150+ Halloween Trivia Questions and Answers [2026]

Halloween trivia questions and answers turn a costume party, a bar night, or a Friday afternoon at the office into an actual game — the kind where the quietest person in the room suddenly shouts out Michael Myers' hometown. This pack is refreshed for 2026 with 150+ questions, every one of them with the answer right there, sorted into rounds you can play straight through or mix and match.

Each round below runs about 28 questions, which is roughly 20 minutes of play with a group of any size. Read them aloud, print them, or load them into a live game on a big screen. If you want the production side — timing, prizes, spooky round formats, decorations — our guide to running a Halloween bar trivia night covers that. This page is the question bank.

Halloween Trivia Questions and Answers About History and Origins

Start here. These are the questions that make people say "wait, really?" — the turnip thing alone is worth the round. Easy enough for a general crowd, with a few that separate the history buffs from the candy enthusiasts.

1. Halloween evolved from which ancient Celtic festival? — Samhain

2. How is Samhain pronounced? — SOW-in

3. What did Samhain mark the end of? — The harvest season, and the beginning of winter

4. Which country is most often credited as the birthplace of Halloween traditions? — Ireland

5. What vegetable was carved into lanterns before pumpkins? — Turnips

6. The jack-o'-lantern is named after which folklore character? — Stingy Jack

7. The word Halloween is a contraction of what phrase? — All Hallows' Eve

8. What holiday falls on November 1? — All Saints' Day

9. What holiday falls on November 2? — All Souls' Day

10. What does the word hallow mean? — A saint, or a holy person

11. What was the medieval practice of going door to door for soul cakes called? — Souling

12. What was the Scottish tradition of dressing in costume to perform for food or coins called? — Guising

13. Which pope moved All Saints' Day to November 1? — Pope Gregory III

14. In what year did the phrase "trick or treat" first appear in print? — 1927, in Blackie, Alberta, Canada

15. Which two dates is Mexico's Día de los Muertos celebrated on? — November 1 and 2

16. What flower is most associated with Day of the Dead? — The marigold, or cempasúchil

17. Which immigrant group brought Halloween to the United States in the 1800s? — Irish and Scottish immigrants

18. What Irish fruitcake hides a ring that predicts marriage within the year? — Barmbrack

19. Which city calls itself the Halloween Capital of the World? — Anoka, Minnesota

20. Bobbing for apples is often traced back to a festival honoring which Roman goddess? — Pomona, goddess of fruit trees

21. In what year did the Salem witch trials take place? — 1692

22. In which colony did the Salem witch trials happen? — Massachusetts

23. How many people were executed as a result of the Salem witch trials? — 20

24. Which Orson Welles radio broadcast panicked listeners on October 30, 1938? — The War of the Worlds

25. What is a group of witches called? — A coven

26. Who wrote Dracula, published in 1897? — Bram Stoker

27. How old was Mary Shelley when she began writing Frankenstein? — 18

28. Which children's charity has collected donations in orange boxes since 1950? — UNICEF

Halloween Movie Trivia Questions and Answers

Horror and holiday movies are where most crowds score highest, so this round moves fast. Mixing a family-friendly classic between two slasher questions keeps everyone in it. For a broader screen round, borrow a few from our TV show trivia questions and answers collection.

