Too often, we forget the “trick” component of trick-or-treating. Halloween isn’t only about free candy – it’s about the smell of burning leaves in the crisp October air and the anticipation of children as they wait for nightfall. It is about the orange glow that resonates in neighborhoods consumed and then deserted by drifting souls. Halloween is about an ancient awareness that we aren’t alone – it’s about tradition.
Not only this, but it is the perfect time for scare tactics because so many people come to your doorstep in one night. I realize this isn’t April Fools, but these “tricks” add spice and culture to the plastic gravestones and M&M’s. Here are a few rough ideas, but be creative. For the sake of good taste, remember to pick your victims carefully and to always think twice before acting.
10: come alive
The classic: Disguise yourself as a prop on your dimly-lit front porch and come alive when the time is right. Muahahaha! This takes patience and convincing. I remember one time, a lady handing me candy had two dummies sitting beside her. I found out one of them was real when the guy pet my head as I was leaving. I was a tyke, but I still thought it was awesome.
9 : bag arm grab
For this one you need a small friend who can fit in a sturdy bag and a bigger trickster who will be able to carry the bag around. Have the bagged person reach out and grab for the candy!
8: loony tunes
When you answer the door for the trick-or-treaters, act shocked and scream your lungs out. Slam the door and run around the house like you’re crazy. (This one takes good acting, but how hilarious would that be?)
7: candy at a price
Ask trick-or-treaters to come in and help you fix your dishwasher. Hey, if you’re giving away free candy, the least they could do is take out your recycling.
6: secret agent
Carefully open the door and look around suspiciously. Say something like, “It’s about time you got here,” and hand them a suitcase or an envelope with a secret message (perhaps telling them where the candy is;
be creative).
5: fruity carving
Carve a watermelon instead of a pumpkin (not really a prank,
but OK).
4: ghostly message
Write scary messages on your friend’s bathroom mirror with your finger. The words will reappear when your friend takes a shower and the mirror fogs up.
3: window jump
When you hear a knock, jump into the front yard through a window (preferably crashing through the glass) and run as if your life depended on it.
2: no candy for you
Answer the door munching on a candy bar and quickly shut the door. Open it again in a few seconds, and insist you’re out of candy. If you’re less mean, but you still don’t want to give away candy, give an angry lecture dressed as a dentist.
1: is it Easter?
Wear a bunny rabbit costume. Open the door yelling and cursing at someone inside. Throw candy at the trick-or-treaters, and slam the door.
Some of these ideas were collected from www.scaryguys.com, http://www.halloweenmonsterlist.info and www.prank.org.
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