I, myself, only went trick or treating three times in my life. What's your most memorable trick-or-treating experience?
This post may include affiliate links.
When I was in high school, me and a few friends went REVERSE trick or treating. We had a door in a door frame that we carried around, with a "please knock" note on it. We would go up to people's houses, knock on their door and put our door right in front of theirs. When they knocked back, we would open our door, give THEM candy, and tell them what cute costumes they had. It got a lot of laughs, I think both our trick-or-treating party and everyone at all the houses we visited enjoyed it.
A few blocks away from our house, some people had made a haunted house in the garage. Me, being the pussy cat I was, did NOT want to go in. But, my sister dragged me in. Half way through, a guy in a clown mask jumped out and scared the c**p out of me. I was SOOOOOOOOOOO relieved when we finely came out...except there was a guy with a leaf blower waiting out side the door. I'm pretty sure people in Australia heard that scream. My sister, who was unbothered by it, stood completely still as I climbed all the way up her and onto her shoulders.
I'm guessing that a leaf blower sounds a lot like a chainsaw on a dark night after a haunted house. Otherwise, a leaf blower wouldn't be nearly as bad.
Probably last night. 2022. I went trick or treating with my friends in another friends neighborhood. Raining. Costumes, shoes, socks, etc got soaked. We ate candy in the basement of their house while watching Nightmare Before Christmas.
Most likely best Halloween memory. So far.
One time, my little brother and I went to this one house that was about to put everything away. They gave us all their candy. One day I'm going to find them again and give them like 1,000 dollars or something.
Last night. I was wearing a big homemade costume of Springtrap, a character from Five Nights at Freddy’s. I got no candy, instead I was just walking around, little kids got so excited to see me and took pictures with me, I even held someone’s baby (I was so scared I would drop it because I can’t move much in the suit). I scared a few people and really just felt good knowing that other people were happy. I felt like a Disneyland actor. There was some cloth from the hood I wear underneath in my eyes causing them to tear up, I had neck pain from wearing the head, walking was uncomfortable in the shoes, I was sweaty and itchy all over but couldn’t scratch, despite all that, I was having the greatest time of my life. The six months of work really paid off (we didn’t work on it continuously throughout the six months if we did it probably would have only been 2 or 3). I also won a $25 visa gift card for it. My favorite part though was seeing how excited the kids got to see a character that they know, or at least what I could see of them, it’s hard to see through that mask. But yeah, definitely doing that every year from now on, no more candy, just fun costumes.
On Halloween of this year (2022) I went with my friends and a brother. My friends dressed up as normal things (clown, leprauchan, borderline disney princess) and, being the nerd I am, I dressed up as Rose Lalonde from Homestuck.
It was a great costume, very proud of it, but I knew that no one would recognize it. Plus, whenever I say "Rose Lalonde" as a response to when people ask me who I dressed up as, they just say "Who?"
One lady asked me "Who are you supposed to be?" and I just blurted out with no hesitation "A character from an 8,000 page long webcomic" and left her stunned as I gave her an awkward thumbs up.
I LOVE seeing unusual fandom-specific costumes out trick-or-treating! Mine was semi-recognizable (2014 Gotham!Riddler, anyone?) but I still got about 7 people asking me if I was the Onceler. I would totally recognize you though, I may not have the dedication to actually read Homestuck but I've spent many a day scrolling through the fan wikipedia :)
When I was a kid my nan made me a ghost costume with an old bed sheet, only she tried to make it look like the old fashioned ghosts in cartoons with the flick on the back of the head. Long story short I went trick or treating looking like a mini KKK member.
I remember when I was like 4, I went to a house (don't remember which) and I was given an apple. I bit it because I loved apples.
"Daddy, this tastes weird, I don't like it." I said to my father.
"Let me see that." He said, taking it.
It was all red inside. Turns out, the person put some type of drug in it and was giving them out. We drove to the police station.
"Tell the nice lady what happened, sweetie." My father said.
