Updated: Apr. 22, 2024
Test your knowledge of Oct. 31 facts with these Halloween trivia questions—answers included!
There’s a lot to love about Halloween: playing Halloween party games, watching the best Halloween movies, dressing up in Halloween costumes, playing Halloween bingo, solving Halloween riddles and indulging in a bit of Halloween trivia! But how much do you really know about Halloween? The October holiday may be one of the most popular holidays in the United States now, but the origin of Halloween actually has quite a rich international history.
After you’ve mastered this Halloween trivia, you can bring it out at your next Halloween party to wow your friends and family. And don’t worry, we’ve included the answers to the Halloween trivia questions too.
Halloween trivia questions and answers to test your spooky IQ
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1. Question: What is the name of the legend that jack-o’-lanterns originated from?
Answer: Stingy Jack
2. Question: Before jack-o’-lanterns were carved as pumpkins, what other root vegetable was commonly used?
Answer: Turnips
3. Question: Halloween can be traced back to a Celtic holiday. What’s the name of that holiday?
Answer: Samhain
4. Question: In what century was Halloween first introduced?
Answer: The 19th century
5. Question: How did the tradition of dressing up for Halloween start?
Answer: It was once believed that at the end of October, ghosts and demons would be able to walk the earth again. To protect themselves, people dressed up as spirits to blend in.
6. Question: Where did the game of bobbing for apples originate?
Answer: England
7. Question: On Halloween during the 18th century, why would women throw apple peels over their shoulders?
Answer: To see if they would land in a pattern resembling initials, indicating the man who would become their husband.
8. Question: Who brought the Halloween tradition to the United States?
Answer: The Irish, during the potato famine
9. Question: Which Roman goddess is thought to be honored on Halloween?
Answer: Pomona
Next, check out these super random trivia facts and history trivia questions (and answers) you probably never knew.
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10. Question: What is another name for Halloween?
Answer: All Hallows’ Eve
11. Question: What is another name for Nov. 1, the day after Halloween?
Answer: All Saints’ Day
12. Question: What are the Halloween colors?
Answer: Black, orange and purple
13. Question: Who was the first First Lady to decorate the White House for Halloween?
Answer: Mamie Eisenhower, in 1958
14. Question: What was Bram Stoker’s original name for Dracula in his vampire books?
Answer: Count Wampyr
15. Question: When is the next time there will be a full moon on Halloween?
Answer: 2039
16. Question: What do you call a fear of Halloween?
Answer: Samhainophobia
17. Question: What is the name of Ireland’s traditional Halloween bread?
Answer: Barmbrack
18. Question: Which state produces the most pumpkins?
Answer: Illinois
19. Question: Where in the United States can you traditionally find the biggest Halloween parade?
Answer: New York City
20. Question: Halloween is the second most commercial holiday in the United States. Which holiday is No. 1?
Answer: Christmas
21. Question: When was the Halloween song “Monster Mash” first recorded?
Answer: 1962
22. Question: Who are the guests of the Halloween party, according to the lyrics of “Monster Mash”?
Answer: Wolfman, Dracula and his son
23. Question: Where did real mummies originate?
Answer: Ancient Egypt
24. Question: Which story originated the Headless Horseman?
Answer: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
25. Question: Who wrote the horror book Frankenstein?
Answer: Mary Shelley
Still curious about Halloween traditions after these Halloween trivia questions and answers? Find out why we carve pumpkins.
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26. Question: Michael Myers’s mask in Halloween was that of a famous actor. Which one?
Answer: William Shatner—the studio didn’t have much of a budget, so his mask was a Shatner mask from Star Trek painted white and distorted.
27. Question: How many Michael Myers movies are there?
Answer: 13. If you’re a fan of Halloween trivia questions, try this horror movie trivia next!
28. Question: Which actor turned down the role of Max Dennison in Hocus Pocus?
Answer: Leonardo DiCaprio
29. Question: Which famous boy band used the mansion from Casper for one of their music videos?
Answer: The Backstreet Boys, for the “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” video
30. Question: What year did Halloweentown premiere on Disney Channel?
Answer: 1998
31. Question: Where was Halloweentown filmed?
Answer: Oregon
32. Question: Who did Tim Burton want to play Beetlejuice in Beetlejuice?
Answer: Sammy Davis Jr.
33. Question: What was Beetlejuice almost called?
Answer: Scared Sheetless
34. Question: Which TV network airs the 31 Nights of Halloween event?
Answer: Freeform
35. Question: What colors make up Freddy Krueger’s shirt in A Nightmare on Elm Street?
Answer: Red and green
36. Question: How long did it take to put on Freddy Krueger’s makeup in A Nightmare on Elm Street?
Answer: 3 1/2 hours
37. Question: How many takes did it take to get the puking scene right in The Exorcist?
Answer: Just one
38. Question: Which horror movie earned the most at the box office?
Answer: It
If you’re looking to get into the Halloween spirit, we recommend checking out these Halloween movies on Netflix.
Sydney Watson/RD.com
39. Question: What is the most popular Halloween candy in America?
Answer: Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
40. Question: About how much money does the United States spend on Halloween candy annually?
Answer: Around$3 billion
41. Question: What was the original name of candy corn?
Answer: Chicken feed
42. Question: What two candy bars were the first to come in “fun size”?
Answer: Snickers and Milky Way
43. Question: In which decade did the term “trick or treat” originate in the United States?
Answer: The 1920s
44. Question: How is the Dum-Dums mystery flavor lollipop made?
Answer: At the end of the production run, Dum-Dums mixes the leftover candy together to form a new (mysterious) flavor for its lollipops.
45. Question: What is the least popular Halloween candy?
Answer: Candy corn
46. Question: On average, how many cups of sugar from Halloween candy do kids consume each year?
Answer: Three cups
47. Question: How far in advance does Hershey’s start production on Halloween candy?
Answer: Six months in advance
48. Question: How many pounds of candy corn are produced each year?
Answer: 35 million pounds
49. Question: What day is National Candy Corn Day?
Answer: Oct. 30
50. Question: How many pounds of chocolate are sold during Halloween week?
Answer: 90 million pounds
Now that you’ve finished this Halloween trivia, check out these corny Halloween jokes that are sure to give you a good chuckle.
