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31 People Share Their Absolute Worst Halloween Experiences That Turned Fun Into A Nightmare
No matter if you're a fan of Halloween or not, there's no escaping it every October. Everywhere you go, there's Halloween decor, and all shops are filled with themed stuff and candies for the occasion. Even the internet is filled with content about it.
So, today we're going to contribute to it -- we're serving you a list of Halloween stories. But these are not some run-of-the-mill ones -- they're about celebrations that kind of turned into disasters. And it's always fun to read about those, when you don't have to experience them yourself, isn't it?
More info: Reddit
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#1
I was 12 and a man yelled at me and told me I was too old to be out trick-or-treating. I felt so bad I gave all my candy to my little brother and just walked with him for next hour or so. When I got home my mom asked me why I didn’t have any candy so I told her what happened. She asked me who said that to me and I told her which house. I don’t know if she ever did anything about it. But since I’ve become an adult and bought my own home, I don’t care if your 90 years old. You’re getting candy. Halloween is for everyone.
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#2
Was trick-or-treating with 3 buddies freshman year of high school. We were joking about being a little old to do it but it was all in good fun. Some kids two years older were running around in skull masks doing rowdy teenager stuff and decided it would be a good idea to take my candy. They were much larger than us and had no trouble. One grabbed my bag and another one grabbed me and threw me down in the street. No serious injuries but I had skinned knees and palms.
I was pissed. Filed a police report and the officers took it seriously. We got out the yearbook and identified three of them and they were picked up that night. They were charged with strong arms robbery (as juveniles) and got a ton of community service and had to pay for my mom's lost pillow case + candy + damaged clothing. I caught some flack for it at school from their girlfriends (they were ordered not to talk to me) but didn't really care because I felt like justice was served.
Nova Rook 1 month ago
When we were 9ish me and my buddy were trick or treating late - sure enough a few young teens emerge and start demanding our candy. We bombed out of there and they chased us maybe 50 feet before quitting. It was an awesome little rush and we had a halloween story about how we refused to give up candy to a bunch of scary teenagers!
#3
Not worst but best - I'm Australian, Halloween isn't really a thing here, but we still get some kids coming to our door at that time of the year - one time my mum had no lollies(candy) to give, so she just gave the little girl a can of soup we had in the cupboard, that girl was thrilled with the can of Minestrone she got, she screamed to her parents "I got SOUP!". Wholesome.
Every year, around the end of September (or even earlier), you start noticing people getting ready for one of the biggest occasions of the year – Halloween. When you go deeper and deeper into October, the signs of that become more and more apparent, especially in the last week of the month, when the holiday happens.
But why is it so big? Why do people love it so much? Isn’t it just a carnival of spooky and creepy stuff? At first glance, it might seem like that, but when you look into it, you realize it actually is way more interesting than you would think.
#4
My mom took away all my candy to give to the later kids.
#5
My “friends” telling me they weren’t doing anything only to all hang out all evening while I stayed home alone. Teen years can suck.
Edit: I must clarify this was like 15 years ago, thankfully I have some great friends now.
Little Bit 1 month ago
I had "friends" like this too. This was in the days before mobile phones. Agreed to meet at a certain place. I waited there by myself for ages and nobody else turned up. The next one of my "friends" said they'd all met somewhere else. Nobody thought to let me know.
#6
This happened to my friend who is not on Reddit:
It’s Halloween night and there’s a knock on her parent’s door. Dad goes to open it and there is a man with a bag on his head standing on their porch, silent. The man makes a move to step into their house and Dad pushes him backwards. Everyone watches as the man falls backwards off of their step and smashes his head on the ground. It is revealed that the man with the bag is my friend’s grandfather (mom’s dad) who was trying to Halloween prank them. He was rushed to the hospital with permanent damage, no longer able to care for himself or his wife who had health issues as well. They both ended up in convalescent care. Additionally, my friend’s mother never forgave her husband, placing the blame of the accident entirely on his shoulders. They divorced shortly after.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 month ago
W*F at the friend's mother. The dad had NO idea who the man was (BAG on head, remember) and the man was trying to walk into his home and possibly hurt or k!ll his family, for all the dad knew. He was defending his frigging family by trying to push the intruder out. And his wife blames him for it, because AFTER the fact it turns out it was a grown adult trying to do a stupid prank? This, btw, is why pranks are almost ALWAYS a bad idea.
