Origins & History
The Celtic festival that inspired Halloween also marked this seasonal transition.
What is the end of harvest and the beginning of winter?
This 1973 film was so terrifying that some theaters provided barf bags.
What is The Exorcist?
The Salem Witch Trials took place in this year.
What is 1692?
This headless ghost haunts Sleepy Hollow in Washington Irving’s tale.
Who is the Headless Horseman?
This medical practice in the 1800s used to drain “bad blood” and often killed patients.
What is bloodletting?
In medieval times, this practice involved dressing up and going door-to-door for food or coins in exchange for prayers.
What is souling?
The “Blair Witch Project” was filmed in this U.S. state.
What is Maryland?
This infamous witch-hunting manual, written in 1487, was called “The Hammer of Witches.”
What is Malleus Maleficarum?
The legend of Dracula is loosely based on this real historical figure.
Who is Vlad the Impaler?
Frankenstein’s monster was brought to life using this natural phenomenon.
What is electricity?
The Jack-o’-lantern was inspired by an Irish legend about this man.
Who is Stingy Jack?
The 1982 film Poltergeist was rumored to be cursed due to this unsettling production choice.
What is using real human skeletons as props?
In Wiccan belief, this triple aspect of the Goddess represents the stages of womanhood.
What are the Maiden, Mother, and Crone?
In Mexican folklore, this ghostly woman is said to weep for her lost children.
Who is La Llorona?
This real chemical used in embalming is also a key ingredient in fake Halloween fog.
What is formaldehyde?
The Catholic Church rebranded Samhain by establishing this holiday on November 1st.
What is All Saints’ Day (All Hallows’ Day)?
This horror author’s stories inspired The Shining, It, and Carrie.
Who is Stephen King?
This moon phase is often associated with banishing or releasing spells.
What is the waning moon?
What is Loch Ness?
This psychological condition causes someone to believe they are a corpse.
What is Cotard’s Delusion?
In the 19th century, this country’s immigrants brought Halloween traditions to the United States.
What is Ireland?
The 1922 silent film Nosferatu was an unauthorized adaptation of this famous novel.
What is Dracula?
This British occultist, often called “the wickedest man in the world,” founded the Thelema religion.
Who is Aleister Crowley?
In Slavic folklore, this witch-like creature lives in a hut that stands on chicken legs.
Who is Baba Yaga?
This experiment by Luigi Galvani proved that electricity could cause dead tissue to twitch — inspiring Frankenstein.
What is galvanism?