"My apple tastes weird. It looks weird." I told the receptionist, giving her the apple.
She got deer in headlights like "what the hell?" And took it to a cop. Turns out it had illegal drugs in it. This doesn't happen often.
Never happened since.
Honestly, I don't understand why people put drugs in things and hand them out. I mean, I don't use them, but let's say for a moment I hypothetically did. I wouldn't be handing out that s**t for free. Drugs are expensive man, I'd use them myself. But, I don't, and some people are just crazy. So idk
There was one time I trick or treated with my parents a teenage girl ran to us and screamed swears at us, and told us that somebody hit her, and someone came up and grabbed her. I honestly hope it was another teenager
One time, in 3rd grade, when I was trick or treating, a firetruck came to another apartment building. Now, to make this clear, there wasn't an alarm blaring, no one was running out, there was slight smoke but no other sign of fire, and the firefighters were just standing around looking bored and staring at their phones. I wanted to go ask them for candy, but was too scared. My mom made my sister and I go over there, and we were just randomly like "Trick-or-treat!". At first, the firefighters looked confused, but then brought out a basket of candy, and told us to pick some candy and have a happy halloween while smiling :) I bragged to everyone that I got "firefighter candy" for a year lol
I was about 10, lil brother 5, cousin around 7wish.
We were trick or treating in our gigantic trailer park alone(the 90's am I right) at this one house this older guy kept eyeing my cousin(a small petite blond girl) and insisting she come into his house where he "has the good candy in the back" and my brother and I should just scamper on, and I mean like hardcore insisting, at one point reached out like he was going to grab her arm.
My cousin being seven was all gung ho about that good candy, but I declined, grabbed both of them and got everyone the f**k outta there and straight home after that. Both of them were upset about not trick or treating anymore but I was beyond freaked out.
My cousin still talks about this, how I prolly saved her from something horrible. My lil brother still talks about how that guy had sour patch kids and we should have stole all his candy before running away.
I know this isn't the point, but . . . your brother tho
This Halloween I went with a few friends of mine.
Not having any pockets (and wearing a skirt) I put my phone in my bra for the first half of trick-or-treating. I kinda wanted to be able to find it instead of having to search in a sea of candy!
Well, being the immature teenager I am, I wanted to play music. What did I play? The duck song one and two for 10 consecutive minutes. Playing at full volume directly from my boobs.
Halloween is barely a thing in Australia. A few years back, some kids came to my door trick or treating. I didn't have anything.
So the next year I thought I might get something, got some chocolates and a spooky bucket...and no one came :(
This halloween, my family and I were in India. We live in a gated community that celebrates a lot of "Western" holidays (Christmas, Halloween, Easter, etc.), but we didn't think anyone would come trick or treating! My mom said that it was just a one-time thing, and no one else would come, so she made me put the Dark Fantasy box I brought out back. Next TEN OR SO times it rang, she made me walk to the door, see who it was, walk all the way to the kitchen, bring the Dark Fantasy cookies, give it out, and put it back. TEN TIMES.
Cw: Description of injury
I tell this story to a lot of people it's one of my top childhood stories.
It's Halloween morning. I'm around 8 or 9. I can't possibly wait to get the candy, I want the candy now. I suddenly remember where my dad has hid the candy he plans on giving out. (It's in a high cupboard in the garage.) I go to the garage and I look for something to stand on as I'm obviously too short to reach it. I spot a chair, but there is a heavy piece of some kind of machinery (I don't remember what it was.) I think, "well I'm strong enough, I can lift it off the chair." Guess who was wrong. As I pick it up it starts to slip and BOOM it falls directly on my big toe. Naturally I run upstairs to my room and start crying as I literally watch my toe turn purple.
Now here is where it gets even stupider. I decide, I'm not going to tell anybody, because 1, I wasn't supposed to be getting the candy and 2, I don't want anyone to stop me from trick or treating. So for the rest of the day, INCLUDING TRICK OR TREATING, I walk on my extremely painful toe just to get some candy. Ended up telling my parents after trick or treating and had to go to urgent care, but definitely not one of my best moments.
