'Tis the season for costumes, candy, and spooky movies to scare your pants off.

This Is Halloween

Halloween

Halloween crimes are usually thought of as the thoughtless mayhem of demented strangers who enjoy poisoning candy or putting <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/real-halloween-candy-horror-stories/jacob-shelton?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">razor blades in apples</a>. But crimes committed on Halloween are much more serious - and more real - than those urban legends. There have been numerous murders, kidnappings, and assaults that have taken place on October 31, and many are directly related to the festivities of the holiday. While it remains debatable as to whether or not there&#39;s a spike in crime on Halloween, there&#39;s no debate that all that&nbsp;these particular assaults happened in connection with the holiday.

Many of these crimes have been carried out by people who took advantage of the occasion to wear a costume and fool their victims for just long enough to kill them. Others involve people out trick-or-treating, or returning from parties late at night. But as with most violent crime in general, crimes that happen&nbsp;on Halloween are usually committed either by someone known to the victim, or in a case of mistaken identity. In a few cases, the crime has never been solved, and years or decades have gone by with no closure for the loved ones of the victims.

Here are some true stories of the worst crimes ever committed in connection with Halloween.

The Most Horrifying Real Crimes Committed on Halloween

The Most Horrible Crimes Committed on Halloween

General

The 13 Worst Crimes Ever Committed on Halloween

Mike Rothschild

Halloween: The one night a year you can be anyone else!

Getting in the Spooky Spirit

As Halloween approaches, there&#39;s no shortage of decorations for sale,&nbsp;usually covered with Halloween symbols that we all recognize, even if we don&#39;t know where they come from.

Along with ridiculous costumes and enough candy to make you vomit, there are some things that you find every single Halloween.&nbsp;Jack-o&#39;-lanterns, ghosts, bats, black cats -&nbsp;a lot of these symbols have their roots in the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/history-of-halloween/jon-skindzier?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">history of Halloween</a>. Many of them trace back to the pagan festival of <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/samhain" target="_blank">Samhain</a>, which is thought to be the most direct ancestor of our modern celebration. This was a&nbsp;celebration of the departed at a&nbsp;time when the boundary between this world and the next was believed to be&nbsp;much thinner than normal.&nbsp;

These scary symbols might not look&nbsp;so intimidating&nbsp;as decals in your window or cardboard signs&nbsp;hung&nbsp;on classroom walls, but their history is downright creepy. Full of folklore and spirituality, there&#39;s a long tradition of Halloween and deadly symbolism&nbsp;that you might not be aware of. So, before you grab your costume and go trick-or-treating this year, you might want to look at why we dress up in the first place. These are the origins of all your favorite Halloween symbols (and you may never look at broomsticks the same way again).&nbsp;

12 Scary Halloween Symbols And Their Origins

12 Common Halloween Symbols and Their Surprisingly Creepy Origins

Lea Rose Emery

Horror

If you are looking for the ultimate list of&nbsp;Halloween&nbsp;horror movies,&nbsp;you&#39;ve come to the right place. This list has all the best <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-horror-movies-on-netflix-instant/ranker-streaming?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">horror movies to watch</a>&nbsp;around Halloween, both old and new movies are on the list. Halloween is an obvious choice for scary movies as it is a spooky time of year. The best Halloween&nbsp;horror movies are not necessarily the scariest or most terrifying as some of them can be considered horror comedies. But the best Halloween&nbsp;films&nbsp;tend to find a way to seamlessly blend in aspects of the holiday into the story or antagonist itself. So use this list to come up with ideas for a&nbsp;movie&nbsp;to watch on Halloween or to set up a scary movie marathon for you and your friends.

John Carpenter&#39;s Halloween&nbsp;franchise saw a reboot in both 2007 and 2018 which speaks to the popularity of both Michael Meyers and Halloween horror films in general. Horror movies that take place on Halloween&nbsp;have captured the imagination of audiences for several decades now and there&#39;s no sign of them stopping any time soon. Now it&#39;s time to determine the greatest&nbsp;horror movie that is about or takes place on Halloween&nbsp;with the help of your votes. Vote up the&nbsp;Halloween&nbsp;movies that you loved and vote down the ones <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/things-you-wish-you-were-better-at/lauren-slocum?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">you wish you</a>&#39;d never watched. Don&#39;t see your favorite fall holiday horror movie? Add it to the list, then check back to see how other users rank your additions and&nbsp;look for&nbsp;new Halloween horror movies as they are released.

The Best Horror Movies That Take Place On Halloween

Film

The 50+ Best Halloween Horror Films, Ranked by Fans

Ranker Film

Social Media & Texts

What better way to celebrate the festive Halloween season than with hilarious tweets all about the holiday? Thanks to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/WhitePeopleTwitter" target="_blank">WhitePeopleTwitter</a>&nbsp;subreddit, we actually laughed out loud reading these viral&nbsp;Halloween-edition takes.

