Halloween Trivia Questions and Answers
Halloween trivia questions and answers are an easy way to give a party, classroom or office a shared spooky game that everyone can join, from the youngest trick-or-treater to the oldest trivia fan. This set of Halloween trivia is written for kids, teens and adults, and everything in it is family-friendly, with no gore.
Inside you will find 32 questions in four rounds: spooky history, monsters and stories, candy and pumpkins, and creepy creatures. Each round runs from easy to hard, about half the questions are multiple choice, and every answer comes with a fun fact you can read aloud.
Use this Halloween trivia any way you like. Read it out around a table, print the page from your browser, or host it live so everyone answers on their own phone and the scores update after every question.
Host these 32 Halloween trivia questions and answers as a live game
Players join from their phones with a QR code, no app. Scoring and the leaderboard are automatic. Free for up to 5 teams.
Spooky History & Traditions
1.On what date do people celebrate Halloween each year?
Show answer
Answer: October 31
The phrase "trick or treat" first appeared in print in 1917 in a Canadian newspaper, and the custom became widespread in North America in the 1930s.
2.In an Irish folk tale, a trickster ends up wandering the earth with a burning coal inside a carved turnip. What is he nicknamed?
- ALucky Jack
- BStingy Jack
- CJumping Jack
- DBlack Jack
Show answer
Answer: Stingy Jack
The word "jack-o'-lantern" was in use by the 1600s for the flickering will-o'-the-wisp lights over bogs, long before it meant a carved lantern.
3.Día de los Muertos, with its family altars and sugar skulls, is most closely associated with which country?
- ASpain
- BCanada
- CMexico
- DNorway
Show answer
Answer: Mexico
UNESCO added the tradition to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008.
4.The infamous Salem witch trials of the 1690s took place in which US state?
Show answer
Answer: Massachusetts
The accusations began in Salem Village, which is now the town of Danvers.
5.In Scotland and Ireland, children in costume have long earned treats at the door by singing a song or telling a joke. What is this custom called?
- ABusking
- BWassailing
- CSledging
- DGuising
Show answer
Answer: Guising
One Scottish account from 1895 describes guisers carrying turnip lanterns, and historians link the custom to the roots of trick-or-treating.
6.Which bright orange flower is scattered on altars during Día de los Muertos to guide the spirits of the dead home?
Show answer
Answer: Marigold
Its Nahuatl name, cempasúchil, means "twenty flowers", and its strong scent is thought to attract souls.
7.In which year did the Salem witch trials begin?
Show answer
Answer: 1692
Nineteen people were executed by hanging, and the court in 1693 no longer accepted "spectral evidence", the testimony that a spirit shape of the accused had appeared to a victim.
8.The decorated sugar skulls made for Día de los Muertos take their name from the Spanish word for "skull". What is that word?
Show answer
Answer: Calavera
The name of the person receiving the sweet is often written on the forehead, and the skulls can be given to both the living and the dead.
Monsters & Spooky Stories
9.In modern films, which creature is usually shown transforming when the full moon rises?
- AMummy
- BZombie
- CScarecrow
- DWerewolf
Show answer
Answer: Werewolf
Some medieval tales linked the change to the moon, but the curse spreading by a bite is a fairly recent addition, and "lycanthrope" comes from a Greek word meaning "wolf-man".
10.Who wrote the novel "Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus"?
Show answer
Answer: Mary Shelley
The novel first appeared anonymously, and her name was not attached to it until a French translation in 1821.
11.What is a gathering of witches traditionally called?
- APride
- BCoven
- CFlock
- DHerd
Show answer
Answer: Coven
The idea that a coven has thirteen members was popularised by Margaret Murray in 1921. The word comes from a Latin term for a gathering.
12.Which American author wrote the poem "The Raven", in which a dark bird keeps repeating the word "Nevermore"?
Show answer
Answer: Edgar Allan Poe
The poem appeared in the New York Evening Mirror on January 29, 1845, and the narrator is mourning a lost love named Lenore.
13.In the stop-motion film The Nightmare Before Christmas, Jack Skellington is the "Pumpkin King" of which town?
- AHalloween Town
- BChristmas Town
- CSleepy Hollow
- DSalem Village
Show answer
Answer: Halloween Town
Henry Selick directed the film from a story by Tim Burton, and about 109,440 frames were shot to make it.
14.In Bram Stoker's 1897 novel "Dracula", which professor leads the group that hunts the Count?
Show answer
Answer: Van Helsing
The novel is told through letters, diary entries and newspaper articles rather than by a single narrator.
15.The story of Frankenstein began as a ghost-story challenge among friends at a villa beside which lake in Switzerland?
Show answer
Answer: Lake Geneva
Lord Byron proposed the contest, and his physician John Polidori later developed a fragment from it into the story "The Vampyre" (1819).
16.In Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", which nervous schoolmaster is chased by the Headless Horseman?
