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You've got Halloween on a Saturday this year, and if your nerdy trivia buff friends are coming over, nothing beats a trivia night.
I compiled these 114 Halloween trivia questions in 9 rounds, from an easy kids round to a difficult round, and put each answer right under its question.
If you’ve never run one before, this guide to hosting a trivia night can help you with sorting out teams and scoring. And if you’ve got little ones joining in, I recommend pairing a few rounds with these Halloween games for families.
How to host a Halloween trivia night
Your trivia buff friends will show up ready to win some points, so set a few house rules before the first question.
- Round order: Start with the kids round before the little ones head out trick-or-treating, and save the adults round for last, when the scores are close.
- Costume bonus: Give 2 bonus points to anyone who answers in character.
- Teams: Groups of 3 or 4 let shy guests whisper answers to a teammate instead of calling them out alone.
- Between rounds: Keep the kids busy with these Halloween party games for kids, or borrow a buzzer idea from these game-show party ideas.
When the paper rounds are done, pick something from this list of games to keep everyone playing.
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Halloween trivia questions: History and traditions (14 Q&A)
Halloween has roots in Samhain, a Celtic festival that began more than 2,000 years ago in places like Ireland and Scotland. The Library of Congress says Halloween began with Samhain, and Christian feast days like All Saints’ Day and All Hallows’ Eve blended with it over time.
Q: Which Celtic festival is the ancestor of Halloween?
A: Samhain, pronounced "SAH-win"
Q: What did Samhain mark on the Celtic calendar?
A: The end of the harvest and the start of winter
Q: What phrase does the word "Halloween" come from?
A: All Hallows' Eve, the night before All Saints' Day
Q: Which pope set All Saints' Day on November 1 in the 8th century?
A: Pope Gregory III
Q: What vegetable did people in Ireland carve into lanterns before pumpkins?
A: Turnips, and sometimes potatoes
Q: In Irish folklore, which character is associated with the name jack-o'-lantern?
A: Stingy Jack, a trickster who fooled the devil and was left to wander with a coal inside a carved turnip
Q: Which 19th-century crisis accelerated Irish immigration to the U.S. and helped popularize some Halloween customs?
A: The Great Famine
Q: What was "guising" in Scotland?
A: People in costume going door to door and performing a song, poem, or joke for treats
Q: In medieval "souling," what did people receive in exchange for praying for the dead?
A: Soul cakes
Q: Which 2 colors stand for Halloween?
A: Orange and black
Q: Which Mexican holiday on November 1 and 2 honors family members who have died?
A: Día de los Muertos
Q: Which Massachusetts town held witch trials in 1692 in which 19 people were hanged?
A: Salem
Q: Which escape artist died on Halloween in 1926?
A: Harry Houdini
Q: Which party game has players catch floating apples with only their teeth?
A: Bobbing for apples
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Halloween movie trivia questions (15 Q&A)
This round mixes family favorites with a few slasher classics, so check who's playing before you start.
Q: In Hocus Pocus (1993), which Sanderson sister does Bette Midler play?
A: Winifred
Q: In which town is Hocus Pocus set?
A: Salem, Massachusetts
Q: What does Max light to bring the Sanderson sisters back?
A: The Black Flame Candle
Q: Which boy is turned into a black cat in Hocus Pocus?
A: Thackery Binx
Q: What is the name of the masked killer in Halloween (1978)?
A: Michael Myers
Q: In which fictional Illinois town is Halloween set?
A: Haddonfield
Q: Who is the Pumpkin King in The Nightmare Before Christmas?
A: Jack Skellington
Q: How many times do you say Beetlejuice's name to summon him?
A: 3
Q: What giant marshmallow creature stomps through New York in Ghostbusters (1984)?
A: The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man
Q: In It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966), who waits all night in the pumpkin patch?
A: Linus
Q: What does Charlie Brown get every time he trick-or-treats in that special?
A: A rock
Q: What does the Other Mother have in place of eyes in Coraline?
A: Buttons
Q: Which 2017 Pixar film is set during Día de los Muertos?
A: Coco
Q: Which actress plays Grandma Aggie in the 1998 Disney Channel movie Halloweentown?
