Who doesn’t love a good scary movie during the pumpkin and candy season? Maybe you’re brave enough to watch these films all alone in the dark, or maybe you need to huddle under a blanket with plenty of friends nearby. Either way, you love the thrill of harmless scares. Let’s see how much you remember about these Halloween classics!
1: Michael Myers is the masked murderer in which movie?
Compass International Pictures, Falcon International Pictures, Falcon International Productions
We can’t have a Halloween movie quiz without mentioning the original 1978 movie Halloween—along with its many sequels and a remake. Michael Myers can’t seem to murder enough teenagers. The original Halloween is notable as the film debut of actress Jamie Lee Curtis.
2: In the movie Hocus Pocus, what brings the three witches back to life?
Walt Disney Picture
Winifred, Mary, and Sarah Sanderson are resurrected by the black flame candle—specifically, when a virgin lights it on Halloween night. The three witch sisters had been executed during the Salem witch trials in the late 1600s.
3: Which supernatural comedy features Doctors Venkman, Stantz, and Spengler?
Columbia Pictures, Delphi Films, Black Rhino Productions
Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis played the three doctors in Ghostbusters. Ramis and Aykroyd also wrote the screenplay. Ghostbusters was followed with one sequel, then a new version with female Ghostbusters. Also look for Ghostbusters: Afterlife in 2021.
4: What is the title of the theme song for The Exorcist?
Warner Bros., Hoya Productions
The full version of Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells is nearly half an hour long. Most of us instantly recognize the creepy intro. For music gurus: The early section is in 15/8 time.
5: Which well-known Halloween film is based on a cartoon from the ‘40s and ‘50s?
Universal Pictures, Amblin Entertainment, The Harvey Entertainment Company
The original cartoon was called Casper: The Friendly Ghost. Casper, who is a young ghost, does not want to scare people like his ghostly uncles often do. In the 1995 live-action film, Casper is rendered in CGI, not as a cartoon figure.
6: What is Jack Nicholson’s famous line in The Shining?
Warner Bros., Hawk Films, Peregrine
Jack Nicholson played the character John Torrance. When he breaks through a door with an axe, he says, “Here’s Johnny!” as a dark comedic reference to host Johnny Carson’s typical entrance on The Tonight Show.
7: What happens to actress Goldie Hawn’s tummy in Death Becomes Her?
Universal Pictures
Two women who want to keep their beauty forever become indestructible corpses in this dark comedy. The humor comes from their ability to continue on despite a twisted neck, a hole through the torso, and so on.
8: In a famous Tim Burton film, what holiday does Jack Skellington want to control?
Touchstone Pictures, Skellington Productions Inc., Tim Burton Productions
In Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, Jack Skellington is bored with managing Halloween and wants to run Christmas instead. Unfortunately, his minions in Halloween Town do not understand how to help their Pumpkin King create a merry Christmas.
9: Which scary movie features this line: “One, two, Freddy’s coming for you”?
New Line Cinema, Platinum Dunes
It’s just like “One, Two, Buckle My Shoe,” but creepier! “One, two, Freddy’s coming for you / Three, four, better lock your door / Five, six, grab a crucifix / Seven, eight, gonna stay up late / Nine, ten, you never sleep again.”
10: 2007’s Paranormal Activity features what movie trope?
Solana Films, Blumhouse Productions
This movie features supposed found footage taken by a couple who are disturbed by a strange presence in their new home. They set up a camera to record their creepy sleepwalking activities. SPOILER: The film’s epilogue reads, “Micah’s body was discovered by police on October 11, 2006. Katie’s whereabouts remain unknown.”
11: How does 1996’s Scream begin?
Dimension Films, Woods Entertainment
A teen named Carrie, who is home alone, of course, answers her phone. On the line is a stranger who first claims he dialed the wrong number but immediately calls her back. The mood soon shifts from flirty to frightening.
12: Why does Edward Scissorhands literally have scissors for hands?
Twentieth Century Fox
Edward is not human, but rather the creation of an inventor. The scissors were meant to be temporary, until the inventor could craft real hands, but sadly he suffered a heart attack before he could complete his beloved creature.
13: In Bram Stoker’s Dracula, what is Dracula waiting for?
American Zoetrope, Columbia Pictures, Osiris Films
Count Dracula, played by Gary Oldman, is pining for the return of his long-deceased bride. When he sees a photograph of a woman named Mina, played by Winona Ryder, he thinks he has found her at last.
14: What do the witches accidentally conjure in The Witches of Eastwick?
Warner Bros., The Guber-Peters Company, Kennedy Miller Productions
Three women (who don’t realize they are witches) summon the devil, who goes by the name Daryl Van Horne. The three fabulous witches were played by Cher, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Susan Sarandon. The movie is based on a John Updike novel of the same name.
15: In the 2017 film Get Out, what is the trance-like state that certain people are drawn into?
Universal Pictures, Blumhouse Productions, QC Entertainment
This film addresses racism in a creative new way: Black people are hypnotized, and then they are trapped in the so-called Sunken Place. Get Out is Jordan Peele’s directorial debut.
16: In the movie Child’s Play, what’s the deal with Chucky?
United Artists
Chucky is a doll, possessed by the spirit of a serial killer. The doll has red hair, blue eyes, freckles, and a truly evil expression.
17: What is the iconic line from The Sixth Sense?
Hollywood Pictures, Spyglass Entertainment, The Kennedy/Marshall Company
A sweet boy named Cole, played by Haley Joel Osment, says this iconic line to a man named Malcolm, played by Bruce Willis. Seeing dead people is a sixth sense that most of us would not like to have.
18: In the movie Beetlejuice, what do homeowners Barbara and Adam Maitland find after they return from running some errands?
The Geffen Company
When Barbara and Adam find the Handbook for the Recently Deceased, they realize that they died In a car crash on their way home. Soon a new family moves into their dream home, and they get tangled up with a crude and uncontrollable spirit called Beetlejuice.
19: What’s the fun dance featured in The Rocky Horror Picture Show?
Twentieth Century Fox, Michael White Productions
The Rocky Horror Picture Show, released in 1975, features an easy-to-learn dance called The Time Warp. Just listen to the lyrics to learn the moves: “It’s just a jump to the left / And then a step to the right / With your hands on your hips / You bring your knees in tight … “
20: Okay, it’s a TV special, not a movie, but everybody loves It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. What year was it released?
CBS
Poor Linus—his sister Lucy kills a pumpkin right in front of him, and then the Great Pumpkin never comes. And poor Charlie Brown—when he’s trick-or-treating, why does everyone give him rocks?