29. Who directed the 1978 film Halloween? — John Carpenter

30. Michael Myers' mask was made from a mask of which actor's face? — William Shatner, as Captain Kirk

31. What fictional town is Halloween set in? — Haddonfield, Illinois

32. What is Jamie Lee Curtis' character named? — Laurie Strode

33. Roughly what was the budget of the original Halloween? — About $300,000

34. What is the surname of the three witch sisters in Hocus Pocus? — Sanderson

35. Who plays Winifred Sanderson? — Bette Midler

36. What is the name of the immortal black cat in Hocus Pocus? — Thackery Binx

37. In what year did Hocus Pocus 2 arrive on Disney+? — 2022

38. Who is the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town? — Jack Skellington

39. Who directed The Nightmare Before Christmas? — Henry Selick

40. How many times must you say Beetlejuice to summon him? — Three

41. What giant mascot attacks New York in Ghostbusters? — The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man

42. What hotel is The Shining set in? — The Overlook Hotel

43. Which room number is forbidden in the film version of The Shining? — Room 237

44. What motel does Norman Bates run? — The Bates Motel

45. What is the killer's mask called in Scream? — Ghostface

46. What question does the Scream killer ask on the phone? — What's your favorite scary movie?

47. Who played Freddy Krueger? — Robert Englund

48. Which future star made his film debut in A Nightmare on Elm Street? — Johnny Depp

49. At which summer camp does Friday the 13th take place? — Camp Crystal Lake

50. In which film does Jason first wear the hockey mask? — Friday the 13th Part III

51. What is the possessed girl's name in The Exorcist? — Regan MacNeil

52. What two-word line does the medium deliver in Poltergeist? — They're here

53. What is dumped on Carrie at the prom? — Pig's blood

54. What is the clown in It called? — Pennywise

55. In what fictional Maine town is It set? — Derry

56. Who wrote and directed Get Out? — Jordan Peele

57. What sense do the creatures in A Quiet Place hunt by? — Sound

58. Complete the Alien tagline: In space, no one can hear you... — Scream

59. What are sewn over the eyes in Coraline? — Buttons

60. What is the disembodied hand in The Addams Family called? — Thing

61. What is the surname of the witch family in Disney's Halloweentown? — Cromwell

62. Who played Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs? — Anthony Hopkins

Halloween Candy and Traditions Trivia Questions and Answers

This is the round everyone thinks they'll ace. They won't. Candy trivia is deceptively hard because nobody reads the wrapper — and the pumpkin facts hiding at the end are genuine table-arguers.

63. What was candy corn originally called? — Chicken Feed

64. In which decade was candy corn invented? — The 1880s

65. What three colors make up a piece of candy corn? — White, orange and yellow

66. What date is National Candy Corn Day? — October 30

67. Which candy regularly tops US best-seller lists at Halloween? — Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

68. Roughly how much do Americans spend on Halloween each year? — More than $11 billion

69. What three main ingredients sit on top of a Snickers nougat? — Caramel, peanuts and chocolate

70. What are the two Halloween colors, and what do they represent? — Orange for the harvest, black for darkness and death

71. In what year and state was the candy apple invented? — 1908, in New Jersey

72. What is bobbing for apples also called in Scotland? — Dooking, or apple ducking

73. What does a teal pumpkin on a porch signal? — Non-food treats for kids with food allergies

74. What is the name for trick-or-treating from car trunks in a parking lot? — Trunk or treat

75. Botanically speaking, is a pumpkin a fruit or a vegetable? — A fruit

76. What has the heaviest pumpkin on record weighed? — More than 2,700 pounds

77. Which US state grows the most pumpkins? — Illinois

78. How much pumpkin is in pumpkin spice? — None — it's cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and allspice

79. What is October 30 called in parts of the US, notably Detroit? — Devil's Night

80. What is the more common national name for the night before Halloween? — Mischief Night

81. What sugar treat shaped like a skull is central to Day of the Dead? — Calaveras, or sugar skulls

82. What were soul cakes given in exchange for? — Prayers for the dead

83. What is the most popular pet Halloween costume? — A pumpkin

84. What size is a candy bar labelled when it's smaller than standard? — Fun size

85. What do you call the practice of leaving a bowl out with a "take one" sign? — The honor system — and the reason it never works

86. What Halloween activity involves navigating rows of corn? — A corn maze

87. What are the two most common trick-or-treating containers? — Plastic pumpkin pails and pillowcases

88. What roasted seed is a byproduct of carving a jack-o'-lantern? — Pumpkin seeds

89. Which Halloween urban legend about candy has never been substantiated? — Razor blades or poison hidden in treats

90. What Halloween party game involves a suspended, string-hung treat? — Donut on a string, or apple on a string

Halloween Trivia Questions and Answers for Kids

Write these on cards and let kids answer in teams so nobody gets stranded. They also work as a warm-up round for adults — easy points early keep a room loud. For a longer set, our trivia questions for kids pack has 100+ more.

