50+ Halloween Trivia Questions and Answers

Answer: Turnips.

Irish Celts hollowed out turnips and carved faces into them long before pumpkins arrived in America; pumpkin carving became standard in the United States after Irish immigration in the 1800s.

Answer: Ireland.

Halloween grew out of the Celtic festival of Samhain, observed in Ireland on October 31 to mark the end of the harvest season.

Answer: All Saints’ Day (All Hallows’ Day).

November 1 is All Saints’ Day. The night before it became known as All Hallows’ Eve, which eventually shortened to Halloween.

Answer: Harry Houdini.

The famous escape artist Harry Houdini died on October 31, 1926, in Detroit, after a rising member who was a skeptic of spiritualists gave him a lethal injection.

Answer: Black and orange.

Black represents night and death, while orange has long been linked to harvest and pumpkins – the two colors have become the unofficial colors of Halloween.

Answer: A broomstick.

Broomsticks are the classic answer, though modern Halloween films often show witches flying on vacuum cleaners or brooms made of twigs.

Answer: Skittles.

Skittles have used the slogan “Taste the Rainbow” since 1994, which is why they are one of the most recognized trick-or-treat candies.

Answer: A caramel apple.

Caramel apples are a classic Halloween treat and one of the easiest recipes to make with kids before a party or classroom activity.

Answer: A bowl of candy.

A “candy bowl” is left on a porch or by the front door so very early trick-or-treaters do not have to knock on a sleeping house.

Answer: The black cat.

Black cats, bats and owls all appear on Halloween decorations, but the black cat is the most common Halloween symbol after the jack-o’-lantern.

Answer: John Carpenter.

John Carpenter wrote, directed and co-composed the score for the 1978 original, a film made for about $325,000 that became a huge commercial success.

Answer: Approximately $12 billion.

National Retail Federation surveys put total US Halloween spending at roughly $12 billion in 2023, with about two-thirds spent on costumes, candy and decorations.

Answer: Samhain.

Samhain (pronounced “SOW-in”) is the Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest season and the start of the darker half of the year.

Answer: Illinois.

Illinois grows the majority of US pumpkins, largely around the town of Morton, which calls itself the “Pumpkin Capital of the World.”

Answer: November 1.

All Saints’ Day is observed on November 1, and the evening before it is All Hallows’ Eve – the origin of the word Halloween.

Answer: Michael Myers.

Michael Myers wears a white William Shatner-style mask and carries a kitchen knife, and is arguably the first true slasher icon.

Answer: Jack Skellington.

Jack Skellington is the Pumpkin King in Tim Burton’s 1993 stop-motion film The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Answer: The Overlook Hotel.

The Overlook Hotel, set in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, is the haunted hotel in Stephen King’s 1977 novel and Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 film.

Answer: Freddy Krueger.

Freddy Krueger is a burned man who kills his victims in their dreams, introduced in Wes Craven’s 1984 film.

Answer: 2004.

Saw was released in 2004 and became the highest-grossing horror franchise of its decade, largely thanks to its low budget and surprise hit status.

Answer: Samhain, the Celtic harvest festival.

Samhain was celebrated in Ireland and Scotland to mark the end of summer and harvest, and is the root of many modern Halloween traditions.

Answer: Irish folklore linked them to spirits and the afterlife.

Cats were once thought to have a supernatural connection to the dead, and Irish immigrants carried that belief with them to America.

Answer: Nyctophobia.

Nyctophobia is the clinical name for fear of the dark, which is why Halloween is described as “spooky” season.

Answer: Day of the Dead and All Saints’ Day.

Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) is celebrated on November 1-2 and is a celebration of life, not a spooky imitation of Halloween.

Answer: By the 1920s-1930s.

The phrase spread widely in American newspapers in the 1920s and 1930s, and the trick-or-treat tradition grew from it.

Answer: Ireland.

Mexico, Germany and France all celebrate Halloween today, but the holiday’s roots are Irish.

Answer: Banshee.

Banshees are Irish folklore spirits whose scream foretells death; vampires, werewolves and goblins are all modern Halloween staples.

Answer: Black and orange.

Black and orange dominate Halloween decorations, costumes and candy packaging every year.

Answer: Hocus Pocus.

Hocus Pocus (1993) is a family-friendly fantasy comedy, not a slasher film.

Answer: Leaving candy out early.

Many families leave a candy bowl outside so very young children are not out after dark.

For adults, use film history, Halloween spending statistics and folklore questions – for example “Who directed the 1978 film Halloween?” (John Carpenter) or “How much did Americans spend on Halloween in 2023?” (about $12 billion). See the hard adult pack.

Easy kids questions focus on candy, costumes and cartoon characters – “What do witches ride to fly across the sky?” (a broomstick) or “Which candy comes in a rainbow of colours?” (Skittles). See the kid-friendly pack.

Thirty to fifty questions works well for a one-hour trivia night. Split them into rounds – general, kids, movies, history – and keep each round under 15 minutes.

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