Oooh … OOOOH … !

Halloween …

I am some rather strange — but fond — memories of Halloween …

Way back in the day, when I first started running pub quizzes — the original run, at The Hutton — I had a hell of a good time.

Seriously, it really does wonders for you social life.

I met quite a few wonderful people, over the years; some of whom I’m still in touch with, some of whom I’m not.

But one thing’s shaped my experience of writing quizzes.

Getting hold of themed quizzes.

I was, in those very early days, on a very limited budget. It’s part of the reason why I bang on about open source software so much. Software that’s legally available, easily useable and free, is quite an eye catching thing.

But something else was a problem, as well …

Getting hold of questions.

That was sort of solvable.

There’s plenty of quiz question book’s available at your local Waterstones, for starters; I know for starter’s, that Carlton Publishing’s ‘Best Pub Quiz’ series are very handy, and generally — generally — fairly accurate.

Keeping track of games shows helps, as well.

But, of course, they don’t necessarily have themed questions.

You know, Valentine’s Night, Saint George’s Day, what have you.

And the many and various quiz question companies, online and off, charge somewhat higher prices for there themed question set’s than the regular ones.

Including Halloween …

So scrounging up a set of Halloween Questions was always a problem, whilst I was getting going.

I’m bloody pleased at how I managed, actually; remind me to show that first Halloween quiz, at some point!

But that’s kind of my point, though …

There’s never enough free stuff around!

So with that in mind, I’ve actually written a Halloween quiz, for those QM’s out there, who are on a budget.

Or just need a Halloween quiz, in a hurry.

All I ask, is all I’ve ever really wanted on this front; credit where credit is due, and you follow the terms of the Creative Commons License that any of the quizzes come with; all you do is tell people where you got the questions, and pass them on with the same license.

So, here we go …

Halloween 2009!

ROUND ONE: – SCARY MONSTERS AND SUPER BEASTS.

Q1) What name is given to the shape-shifting foxes of Japanese folklore?

A1) Kitsune.

Q2) Which Celtic creatures sing eerie laments after a death in the family?

Q2) Banshees.

Q3) Which mythical dragon has no wings: Japanese or Welsh?

A3) Japanese.

Q4) Zombies come from which Carribean island?

A4) Haiti.

Q5) Batrachaphobia is a fear of what: frogs or bats?

A5) Frogs.   Ok, strictly it’s a fear of reptiles and amphibians, but bats don’t EXACTLY count …

Q6) The Vampire Bat comes from which American continent: North, South, or Central?

A6) South.

Q7) What name is given to a person or animal, that eats the flesh of one of its own kind?

A7) A cannibal.

Q8) The female of which species of spider kills her mate?

A8) The Black Widow.

Q9) In Greek mythology, what nine headed monster was killed by Hercules: the Hydra, the Hydroid or the Hyderabad?

A9) The Hydra.

Q10) Which mythical bird is said to rise from its own ashes?

A10) The Phoenix.

ROUND TWO: BLOOD SOAKED POPCORN.

Q11) In the original version of the film, Pyscho, what is Norman Bates’ hobby?

A11) Taxidermy. (Stuffing things: make of that what you will …)

Q12) Who directed that version?

A12) Alfred Hitchcock.

Q13) In which film does Peter Cushing come back from the dead on Saint Valentine’s Day?

A13) Tales From The Crypt.

Q14) In which year of the 90s was the film version of Silence of the Lambs, released?

A14) 1991

Q15) Which English actor played the monster, in the 1930s film version of Frankenstein?

A15) Boris Karloff.

Q16) Linda Blair starred in which movie about a possessed child?

A16) The Exorcist.

Q17) In the film, Halloween, what’s the name of the masked serial killer who is the film’s main villain?

A17) Michæl Myers. (Half a point for just Michæl.)

Q18) In the original film version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, who played Buffy?

A18) Kristy Swanson.

Q19) In hit film Death Becomes Her, which star played the male lead?

A19) Bruce Willis.

Q20) Who played Keanu Reeves’ devilish boss, in The Devils’ Advocate?

A20) Al Pacino.

ROUND THREE: – MUSIC AND LIGHTS.

Q21) Godley and Cream’s first hit, Under Your Thumb, was all about a man who meets a ghost where: on a train, on a plane or in a car?

A21) A train.

Q22) Director, John Landis, directed the video for which Michael Jackson song?