23 Halloween Tweets From 'White People Twitter' That Actually Made Us Laugh

Erika Valverde

In-depth looks at some wacky, underrated, or vile horror you may have missed or dismissed.

Horror to Revisit

If you missed the&nbsp;Trick &#39;r&nbsp;Treat&nbsp;movie during its unforgivably brief theatrical run, you can certainly be forgiven for being unaware of this seasonal favorite. We don&#39;t know what other reasons you might have for missing out on&nbsp;Trick &#39;r&nbsp;Treat; maybe you just haven&#39;t heard about it, or you keep&nbsp;confusing it with that&nbsp;other&nbsp;movie called&nbsp;Trick or Treat&nbsp;that&#39;s about a zombie&nbsp;heavy metal musician. We&#39;re not here to judge. We just want to let you know that&nbsp;Trick &#39;r&nbsp;Treat&nbsp;is the best Halloween movie you&#39;ve been missing.

Fortunately,&nbsp;Trick &#39;r&nbsp;Treat&nbsp;has rapidly ascended to cult status over the decade since its release, with its mascot character Sam joining the ranks of classic horror figures&nbsp;alongside Freddy, Jason, Michael Myers, and others. You can find Sam all over the place around Halloween, from costumes to yard lights to <a href="https://www.ranker.com/shop/trick-r-treat-sam-8-inch-scale-clothed-action-figure-fm2aw6uvbq-p.html" target="_blank">action figures</a>. As great as Sam is, though - and don&#39;t misunderstand, he is really great - he&#39;s just one part of what makes&nbsp;Trick &#39;r&nbsp;Treat&nbsp;such a Halloween treasure.

Start <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Trick-r-Treat-Quinn-Lord/dp/B002SAA4I8/?tag=rankercom2820634-20" target="_blank">streaming</a><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Trick-r-Treat-Quinn-Lord/dp/B002SAA4I8/?tag=rankercom2820634-20" target="_blank"> Trick &#39;r&nbsp;Treat</a> today and find out <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/trick-r-treat-small-details-and-trivia/linda-meyers" target="_blank">what you&#39;ve been missing.</a>

If You Haven't Seen 'Trick 'r Treat' Yet, You've Been Wasting Your Halloween Horror Movie Viewing

'Trick 'R Treat': The Best Halloween Movie You're Missing Out On

Orrin Grey

Halloween can be a scary time for the little ones but&nbsp;the best family Halloween movies are great for both parents and kids. Family friendly Halloween movies can be hard to come by if you know where to look, so rest assured that you&#39;re in the right place. Some of these family Halloween movies take place on the holiday night itself while others are not Halloween specific but they are great treats for all year round. <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/halloween-movies-for-kids/randolph?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Kids Halloween movies</a> from the &#39;80s and &#39;90s tend to be rated PG-13&nbsp;but if you have tweens, they might be the best choice.&nbsp;You&#39;ll find both classic and new family Halloween movies below for your next scary family night, now all you have to do is pop some popcorn!

What are your favorite wholesome Halloween movies? You get to help decide with your votes. Vote up the family Halloween films that you can&#39;t wait to watch next.

Wholesome Halloween Movies For The Whole Family

26 Wholesome Halloween Movies For The Whole Family

One of the best parts of Halloween&nbsp;is putting your favorite costume on and heading out for the night to fill your bag with as much candy as it can hold. Finding which houses are giving out your favorite&nbsp;candies, full-size&nbsp;candy bars, or even dollar bills becomes the pursuit of the evening. But every once in a while you will come across a house that decides to give out bizarre treats or items that you wouldn&#39;t want at any time of the year. These are the houses you&nbsp;try to remember so you don&#39;t waste your precious time there next year.

Trick-or-treaters of Reddit share stories of the&nbsp;most disappointing treats they&#39;ve been given on Halloween.&nbsp;

What Are The Worst Treats Trick-Or-Treaters Have Been Given?

Amanda Ashley

Best Halloween songs, as voted on by people like you. This list contains some of the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/halloween-playlist-2019/ranker-music" target="_blank">best Halloween party music songs</a> - both modern and classic. While Halloween theme music can be found on compilation albums (I&#39;ve included a few), some of the best Halloween tunes are one-off singles. From &quot;Monster Mash&quot; to the &quot;Time Warp,&quot; check out this list for some great Halloween songs. Be sure to vote for your favorites and if you don&#39;t see your fave on the list, add it!

