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Halloween Quiz: 12 Spooky Trivia Questions With Answers
Halloween mixes ancient Celtic festivals, Christian holidays and a century of pop culture. This Halloween quiz has 12 spooky questions, each with the answer and the story behind it.
Every October the Bing homepage turns seasonal, so this is a good warm-up for Halloween-themed quizzes.
Play the Halloween Quiz
Pick A, B or C for each question. The right answer turns green and a short fact explains it.
Halloween Quiz Questions and Answers
Every question with its answer and explanation. Open “Show answer” after you guess.
1 Which ancient Celtic festival is linked to the origins of Halloween?
- A Samhain
- B Yule
- C Beltane
Show answer
✓ Answer: A. Samhain
Did you know? Samhain marked the end of the harvest and the start of winter.
2 What does the name 'Halloween' come from?
- A Hollow Evening
- B All Hallows' Eve
- C Harvest Evening
Show answer
✓ Answer: B. All Hallows' Eve
Did you know? It is the evening before All Saints' Day.
3 What vegetable were the first jack-o'-lanterns carved from?
- A Pumpkins
- B Potatoes
- C Turnips
Show answer
✓ Answer: C. Turnips
Did you know? Pumpkins replaced turnips in North America.
4 Who wrote the 1897 novel 'Dracula'?
- A Bram Stoker
- B Mary Shelley
- C Edgar Allan Poe
Show answer
✓ Answer: A. Bram Stoker
Did you know? Stoker was an Irish writer and theater manager in London.
5 Who wrote 'Frankenstein'?
- A Mary Shelley
- B Bram Stoker
- C H.P. Lovecraft
Show answer
✓ Answer: A. Mary Shelley
Did you know? It was first published in 1818, when she was just 20.
6 In 'Frankenstein', who is Frankenstein?
- A The scientist who creates the creature
- B A village
- C The monster
Show answer
✓ Answer: A. The scientist who creates the creature
Did you know? Victor Frankenstein is the scientist; his creation is never given a name.
7 Which Mexican holiday on November 1–2 honors deceased loved ones?
- A Cinco de Mayo
- B Día de los Muertos
- C Las Posadas
Show answer
✓ Answer: B. Día de los Muertos
Did you know? Families build ofrendas decorated with marigolds.
8 Which famous magician died on Halloween in 1926?
- A Harry Houdini
- B Harry Blackstone
- C David Copperfield
Show answer
✓ Answer: A. Harry Houdini
Did you know? Houdini died in Detroit of peritonitis.
9 Which 1978 horror film introduced the masked killer Michael Myers?
- A Scream
- B Halloween
- C Friday the 13th
Show answer
✓ Answer: B. Halloween
Did you know? John Carpenter directed it on a small budget.
10 Which Michael Jackson music video features zombies dancing?
- A Bad
- B Beat It
- C Thriller
Show answer
✓ Answer: C. Thriller
Did you know? The Thriller video, released in 1983, was directed by John Landis.
11 In which Massachusetts town were the infamous 1692 witch trials held?
- A Concord
- B Salem
- C Plymouth
Show answer
✓ Answer: B. Salem
Did you know? More than 200 people were accused and 20 were executed.
12 Which U.S. state grows the most pumpkins?
- A Illinois
- B Maine
- C Texas
Show answer
✓ Answer: A. Illinois
Did you know? Much of the crop is grown for canned pumpkin.
Where Halloween comes from
Halloween's roots go back to Samhain, a Celtic festival marking the end of the harvest and the start of winter, when the boundary between the living and the dead was believed to be thin. Later, the Christian feast of All Saints' (All Hallows') Day was set on November 1, and the evening before became All Hallows' Eve, shortened to Halloween.
Irish and Scottish immigrants brought their traditions to North America, where turnip lanterns became pumpkin jack-o'-lanterns and door-to-door 'trick-or-treating' spread widely in the mid-20th century.
More holiday quizzes
Try our Thanksgiving Quiz, the Fourth of July Quiz or today's Bing Quiz.
Halloween Quiz FAQ
What does Halloween mean?
It is a shortening of All Hallows' Eve, the evening before All Saints' Day on November 1.
What were the first jack-o'-lanterns made from?
Turnips and other root vegetables in Ireland and Scotland. Pumpkins became common in North America.
Is Day of the Dead the same as Halloween?
No. Día de los Muertos, on November 1–2, is a Mexican celebration honoring deceased loved ones with altars, marigolds and food.