25 Fun Facts About Halloween Trivia for Adults

Which word does the bird endlessly repeat in Edgar Allan Poe's best-known poem?

Poe published the poem in January 1845, and the refrain became the most quoted line he ever wrote.

Who leads the group that hunts the vampire in Bram Stoker's novel?

The Dutch doctor is the novel's authority on the undead, and the template for every vampire hunter since.

In which year was Stoker's Dracula first published?

May 1897. Stoker was working as a theatre manager in London at the time.

Dracula is told through letters, diary entries and newspaper clippings. What is that narrative form called?

The scattered documents let Stoker withhold information from his own characters, which is where much of the dread comes from.

What is the subtitle of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein?

Prometheus stole fire from the gods; Victor steals the power to create life. The first edition appeared anonymously on 1 January 1818.

How old was Mary Shelley when she began writing Frankenstein?

She started the story at eighteen while staying in Bath, following the famous ghost-story challenge by Lake Geneva.

What name does the novel give to Victor Frankenstein's creation?

He is called wretch, monster, creature, demon, fiend and 'it' — but never given a name of his own.

F. W. Murnau's 1922 film was an unauthorised Dracula adaptation. What did it rename the count?

Renaming him did not save the production — Stoker's estate sued and won.

How did the court rule in the copyright case brought against that 1922 vampire film?

Prints survived anyway, scattered across Europe, which is the only reason the film can still be watched.

Between which years did the Salem witch trials take place?

The panic ran from February 1692 to May 1693 in colonial Massachusetts, and collapsed almost as fast as it started.

How many people were executed by hanging as a result of the Salem trials?

Fourteen women and five men were hanged. Contrary to popular belief, nobody at Salem was burned at the stake.

Giles Corey, an 81-year-old farmer, died at Salem under which punishment?

He refused to enter a plea, so the court applied peine forte et dure, stacking stones on his chest until he could not breathe.

Salem Village, where the accusations began, goes by which name today?

The modern town of Salem is next door, and has spent four centuries hosting tourists for a panic that started elsewhere.

Roughly what budget did John Carpenter have for Halloween in 1978?

Between $300,000 and $325,000, which it repaid many times over and which is why every studio wanted a slasher franchise.

Carpenter co-wrote the 1978 film Halloween with which producer?

Hill co-wrote and produced, and is credited with much of the film's convincing teenage dialogue.

What is the name of Jamie Lee Curtis's character in the 1978 film Halloween?

Her first film role, and the part that made her the decade's defining scream queen.

In which fictional Illinois town is the 1978 film Halloween set?

Springwood belongs to A Nightmare on Elm Street; Derry and Castle Rock are Stephen King's.

Which actor wore the mask as the killer credited only as 'The Shape'?

Castle was a film-school friend of Carpenter's and did it for pocket money. Wallace was the crew member who modified the mask.

The English word 'werewolf' is built from Old English elements meaning what?

Old English wer meant man, giving 'man-wolf'. The Greek-derived lycanthropy means the same thing.

Where does the idea that werewolves are vulnerable to silver actually come from?

It is a literary invention, not old folklore. Even the silver bullet said to have killed the Beast of Gévaudan was added by novelists from 1935 onwards.

What did sociologist Joel Best conclude after reviewing decades of Halloween candy-tampering reports?

Best examined reports from 1958 to 1983 and found no proven case of a stranger killing a child with poisoned Halloween sweets.

In American English, the term jack-o'-lantern was first applied to a carved pumpkin in which year?

The Irish and Scottish originals were turnips and mangel wurzels; pumpkins were an American substitution.

Samhain celebrations began on the evening of 31 October because the Celtic day began and ended when?

A day that starts at dusk means the festival's eve is part of the feast — the same logic that gives us Christmas Eve.

Which feast day commemorating the faithful departed falls on 2 November?

It closes Allhallowtide, the three-day season that opens with Halloween and All Saints' Day.

In Mexican tradition, why are marigolds placed on graves and altars for the dead?

The colour and scent are believed to draw the dead back to the offerings left out for them.