Every other entry in this journal has to justify giving somebody a joke object. Halloween does not. The whole holiday is built on novelty, which means the usual risk — that a gag gift reads as thin — simply does not apply between about the middle of October and the first of November.
The strongest picks split three ways: things for a party, things that frighten a specific person, and things that are quietly Halloween all year, like the bat-shaped kitchen scissors. All under twenty dollars, cheapest first, with the pranks flagged as pranks.
Every other holiday makes you justify a joke gift. Halloween does not.
The short list
- Realistic Fake Cockroaches · $4.97
- Skeleton Restroom Door Cover · $9.99
- Blood Bag Drink Pouches (10-pack) · $9.99
- Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza: Halloween Edition · $9.99
- Pearhead "Nightmare Before Coffee" Mug · $9.99
- Talking Mr. Predicto Crystal Ball · $14.95
- "I May Look Calm" Skeleton Mug · $16.85
- Emotional Support Ghosts · $16.99
- SpaLife Halloween Face Masks (Pumpkin, Ghost, Bat) · $18.99
- OTOTO Elizabat Kitchen Scissors · $19.95
The best under $10
Where this list is strongest. Nothing here costs more than a sandwich and several of them are the funniest things on the page.
One
Pranks, under $10
Realistic Fake Cockroaches
A pile of shockingly lifelike rubber roaches for hiding in cereal boxes, shoes and roommates’ lives. Results may include shrieking, jumping and a brief loss of trust. Worth every penny.
Buy on AmazonTwo
Party decor
Skeleton Restroom Door Cover
Turn the bathroom door into a full-size skeleton caught in an awkward moment. Guests will knock twice before going in. Easily the cheapest scream you can buy for a Halloween party.
Buy on AmazonThree
Party drinks, under $10
Blood Bag Drink Pouches (10-pack)
Serve punch in IV-style blood bags and let your guests "donate" to the party. Equal parts vampire chic and hospital chic. Great for adults pretending they are not drinking juice.
Buy on Amazon UKFour
Games, under $10
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza: Halloween Edition
The fast, slappy card game everyone loves, now with ghosts and pumpkins. Expect yelling, sore hands and accusations of cheating. Basically the ideal Halloween night in.
Buy on AmazonFive
Mugs, under $10
Pearhead "Nightmare Before Coffee" Mug
For anyone who turns into a monster before the first sip. A spooky pun mug that says exactly what everyone around them is thinking. Treat yourself, then trick nobody.
Buy on Amazon UK$10 to $15
The sweet spot: cheap enough to be a casual gift, solid enough not to look like one.
Six
Under $15
Talking Mr. Predicto Crystal Ball
A light-up fortune teller who answers your burning questions with sass and total confidence. He is wrong about as often as your horoscope, but much funnier. Perfect for parties and big life decisions you shouldn’t make alone.
Buy on Amazon UK$15 to $20
The top of the budget, where the objects start being things people keep.
Seven
Mugs, for coworkers
"I May Look Calm" Skeleton Mug
A skeleton smiling serenely while screaming on the inside: very relatable. The perfect mug for anyone holding it together with caffeine. Works on Halloween and every Monday after.
Buy on Amazon UKEight
Under $20
Emotional Support Ghosts
A tiny squad of plush ghosts whose only job is to haunt your desk and validate your feelings. Spooky on the outside, deeply supportive on the inside. Therapy is expensive; ghosts are not.
Buy on AmazonNine
For her, self-care
SpaLife Halloween Face Masks (Pumpkin, Ghost, Bat)
Sheet masks printed with spooky faces, so self-care night doubles as a jump scare. Relax, hydrate and terrify whoever walks into the room. Excellent for sleepovers and group selfies.
Buy on AmazonTen
Kitchen, for her
OTOTO Elizabat Kitchen Scissors
Bat-shaped kitchen shears for the cook who wants Halloween all year long. They snip herbs, open packages and look gloriously gothic doing it. Wednesday Addams would approve.
Buy on Amazon UKHow to choose
Know your prank victim. The fake cockroaches cost five dollars and have ended friendships. They are ideal for a particular kind of person and genuinely upsetting for anyone with a phobia. This is the one category here where getting it wrong has a real cost.
Party props are per-head purchases. Blood bag pouches come in tens, and the cost per guest is what matters, not the price on the page. One is a gift; ten is a party.
The year-round items are the best value. The bat scissors and the skeleton mug are useful objects that happen to be spooky, so they survive into November and beyond. Door covers and inflatables go into a box on the first.
Questions people ask
What is a good funny Halloween gift under $20?
The bat-shaped kitchen scissors at around twenty dollars — a genuinely good tool that is also a bat, with a 4.9 rating. For a desk, the emotional support ghosts at around seventeen.
What are good Halloween party gifts for adults?
Blood bag drink pouches at around ten dollars for ten, and the Halloween edition card game at around ten. Both are designed for a group rather than a person, which is what a Halloween gift usually needs to be.
What is the best cheap Halloween prank?
The realistic fake cockroaches at around five dollars, with the obvious caveat that you need to be certain about your target. The skeleton restroom door cover at around ten is the version nobody will mind.