--- title: The Best 2018 Halloween Pranks description: These are the year's funniest and most innovative Halloween pranks. canonical: https://time.com/5354149/best-halloween-pranks-2018/ author: Raisa Bruner article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-10-30T13:07:47.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-13T08:04:28.829Z og:title: The Best Halloween Pranks of 2018 So Far og:description: Ultimate scares og:url: https://time.com/5354149/best-halloween-pranks-2018/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta20cd4fc8bd95cad/69893dcc096a94c8d96a3ccd/besthalloween2018pranks.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4992 og:image:height: 2808 og:image:alt: Two boys (12-13) throwing toilet paper into tree in front of house, night og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Best Halloween Pranks of 2018 So Far twitter:description: Ultimate scares twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta20cd4fc8bd95cad/69893dcc096a94c8d96a3ccd/besthalloween2018pranks.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # These Are the Best 2018 Halloween Pranks So Far > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=db75eea2-9a9e-4fb1-9c8e-413c75357291&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: 'Thriller' Zombies Take Over Sheffield Street [Watch (HLS stream): 'Thriller' Zombies Take Over Sheffield Street](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/gqopvgxC.m3u8) (1:12)  _Published 2018-10-31. A number of costumed "zombies" performed in a flashmob in Sheffield, United Kingdom._  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Oct 30, 2018 1:07 PM UTC  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Oct 30, 2018 1:07 PM UTC For some, [“trick or treat”](http://time.com/money/4088582/target-halloween-app-treatster/) is just a phrase that expedites the process of securing candy on Halloween. For others, it’s a motto — and the “trick” part becomes a calling card. From celebrity appearances to regular citizens getting in on the seasonal spooky spirit, here are 2018’s best [Halloween pranks](http://time.com/4994332/halloween-funniest-viral-pranks/) so far. ## Thriller zombies take over the world It’s become an annual tradition: flash mobs of dancers decked out in full zombie looks — fake blood included — gathered in cities around the world to perform the choreography of Michael Jackson’s famous “Thriller” dance. The [“Thrill the World”](http://www.thrilltheworld.com/) tradition was on display in city centers everywhere from [Tennessee](https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/2018/10/27/knoxville-zombie-walk-thrill-world-market-square/1793612002/) to Brazil and even at California’s own [Neverland Ranch](https://www.keyt.com/lifestyle/entertainment/zombies-boogie-down-to-thriller-at-neverland-ranch/831114629), bringing out hordes of zombies. ## The BBC gets ghostly During [an episode of](https://t.co/7xFxDSapX4) _Inside No. 9_ on the BBC, a ghost “took over” the live show after there were apparent technical difficulties. Reverting to footage of the show’s creators in their dressing room, the eerie prank was convincing enough that many viewers turned it off — or were concerned for the safety of the creators, who it transpired believed their studio was being haunted. They and BBC Two even tweeted with confusion to keep up the believability of the hoax. > [](https://twitter.com/TobyonTV/status/1056670395686891520) ## Jimmy Kimmel scares kids as usual At this point, we should all know that Kimmel is one of the season’s most [reliable pranksters](http://time.com/5428469/jimmy-kimmel-brooklyn-gets-pranked/). For his latest, Kimmel played tricks on [unsuspecting kids](http://time.com/5433032/jimmy-kimmel-halloween-prank/), getting them into a photo booth to take pictures with a seasonal figure. The character? None other than the terrifying Michael Myers of _Halloween_ franchise fame. Hopefully the young, impressionable kids didn’t all go home with nightmares after being visited by Myers. ## Michael Myers makes his mark in Brazil The _Halloween_ movie franchise is back in a big way this fall, with [Jamie Lee Curtis](http://time.com/5434332/jamie-lee-curtis-halloween-movie/)‘s return to the horror film series making a splash at the box office — and this Michael Myers lookalike in Brazil scaring citizens in real life, too. Set up by a Brazilian TV variety show, hidden cameras captured a gruesomely-made-up Myers actor surprising people on the street at empty bus stops and deserted parking garages, to their horror. ## Diddy gets a clown scare Leave it to Ellen DeGeneres to pull a prank on one of her own TV show guests — the (un)lucky recipient this year being the rapper and mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs. DeGeneres wanted to put his fear of clowns to the test, and did so with aplomb, getting a very creepy character to pop up unexpectedly — to Diddy’s utter horror. ## The “Doll in the Hall” is this season’s “Elf on the Shelf” A [Pittsburgh mom](https://www.circa.com/story/2018/10/27/whoa/pittsburgh-mother-brings-on-halloween-terror-with-doll-in-the-hall?fbclid=IwAR21-nsEG6TDwgj4Jv-oVGzmF3PveRPY5qgRhjDbx-rJTGMKfgqqIkA-eyM) has been freaking out her own kids with “Doll in the Hall,” a prank in which she places a Victorian-looking doll in new locations around the house — to the unfortunate surprise of her children. She even started [a Facebook page](https://www.facebook.com/pg/dollinthehall/posts/?ref=page%5Finternal) for the trick, and seems to have inspired some copycat behavior among her kids’ families, too. But unlike the holiday season’s friendly [“Elf on the Shelf”](http://time.com/4946736/rhyming-elf-on-the-shelf-memes/) shenanigans, this toy prank seems engineered to bring on nightmares. > [](https://twitter.com/News3LV/status/1056334731069902848) ## Spider-Man swings through Brooklyn While some people get in the Halloween spirit with spooky decorations, the tenants of this Brooklyn Heights building went for superhero status instead, putting up a lifelike Spider-Man — with webs — to spark some wonder in the hearts of passersby. It certainly looks quite realistic, even if his swinging is stationary. > [](https://twitter.com/maximusupinNYc/status/1056899953199640579) ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5354149/best-halloween-pranks-2018/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5354149/best-halloween-pranks-2018/"},"headline":"These Are the Best 2018 Halloween Pranks So Far","datePublished":"2018-10-30T13:07:47.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-13T08:04:28.829Z","description":"From \"Doll in the Hall\" to Jimmy Kimmel's latest prank","url":"https://time.com/5354149/best-halloween-pranks-2018/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Holidays","halloween 2018"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta20cd4fc8bd95cad/69893dcc096a94c8d96a3ccd/besthalloween2018pranks.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Raisa Bruner","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta20cd4fc8bd95cad/69893dcc096a94c8d96a3ccd/besthalloween2018pranks.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Two boys (12-13) throwing toilet paper into tree in front of house, night","caption":"Two boys (12-13) throwing toilet paper into tree in front of house, night","creditText":"Darrin Klimek—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5354149/best-halloween-pranks-2018/","name":"These Are the Best 2018 Halloween Pranks So Far"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"'Thriller' Zombies Take Over Sheffield Street","description":"A number of costumed \"zombies\" performed in a flashmob in Sheffield, United Kingdom.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/gqopvgxC/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2018-10-31T16:58:00.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/gqopvgxC.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5354149/best-halloween-pranks-2018/","duration":"PT1M12S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5354149/best-halloween-pranks-2018/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```