Halloween is a great time to crank up the music and have a spooky good time. Whether you&#39;re getting ready to go trick-or-treating, carving Halloween pumpkins or prepping for an epic Halloween party, the right music can certainly provide a creepy, fun ambiance&nbsp;for everyone. Some of the music on this list is well-suited for kids and adults, while some might be a bit over-the-top for youngsters. (Halloween songs for adults can be graphic.) I&#39;ve also added true classics from my own childhood, including Walt Disney&#39;s Chilling Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House album (a staple at any Halloween gathering).&nbsp;

What are the best Halloween songs? Take a look at this best Halloween music compilation and vote on your favorite scary songs.&nbsp;

For more Halloween tips, tricks and fun, check out these Ranker lists of the best Halloween party games, celebrity Halloween costume ideas and Halloween recipes!

The Best Halloween Songs

Best Halloween Songs | List of Halloween Music 

Coley Reed

Strange True Stories

Being a police officer opens you up to seeing strange and disturbing things. Many police stories&nbsp;will reveal the kinds of bizarre situations they observe every day as part of their usual routine. When you add Halloween into the mix, events can get become even more outlandish. With everyone in high spirits as they enjoy the party atmosphere, often drinking and getting dressed up in costumes, infractions&nbsp;can take a <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/crimes-committed-on-halloween/mike-rothschild" target="_blank">weird turn on Halloween</a>, which makes it a unique time of year for law enforcement.

So when <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/creepy-stories-from-law-enforcement/christopher-shultz" target="_blank">cops took to&nbsp;Reddit</a> to discuss their personal Halloween stories, the results were spectacular. In some cases, the subjects appeared&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/funny-police-blotters/nathandavidson" target="_blank">too wacky to be true</a>, while in other instances, the tales proved incredibly sinister. What is clear, though: Halloween is not an enjoyable time to be a cop. The extra work and added scariness make&nbsp;it far more draining than you might have realized.

Cops Of Reddit Reveal Their Creepiest And Most Hallucinatory Halloween Stories

Police Halloween Horror Stories

Nathan Gibson

Ranking the best, worst, most creative, and funniest Halloween costumes you'll ever see.

Who Will You Be for Halloween?

Funny

Counting down the days to Halloween? Let&#39;s face it, this holiday is hella fun, but it does come with a fair amount of bother and stress. There&#39;s lots to do, including putting together the finishing touches on your costume, arranging a designated driver for the evening&#39;s spook-tacular revelry, and preparing to shell out more money on candy to feed trick-or-treaters than you probably pay in taxes. It&#39;s important to keep a sense of humor alive while going through the motions, which is probably why many people decide to dress their pets in Halloween costumes. Who doesn&#39;t want to see a pug dressed like Yoda, or a cat that looks just like Walter White?

Most animals are good sports, even though it seems evident that many feel demoralized while wearing Halloween costumes. Vote up which of these unfortunately dressed pets is worthy of the most laughs. Keep in mind that no animals were harmed in any of these photos... unless you count the crushing of their souls.

30 Really Unfortunate Halloween Costumes for Pets

18 Unfortunate Pet Halloween Costumes

Funny Pet Halloween Costumes

Anabel Conner

Halloween and candy go hand-in-hand, literally. People have their go-to treats, indulging in something of the chocolate variety or a fruity delight. (Tootsie Roll lovers, we&#39;re not sure what camp you fall into, but we see you, too.)

As trick-or-treaters and candy lovers of all ages sort through piles of goodies, bright wrappers with well-known names foreshadow sugar rushes and aching stomachs. But what about the names on those wrappers?&nbsp;Where did they come from?

Luckily, <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/coolguides/comments/jjmu1k/i_made_a_guide_explaining_how_different_types_of/" target="_blank">Reddit has answers</a>. We found out how some&nbsp;of our preferred Halloween sweet treats&nbsp;got their names and were pretty impressed. Now it&#39;s your turn. Vote up the most interesting stories the names of your favorite Halloween candies.

How 14 Of Our Favorite Halloween Candies Actually Got Their Names

Melissa Sartore

Halloween in America,&nbsp;pumpkin flavoring aside,&nbsp;is a weekslong&nbsp;celebration of all things spooky and&nbsp;terrifying. Leading up to Halloween, elaborate <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/creepy-halloween-haunted-houses-attractions/christopher-myers?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">haunted attractions</a> at&nbsp;theme parks,&nbsp;<a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-horror-movie-sequels/ranker-horror?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">horror movie sequels</a>, and&nbsp;creepy or convoluted&nbsp;corn mazes&nbsp;all aim&nbsp;to&nbsp;scare us out of our wits. But some thrill-seekers crave more than the orchestrated frights of costumed actors and scripted stalking. Real-life haunted houses and attractions&nbsp;fulfill their desire for true terror.Although&nbsp;many real-life haunted places&nbsp;allow visitors year-round, on Halloween they&nbsp;step up their game for visitors interested in their ghostly residents or hair-raising history. The most haunted <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/most-beautiful-places-in-america/ranker-travel?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">places in America</a> - cemeteries, former prisons, and hospitals -&nbsp;even entire towns -&nbsp;are already notorious.&nbsp;Halloween gives them a chance to celebrate their&nbsp;infamous fear factor. Be afraid, very afraid - but have fun, too.