For example, Halloween as we know it today has been like that only in recent times. Not that long ago, it used to look a little different – the trick part was more prominent. Here, in the 1930s, it got so bad that it was basically full-blown vandalism, which resulted in millions of dollars of damage.
Lisa Morton, the author of Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween, explained to Today: “[People] were smashing light fixtures and setting fires and tripping people on sidewalks, and, in 1933, vandals did so much damage it became known as ‘Black Halloween.”
#7
Getting tear-gassed on Polk St. in San Francisco. Mid-1970's, evening, everyone is milling around in crazy Halloween costumes. Lots of fun, very chill, until some a*****e chucks a teargas cannister into the crowd. Pure chaos ensued, and my throat was sore for 24 hours.
Pferdchen 1 month ago
I think some context is missing. From browser plug-in: "During Halloween celebrations on Polk Street in San Francisco, incidents of violence and chaos occurred, notably in 1977 when tear gas was used by police to disperse crowds amid clashes with gay-bashers. This marked a significant moment in the history of Halloween festivities in the area, which were known for their vibrant LGBTQ+ participation." The open question would be whether the police took a side and, if so, which one? Isn't an unfair question given the era.
#8
In my 20s one of my friends would have a giant shindig every year. My ex and I went three years in a row. And each year he became more and more of a sloppy mess. The first year wasn't too bad. But the second one he ended rolling around in the grass in the back yard making a fool of himself.
But the third year...
We showed up a couple of hours early to help our friend set up. But as soon as we got there my ex decided to take one of those giant "yard" cups that people carry around in Vegas and made himself an enormous long island iced tea.
He drank that thing down in 15 minutes tops.
He started to get sick right as people started to show up. He spent the whole night sitting on the back porch vomiting like he was starring in the remake of the Exorcist.
And for some reason his friends thought I should have been sitting with him rubbing his back or something. F**k that. He put himself in that position, he could live with the consequences. It was always his friends who encouraged him to drink like that, so I left him with them and went home.
We broke up after that. I don't care if people drink, but what I can't stand is a sloppy drunk that knows they're pushing their limits and keeps going anyway.
Edit: typo.
#9
Went to a small Halloween get together (me, my wife, and a few friends) and had a great time playing games and drinking. My wife even got fairly drunk, which is really unusual for her!
We go home around midnight (uber, we’re responsible) and get ready for bed. My wife starts having some abdominal pain, but we don’t think anything of it; it’s getting close to that time of the month, nothing really unexpected. Fast forward an hour later, and she’s writhing on the bed in the worst pain of her life.
I rush her to the ER, and the staff there take her into a room and start doing their thing, asking questions, drawing blood, etc. One of them take me out into the hallway and give me the worst news I’ve ever had: there’s a chance that it could be serious, maybe ovarian cysts or some kind of aggressive cancer, and her life could very likely be in danger.
Holy s**t.
I go back in the room and try to keep a strong face on for her sake. She hasn’t heard any of this, and they’ve barely started drawing blood to run tests.
Then, suddenly, her pain evaporates. Gone. She looked up at a nurse and asked if she had been given any d***s, and was told no, all they’ve done so far is draw blood.
Turns out it was a kidney stone. A f*****g stone. I had the ever loving s**t scared out of me over a little tiny stone (4 mm, as it turned out). Granted, I’m sure it hurt like absolute hell, but even 10 years later I’m furious that that person had that conversation with me before they even ran any tests. Jesus Christ, I thought I was going to lose her.
Yeah, we’ve never gone back to that hospital.
After this, it was contemplated to ban the holiday, but the adoption of the Canadian “treat” tradition saved it. And that’s how trick or treat was born.
Still, it doesn’t really explain what the point behind this occasion is, does it? Well, it actually dates back thousands of years. It reaches the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which used to happen on November 1. It was believed that on that day, the boundaries between the living and the dead, between the humans and Gods, were thin.
#10
My mom was pretty strict with how much candy I was allowed to eat on Halloween. One year, after some annoying begging, I finally got my mom to say “eat as much as you want.”
Heh, spent about an hour barfing up peanut butter cups and warheads.
