We feature many types of horror photography on the site – creepy, spooky and silly. But how has photography been used to chart Halloween experiences of the past century?
Celebrated all over the world, many cultures have unique Halloween traditions which are captured by photographers. Some of the following images are from cultural celebrations, some are intimate portraits of individuals on Halloween night, and some show the increasingly shocking nature of Halloween attractions. And so, we have selected 23 powerful photographs of Halloween around the world to share with you this October.
Dallas Halloween Skyline, Joseph HaubertHalloween in Brooklyn, Joey LA man wearing a werewolf mask sings in an alley in downtown Mexico City, Tomas BravoNYC Village Halloween Parade, Dia Dipasupil1965 Nobel Prize for Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF program, Yutaka NagataA specialist shop in Germany prepares for the Witches Parade, Richard Picton500 pumpkins Halloween display in Shenyang, northeast China, StringerFamily watch the premier of ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’ on TV – 1955Filipinos wear ghost costumes as they join a Halloween Parade in Marikina Philippines, Aaron FavilaLA’s Smilin’ Jack, The Union Oil pumpkin in 1952Children wearing Jason masks read horror stories, RyanwizBarrett’s Haunted Mansion, Abington, Massachusetts, bhmansion.comDenver Coffin Races, Zack HugginsTraditional Pumpkin Flotilla, Central Park, Filip WolakGiant Pumpkin in Europa Park, Europa-Park1991’s Halloween Blizzard, Upper Midwest of the United States, twincities.comRichard Underly looks up at his giant mummy in Portage, Mark BugnaskiA boy sells pumpkins on a street of Tirana, Albania, Gent ShkullakuSteve Jobs Memorial Halloween Pumpkin, Roger Williams Zoo, Frank Grace31st October flight from light from Kunming to Shenzhen, Wong CampionSamhain Festival, Ireland, Myles ShellyMihama American Village Okinawa, Koji KakazuYMCA Halloween Party in Minneapolis, 1940s