Halloween History
This ancient Celtic festival, celebrated around November 1, marked the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter.
What is Samhain?
Boris Karloff portrayed this famous monster in the 1931 film directed by James Whale.
Who is Frankenstein's monster?
Edgar Allan Poe wrote this famous poem that repeats the word “Nevermore.”
What is “The Raven”?
This candy, first sold commercially in the 1880s, features a chocolate cup filled with peanut butter.
What are Reese's Peanut Butter Cups?
According to superstition, breaking one of these brings seven years of bad luck.
What is a mirror?
This European country is particularly associated with the origins of many modern Halloween traditions.
What is Ireland?
Bela Lugosi became famous for playing this legendary vampire in the 1931 film.
Who is Dracula?
Washington Irving created this headless rider in a story set in a New York village.
Who is the Headless Horseman?
This candy company introduced M&M's in the United States in 1941.
What is Mars?
In folklore, this nocturnal bird was often associated with death or ill fortune.
What is an owl?
In the 19th century, a large wave of immigrants from this country helped popularize Halloween traditions in America.
What is Ireland?
In Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, this character owns the Bates Motel.
Who is Norman Bates?
In Shakespeare's Macbeth, three of these supernatural figures deliver prophecies to Macbeth.
Who are the Weird Sisters (the witches)?
This candy bar, introduced in 1921, was named after the family of its creator, Frank Mars.
What is the Milky Way?
According to a well-known superstition, seeing this animal cross your path is considered unlucky.
What is a black cat?
Before pumpkins became the standard jack-o'-lantern, this root vegetable was commonly carved in Ireland and Scotland.
What is a turnip?
Lon Chaney Jr. played this tragic monster in the 1941 Universal Pictures film.
Who is the Wolf Man?
Mary Shelley wrote this landmark Gothic novel, first published anonymously in 1818.
What is Frankenstein?
This chewy candy was first produced in 1896 and was originally marketed as a medicinal product.
What is Tootsie Roll?
In traditional vampire lore, this plant was believed to ward off vampires.
What is garlic?
This Christian observance on November 1 gives Halloween its historical name, meaning the evening before the holy day.
What is All Saints' Day?
This 1922 German silent horror film introduced audiences to Count Orlok, an unauthorized version of Dracula.
What is Nosferatu?
In Bram Stoker's novel, this English solicitor travels to Transylvania and encounters Count Dracula.
Who is Jonathan Harker?
This candy, originally sold as “Chicken Feed,” became one of America's signature Halloween treats.
What is candy corn?
In the classic superstition, spilling this seasoning means you should throw a pinch over your left shoulder to ward off bad luck.
What is salt?