady to decorate the White House for Halloween?
Answer: Mamie Eisenhower in 1958.

Question #19: What famous magician died on Halloween?
Answer: Harry Houdini.

Question #20: Why do some people wear clothes inside out on Halloween?
Answer: Some superstitions state that if you wear your clothes inside out and walk backward on Halloween, you'll see a witch at midnight.

Question #21: Why did some women throw apple peels behind them on Halloween?Answer: Because they believed it would land in the shape of the first letter of their future husband's name.

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Question #22: When is Halloween thought to have originated?
Answer: 4000 B.C.

Question #23: What Celtic tradition led to modern-day trick-or-treating?
Answer: For the celebration of Samhain, people would put treats or food out to pacify evil spirits.

Question #24: What is Hong Kong's Festival of Hungry Ghosts called?
Answer: Yue Lan

Question #25: What ancient Roman goddess is said to be honored on Halloween?
Answer: Pomona, the goddess of fruit and trees—many believe bobbing for apples on Halloween stemmed from Roman traditions to honor her.

Question #26: When was Halloween first celebrated in the United States?
Answer: Around the 1840s when there was a flood of Irish immigrants fleeing from the potato famine.

Question #27: Where was the first city-wide Halloween celebration in the United States?
Answer: Anoka, Minnesota.

Question #28: What is the most commercially successful horror movie of all time?
Answer: It.

Question #29: What was used before pumpkins to make jack o'lanterns?
Answer: The Irish, who started the tradition, first used potatoes and turnips for jack o'lanterns before finding that pumpkins were actually much easier to carve. In England, large beets were sometimes used.

Question #30: Who sang the original "Monster Mash?"
Answer: Bobby Pickett.

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Halloween Trivia Questions for All Ages

Question #31: Where did the real Ichabod Crane live?
Answer: Believe it or not, it wasn't Sleepy Hollow, New York, but actually Staten Island.

Question #32: What was The Munsters' address?
Answer: 1313 Mockingbird Lane

Question #33: What candy was given to soldiers in battle in the Korean War?
Answer: Tootsie Rolls

Question #34: What is the most commercially successful horror franchise of all time?
Answer: Godzilla.

Question #35: What connection does Christianity have with Halloween?
Answer: All Saints Day (November 1st) and All Souls Day (November 2nd) were created to integrate sacred pagan traditions that usually took place on or around October 31st into Christianity (in hopes of getting pagans to convert).

Question #36: What was the original Halloween movie's working title?
Answer: The Babysitter Murders.

Question #37: What was Count Dracula's original name in the Bram Stoker classic?
Answer: Count Wampyr.

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Question #38: How many calories are in an average trick-or-treater's Halloween stash?
Answer: About 11,000.

Question #39: What classic horror movie creature's shape was based on the Oscar statuette?
Answer: The Creature From the Black Lagoon.

Question #40: What item is banned in California on Halloween?
Answer: Silly String.

Question #41: What is the "correct" spelling of Halloween?
Answer: Halloween was originally spelled "Hallowe'en," a contraction of "All Hallows Even."

Question #42: What two countries popularized Halloween costumes for trick-or-treating?
Answer: Scotland and Ireland.

Question #43: How many pieces of candy does the average house give to each trick-or-treater?
Answer: Two pieces.

Question #44: What horror movie was the first American film ever to show a toilet on screen?
Answer: Psycho.

Question #45: In what American state is it illegal to be a priest or nun for Halloween?
Answer: Alabama doesn't take clergy costumes lightly: According to Section 13A-14-4, "Whoever, being in a public place, fraudulently pretends by garb or outward array to be a minister of any religion, or nun, priest, rabbi or other member of the clergy, is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding $500.00 or confinement in the county jail for not more than one year, or by both such fine and imprisonment."

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Question #46: One particular serial killer inspired Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Psycho and Silence of the Lambs. Who was it?

Answer: Ed Gein.

Question #47: What was the first horror movie to be nominated for an Academy Award?
Answer: The Exorcist earned a whopping 10 Oscar nominations in 1974, including a Best Supporting Actress nod for then-15-year-old Linda Blair.

Question #48: What is the most popular Halloween candy in America?
Answer: Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Question #49: Who was Wes Craven's first choice to play Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street?
Answer: David Warner.

Question #50: What were the first-ever "fun-size" candy bars?
Answer: Snickers and Milky Way.

Question #51: Which horror film was based on the real-life experiences of the Lutz family in a haunted house?
Answer: The Amityville Horror.