91. What date is Halloween? — October 31

92. What fruit do people carve at Halloween? — A pumpkin

93. What is a carved pumpkin called? — A jack-o'-lantern

94. What do children say at the door on Halloween? — Trick or treat

95. What two colors say Halloween? — Orange and black

96. Which animal is said to be bad luck if it crosses your path? — A black cat

97. What do witches fly on? — A broomstick

98. What smelly food is said to keep vampires away? — Garlic

99. What does Dracula sleep in? — A coffin

100. What are mummies wrapped in? — Bandages

101. Which mammal can fly? — A bat

102. How many legs does a spider have? — Eight

103. What do ghosts say to scare people? — Boo

104. What is sticking out of Frankenstein's monster's neck? — Bolts

105. When does a werewolf transform? — During a full moon

106. What is a baby bat called? — A pup

107. What is a group of crows called? — A murder

108. How many bones are in an adult human skeleton? — 206

109. What kind of ghost is Casper? — A friendly one

110. What is Scooby-Doo's van called? — The Mystery Machine

111. Who is Scooby-Doo's best friend? — Shaggy

112. Which Peanuts character waits in a pumpkin patch all night? — Linus

113. What is the Peanuts Halloween special called? — It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

114. What was turned into a carriage for Cinderella? — A pumpkin

115. What monster lives in a Scottish lake? — The Loch Ness Monster, or Nessie

116. What sound does a wolf make at the moon? — A howl

117. What candy is shaped like a kernel of corn? — Candy corn

118. What holiday comes the day after Halloween? — All Saints' Day

Hard Halloween Trivia Questions and Answers for Superfans

Save this round for last and make it worth double points. If a team clears twenty of these, they have earned bragging rights — and probably a very good trivia team name to go with it.

119. What is the fear of Halloween called? — Samhainophobia

120. What is the fear of the number 13 called? — Triskaidekaphobia

121. What Old English word gives us the modern word witch? — Wicce

122. Which Roman festival honoring the dead was held in May? — Lemuria

123. Who directed the 1922 silent vampire film Nosferatu? — F. W. Murnau

124. What is the vampire in Nosferatu called? — Count Orlok

125. Who played Dracula in the 1931 Universal film? — Bela Lugosi

126. Who played Frankenstein's monster in the 1931 Universal film? — Boris Karloff

127. Which studio made the first Frankenstein film in 1910? — Edison Studios

128. Which country celebrates Pangangaluluwa? — The Philippines

129. Which Japanese festival honors returning ancestral spirits? — Obon

130. What is a group of ravens called? — An unkindness

131. Where are vampire bats native to? — Latin America

132. Who wrote The Legend of Sleepy Hollow? — Washington Irving

133. In what year was The Legend of Sleepy Hollow published? — 1820

134. What is the schoolmaster in Sleepy Hollow called? — Ichabod Crane

135. What single word does Poe's raven repeat? — Nevermore

136. In which city did Edgar Allan Poe die in 1849? — Baltimore

137. From which religious tradition does the word zombie originate? — Haitian Vodou, with West African roots

138. Who directed Night of the Living Dead in 1968? — George A. Romero

139. Which film is the highest-grossing horror movie of all time? — It (2017)

140. Who composed Danse Macabre? — Camille Saint-Saëns

141. Who sang Monster Mash in 1962? — Bobby "Boris" Pickett

142. Who speaks the spoken-word section of Michael Jackson's Thriller? — Vincent Price

143. Who directed the Thriller music video? — John Landis

144. Which Massachusetts city hosts the month-long Haunted Happenings festival? — Salem

145. What was the man pressed to death in the Salem trials called? — Giles Corey

146. Which cryptid is associated with Point Pleasant, West Virginia? — The Mothman

147. What is the Mexican folklore figure who weeps for her lost children called? — La Llorona

148. Which English county celebrates Punkie Night? — Somerset

Halloween Family Feud Round: Survey-Style Questions

Straight Q&A is only half a good Halloween night. Survey-style questions — where teams guess the most popular answers rather than the single correct one — get whole tables arguing, and they are the reason Family Feud works so well as a party format. Read the prompt, take answers, reveal the board.