Sorry for the long post 😬
I'm originally from NYC... born and raised. In 1981 or 82 I was a bunny for Halloween (about 5 or so yrs old). In those days there were these really cheesy plastic mask and plastic all in one tie in the back jumper thingy.
I could not wait to go trick or treating with my cousins that night. At five I was the youngest of the dozen or so of us.
Now I'm not sure if most people know or remember but NYC in those years was a big a** ghetto. Graffiti, garbage, burnt buildings... you get the picture. My family lived in Williamsburg and got some reason decided to allow my aunt's unmedicated schizophrenic (literally) boyfriend take all the kids trick or treating 😱. The best part of the night you ask??
We ended up in Times Square during the times of peep shows, adult films and prostitution. We went into every establishment without a locked door asking for candy. In one establishment the maitre d was shouting we had to leave so said boyfriend turns around whips out his ding a ling and yells to the man " f**k you, suck by d••k!".
Then I almost got left on the subway on Halloween night. My parents never let me go again.
I don't actually remember this, but in the late summer or early fall of 1970, when I had just turned two, I got my measles vaccine. It caused a reaction that paralyzed my legs for two months.
That Halloween, Mom took my brother around for trick or treating. Every house he hit, he held up a second bag and asked for candy for his little sister that couldn't walk. When telling me the story, Mom mentioned I got almost twice the candy my brother did, which never seemed fair to me. He deserved more, just for asking for me.
Not a trick or treating memory but one day I was at a Halloween party and a guy dressed as a taco threw up on me. This was when I was in middle school so I went to the bathroom to wipe it off, I went home early from the party.
A very old man was passing out singular raw brussels sprouts and toothbrushes, so that was interesting. He shook his head and sighed any time someone walked by in something that could be considered one of those "sexy" costumes. Same year, I stopped by a house just as they were going inside and I got 6 king-sized Twix bars.
Loved in a north-eastern US state during my peak trick or treating years. I remember lots of years it was too cold to even be out in costume. One year, when I was 12, it was absolutely pouring out. It was also one of the only years my bro was willing to go out with me, so there was no stopping us. I had one of those backpacks with a built in raincoat. Threw that on over my costume, and planned to use the bag to keep our candy dry. Turned out to be a lucrative night as no one was interested in handing out candy in that rain, so about half the houses just dumped their bowls straight in to our pillowcases and turned off the porch light after we left. We only went 3 blocks and ended up with full pillow cases, and a full backpack - way more candy than two kids can realistically eat. Even funnier is I really didn’t like candy all that much. I just liked making costumes. I think my mom took a good chunk of it to work and gave it to customers.
It's hard to choose just one memory. None of my own childhood Halloweens make the list (complicated). Two of my first son's are excellent, but the one that is my favorite was in 2011. I was a role-player at a living-history museum and was chosen to be the witch that lived in a little shack. My costume and make-up were spot on 'Wicked Witch of the West'.
I was given a large (18in across) plastic cauldron filled with an amazing assortment of Witch approved marshmallow eyes, bags of candy bones, jello frogs, etc. I cackled and had blast.
The best part? It snowed several inches and I watched as children and parents alike had snowball fights, giggling all the while.
Actually a memory of my daughter Trick-or-treating. She and a friend spent hours making elaborate faerie costumes with tulle mesh wings, really quite lovely. Then , this being Central NY it started snowing. Big, wet snowflakes. They came back with collapsed wings, but not their spirits. Dressing in their own snow gear they each took one of my X-cross country ski poles and went back out "as skiers", to finish up in the neighborhood of full sized candy bars!
I'm a goth. When my daughter was 3 I dressed her as a "vampire". When someone asked what she was she said I'm mommy! It's one of my favorite memories
I didn't get to go trick-or-treating till we were older, my mom didn't like it and we'd go to the church carnival instead.... And honestly, in retrospect, that was so much more fun. At the carnival we had hay rides, drown the devil (dunk tank), cake walks, soda ring toss (played with 2 liters, if you got the ring around the soda, you won it), candy in a haystack (a play on trying to find a needle in a haystack, but instead of sharp objects there was candy), fishing for candy, and even a "spooky maze". I'm pretty sure there was more than that too. And, of course, we still got to dress up in costume.
