Halloween Trivia Questions Printable: 40 Questions + Key

Halloween Trivia Night: 40 Printable Questions

Print this page and your Halloween trivia night is fully stocked. Forty original questions across five categories — history, movies, candy, monsters, and the spooky side of nature. Questions first, answers in a separate key at the bottom so nothing gets spoiled.

Read them aloud, split into teams, or run it as a written quiz. Either way, the answer key makes you an instant game-show host.

The Questions

Halloween History & Origins

What ancient Celtic festival is widely considered the ancestor of modern Halloween?
What vegetable did Irish immigrants carve into lanterns before pumpkins became the standard?
What does the phrase “trick or treat” refer to in old Halloween traditions — and what was the “trick” part?
Which US state held the famous witch trials of 1692?
What was the original purpose of wearing costumes on Halloween — to celebrate, or to hide from something?
Which country is the birthplace of the jack-o’-lantern legend about a man named Jack?
In what century did trick-or-treating become a widespread American tradition?
What does the name “Halloween” literally mean?

Movies & TV

In It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, which character waits in the pumpkin patch every year?
What town does Michael Myers terrorize in the Halloween films?
In Hocus Pocus, what is the name of the talking cat who was once a boy?
Which ghost in the 1984 comedy Ghostbusters is famous for eating everything in sight?
In The Nightmare Before Christmas, what is Jack Skellington called?
What classic 1931 movie starred Bela Lugosi as a famous vampire?
In Beetlejuice, what is the name of the afterlife couple haunting the house?
Which 1978 John Carpenter film launched the modern slasher genre on Halloween night?

Candy & Treats

What candy was originally marketed under the name “Chicken Feed”?
Which candy company created the Snickers bar, and what was the bar named after?
What color is the original caramel apple coating before any candy toppings?
Which candy brand’s slogan is “Taste the Rainbow”?
What was the first candy sold in a trick-or-treat-sized “fun size” package?
Which Halloween candy has a peanut butter cup center and a wavy chocolate shell?
What candy is traditionally thrown from parade floats in New Orleans during Halloween season?
Which candy was invented by a dentist in 1897 — and what sweet treat was it?

Monsters & Myths

What do you call a group of witches gathered together?
According to legend, what can defeat a vampire besides sunlight?
In folklore, a werewolf transforms during what phase of the moon?
What mythical creature drinks blood and sleeps in a coffin by day?
What is the name of the headless rider from the legend of Sleepy Hollow?
In Egyptian mythology, which god is often shown with the head of a jackal and linked to mummies?
What do you call a ghost that is tied to one specific place or building?
According to legend, which creature turns to stone in daylight?

Nature’s Spooky Side

What is the fear of Halloween called?
Which bird is traditionally associated with bad omens and perched outside the narrator’s door in a famous poem?
How many legs does a spider have?
What do you call the webs that spiders spin — and what are they made of?
Which nocturnal flying mammal is a classic Halloween symbol?
What is the largest species of bat in the world called?
Which black cat superstition says crossing your path is bad luck — and in which countries is it actually considered good luck?
What natural phenomenon causes the eerie “blood moon” sometimes seen in October?

Answer Key

Samhain (pronounced “sow-in”)
Turnips
The “treat” was a small gift of food or coins; the “trick” was a harmless prank played if no treat was given
Massachusetts (Salem)
To hide — people wore disguises so wandering spirits wouldn’t recognize them
Ireland
The 20th century (it spread widely in the 1920s–1950s)
“Hallowed evening” — the evening before All Saints’ Day
Linus van Pelt
Haddonfield, Illinois
Thackery Binx
Slimer
The Pumpkin King
Dracula
Adam and Barbara Maitland
Halloween
Candy corn
Mars, Inc. — named after a horse owned by the Mars family
Red (the classic cinnamon-red candy coating)
Skittles
Snickers (fun-size bars launched in 1968)
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
Beads are the Mardi Gras tradition; Halloween parades commonly throw candy and small toys
Cotton candy — invented by dentist William Morrison and confectioner John Wharton
A coven
A wooden stake through the heart, garlic, or holy water (any one accepted)
The full moon
A vampire
The Headless Horseman
Anubis
A haunting (or a resident spirit)
A troll
Samhainophobia
The raven (from Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “The Raven”)
Eight
Spiderwebs, made of silk produced by spinnerets
The bat
The giant golden-crowned flying fox
Black cats crossing your path is considered unlucky in much of the US; in the UK, Ireland, and Japan they are considered good luck
A total lunar eclipse, when Earth’s shadow gives the moon a reddish tint

Hosting Tips: Teams, Scoring, and Tiebreakers

Teams

Split guests into teams of 3–5 so everyone can play — shy guests participate more in small groups. Give each team a spooky name (The Pumpkin Heads, Team Boo) and one answer sheet per round. If you have an odd number of guests, the host can join a team.

Scoring

Keep it simple: one point per correct answer, read aloud round by round. Announce scores after each category to keep the energy up. For the History and Nature categories, award a bonus point for any answer that names an extra correct detail — it rewards the trivia nerds and keeps everyone guessing boldly.

Tiebreakers

If two teams finish tied, don’t do another full round. Use a single sudden-death question the host invents on the spot, like “How many pieces of candy are in this bowl?” (fill one in advance and count it), or “What year was the first Halloween costume shop opened in your town?” Closest guess wins. Quick, dramatic, and done.

How to Print and Run the Night

Print the questions on one set of pages and the answer key separately — keep the key with the host only.
Read questions aloud instead of handing out sheets; it keeps the room together and stops teams from racing ahead.
Use a whiteboard or a big sheet of paper taped to the wall for the running score — visible scores make every round matter.
Set a 30-second answer limit per question with a phone timer. A little pressure makes trivia ten times more fun.
Hand out small prizes for the winning team and a silly consolation prize (a single candy corn) for last place — everyone goes home happy.

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Host’s secret: Read the Movies & TV round last — it’s the crowd-pleaser everyone knows, and it ends the night on a high note.

40+ Halloween Trivia Questions Printable (With Answer Key)

Halloween Trivia Night: 40 Printable Questions