- ABrom Bones
- BRip Van Winkle
- CIchabod Crane
- DKatrina Van Tassel
Show answer
Answer: Ichabod Crane
The tale appeared in Irving's "The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent." and ends with a smashed pumpkin found on the trail.
Enjoying this Halloween trivia? Play it live with your group
Players join from their phones with a QR code, no app. Scoring and the leaderboard are automatic. Free for up to 5 teams.
Candy, Costumes & Pumpkins
17.Halloween decorations are traditionally black and which bright colour, the same colour as most pumpkins?
Show answer
Answer: Orange
Black cats have long been linked with witches and remain a common Halloween symbol.
18.Traditional candy corn has stripes of yellow, orange and which other colour?
- AWhite
- BRed
- CGreen
- DBlue
Show answer
Answer: White
It was created in the 1880s by George Renninger, who worked at the Wunderle Candy Company.
19.In the party game of bobbing for apples, players try to lift a floating apple out of water using which body part only?
- AHands
- BFeet
- CTeeth
- DElbows
Show answer
Answer: Teeth
In Scotland the game can be called "dooking", and one variation has players drive a fork held in their teeth into the apple.
20.Which continent are pumpkins native to?
- AEurope
- BAsia
- CAfrica
- DNorth America
Show answer
Answer: North America
Evidence of pumpkin cultivation in Mesoamerica dates back roughly 7000 to 5500 BCE, making them among the oldest domesticated plants.
21.Because it develops from a flower and holds seeds inside, a pumpkin is classified in botany as what?
- AA fruit
- BA root
- CA leaf
- DA stem
Show answer
Answer: A fruit
Botanists call the pumpkin fruit a type of berry known as a pepo, and the word "pumpkin" has no strict scientific definition.
22.Roasted pumpkin seeds are often sold under a Mexican Spanish name meaning "little seed of squash". What is it?
Show answer
Answer: Pepitas
The flat, light-green seeds are only about 1.5 centimetres long once the white husk is removed, and they are most often eaten as a roasted snack.
23.When the Goelitz Candy Company began selling candy corn around 1898, it marketed it under a farmyard-inspired name. What was it?
- ABarnyard Bites
- BChicken Feed
- CHarvest Pellets
- DGolden Kernels
Show answer
Answer: Chicken Feed
Corn was then seen as animal fodder rather than human food, and for decades the candy was sold in bulk as an inexpensive penny treat.
24.In the Irish Halloween fruit loaf called barmbrack, which charm baked inside is said to predict a marriage within the year?
- AA coin
- BA thimble
- CA button
- DA ring
Show answer
Answer: A ring
A coin meant wealth and a thimble meant staying single. Shop-bought loaves today usually keep only a toy ring for food-safety reasons.
Creepy Creatures & Spooky Science
25.How many legs does a spider have?
Show answer
Answer: 8
Spiders are arachnids, not insects: they have two main body sections instead of three, and no antennae.
26.Which animal is the only mammal capable of true, sustained flight?
- AFlying squirrel
- BColugo
- CBat
- DSugar glider
Show answer
Answer: Bat
Bats make up about 20 percent of all classified mammal species, second only to rodents.
27.What is the name for an intense fear of spiders?
Show answer
Answer: Arachnophobia
Estimates suggest that roughly 3.5 to 6.1 percent of people worldwide have it.
28.How many bones does a typical adult human skeleton contain?
- A150
- B206
- C300
- D412
Show answer
Answer: 206
Babies are born with roughly 270 bones, and the number drops as some of them fuse together.
29.Many bats find insects in the dark by sending out high-pitched calls and listening for the returning sounds. What is this ability called?
Show answer
Answer: Echolocation
It is not universal: most large fruit bats do not echolocate, and the genus Rousettus is an exception that uses tongue clicks.
30.Real vampire bats, which feed only on blood, live in which part of the world?
- ACentral and South America
- BNorthern Europe
- CAustralia
- DCentral Asia
Show answer
Answer: Central and South America
A female weighing about 40 grams can take in more than 20 grams of blood during a feeding of roughly 20 minutes.
31.Spiders make silk using special organs near the tip of the abdomen. What are these organs called?
Show answer
Answer: Spinnerets
Most spiders have three pairs of spinnerets, so six in total, though some have as few as one pair or as many as four.
32.An owl cannot move its eyes in their sockets, so it turns its head instead, helped by a long, flexible neck. How many neck vertebrae does an owl have?
- A7
- B10
- C14
- D21
Show answer
Answer: 14
That is twice the human number of seven. The openings in the bones are about ten times wider than the arteries passing through, which keeps blood flowing to the brain as the head turns.
How to host a Halloween trivia night
Pick your Halloween trivia questions
Start with the 32 questions on this page, or copy them into the editor and swap in your own. Keep all four rounds, or drop one to shorten your Halloween trivia night to about 45 minutes.
Open a room for your Halloween trivia game
Press the host button to open a live room. You get a room code and a QR code, so your Halloween trivia game is ready in a minute, with no app to install for anyone playing.