A: Debbie Reynolds
Q: Which Bobby "Boris" Pickett song hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 1962?
A: "Monster Mash"
For a full film night, add these movie trivia questions, and for more songs like "Monster Mash," try these music trivia questions.
Monster and creature trivia (14 Q&A)
Every country has its own monsters, so this round jumps from Transylvania to Puerto Rico to the Pine Barrens of New Jersey.
Q: Who wrote Dracula (1897)?
A: Bram Stoker
Q: Which 15th-century prince is often linked to Dracula?
A: Vlad III of Wallachia, known as Vlad the Impaler
Q: In which region of Romania is Count Dracula's castle set?
A: Transylvania
Q: Who wrote Frankenstein (1818)?
A: Mary Shelley
Q: What is the name of Frankenstein's monster?
A: The monster has no name. Victor Frankenstein is the scientist who creates him.
Q: Which metal can hurt a werewolf?
A: Silver
Q: Which Irish spirit wails to warn that someone is about to die?
A: A banshee
Q: Which creature, first reported in Puerto Rico in 1995, is named for drinking goats' blood?
A: The chupacabra
Q: Which witch from Slavic folklore has a hut that stands on chicken legs?
A: Baba Yaga
Q: In which Scottish lake is Nessie said to swim?
A: Loch Ness
Q: Which New Jersey forest is the Jersey Devil said to haunt?
A: The Pine Barrens
Q: Which Greek gorgon turns people to stone with a look?
A: Medusa
Q: Which Washington Irving story features the Headless Horseman?
A: “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” published in 1820
Q: The modern zombie comes from the folklore of which Caribbean country?
A: Haiti
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Halloween candy and treats trivia (12 Q&A)
Candy history is full of odd origin stories, and most players won't know half of them. For a bigger food round, pull a few of these food trivia questions.
Q: What was candy corn once called?
A: Chicken Feed
Q: Who invented candy corn in the 1880s?
A: George Renninger of the Wunderle Candy Company
Q: Which candy bar is named after a horse owned by the Mars family?
A: Snickers
Q: Why are Milk Duds called "duds"?
A: The factory couldn't make them perfectly round
Q: How many flavors did a 3 Musketeers bar have when it launched in 1932?
A: 3 flavors: chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry
Q: Who is the Tootsie Roll named after?
A: Clara "Tootsie" Hirschfield, the daughter of inventor Leo Hirschfield
Q: Which former Hershey dairy worker created the peanut butter cup?
A: H.B. Reese
Q: What are American Smarties called in Canada?
A: Rockets
Q: Which company makes Kit Kat bars in the U.S.?
A: Hershey
Q: Which state usually grows the most pumpkins?
A: Illinois
Q: Is a pumpkin a fruit or a vegetable?
A: A fruit, because it grows from a flower and holds seeds
Q: Which candy is celebrated by the unofficial National Candy Corn Day on October 30?
A: Candy corn
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Halloween costume trivia (10 Q&A)
These questions cover the origins of dressing up and the stories behind a few iconic looks.
Q: Why did Celts wear costumes during Samhain?
A: To disguise themselves from spirits
Q: What were Dorothy's slippers made of in L. Frank Baum's original book?
A: Silver
Q: Which actress played the green-skinned Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz (1939)?
A: Margaret Hamilton
Q: Which makeup artist designed the flat head and neck bolts for Boris Karloff's monster in Frankenstein (1931)?
A: Jack Pierce
Q: Which 2 colors are the stripes on Freddy Krueger's sweater?
A: Red and green
Q: What pattern is Beetlejuice's suit?
A: Black-and-white stripes
Q: What goes wrong with Charlie Brown's ghost costume in the Great Pumpkin special?
A: He cuts too many holes in the sheet
Q: What was the Ghostface mask from Scream called before the movie made it famous?
A: "Father Death," a Fun World costume mask
Q: Which puppeteer started New York's Village Halloween Parade in 1973?
A: Ralph Lee
Q: Which company sold millions of vinyl smock costumes with plastic masks from the 1950s to the 1980s?
A: Ben Cooper
Disney villains are a popular costume pick too, so these Disney trivia questions make a good bonus round.