#11
Not being able to celebrate halloween as a kid and watching all my friends go trick or treating from my window.
Child of the Stars 1 month ago
I wasn't allowed either because of my family's religious beliefs. But at least my parents tried to make up for it: they'd order pizza, my mom would get a big bag of candy, and we'd watch the old b/w monster movies. The family/tv room was in the basement, so they'd just turn off all the upstairs lights like we weren't home. It was especially fun if Halloween was a school night because generally, we could only watch tv on Friday nights.
#12
I was walking home with my friend when i was like 9 and a car of high school kids or around that age stole all our candy. Three hours of work, gone.
The Majestic Opossum 1 month ago
Man, as a kid, that's soul crushing! I think even as an adult I'd be píssed.
That meant that the gods can play tricks on their mortal worshippers, and that’s how supernatural episodes happened. During this Celtic festival, people, just as right now, dressed in costumes. And while nowadays they’re usually just for fun, back in the day, they were meant to ward off wandering spirits and divine and malicious acts. Popular costumes like witches, goblins, and ghosts come from these times.
Centuries later, on the basis of Celtic tradition, the Christian church also had some influence over contemporary Halloween. The best example of this is All Hallows’ Eve, the eve of a Holy day on November 1st, a kind of Christian substitute for the pagan festival.
#13
Had the stomach flu one year on Halloween. I was a month shy of turning 11. My parents took my younger siblings out trick or treating and I was stuck alone in the house blowing chunks out of both ends.
#14
When I was around 11/12 I went out trick or treating with a friend. Ran into some older kids my friend wanted to hang out with so we tagged along. They wanted to go pumpkin smashing. I was a rule follower and didn’t want to be around trouble, but I let my friend talk me into it. We come to a house that had a bunch of great pumpkins. You could tell they spent a bunch of time on them. There was a candy bowl with a note so the kids start destroying the pumpkins. I just watched, feeling uncomfortable. Couple days later I’m reading the paper and see a letter to the editor from the owners of house. They listed the address. It said how awful it was and how it wrecked their kids who spent so much time on the pumpkins. I felt sick. I showed my friend and he thought it was cool and took it to show those other kids. I realized then our association was more about living on same street than friendship. I still feel terrible.
GlitterPanda 1 month ago
As someone who had their pumpkin smashed when I was a kid, it feels just awful
#15
Being in the hospital two years straight for Halloween and thinking of all my friends trick or treating while I couldn’t. This year will be my first time trick or treating in two years and I’m hella pumped.
So, you see, Halloween has no less roots in religion than Christmas. And, yes, the current celebration is more commercialized than it used to be, but so is Christmas. Just let people enjoy the holidays how they want. The world is already scary as it is, so why limit fun?
After all, the risk of something going off the rails during these celebrations is high enough, just as the stories in today’s list prove, so let's not add additional pressure.
Make sure to check the list out – just enjoy the Halloween spirit, while it lasts -- soon we’ll be hearing the jingle bells.
#16
A woman telling me I'm too old to go trick or treat :(.
Mel in Georgia 1 month ago
As long as the kid is dressed up and is polite I don't mind giving candy to teens who come by.
#17
I was 14 and I went out with my group of friends and I was always the one left out. They dressed in girly costumes and I was a full on clown with big shoes. I walked with one of the girls moms the entire time because they were ahead and the big shoes slowed me down. They went into a haunted house and I was too scared so I waited outside and then I couldn't sleepover because I was really allergic to my friends cat.
I did find a 20 dollar bill on the floor though.
#18
I was in the 5th grade and went going to trick or treat, I got this pain in my lower stomach so my mom took me back home. After what my mom saw in the bathroom, we figured out I started my period for the very first time.
#19
Got made fun of and bullied for wearing a full costume when I was 13. Cried and wanted to go home by like 5pm. There was one true friend who waited with me at a park until my parents came to pick me up….
The Majestic Opossum 1 month ago
That's awful. I know that's typical in those years, but I don't understand why it's cool to not care, and to get excited or care about things is "nerdy".