Let players join on their phones
Show the QR code on a big screen or send the link. Players scan it or open the link on their phones and pick a name. Halloween trivia guests never need to sign up.
Run the Halloween trivia from one big screen
Put the host view on a TV or projector in presenter mode and press the space bar to move on. You set the pace of the Halloween trivia while everyone answers on their phones or buzzes in.
Let the leaderboard crown a winner
Scoring is automatic, and a leaderboard appears after each question. Free rooms hold up to 5 teams and Pro rooms hold up to 300 teams, so even a big Halloween trivia party works.
Run this Halloween trivia night on phones and a big screen
Players join from their phones with a QR code, no app. Scoring and the leaderboard are automatic. Free for up to 5 teams.
Halloween trivia for kids, adults and parties
Kids
For Halloween trivia with kids, lean on the 100-point questions about candy, pumpkins and friendly monsters, and read the fun facts aloud. Ten to fifteen questions is plenty for younger children, and small teams of two or three keep everyone involved.
Adults
Adults enjoy Halloween trivia most when the hard 300-point questions get the spotlight. Start with the history and creature rounds, keep teams to four or five people, and finish with a tiebreaker of your own. A prize for the best costume helps.
Parties and classrooms
Mixed groups do well with all four rounds of Halloween trivia in order, because each round starts easy. At a party, play between snacks. In a classroom, split the set over two lessons, and use the fun facts as short discussion breaks.
Halloween trivia team names
Every Halloween trivia night needs a good team name, and choosing one is half the fun. Borrow one of these original, clean Halloween trivia team names, or twist it into something that suits your group.
- Boo Crew
- Wits and Witches
- The Quiz-tastic Ghouls
- Pumpkin Patch Brains
- Fright Night Know-It-Alls
- Spooky Smarty Pants
- Cauldron Quizzers
- Trivia or Treat
- Skele-Tons of Answers
- Batty for Trivia
- The Wrong Answer Werewolves
- Mummy Knows Best
- Candy Corn Geniuses
- Full Moon Thinkers
- Ghost of a Chance
Frequently asked questions
How many questions should Halloween trivia have?
Between 25 and 40 questions works well for most groups. This Halloween trivia set has 32 questions in four rounds, which fills an evening or a single class period without dragging on, and you can always stop after two rounds.
Where can I find free Halloween trivia questions for kids?
You can use this page. The Halloween trivia is free to read, and the 100-point questions in each round are gentle enough for younger kids. Read the fun facts aloud so children learn something after each answer.
What is good Halloween trivia for adults?
Use the 300-point questions at the end of each round. The best Halloween trivia for adults mixes odd history, classic monsters and creepy science, so nobody wins on movie knowledge alone. Teams of four or five keep the debates lively.
Can I print these Halloween trivia questions?
Yes, you can print this page from your browser and read the Halloween trivia questions aloud, or hand out copies. If you want automatic scoring instead of paper answer sheets, host the same questions live on phones.
How do I play Halloween trivia online with a group?
Open a live room, share the link or QR code, and players join on their phones from anywhere. Share your screen on a video call so remote friends can see each Halloween trivia question while the leaderboard updates.
What are the best rounds for Halloween trivia?
Spooky history, monsters and stories, candy and pumpkins, and creepy creatures make a balanced Halloween trivia night. Add a movie or music round of your own if your group loves them, since those rounds start the most debates.
How long does a Halloween trivia game take?
Plan on 45 to 60 minutes for all 32 questions, including time to read the fun facts. For a short Halloween trivia break, play two rounds in about 25 minutes and save the rest for later.
How do I run Halloween trivia at work or in the office?
Book a meeting room or a video call, share the QR code, and let colleagues join on their phones. Office Halloween trivia works best with mixed teams, a 30-minute limit and one round of the easier questions first.
What are some easy Halloween trivia questions?
The 100-point questions are the easy ones. Easy Halloween trivia includes questions such as the date of Halloween, October 31, so everyone scores early. Save the harder 300-point questions for the end of each round.
Where does trick-or-treating come from?
Historians trace it to older customs such as guising in Scotland and Ireland and souling in England, where people went door to door for food or coins. It is a favourite piece of Halloween trivia to share.
Can I use this Halloween trivia at a bar or party?
Yes. The Halloween trivia works well for a bar night or a house party because teams can answer on their phones while you read from one screen. Keep rounds short so people can keep chatting between questions.
TriviaBeam is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the organizations, teams, studios or brands these questions mention. Names are used only to describe the subject of each question. Every answer links to the source we checked.
More trivia questions
Christmas Trivia Questions and Answers
Free Christmas trivia questions and answers with 32 fun facts. Print the list or host Christmas trivia live, with players joining on their phones.
Office Trivia Questions and Answers
Free office trivia questions and answers for work: 32 clean questions in four rounds. Read them at your team meeting or host the office trivia live on phones.
Pub Quiz Questions and Answers
Free pub quiz questions and answers for adults: 32 questions in four rounds, easy to hard. Read them out at the bar or host the pub quiz live on phones.