Halloween trivia questions for kids (13 Q&A)
This round works for kids from about 4 to 8. For older kids, these trivia questions for kids grouped by age go up to 11, and they're handy at a Halloween sleepover too.
Q: What do kids say when a neighbor opens the door on Halloween?
A: "Trick or treat"
Q: What orange fruit do people carve faces into?
A: A pumpkin
Q: What do you call a carved pumpkin with a candle inside?
A: A jack-o'-lantern
Q: What do witches ride through the sky?
A: A broomstick
Q: Which Halloween animal sleeps upside down?
A: A bat
Q: What spooky character says "boo"?
A: A ghost
Q: What date is Halloween?
A: October 31
Q: What does a spider spin?
A: A web
Q: What color cat is a Halloween symbol?
A: Black
Q: What is a skeleton made of?
A: Bones
Q: What does a mummy wear?
A: Strips of cloth, or bandages
Q: What big pot does a witch stir her potions in?
A: A cauldron
Q: What is the name of the friendly cartoon ghost?
A: Casper
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Halloween trivia questions for adults (12 Q&A)
These are the hardest questions in the set. I'd save them for the last round when scores are close. For a grown-up party, mix them with these Halloween party games for adults, and if your group grew up on "Thriller," add a few 80s trivia questions.
Q: Which Halloween (1978) star is the daughter of Psycho actress Janet Leigh?
A: Jamie Lee Curtis
Q: What was Michael Myers' mask before the crew painted it white?
A: A William Shatner Captain Kirk mask
Q: Who is the killer in the original Friday the 13th (1980)?
A: Pamela Voorhees, Jason's mother
Q: Who directed The Nightmare Before Christmas?
A: Henry Selick. Tim Burton produced it and created the original story.
Q: Why did a German court order all prints of Nosferatu (1922) destroyed?
A: Bram Stoker's widow sued the filmmakers for copying Dracula without permission
Q: What challenge led Mary Shelley to write Frankenstein?
A: Lord Byron's ghost-story contest at the Villa Diodati in 1816
Q: What format is the novel Dracula written in?
A: Letters, diary entries and newspaper clippings
Q: Which horror actor performs the spoken section of Michael Jackson's "Thriller"?
A: Vincent Price
Q: Where did the phrase "trick or treat" first appear in print?
A: A 1927 newspaper in Blackie, Alberta, Canada
Q: Which Minnesota city calls itself the "Halloween Capital of the World"?
A: Anoka, which has held a citywide celebration since 1920
Q: Which charity's orange collection boxes have trick-or-treaters carried since 1950?
A: UNICEF
Q: What is the fear of Halloween called?
A: Samhainophobia
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Multiple-choice Halloween trivia questions (10 Q&A)
Four options per question keep younger players in the game. Read every choice before anyone answers.
Q: What day of the week is Halloween 2026? (Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday)
A: Saturday
Q: What were the first jack-o'-lanterns carved from? (Pumpkins, turnips, apples or squash)
A: Turnips
Q: Where did Samhain begin? (Ireland, Mexico, Germany or Italy)
A: Ireland
Q: How many Sanderson sisters are in Hocus Pocus? (2, 3, 4 or 5)
A: 3
Q: In what year was Dracula published? (1818, 1847, 1897 or 1931)
A: 1897
Q: What is a group of witches called? (A coven, a flock, a pack or a circle)
A: A coven
Q: What is the name of the clown in Stephen King's It? (Pennywise, Bozo, Krusty or Pogo)
A: Pennywise
Q: In which year did Beetlejuice Beetlejuice come out? (2018, 2022, 2024 or 2026)
A: 2024
Q: What is the fear of spiders called? (Arachnophobia, claustrophobia, acrophobia or agoraphobia)
A: Arachnophobia
Q: Who does Jack Skellington kidnap in The Nightmare Before Christmas? (The Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, Cupid or the Tooth Fairy)
A: Santa Claus, whom the Halloween Town kids call "Sandy Claws"
For more multiple-choice rounds on other topics, try these trivia questions and answers.
Fun facts, October trivia, and silly questions (14 Q&A)
Use these as tie-breakers or as a warm-up while people are still arriving.
Interesting facts about Halloween
Q: When was the last full moon on Halloween, and when is the next one?