#20
I had costume plans with a friend who chickened out on me and wanted instead to wear her own regular clothes while I was in a ridiculous Ginger Spice costume and pass her clothes off as “80’s.” DEFINITELY wasn’t influenced by her snotty roommate who called me immature for what I wore or anything. I had her drop me off after that and decided to find other plans. Decided to try to hang out with some of my other friends (who were male) but a girl who didn’t like me and let them use her for rides considering none of them were interested in her refused to pick me up and let me hang out with them (I didn’t have a car at the time). So I decided I was going to walk there, about a seven mile walk. Got a quarter of a mile down the street, tried to cross and got hit by a car. 13 years later I still have the metal in my ankle.
#21
My girlfriend asked me to go with her and her son trick or treating. We picked out costumes for everyone, invited the neighbor kids and went around for about 4 hours. We took tons of pictures of us and the kids and a kitten followed us back to her house that we ended up keeping. We dropped off the kids with their parents then went home and got the kiddo ready for school the next day while trying to keep him from eating too much candy. Next day at work our mutual friend asked what i did for halloween. I told her to check the girlfriends facebook cause she posts everything and i wanted her to see the kitten pics.
ya, i'm cropped out of every picture.... all people we visited, all the other kids parents and a few of the neighbors we stopped and talked to are tagged in her post about how much fun her and her son had
Felt like i was cut out of her public life
--edited to add last line since I feel like its minor after reading some of these.
#22
I was like 7 or 8 and dressed like an angel. parents took me to the science museum where they set up little houses for the kids to trick or treat in. I got soo much candy and was so proud of myself. But when we left, all my candy was gone. The little boy behind me had been taking scoops of my candy and putting it in his basket. I cried.
#24
I grew up in Northern Canada and when I was probably 5 or 6, I got me a Darth Vader costume, one of those vinyl costume and capes with a light sabre and thin plastic mask. I thought I was so cool back then. Well, being northern Canada, it was exceptionally cold that year, like below -30C. I went out that evening bundled up and ready to show off my cool outfit, but it was so cold, the costume just disintegrated as I went around the block. Due to the weather, I barely got around the block, but by the time I was home, I just had the lightsabre and mask. The rest of the costume just fell apart in pieces as I moved.
The Majestic Opossum 1 month ago
Holy cats, that's cold! We always joke that where I live your costume has to be big enough to fit a snowsuit. One year I took my daughter and it was freezing rain that turned to hail - but I think this level of cold would be enough for even us to skip the trick or treating.
#25
I got ditched by people who I thought were my friends in high school while we were trick or treating/ being teenagers. I had to walk a mile and a half home by myself. S***s man.
Bi.Felicia 1 month ago
It does s uck, it's a really sh itty thing to do to someone not to mention dangerous, I hope OP made some real, good friends after this.
#26
Choked on a gobstopper. Heimlich got it out of my trachea but it then got stuck in my esophagus and I got it down with some bread. My throat hurt for days. My parents called an ambulance but we got it resolved before they came. Super scary.
I have two young kids now that have been getting gobstoppers/jawbreakers on Halloween since they were 2. I always take them out and throw them away.
Mel in Georgia 1 month ago
Because of the pic I read that as they choked on a grasshopper! I was thinking, he had to swallow the grasshopper? Gross!
#27
I was taking my then 2-year-old out for his first time (he's 15 now), and I was 41 weeks pregnant with my 2nd child (single mom, dad isn't and never has been around for my son so it was up to me to take him) I went into labor and my water broke after 45 minutes of walking around our neighborhood. When I got to the hospital, because I'm diabetic, they had to draw blood to run some tests. The nurse left the empty collection vials across the room, so when she finished with the first vial, she had to cross the room to get the next one. She didn't clamp the IV tube when she took the first vial off, so when she walked away, there was a literal fountain of blood spraying out of my arm. I started laughing hysterically, she turned around, started laughing herself, and said, "Well, Happy Halloween, I guess!!" It was awesome!!
Andrew Keir 1 month ago
That nurse needed some feedback on her cannula skills, maybe ? Because if it left a 'fountain of blood' then she had put it into an artery. They work better in veins ...
#28
My Dad was pranking trick or treaters by spraying them with a water gun from a window as I gave out sweets. The same guy who my Dad pissed off followed me and my friends around the neighbourhood with a scary mask on to get revenge, when we went out trick or treating. So creepy.
#29
Someone threw a raw egg at my friends and I from a passing pickup and it exploded against the back of my hand. Such pain.