How Notoriously Spooky And Haunted Locations Celebrate Halloween Every Year

Here's How These 14 Famously Haunted Places Celebrate Halloween

Jodi Smith

That moment when you realize the &quot;fake&quot; body at a haunted house is real? Awesome. Until, that is, you realize it&#39;s not a real person playing dead, but a real person that is dead. This is the stuff psychiatrists live for, and it is all embodied (disembodied?) in this list of dead bodies mistaken for Halloween props.

Real dead body Halloween decorations are for the macabre and certainly something to avoid for the faint at heart. This list of overly creepy Halloween decorations is equal parts frightening&nbsp;and contemptible, but it&#39;s 100% messed up. These are real dead people that ended up mistaken as- or purposely used for- the purposes of making a spooky night seem more authentic.&nbsp;

Times Dead Bodies Were Actually Used as Halloween Decorations

Danielle Dauenhauer

Entertainment

Isn&rsquo;t Halloween the best? Not only do you get to dress up and eat candy, but you don&#39;t look weird for watching spooky movies <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-songs-about-days-of-the-week/ranker-music?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">every day of the week</a>. Some of the most fun horror movies are those that actually take place on Halloween. There are lots, but many horror fans only think about John Carpenter&#39;s&nbsp;Halloween. Plenty of underrated horror movies also feature events that take place on or around Oct. 31, but you might not catch it unless you&#39;re really paying attention.

For instance, the gross-out horror&nbsp;Slugs has Halloween written all over it, but it&#39;s not necessarily regarded as a &quot;Halloween&quot; movie. <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/underrated-horror-movies-2010s/orrin-grey" target="_blank">There are so many movies like this</a>, you could make a&nbsp;film festival with just the ones on this list. Some of these underrated Halloween movies are spooky, others are fun for the whole family, and some are perfect for when you want to <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/netflix-and-chill-movies/ranker-streaming?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Netflix and chill</a>.

Vote up the most underrated Halloween films and comment with any other spooky Halloween movies&nbsp;you think deserve to be on the list.

Murder Party

Underrated Halloween Movies You Should Watch This Year

Robert Dreadford

The 22 Most Underrated Horror Movies  of All Time

Jacob Shelton

Halloween might be canceled due to the pandemic, but the spirit will never die! Here is a small selection of spirited decorations that made us happy while giving us the creeps. Vote up the Halloween decorations with the most spirit.&nbsp;

Incredibly Clever Halloween Decorations That Fill Us With Joy While Giving Us The Creeps

Mel Judson

What is the worst Halloween candy ever? Oh, the choices are seemingly endless: Whether it&#39;s that creepy older lady down the street who insists that little boxes of raisins are just wonderful for the trick-or-treaters, or the health food nut next door who believes that trail mix makes a perfect treat, we&#39;ve all been stuck with terrible Halloween candy at one point or another. That&#39;s what this list is all about: The nastiest, grossest, stupidest, worst things to get when trick-or-treating. Be sure to vote, and add any ridiculously bad Halloween candy you&#39;ve gotten, too.

Here&#39;s the thing about the worst Halloween candy: Sometimes, people give out things that aren&#39;t candy at all. Look, if you run out of Snickers or Reese&#39;s peanut butter cups (no doubt among the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-halloween-candy/chef-jen" target="_blank">best Halloween candy</a> choices ever) just turn the porch light *off*. Don&#39;t go scrounging around the house for other things to dump on unsuspecting kids (and yes, that means no packets of sugar-free hot chocolate, Splenda, or Taco Bell hot sauce). Resist the urge to give out coupons, too, because kids don&#39;t CARE. They want their treats, and they want them now -- not next week, not next month.

Consider this list a guide for what *not* to give the adorable trick-or-treaters who show up at your door this Halloween...unless you actually want your yard TP&#39;ed. If so, then by all means, hand out some horrible generic made-in-China knockoff Halloween candy to the sweet, eager, costumed faces that hold out their sweet, adorable plastic Jack-o-lanterns and offer you the &quot;trick or treat&quot; holiday greeting. Your &quot;candy&quot; will wind up in the discard pile once everything&#39;s divvied up, and you&#39;ll become the pariah of the neighborhood.

Check out more lists like&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/the-worst-flavors-ever/ranker-facebook-reactions">Worst Flavors Ever</a> and <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/the-worst-foods-to-eat-on-a-date/samantha-dillinger">Worst Foods to Eat on a Date </a>

The Worst Things to Get in Your Trick-or-Treat Bag

Food

Chef Jen

Halloween lists at Ranker - The ultimate source for hundreds of halloween lists and rankings