149. Name something people carve for Halloween. — Pumpkins / Squash / Turnips / Apples / Gourds

150. Name a popular Halloween candy. — Candy corn / Snickers / Reese's / M&M's / Skittles

151. Name a classic Halloween costume. — Witch / Ghost / Vampire / Skeleton / Zombie

152. Name something you'd find in a haunted house. — Ghosts / Cobwebs / Skeletons / Creaky floorboards / Candles

153. Name a famous Halloween monster. — Dracula / Frankenstein's monster / The Mummy / The Wolfman / The Creature from the Black Lagoon

154. Name something people hang up as a Halloween decoration. — Fake cobwebs / Bats / Skeletons / Ghosts / String lights

How to Run These Halloween Trivia Questions and Answers as a Live Game

Paper and a loud voice work fine. But once you're past about fifteen people, the room splits into the front tables that can hear you and the back tables that can't — and that's where the night dies.

The fix is putting the question on a screen and the answering on people's phones. Quizado runs the game show on a TV or projector while players buzz in and answer from their own devices, which means no scorekeeping on napkins and no repeating question 47 four times. There's a free trivia software tier to test a Halloween round before you commit to a full night.

A format that reliably works for a two-hour Halloween party:

• Round 1 (warm-up): 10 questions from the kids or candy sections, low stakes, everyone scores.
• Round 2 (movies): 15 questions, single points. This is the loudest round.
• Round 3 (Family Feud survey): 5 prompts, points for popularity. Best for costume-party crowds.
• Round 4 (hard round): 10 questions, double points, so trailing teams can still win.
• Tiebreaker: one closest-guess question — the record pumpkin weight works perfectly.

If you want a buzzer app for trivia to settle who answered first, that's built into the same setup. And for more theme ideas beyond October, our list of trivia night ideas has 40+ formats to rotate through the rest of the year.

FAQ

How many Halloween trivia questions do I need for a party?

Plan on 40 to 50 questions for a one-hour game, split into three or four rounds of 10 to 15. Groups answer faster than you expect, so it's better to have this full pack of 150+ ready and stop early than to run dry twenty minutes in.

What are the best Halloween trivia questions for kids?

Stick to symbols and characters rather than dates: pumpkins, black cats, bats, Scooby-Doo, Casper, the Great Pumpkin. Questions 91 through 118 above are built for ages 5 to 12, and they work as a warm-up round for mixed-age family parties too.

What is a good hard Halloween trivia question?

"What vegetable was carved into lanterns before pumpkins?" catches almost everyone — the answer is turnips. For a genuinely brutal one, ask which festival Halloween evolved from and require the correct pronunciation of Samhain, which is SOW-in.

Can I use these Halloween trivia questions and answers for a bar trivia night?

Yes. Mix the movie and candy rounds for a general bar crowd and save the hard round as a double-points finale. The bar trivia format handles teams of any size, and our Halloween hosting guide covers scoring, prizes and timing.

How do I make Halloween trivia work for a large group?

Put people in teams of four to six and have them answer on their phones rather than shouting. That keeps a 100-person room as manageable as a 20-person one, and it removes the argument about which table called out the answer first.

When should I schedule a Halloween trivia night?

The week of October 27 to 31 draws the biggest crowds, but running one the weekend before catches people who already have Halloween-night plans. Many venues do both: a themed warm-up night, then the costume party itself on the 31st.