A: 2020, and the next one is expected in 2039
Q: What did people in parts of Ireland and England call Halloween because of the games they played with fruit and nuts?
A: Snap-Apple Night and Nutcrack Night
Q: What color bucket or pumpkin shows that a house hands out non-food treats for kids with allergies?
A: Teal, from the Teal Pumpkin Project that FARE started in 2014
Q: What is the name for the prank night before Halloween in parts of the US?
A: Mischief Night, called Devil's Night in Detroit
Q: Why were black cats linked to witches in medieval Europe?
A: People believed witches could change into cats
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October trivia
Q: What does the name October mean?
A: It comes from octo, Latin for eight, because it was the 8th month of the early Roman calendar
Q: What are October's 2 birthstones?
A: Opal and tourmaline
Q: What are October's birth flowers?
A: Marigold and cosmos
Q: Which federal holiday falls on October 12 in 2026?
A: Columbus Day. Many states and cities also mark this day as Indigenous Peoples' Day
Q: Which 2 zodiac signs share October?
A: Libra and Scorpio
Silly Halloween questions
Q: Why didn't the skeleton go to the party?
A: He had no body to go with
Q: What's a ghost's favorite dessert?
A: I scream
Q: Which room does a ghost not need?
A: A living room
Q: What do you call a witch at the beach?
A: A sand-witch
Keep your Halloween game night going
After the last round of Halloween trivia questions, Weekend Games on your smart TV keeps the games and fun going. Launch the Weekend app on Roku, Fire TV, Samsung or LG and pick a game.
Here's the lineup:
- Jeopardy! is the official game for TV, with the show's clues, music, Daily Doubles and Final Jeopardy! wagering. Set it to Casual for kids or Expert for the trivia champs.
- Song Quiz plays a short clip from a massive library of songs. Pick a decade or genre, then shout out the song and artist for points.
- Wheel of Fortune sends players after the same word puzzle, with every letter adding momentum to the race.
- Guess the Emoji is best for fast and fun visual puzzle lovers. Simple emoji strings keep the whole group engaged and guessing.
- Spot On gives you a clue and a 3D globe, and whoever drops a pin closest wins the round. A "WRONG CONTINENT!" verdict gets the biggest laugh.
- Sketchy AF draws a picture stroke by stroke, and players hold to talk on their phones to guess before it's done.
- Wit's End lets players describe a hero out loud and play an unpredictably fun fantasy RPG narrated by an AI game master.
- Karaoke (on Roku) scores every "Monster Mash" attempt on words and pitch, with the Roku remote as your mic.
- Meme Supreme is the party pick for the adults, where everyone captions memes and votes anonymously on the best one.
- CoComelon: Sing & Play with JJ offers early childhood learning and entertainment for ages 2 to 4, with mini-games like BINGO and Baa Baa Black Sheep.
Want more Halloween fun after the last answer? Start your 7-day free trial and play Weekend Games on your smart TV.
FAQs
What are good Halloween trivia questions for adults?
Good Halloween trivia questions for adults cover horror movie trivia, monster literature, and the odd history behind the holiday. I'd use the Nosferatu lawsuit, Michael Myers' Captain Kirk mask and the 1927 first printing of "trick or treat" to challenge horror fans.
What are easy Halloween trivia questions for kids?
Easy Halloween trivia questions for kids ask what date Halloween is, what a jack-o'-lantern is, and what witches ride. The kids round above has 13 questions for ages 4 to 8, and each one has a short, simple answer.
What are some interesting facts about Halloween?
Interesting facts about Halloween include its roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain, jack-o'-lanterns first being carved from turnips, and the next Halloween full moon arriving in 2039. The fun facts round above will have more for tie-breakers.
How many questions should a Halloween trivia game have?
A Halloween trivia game works best with 30 to 50 questions across 3 to 5 rounds. That fills about an hour at a party. Use the full 114 for a longer trivia night or split them across 2 weekends in October.
Can I play Halloween trivia on my TV?
Yes, you can play trivia on your TV with Jeopardy! on Roku, Fire TV, Samsung and LG through the Weekend Games app. Search for "Weekend Games" in your TV's app store, install it, start the 7-day free trial, and pick Jeopardy! or Song Quiz.
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