Halloween is the one night of the year when scaring people is not just allowed, it is both EXPECTED AND celebrated. We love that about it.
But there is a right way and a wrong way to ‘trick’ on Halloween. The wrong way ends with someone hurt, something broken, or a real scare that stops being funny. The right way ends with everyone laughing (the ‘treat’)
Our rules for this list are simple: 1. Every prank is for a friend or housemate who likes a joke. 2. Nothing goes in something you consume (food, drinks, etc.). 3. Nothing gets damaged. And, 4. Every prank can become undone. That is the whole game and what makes this FUN!
1. The Slime Doorknob
Coat the inside handle of a bedroom or bathroom door with a thin layer of homemade slime.
Do just the inside door, not the outside. You want them to grab it after they have already committed to the door.
The reaction is always the same: a sharp breath, a second of pure confusion, then whatever noise your housemate makes when they are truly surprised, if not outright disgusted. A little goes a long way.
Slime wipes off a metal handle with a damp cloth. We wouldn’t recommend wooden or painted handles so nothing stains.
2. Googly Eyes on Everything in the Fridge
Stick a pair of googly eyes on the outside of every container in the refrigerator. The milk jug, the leftover boxes, the ketchup bottle, the egg carton. Nothing goes near the actual food itself.
When they open the fridge half asleep in the morning, the whole shelf is staring back. Googly eyes cost almost nothing and also peel over relatively simply.. The set up takes <10 minutes, and they will keep finding the ones you hid days, if not months later.
Note: A big variety pack of googly eyes covers a whole fridge.
3. The Vampire Punch Table
Are you hosting a party? This is less of a ‘trick’ and more of a good prop in your wheelhouse to bring out. You put a pitcher of deep red punch on the drinks table with a hand lettered sign that says “Vampire punch.” Add a plastic fang or two around the base. That is it. Nobody gets a surprise in their cup. Guests pick it themselves, and the fun is watching them decide whether to be brave.
If you want the full effect, we tried a few vampire themed drinks and wrote up what we found. Keep the label honest and visible, so everyone knows exactly what they are pouring.
4. The Jump Scare Photo Frame
Print a close up of your own face: make your eyes very wide, grin far too big… you know the crazed animal look, and then swap it with a normal photo somewhere in yours (or a friends) house.
The hallway wall, the fireplace.. Or better yet, the inside of the bathroom or hallway cabinet.
When they glance over expecting the usual family photo, or open up a random door.. they’ll get you at full intensity.
5. The Cackling Closet
Get a cheap motion activated Halloween decoration that cackles or laughs when something moves near it. Now hide it.. Best place, your roommate’s closet. The next time they reach for a jacket, the closet will ‘laugh’ at them (and likely you joining in later)
6. Prank Mail for a Friend
Want to stretch the joke past one night? A piece of prank mail lands a few days later, when they have stopped watching their back… introducing, GlitterBombTrap.com, by How To Revenge. This is a prank mail shop for friends, from the same people who run this site.
One rule matters here: focus on friends & family, only. Send to someone you know will laugh about it, never to a stranger, an ex, or anyone who would not find it funny.
7. The Cobweb Doorway
While your housemate or sibling is out getting some candy, conjure up some stringy stretchy fake cobwebs across the top half of their bedroom doorway, and maybe put around three or four rubber spiders into the webbing at eye level.
When they return, and open up their door… they are met with a surprise!
8. The Balloon Closet
Have you ever tried filling a closet or small room with balloons? This one is to add as many as you can hold. We’d recommend bringing in a few friends, or else your lungs will give out.
Close the door and maybe add a sticky note with “Do not open.” Then, I’d go into hiding around the corner. Bonus points if they are hungover, or left for a long weekend, and just want to go to bed.. Then find this. Maybe help them popping them all later.
9. The Mummy Desk Chair
You know teepeeing a house? How about teepeeing a chair, ‘mummy’ style.
Wind it around the back, the arms, and the seat, until the chair resembles the old Brendan Fraser thriller. Heck, even add a pair of googly eyes on the headrest if you have any left from the fridge prank above!
It takes around one to two rolls and approx. 10 minutes. It then can come off in one.
10. “The Fake Cut”
So, you want to scare your partner, spouse, sibling, or parents? Why not use some edible fake blood, combining some plaster or tissue paper, to make a fake “scrape” on the back of your own hand, arm, foot, or leg. Protip: make it look like a bite mark.
Then, walk into the kitchen near your unsuspecting victim, and then mention you “had seen a weird furry thing that you think bit me,” and are woozy. If they ask questions, maybe give it a lick, and say it tastes good? Then you can turn on them.. Showing those false vampire teeth that you put in when you ‘lick’ it!
Oh the fun with this one.
Prank Responsibly
Halloween should be about fun & games, trick or treat, not break & enter and spending the night behind iron cell doors. Just make sure you have fun with it, be responsible, and let us know if you think otherwise!