Huddo's sister 3 weeks ago
It is fairly common for high school students in Australia to egg people on 'muck up' day (last day of school). One year a group of boys from another school came and egged the group of us getting onto the school bus. One hit me on the arm and it stung pretty badly, but it was nothing compared to the bus driver, who copped one to his face. Such a low act.
#30
Having people that annoy me at school find my house and attempting to get in.
#31
So this isn’t terrible, just funny and a little embarrassing.
Went to Halloween Haunt at Kings Dominion in 2016. My inquisitive girlfriend looked inside the window of this obvious painted-facade that looked like a wagon. Inside was really a dressing room trailer for the costumed people paid to go around scaring guests.
I’m already like “c’mon let’s get out of here.”
Then a clown appears, standing next to us like he was there the whole time.
“Hey, she’s peepin!” he squeaks, with red nose and everything. “Hey, everyone, she’s a peeper!” He shouts to guests passing by. He’s pointing at her with his goofily large glove.
I grabbed her and we ran and that was the time we almost got cancelled by zombie clowns.
What do you think ?
Sara Frazer 1 month ago
Halloween night 2012, I was in my senior year of high school. Friend was walking his girlfriend home, was hit by an intoxicated driver in a pickup who swerved off the road. He pushed his girlfriend out of the way and took the full hit. Passed away right there. Driver fled, but was caught. He was a known party boy with very rich parents. He barely got a slap on the wrist. And of course he was driving a huge shiny new pickup truck mommy and daddy bought for him. My friend was only 16. RIP Justin
Lukas (he/him, it/its) 1 month ago
I'm going to be all alone on Halloween this year. Maybe it's silly, maybe I'm immature or childish, but I'm really sad about it. I wish I could be with my family but they're all sick, or busy, or live too far away, and I don't have friends. I'm only 19, I feel like I shouldn't be all alone...
Laserleader 1 month ago
Last night... I worked for a month and a half ordering and building a Truck or Treat theme of Ghostbusters. Everything went wrong no matter how I far ahead I planned. The ordered candy was lost in the mail, and I had to pack 500 treat bags the night before when the new candy arrived. The carefully constructed Slimer head, which was supposed to be attached with only 10 pieces of tape to turn the trunk into him would not stick to the car or cardboard becaue it ws raining, and a gust of wind collapsed the whole thing on my head. My friends, husband and sister all had emergencies that prevented them from coming to help. When I broke down and stuffed the broken remains back in the car 5 min before the start of the event and called my husband to tell him what happened, he got mad that I was upset and started talking about our relationship and suggested we break up because he couldn't handle me being upset. I was so confused and hurt I screamed in my car for ten minutes. Yeah. Bad night.
Sara Frazer 1 month ago
Halloween night 2012, I was in my senior year of high school. Friend was walking his girlfriend home, was hit by an intoxicated driver in a pickup who swerved off the road. He pushed his girlfriend out of the way and took the full hit. Passed away right there. Driver fled, but was caught. He was a known party boy with very rich parents. He barely got a slap on the wrist. And of course he was driving a huge shiny new pickup truck mommy and daddy bought for him. My friend was only 16. RIP Justin
Lukas (he/him, it/its) 1 month ago
I'm going to be all alone on Halloween this year. Maybe it's silly, maybe I'm immature or childish, but I'm really sad about it. I wish I could be with my family but they're all sick, or busy, or live too far away, and I don't have friends. I'm only 19, I feel like I shouldn't be all alone...
Laserleader 1 month ago
Last night... I worked for a month and a half ordering and building a Truck or Treat theme of Ghostbusters. Everything went wrong no matter how I far ahead I planned. The ordered candy was lost in the mail, and I had to pack 500 treat bags the night before when the new candy arrived. The carefully constructed Slimer head, which was supposed to be attached with only 10 pieces of tape to turn the trunk into him would not stick to the car or cardboard becaue it ws raining, and a gust of wind collapsed the whole thing on my head. My friends, husband and sister all had emergencies that prevented them from coming to help. When I broke down and stuffed the broken remains back in the car 5 min before the start of the event and called my husband to tell him what happened, he got mad that I was upset and started talking about our relationship and suggested we break up because he couldn't handle me being upset. I was so confused and hurt I screamed in my car for ten minutes. Yeah. Bad night.
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