Halloween Pranks & Tricks

Want to have fun or create a good scare? Halloween is not only for treats, it's for tricks too. We've got some good ideas for pranks and jokes here that are sure to get a surprised reaction. Funny or not, we focus on pranks that are not destructive to anyone's property or well-being -- it's just not cool.

  • Dress up as though you are the inanimate Halloween Decor for your lawn. Example: scarecrow, Frankenstein, etc. Be as still as you can. When someone walks by, jump out and scare the heck out of them. Another idea is to lay flat on the lawn, pretending to be in a grave marked with a tombstone. Imagine their surprise when you rise from the dead!
  • Ring doorbell and say "canned goods or meat."
  • Get dressed up, knock on door. When person answers, put candy into his bowl.
  • Visit friends' houses and write on the mirror with your finger, delivering a scary message such as "I'm watching you!" Breathe on the mirror and you can see your words. Let it dry naturally. When your friend takes a shower, the words will appear again when the mirror fogs up.
  • Give away fake, plastic turds for treats.
  • Get dressed up so you are unrecognizable. Join a group of trick-or-treaters, preferably some you know. It will drive them nuts not knowing who you are.
  • Decorate your yard with all things superstitious. Ladder, black cat, broken mirror, crows. Put the number 13 on your door.
  • Dress up in a hospital gown and walk around at night saying "They think I'm crazy, but I'm not. They deserved to die. They can't take me back, etc, etc."
  • Dress up, ring doorbell. When someone answers, say "pull my finger."
  • Traditional, ring doorbell and run.
  • Toilet paper your own yard and accuse someone else of doing it.
  • Gather everyone's jack o' lanterns and line them up on the sidewalk in middle of the block.
  • Have any college or pro football fans in the neighborhood that like to fly their team flag? Swap it out for a rival team flag and watch the fireworks. (Make sure you return their flag after you get a good laugh.)
  • You know those colored dot stickers that can be used for various office purposes or rummage sales? Purchase the dots in two or three colors, preferably red, yellow, and blue. When it's dark outside, stick one dot on the each of your neighbors' front doors. Put one on your own door so that you aren't suspect. The next day will be interesting when neighbors try to figure out what the dots mean and why there are different colors. Those with red dots may get a bit paranoid and think it's some sort of a conspiracy.

Party Pranks

  • Before guests are to arrive at your Halloween party, have someone dress up and discretely "haunt" the route your guests will take to get to your house. Later on, tell a "true" story about how someone died a horrific death and the ghost haunts the vicinity.
  • At your party, keep a cooler on hand for beverages. Put in fake spiders and insects near the bottom. Someone will discover it sooner or later.
  • When serving food at your Halloween party, add a set of fake fangs or dentures to the serving bowl.
  • For a hay-rack ride, have someone lay in the ditch, perfectly visible, face down, pretending to be dead. Add fake blood for visual effects. Stop the hay rack to investigate and let party-goers approach the "body." Give your guests the scare of their life when the body jumps up (wearing a very scary mask or makeup) and chases them.