Trivia & General Knowledge

Halloween Trivia Questions and Answers

40 Halloween trivia questions with answers: movies, music, books, animals and science of the spooky season.

40 questions · tap “Show answer” under each one · Answer key

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  1. Who directed the 1978 horror film 'Halloween'?

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    John Carpenter

    He also wrote its famous piano theme. Source

  2. The mask in 'Halloween' (1978) was made from a mask of which TV character?

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    Captain Kirk

    The crew painted it white and reshaped the hair. Source

  3. Who writes the 'Goosebumps' books?

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    R. L. Stine

    The first Goosebumps book came out in 1992. Source

  4. Which 1962 novelty song is a Halloween party classic?

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    Monster Mash

    Bobby 'Boris' Pickett sang it in a Boris Karloff voice. Source

  5. Which horror-film actor does the spoken part in Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'?

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    Vincent Price

    Price was famous for horror films of the 1950s and 60s. Source

  6. In which year did the 'Thriller' music video come out?

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    1983

    The 14-minute video was directed by John Landis. Source

  7. Who sang the 'Ghostbusters' theme song (1984)?

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    Ray Parker Jr.

    It reached number one in the US. Source

  8. Mussorgsky's 'Night on Bald Mountain' appears in which Disney film?

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    Fantasia

    In it, a giant demon called Chernabog rises from a mountain. Source

  9. Who plays Wednesday Addams in the series 'Wednesday' (2022)?

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    Jenna Ortega

    Christina Ricci played Wednesday in the 1991 film. Source

  10. What is the name of the van in 'Scooby-Doo'?

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    The Mystery Machine

    The gang has driven it since 1969. Source

  11. What is Scooby-Doo's full name?

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    Scoobert Doo

    It was revealed in a later series. Source

  12. In 'Sabrina the Teenage Witch', what is the talking cat called?

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    Salem

    He was a warlock turned into a cat as a punishment. Source

  1. Which TV family lived at 1313 Mockingbird Lane?

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    The Munsters

    The show first aired in 1964. Source

  2. In 'Stranger Things', what is the dark mirror world called?

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    The Upside Down

    The Nether is a dimension in Minecraft. Source

  3. What is the heaviest spider in the world?

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    Goliath birdeater

    The giant huntsman has the widest leg span. Source

  4. Roughly how many species of bats are there?

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    More than 1,400

    About one in five mammal species is a bat. Source

  5. Which bats, with wingspans up to 1.5 m, are called 'flying foxes'?

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    Fruit bats

    They eat fruit and nectar, not insects. Source

  6. The names of Mars's moons, Phobos and Deimos, mean what?

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    Fear and dread

    In Greek myth, they are the sons of Ares, the god Mars is named after. Source

  7. What makes a glow stick glow?

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    A chemical reaction

    Bending it breaks a small glass tube so two chemicals can mix. Source

  8. What causes goosebumps on your skin?

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    Tiny muscles at the roots of hairs

    The muscles pull the hairs upright when you're cold or scared. Source

  9. What is the 'dry ice' used to make spooky fog?

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    Frozen carbon dioxide

    It turns straight from solid to gas at about −78 °C. Source

  10. What is it called when you see faces in things like clouds or pumpkins?

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    Pareidolia

    Our brains are wired to spot faces quickly. Source

  11. Which Minnesota city calls itself the 'Halloween Capital of the World'?

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    Anoka

    It held one of the first citywide Halloween celebrations in the US, in 1920. Source

  12. In Irish folklore, the jack-o'-lantern is named after a trickster called what?

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    Stingy Jack

    In the tale, he wanders the night with a coal inside a carved turnip. Source

  13. In 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow', what does the Headless Horseman throw at Ichabod Crane?

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    A pumpkin

    A smashed pumpkin is found the next morning. Source

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  1. What is Ichabod Crane's job in 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow'?

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    Schoolteacher

    He is a newcomer to the village. Source

  2. Mary Shelley thought up 'Frankenstein' during a ghost-story contest by which lake?

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    Lake Geneva

    Lord Byron suggested the contest in the rainy summer of 1816. Source

  3. How is most of Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' told?

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    Through letters and diaries

    A story told through documents is called epistolary. Source

  4. What is the word for a person turning into a wolf in legend?

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    Lycanthropy

    It comes from the Greek words for wolf and human. Source

  5. In which decade was the phrase 'trick or treat' first found in print?

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    1920s

    It appeared in a Canadian newspaper in 1927. Source

  6. In Pixar's 'Coco' (2017), what is the name of the boy who visits the Land of the Dead?

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    Miguel

    Dante is his dog. Source

  7. Crows can remember and recognize what?

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    Human faces

    Crows have been shown to remember people who bothered them for years. Source

  8. Why can owls fly almost silently?

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    Soft, fringed feathers

    The fringes break up the air that would make a whooshing sound. Source

  9. What is the deep-sea 'vampire squid' named after?

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    Its dark, cloak-like webbing

    It actually eats bits of drifting 'marine snow'. Source

  10. In which country does the 'ghost pepper', one of the hottest chilies, come from?

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    India

    It's grown in northeast India, where it's called bhut jolokia. Source

  11. In which decade did Casper the Friendly Ghost first appear?

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    1940s

    He first appeared in a 1945 cartoon. Source

  12. Which Tim Burton film is about a young man who accidentally marries a bride from the land of the dead?

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    Corpse Bride

    It came out in 2005. Source

  1. In 'Hocus Pocus', who was turned into a black cat 300 years ago?

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    Thackery Binx

    He guards the witches' house as a cat. Source

  2. Which Stephen King novel is set in the Overlook Hotel?

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    The Shining

    Stanley Kubrick made it into a film in 1980. Source

  3. In Mexico, what are alebrijes?

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    Brightly colored folk-art creatures

    They appear as spirit guides in Pixar's 'Coco'. Source

Answer key

  1. John Carpenter
  2. Captain Kirk
  3. R. L. Stine
  4. Monster Mash
  5. Vincent Price
  6. 1983
  7. Ray Parker Jr.
  8. Fantasia
  9. Jenna Ortega
  10. The Mystery Machine
  11. Scoobert Doo
  12. Salem
  13. The Munsters
  14. The Upside Down
  15. Goliath birdeater
  16. More than 1,400
  17. Fruit bats
  18. Fear and dread
  19. A chemical reaction
  20. Tiny muscles at the roots of hairs
  21. Frozen carbon dioxide
  22. Pareidolia
  23. Anoka
  24. Stingy Jack
  25. A pumpkin
  26. Schoolteacher
  27. Lake Geneva
  28. Through letters and diaries
  29. Lycanthropy
  30. 1920s
  31. Miguel
  32. Human faces
  33. Soft, fringed feathers
  34. Its dark, cloak-like webbing
  35. India
  36. 1940s
  37. Corpse Bride
  38. Thackery Binx
  39. The Shining
  40. Brightly colored folk-art creatures