Traditions
In medieval England, children went door to door asking for food and prayers for the dead. What modern custom grew from it?
Trick-or-treating
This Transylvanian count from Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel defined the modern vampire.
Dracula
Directed by John Landis, this 1983 music video blended horror and pop culture with zombies and dance.
Thriller
In nearly every culture, these restless dead return to haunt the living.
Ghosts / spirits
Which 1692 events in Massachusetts led to executions over claims of sorcery?
Salem witch trials
In the Middle Ages, this animal was thought to be a witch’s familiar and bringer of misfortune.
Black cats
Created from corpses and abandoned by his maker, this creature embodies guilt and isolation.
Frankenstein’s monster
First seen in 1930s cartoons, this creepy family mixed death and humor on TV.
The Addams family
In many religions, these malevolent beings tempt or possess humans.
Demons
This killer terrorized London’s Whitechapel district in 1888, leaving taunting letters to police.
Jack the Ripper
Which Halloween custom began as a way to disguise from wandering spirits during Samhain?
Costumes
Possessed by a serial killer’s soul, this toy turned homicidal in a 1988 film.
Chucky
Set in the 1980s, this series mixed small-town mystery with government experiments and monsters.
Stranger Things
European villagers once believed people cursed by the devil turned into this creature under the full moon.
Werewolf
This bizarre 1518 event in Strasbourg began when a woman started dancing uncontrollably, soon joined by hundreds who kept dancing until many died of exhaustion.
Dancing Plague
These two common witch tools symbolized household power and flight in old folklore.
Broomsticks and cauldrons
Wearing a blank white mask, this silent killer from Halloween became the face of the slasher era.
Michael Myers
Which indie video game about haunted animatronics became a global horror hit?
Five Nights at Freddy’s
In Haitian folklore, this reanimated corpse symbolized control and loss of freedom.
Zombie
Which 1970s American serial killer was known for charm, multiple escapes, and eventual execution?
Ted Bundy
Before pumpkins, people in Ireland carved this root vegetable to keep spirits away.
Turnips
Burned alive by parents seeking revenge, this killer returns in nightmares.
Freddy Krueger
Born from online forums, this faceless figure inspired real-life scares and urban legends.
Slender Man
Ancient Egyptians prayed to this jackal-headed god to guide souls through the afterlife.
Anubis
This 1959 mystery in Russia’s Ural Mountains left nine hikers dead, their tent ripped open from the inside and bodies showing odd injuries and radiation.
Dyatlov Pass