A22) Thriller.

Q23) Which Ghanaian Reggae star claims to have once been cursed by a witch doctor?

A23) Eddie Grant.

Q24) The Exorcist used which Mike Oldfield album, in its soundtrack?

A24) Tubular Bells.

Q25) What spooky song was the 2nd Number 1 for The Specials?

A25) Ghost Town.

Q26) Which band had a hit with Grimly Fiendish?

A26) The Damned.

Q27) What was the name of Siouxsie Sioux’s backing band?

A27) The Banshee’s.

Q28) Which 80s Goth band released Bela Lugosi’s Dead?

A28) Bauhaus.

Q29) What was the only hit for Bobby Picket and the Crypt-kickers?

A29) The Monster Mash.

Q30) Which member of The Doors claimed to have once dated a witch?

A30) Jim Morrison.

ROUND FOUR: – BLOOD SOAKED PAGES … !

Q31) Who, with Hansel, was lured into the wicked witch’s gingerbread house?

A31) Gretel.

Q32) In which fairy tale does an evil witch feed a poisoned apple to the heroine?

A32) Snow White.

Q33) The film Pyscho, is based on a book by which author?

A33) Robert Bloch.

Q34) Who wrote famed horror short story, The Call of Cthulu?

A34) H. P. Lovecraft.

Q35) Name Stephen King’s second novel.

A35) Salems Lot.

Q36) The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, is about which American town’s witchhunt?

A36) Salem

Q37) “Eye of newt, toe of frog”, is part of the witches chant in which of Shakespeare’s play?

A37) Macbeth.

Q38) According to Bram Stoker, Count Dracula’s castle is located in which Romanian province?

A38) Transylvania.

Q39) What was the title of James Herbert’s 1st novel?

A39) The Rats.

Q40) Who wrote the classic ghost story The Signal-Man?

A40) Charles Dickens.

ROUND FIVE: – I SEE DEAD PEOPLE!!

Q41) Patrick McGoohan died in 2009: what iconic sixties series was he the star, and co-creator of?

A41) “The Prisoner

Q42) Which late actor connects the late film and tv star, Patrick McGoohan to the equally late barrister, and playwright, Sir John Mortimer?

A42) Leo McKern; – who played Mortimer’s creation, Rumpole of the Bailey, for many years, and a recurring character, in cult McGoohan series, The Prisoner.

Q43) Which arty children’s TV presenter died, in 2009?

A43) Tony Hart

Q44) Which children’s TV series logo did the presenter in Q43) originally design?

A44) Blue Peter’s

Q45) Which former EastEnders actress died of cancer, this year?

A45) Wendy Richards

Q46) Conedy actress Diane Holland died this year; – in which sitcom did she play a dance instructor?

A46) Hi-De-Hi.

Q47) Estelle Bennett died, this year, at the age of 67; – which sixties girl band was she a member of?

A47) The Ronettes.

Q48) Sharat Sardana died, this year; – for which award winning comedy was he a writer?

A48) Goodness Gracious Me.

Q49) The author of The Witches of Eastwich died in 2009; – what was his name?

A49) John Updike

Q50) Natasha Richardson died this year; – in which Chekov play did she make her West End debút?

A50) The Seagull.

ROUND SIX: – GRUESOME IGNORANCE.

Q51) Which part did former child star Jackie Coogan play in the TV series, The Addams Family?

A51) Uncle Fester

Q52) Ponerology is the study of what?

A52) Evil. (Well, social injustices, strictly, but … )

Q53) According to an ancient superstition, albatrosses are the reincarnated souls’ of drowned what: sailors, soldiers or spies?

A53) Sailors.

Q54) Who was England’s Witchfinder General?

A54) Matthew Hopkins.

Q55) In which English county did the Pendle Witches terrify their neighbours?

A55) Lancashire.

Q56) Halloween is derived from which Celtic festival?

A56) Samhain.

Q57) The Vade Retro Satana was — during the Middle Ages — the official name for which Roman Catholic ritual?

A57) The Rite Of Exorcism.

Q58) In what day is Halloween usually celebrated in Finland?

A58) November the 1st..

Q59) What is the name of the ghost ship, doomed to sail the seven seas forever?

A59) The Flying Dutchman

Q60) In which part of the British Isles is Halloween known as ‘Pookie Night’?

A60) Ireland.

Enjoy that, folks!