Question #52: Why are the colors "orange" and "black" significant for Halloween?
Answer: In ancient times, orange represented life (and harvests) while black symbolized death and darkness. Combined, these colors reflect nature during the time of year when Halloween is celebrated.

Question #53: What phobia do you suffer from if you have an intense fear of Halloween?
Answer: Samhainophobia.

Question#54: What country celebrates "Day of the Dead" around the same time as Halloween?
Answer: Mexico

Question #55: Where did the Halloween custom of lighting bonfires begin?
Answer: This custom originated from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. It was done to keep evil spirits away.

Question #56: When did trick-or-treating become popular in the United States?
Answer: During the 1930s.

Question #57: What U.S. state produces the most pumpkins each year?
Answer: Illinois.

Question #58: What was the original purpose of jack-o'-lanterns during Halloween?
Answer: To ward off evil spirits.

Question #59: What was the first recorded use of the phrase: "trick-or-treat"?
Answer: Canada (1927).

Question #60: What is the most popular Halloween costume for pets?
Answer: Pumpkins.

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Challenging Halloween Trivia Questions

Question #61: According to legend, what type of tree is a witch's broom made of?
Answer: Either birch or hazel wood.

Question #62: Which horror movie features a killer named Michael Myers who escapes from a mental institution?
Answer: Halloween.

Question #63: Where did the phrase "hocus pocus" originate?
Answer: Initially, it was a phrase used by magicians and performers to mimic religious incantations.

Question #64: What supernatural creature (often associated with Halloween) can be killed with a silver bullet?
Answer: A werewolf.

Question #65: What character in the Addams Family is known for her long braids and stoic personality?
Answer: Wednesday Addams.

Question #66: What famous ghost is said to haunt the Tower of London?
Answer: Anne Boleyn.

Question #67: What does it mean if you see a spider on Halloween?
Answer: According to legend, it means that a loved one is watching over you.

Question #68: What is the name of the Scottish spirit that preys on travelers at night?
Answer: The Banshee.

Question #69: What is a fear of ghosts called?
Answer: Phasmophobia.

Question #70: What is the name of the hotel in The Shining?
Answer: The Overlook Hotel

Question #71: If you say "Bloody Mary" three times in a mirror on Halloween night, what type of creature appears?
Answer: A ghost or specter.

Question #72: What is the name of the ghost ship that haunts the coast of North Carolina?
Answer: The Queen Anne's Revenge.

Question #73: Which character waits for the "Great Pumpkin" every Halloween?
Answer: Linus van Pelt from Peanuts.

Question #74: What phrase is commonly inscribed on tombstones used for Halloween decorations?
Answer: "R.I.P." (Rest in Peace).

Question #75: Which classic horror movie features the line "They're here..."?
Answer: Poltergeist (1982).

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Question #76: What is the name of the town in Hocus Pocus where the Sanderson sisters were resurrected?
Answer: Salem, Massachusetts.

Question #77: According to folklore, what are the three main ingredients of a witch's brew on Halloween night?
Answer: The eye of a newt, the toe of a frog and the wool of a bat.

Question #78: What ghost is said to haunt the White House?
Answer: The ghost of Abraham Lincoln.

Question #79: Who was the first person to play Frankenstein's monster in a feature film?
Answer: Boris Karloff.

Question #80: What is the name of the possessed doll in The Conjuring?
Answer: Annabelle.

Question #81: How much money does the average American spend on Halloween each year?
Answer: On average, it's estimated that most Americans spend $108.24 each year on Halloween.

Question #82: What is a poltergeist?
Answer: By definition, a poltergeist is a ghost or spirit that causes physical disturbances.

Question #83: Which U.S. state holds the record for largest pumpkin ever grown?
Answer: Minnesota. In 2023, a horticulture teacher set a world record for the heaviest pumpkin ever. It weighed an astounding 2,749 pounds.

Question #84: What is it called when you have an irrational fear of spiders?
Answer: Arachnophobia.

Question #85: What city in the United States is considered the most haunted?
Answer: New Orleans, Louisiana.

Question #86: What Halloween prank involves throwing rolls of paper over trees and homes?
Answer: TP-ing (toilet papering).

Question #87: Why are candles placed in windows at Halloween?
Answer: This tradition originated from Celtic celebrations. Similar to jack-o'-lanterns, the Celts believed that candles would help ward off evil spirits.

Question #88: What percentage of Americans celebrate Halloween each year?
Answer: Approximately 65 to 70%.

Question #89: Which horror movie is considered the first "slasher" film?
Answer: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Question #90: In The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, what is the name of the headless horseman's horse?
Answer: Daredevil.

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