THROUGH THE DECADES
What traditional Halloween game involves trying to grab floating fruit using only your mouth?
Bobbing for apples
What 1976 horror movie features a teenage girl named Carrie who discovers she has telekinetic powers?
Carrie
According to folklore, what household cleaning tool do witches traditionally ride through the sky?
A broomstick
What nocturnal bird is known for turning its head unusually far around and making a hooting sound?
An owl
A witch has six black candles burning in her cottage. She blows out three before leaving for the night. When she returns the next morning, how many candles remain?
Three. The other three burned completely away
What popular Halloween activity involves walking through a building filled with actors trying to scare visitors?
Haunted house
In the 1980 film The Shining, what actor famously breaks through a bathroom door with an axe?
Jack Nicholson
What large metal pot is traditionally associated with witches brewing magical potions?
A cauldron
What type of spider is known for the red hourglass-shaped marking on the underside of its abdomen?
Black widow
A vampire is trapped in a room with no windows, one locked door, and a wooden table. The only key is outside the room. How does he escape without opening the door?
He turns into a bat and flies through the keyhole
Before plastic jack-o'-lantern buckets became popular, what household item did many children carry to collect Halloween candy?
A pillowcase
In the 1958 film The Blob, what type of creature terrorizes a small Pennsylvania town?
A growing, gelatinous alien mass
In The Wizard of Oz, what object does the Wicked Witch of the West desperately want from Dorothy?
The ruby slippers
What unusual natural phenomenon causes some mushrooms and other living organisms to glow in the dark?
Bioluminescence
A ghost enters a haunted mansion every night at midnight. The mansion has no doors, no windows, and no chimney. How does the ghost get inside?
It passes through the walls
What ancient Celtic festival is commonly associated with the origins of Halloween?
Samhain
In the 1968 film Night of the Living Dead, what type of building do survivors barricade themselves inside?
A farmhouse
What term describes a book containing magical instructions, spells, or rituals?
A grimoire
What animal is sometimes called a "living fossil" and has blue blood used in medical safety testing?
Horseshoe crab
A witch casts a spell that makes everything in her cottage invisible except things that have never been alive. Her wooden broom, leather shoes, iron cauldron, and wool cloak are inside. Which item remains visible?
The iron cauldron
In the early 20th century, Halloween celebrations in American communities increasingly included organized parties and activities to discourage what type of behavior?
Vandalism or destructive pranks
What 1962 psychological thriller directed by Robert Aldrich stars Bette Davis and Joan Crawford as two sisters living in a decaying mansion?
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
In Greek mythology, what powerful sorceress transforms Odysseus's men into pigs?
Circe
What scientific term describes an animal that is most active during twilight, around dawn and dusk?
Crepuscular
A vampire tells you, "Yesterday I was 100 years old, but next year I will be 103." He isn't lying, and his birthday happens only once a year. How is this possible?
Today is January 1, and his birthday is December 31. He turned 101 yesterday, will turn 102 this year, and 103 next year. (He was 100 before yesterday, so the opening statement needs to refer to the day before yesterday for the riddle to work.)
What American author wrote the 1820 story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, featuring the Headless Horseman?
Washington Irving