An index of tropes related to the three-day festive season of Allhallowtide
, which includes (both Christian and secularized versions of) holidays such as Halloween and the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos).
This is a sub-index of Holiday Tropes. Compare and contrast this index with Christmas Tropes, Disguise Tropes, Horror Tropes, Valentine's Day Tropes, and Who Was That Masked Index?.
Tropes:
- All Witches Have Cats: Witches depicted as cat owners, which is a common motif for Halloween.
- Bat Out of Hell: Bats depicted as creepy and monstrous, which is a common motif for Halloween.
- Becoming the Costume: A magic spell that transforms people into whomever they're dressed up as. When this happens on Halloween, expect the victims of this curse to be turned into all kinds of monsters, fictional characters, or famous persons.
- Bedsheet Ghost: People dressed as white bedsheets with holes cut out with scissors to represent ghosts and spirits.
- Black Cat Luck: Black cats depicted as symbols of luck (bad or good), which is a common motif for Halloween.
- Bloodsucking Bats: Bats that like blood, which is a common motif for Halloween.
- Calacas: Skeletons representing dead people in Mexico's Day of the Dead.
- Creepy Cemetery: Unusually scary cemeteries filled with ghosts and other monsters, which is a common setting for Halloween stories.
- Creepy Crows: Crows and ravens associated with (or being used to evoke) danger, death, and evil, which is a common motif for Halloween.
- Flying Broomstick: Enchanted sweeping household tools that witches use to fly on, which is a common motif for Halloween.
- For Halloween, I Am Going as Myself: On Halloween and other special occasions, everyone assumes that your inhuman appearance is just a well-made costume.
- Ghost Story: A story about ghosts or other scary things, whether supernatural or not, told around Halloween.
- Grave Clouds: Cemeteries and graveyards are always gloomy and overcast, which is a common motif for Halloween.
- Halloween Cosplay: Rather than just buying or making a generic costume, someone cosplays as a specific character on Halloween.
- Halloween Costume Characterization: A person's choice of costume represents their personality.
- Halloween Enthusiast: Someone who unabashedly loves Halloween and all that it celebrates, often being very familiar with its history and customs.
- Halloween Songs: Music and songs about Halloween.
- Halloweentown: An entire setting that's themed around Halloween.
- Halloween Trickery: On Halloween, people do mischievous things, like pull pranks on others.
- Haunted Castle: A dark, foreboding castle, which is a common setting for Halloween stories.
- Haunted House: A creepy, spooky house, which is a common setting for Halloween stories.
- Horror Doesn't Settle for Simple Tuesday: Horror plots happen on Halloween or another holiday.
- Human Jack-O-Lantern: A jack-o-lantern made from someone's head.
- I Got a Rock: Halloween trick-or-treaters get something other than candy.
- It Was a Dark and Stormy Night: Halloween stories frequently begin with a dark and stormy night.
- Lunacy: The Moon depicted as supernatural, which is a common motif for Halloween.
- Magic Cauldron: A cauldron that witches use to brew up potions in, which is a common motif for Halloween.
- Monster Mash: A Massive Multiplayer Crossover between iconic monsters from the world of classic horror fiction, usually including the likes of Dracula and Frankenstein's Monster.
- Big Red Devil
- Classical Movie Vampire
- Dem Bones
- Fish People
- Frankenstein's Monster
- Little Green Men
- Mad Scientist
- Monster Clown
- Mummy
- Our Demons Are Different
- Our Gargoyles Rock
- Our Ghosts Are Different
- Our Ghouls Are Creepier
- Our Goblins Are Different
- Our Imps Are Different
- Our Slashers Are Different
- Our Vampires Are Different
- Our Werewolves Are Different
- Our Witches Are Different
- Our Zombies Are Different
- Wicked Witch
- Witch Classic
- Wolf Man
- Not a Mask: A strange face is assumed to be a mask but isn't.
- Ominous Clouds: Dark clouds or skies used to indicate coming danger, which is a common motif for Halloween.
- Ominous Fog: Thick fog makes everything creepy and spooky, which is a common motif for Halloween.
- Ominous Owl: Owls depicted as creepy, evil, and/or mysterious, which is a common motif for Halloween.
- Paranormal Palette: Color Motifs used to represent or symbolize Halloween and other paranormal/supernatural phenomena.
- Peek-a-Bogeyman: A monster who likes to pull scary pranks on people rather than harm them, commonly found around Halloween.
- Pumpkin Peril: A spooky, witchy, or Halloween-themed character incorporates pumpkins into their outfit, attacks, or abilities.
- Pumpkin Person: Monsters with jack-o-lanterns for heads.
- Razor Apples: When Halloween candy and treats get spiked with poison, razor blades, or something else that's harmful.
- Scary Scorpions: Scorpions depicted as dangerous and deadly, which is a common motif for Halloween.
- Sexy Whatever Outfit: A sexy Halloween costume modeled on something that isn't sexy on its own.
- Snakes Are Sinister: Snakes are (or are associated with) evil, which is a common motif for Halloween.
- Spiders Are Scary: Spiders depicted as horrifying monsters, which is a common motif for Halloween.
- Spirit of Halloween: A character who is the embodiment of Halloween, similar to Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny.
- Spooky Animal Sounds: The calls of stereotypically ominous or scary animals being used to establish dark or spooky moods, which is almost mandatory for Halloween stories.
- Stingy Jack: A character from Irish folklore who tricked himself out of Heaven and Hell alike, and was doomed to wander the world forever with a turnip-lantern to light his way. Is the alleged origin of the jack-o-lantern.
- Too Old to Trick-or-Treat: An older child or teenager decides or is told that they have outgrown trick-or-treating.
- You Dirty Rat!: Rats depicted as disgusting and malevolent, which is a common motif for Halloween.
- Your Costume Needs Work: When the real deal is mistaken for a cheap Halloween costume.
