Halloween Urban Legends That Refuse to Die

We've all heard the scary stories. But are these Halloween tales real, or are they just myths? Find out now—if you dare.

Treating would be nothing without the tricks. And Halloween wouldn’t be fun without a scare or two. That’s the allure of the terrifying tales that circulate around Halloween and have taken on legendary status. Still, some of the 175 million Americans who celebrate this spooky holiday do take the Halloween pranks too far. And hey, you can never be too careful, right? Technically, yes. But chances are, those Halloween stories are just that—stories. Well, most of the time, anyway. Here’s the truth behind some popular and pervasive Halloween-based urban legends.

(A lunatic has hidden razor blades in apples)

You heard it when you were a kid, and if you’re a parent now, you probably give the same warning to your own children: Be careful what you eat on Halloween, because it might cut your mouth to shreds! Thankfully, that’s very unlikely to happen. Booby-trapped treats are largely an urban legend. Joel Best and Gerald T. Horiuchi assert in their scholarly paper, The Razor Blade in the Apple: The Social Construction of Urban Legends, that these threats to children and their Halloween candy are highly overblown. In fact, most of the alleged incidents turned out to be hoaxes. There have been a few cases—which, yes, is frightening—but the majority of those were actually pranks. For more scary stories, check out the spookiest urban legends in every state.

(A real murderer is behind that Ghostface mask)

First, there was Michael Myers. Then there was Jason. Then, nearly two decades later, Wes Craven’s horror smash Scream presented us with a new, instantly recognizable villain: Ghostface. And, of course, Halloween became a prime time to wear that mask—and for people to worry whether a real murderer was hiding behind one of them. After all, if everyone is wearing one, how can you know who poses a threat to you? It turns out that there may actually be something to this myth. According to Newsweek, there were indeed a handful of murders after Scream came out that were apparently inspired by the movie. In one, the killer wore a Ghostface mask while brutally stabbing his victim with kitchen knives. The bottom line: You never know who is behind a mask, but thankfully, it’s usually just a harmless trick-or-treater. Here’s the real reason why we pass out candy on Halloween.