Looking to get some revenge this Halloween, or are you just the sort who loves a little mischief? Maybe you’ve been good all year round, and now have the perfect opportunity to surprise someone with a devious scheme. If this at all sounds like you, then it’s time you learned a few of the best Halloween pranks.
Before you go off the diving board, just make sure you know what you’re doing. Having the scariest prank isn’t worth a lawsuit. The extremity of what you can get away with varies depending on who the prank is targeting. For example, there are a lot more forgivable things you can do to scare a close friend than a complete stranger. Nothing can ruin your night more than a Halloween prank gone wrong, so when devising a scheme, consider who you’re going after and how extreme it is. If you’re unsure, ask another friend how they would react to the prank to gauge if it’s too inappropriate.
Without further ado, here is a list of the top 10 Halloween pranks to pull off this year:
10. Answer the door covered in blood
This one is even better if you can get a friend to scream in the background. When trick or treaters come to your door on Halloween, greet them with a smile and hand out some candy, showing what a wonderful neighbour you are. The more casual you can act, the funnier the prank, as your guests nervously hold out their bags for candy, conscious of the blood on your shirt and the screaming from your basement.
9. Disguise yourself as a scarecrow
A classic favourite, and sure to get a scare this Halloween. Disguise yourself as a leaf-stuffed scarecrow and conceal your face. With enough patience and preparation, you can really scare the pants off trick or treaters as they approach your lawn unsuspectingly.
8. Haunt your own party
Just when things are livening up, switch off the power in your house. For an even more dramatic effect, try tapping windows and slamming doors to really terrorize your guests.7. Crash your own party
This is great if you have a very deceiving costume. Dress up in a rehashed costume from last year, and tell people you were too lazy to get a new one. Then, when the party is up and running, make an excuse to leave, or duck out unnoticed, and you can come back to the party with a new costume and a new identity, stirring up trouble at your own party!
6. Night of the living dead
This is a great prank for a big group to pull off. Get your friends to ‘zombify’ themselves, find a public park or front lawn to play dead on, and as soon as a group of bystanders walk by, begin to rise from the dead!
5. Kidnap a friend
If you have a younger sibling or friend who wants to get in on a prank, then have them come to your door right before another group of trick or treaters, as if they’re also just a stranger looking for candy. As soon as they knock, open the door and carry them inside kicking and screaming.
4. Fish for candy
Another classic: fool some trick or treaters into following a wrapped piece of candy tied to a piece of invisible fishing line, moving it farther away as they get closer.
3. Get sniped
When guests come to your door, have a friend conceal themselves beyond sight while aiming at you with a laser pointer, steadily raising it to your head while you obliviously greet your guests. With a fake blood pack and some good acting, you can really give them a scare.
2. Get exorcised
Don’t dress up this Halloween. Try to look as normal and suburban as possible, and get a friend do dress up as a priest. Then during the party, or as trick or treaters knock on your door, have your friend flick holy water at you, hissing and convulsing on the floor as he banishes you from this world.
1. Fake your own death
This is the mother of all Halloween pranks: pretend to be having a great time, and then at the right moment during the party, collapse and lie limp on the floor, maybe knocking over a chair or bowl in the process for dramatic effect. Then, once someone comes to check on you, give them the surprise of a lifetime (and be sure to thank them for their concern)!