I remember even with all the activities and things they had to offer, being envious of the other kids who got to trick-or-treat. I was 11 or 12 first time getting to go door to door, and after it was over I was... a little let down? Turns out, I like carnivals more than walking around a neighborhood.
I was five years old and my mom took me trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. There was one house where the owner, an older widow, went all out in spooky decorations (nothing gory, stuff like cobwebs and tombstones and fake ghosts) and the rumor among the kids was that she was an actual witch. So having been told of the danger, I was terrified and tried to refuse to go to her house. I tried to tell my mom she was a real witch, but my mom just started to get mad at me for being silly. She made me go up the driveway to the door alone and I cried the whole way.
I was still on the sidewalk when the lady popped out her door, actually dressed as a witch. I froze in terror, but she smiled and said, "You're the one of the only ones I've had tonight. Hold out your bag." So I did. And she dumped most of her candy bowl into my bag and said, "Happy Halloween!" Then she noticed I was crying and she knelt down and said, "Sweetie, what's wrong?" And that's how I learned she was a very nice woman who loved kids and was bewildered that we had collectively decided she was a witch and were avoiding her house.
My camp this year was on Halloween. Everyone went around quietly to other cabins and exchanged candy. A few people even brought candy. Lots of fun.
When I was in 5th grade it was the last time I went trick or treating as a child. I went around the neighborhood with my younger sister. We were heading home about a block from our house. A car drove by and a group of teenage boys jumped out and chased us. One tackled me to the ground. My sister got away. I was never so terrified. He was on top of me and I was rolled up in a ball face down. He broke eggs over my head all into my hair then laughed and ran back to the car. When I got home my dad called the police. They found them and made them come talk to my dad and apologize to me. Then took them to their parents. That is my Halloween memory. I was 10 years old.
Best Halloween? It's a tie, between the year my mom made me a Jawa costume(complete with glowing eyes and (fake) bazooka--that was 1977 or '78- and the one many years later when I dressed up to answer the door. I borrowed my dad's life-sized "Visible Head", secured it to the top of my head with a scarf, wore a long raincoat with the collar buttoned at the top of my head, borrowed a pair of large shoes, and answered the door as a 6 1/2 foot tall man with see-through skin.
(You'll have to Google "The Visible Head"--I can't find a clean link to an image.)
Fortunately, we didn’t know what trick or treat was when I was growing up. Not until the advent of video recorders and video rental shops. Yep, I’m that old! And guess what? I’m glad we didn’t have it.
This year has to have been my favourite memory
So there where a few little kids in front of me as we walked up to this house, then someone banged inside the house
After that a man wearing a clown mask came out and as the little kid reached for the candy the man pulled of his mask to see a bloody head it scared me sa bit but it caused the little kid to cry which was very sad
(I was the one giving out candy) scared a couple snarky middle schoolers shitless. I had pretend to be a statue then when they got close I would sprint towards them, I did this all night 4 days ago
Ok, I have 2. First is my earliest Halloween trick-or-treating memory. I was dressed as a clown, but my dad stuffed my costume so full of newspaper I was falling down at least once between every house.
My second one, and more of a horror memory was when we moved into a new school. It was Halloween and after the bus ride from the old to the new school, we were led to a haunted house/school walk through the only parts of the school that were completely constructed (we had outhouses behind the playground -long and weird story why we moved in before it was complete). Anyway, just before entering the tour, Darth Vader was there to greet us. I was old enough to know it wasn't the "real" Darth Vader, but, I have never been so scared in my entire life. I was shaking the entire time and almost peed myself. It was just after Empire Strikes Back, so, we all thought we were on our way to be frozen ala Han Solo....
