Halloween is here! And with the holiday comes an excuse to share your best Halloween jokes and Halloween trivia tidbits that are sure to impress party guests and trick-or-treaters alike.
If you love the spooky holiday as much as we do, you might already know that the celebration got its start as a Celtic festival thousands of years ago. But here's a bit of Halloween trivia: Do you know what that festival was called?
Let's try another: How did the annual tradition of trick-or-treating begin? Or why do we carve jack-o’-lanterns and, moreover, from where did they get their name?
We'd tell you the answers to those Halloween trivia questions, but what fun would that be? Instead, you'll need to read on to find out more about those and other fascinating Halloween facts.
You might be surprised to learn how some of Halloween's most popular activities originated, along with little-known details on Halloween songs like “Thriller” and “Monster Mash,” plus interesting facts on classic horror movies like “Halloween” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”
You'll also find Halloween trivia facts about candy, like which common treat was once known as “chicken feed," as well as pumpkin facts, including which U.S. state produces the most gourds each year.
In fact, there's a little something here for every guy and ghoul, and that's no Halloween joke, even if it is a little punny.
Settle in with a witchy cocktail or a bowl of Halloween treats and prepare to put your spooky knowledge to the test.
Halloween Trivia
- What U.S. city is known as the “Witchcraft Capital?” Answer: Salem, Massachusetts
- What are the names of the three kidnappers who abduct “Sandy Claws” in the movie “The Nightmare Before Christmas”? Answer: Lock, Shock and Barrel
- What's the name of the vocal group that accompanies the Coffin Bangers in the song “Monster Mash”? Answer: The Crypt-Kicker Five
- On average, how many seeds are there in a pumpkin? Answer: 500
- Actor Michael J. Fox plays a high schooler with a monstrous secret in what 1985 movie? Answer: “Teen Wolf”
- Who directed the movie version of Stephen King's “The Shining”? Answer: Stanley Kubrick
- According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, what is another name for an “ugly or grotesque sprite” that's evil and mischievous? Answer: A goblin
- What artist recorded the song "Ghostbusters"? Answer: Ray Parker Jr.
- What is the deadliest spider in the world? Answer: The funnel-web spider
- What New Hampshire city holds the Guinness World Record for the most lit jack-o'-lanterns on display in one place? Answer: Keene
- What is the name of the villain in the movie “The Nightmare Before Christmas”? Answer: Oogie Boogie
- What are the names of the three Sanderson sisters in the movie “Hocus Pocus”? Answer: Winifred, Mary and Sarah
- According to the Sheb Wooley song lyric, this creature is a one-eyed, one-horned, flyin' what? Answer: Purple People Eater
- Tom Cruise, Kirsten Dunst and Brad Pitt co-star in what 1994 horror movie? Answer: “Interview with the Vampire"
- Who penned the song “Monster Mash”? Answer: Bobby “Boris” Pickett
- What is the only mammal that can fly? Answer: A 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
- 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”
- 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 U.S. city hosts the world's largest Halloween parade? Answer: New York City, which puts on the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade annually
- 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
- What actor played the vampire in the 1931 film "Dracula"? Answer: Bela Lugosi
- In the 1973 movie “The Exorcist,” what is the name of the spirit that communicates to Regan (Linda Blair) via the Ouija board? Answer: Captain Howdy
- Are pumpkins technically a fruit or vegetable? Answer: Fruit
- What movie serial killer is immortalized with a statue at the bottom of a Crosby, Minnesota lake?Answer: Jason Voorhees
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Where was the majority of “Hocus Pocus” filmed? Answer: 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
- 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 did Americans 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
Sarah Lemire
Sarah Lemire is a lifestyle and entertainment reporter for TODAY based in New York City. She covers holidays, celebrities and everything in between.