Halloween is right around the corner, but the fun doesn’t have to wait until October 31. You can get a treat every day leading up to the big event—starting now. Below, we rounded up some of the best Halloween advent calendars to help you get the most out of the eeriest season of them all.
1. Funko Pop! Advent Calendar: 13-Day Spooky Countdown; $35
Get 13 days of joy (and collectibles) with the 2023 version of this bestseller, which features 13 pocket-sized Funko Pop! horror movie character figures, such as Regan from The Exorcist, A Nightmare on Elm Street’s Freddy Krueger, Pennywise from It, and more.
Buy it: Amazon
2. Hocus Pocus: 13 Frights of Halloween Advent Calendar; $22
Everyone’s favorite trio of sister-witches—sorry, Charmed girls—gets the advent calendar treatment with this delightful pick from Insight Editions. Good for a full 13 days, this countdown collection comes with games, holiday decorations, themed recipe cards, and more. You’ll also get behind-the-scenes facts about the Sanderson Sisters, Thackery Binx, and the rest of the characters that helped make 1993’s Hocus Pocus such an enduring hit with kids (and adults) of all ages.
Buy it: Amazon
3. Ouija Board Halloween Countdown Calendar; $12
You never know what you might conjure with a Ouija board. Fortunately, this spirit board-inspired Halloween countdown calendar isn’t likely to serve as a portal to the netherworld anytime soon. Instead, you can use it to track the time until Halloween, the day that the so-called veil between the living and the dead drops anyway. It comes with a planchette (the traditional little wooden plank used with Ouija boards to communicate with ghosts), but be warned: there’s no magnet on it, so you might have to add one yourself if you want to hang this board upright.
Buy it: Amazon
4. Divalis Top 100 Horror Movies Scratch off Poster; $30
Technically, this scratch-off poster isn’t really an advent calendar. But if you’re someone who starts celebrating in October by marathoning scary movies, it’s a great alternative that’ll still give you a fun sense of “counting down” (in this case, it’s counting down until you’ve seen all the top 100 flicks). From Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me to Dario Argento’s 1975 giallo cult classic Deep Red, these movies run the gamut and could help you discover some new gems (or remember what you loved most about films like Carnival of Souls, Rosemary’s Baby, and others).
Buy it: Amazon
5. Harry Potter Dark Arts: Countdown to Halloween; $11
Dumble-who? With this Harry Potter-themed calendar, it’s the Death Eaters’ time to shine. From stickers and recipe cards to fun facts about dangerous curses and more, the Dark Arts are in full command of this countdown collectible, which is good for up to 13 days of creepy fun. You’ll also get behind-the-scenes details about the franchise’s most unsettling moments and a few keepsakes along the way.
Buy it: Amazon
6. Joyin Halloween Advent Calendar; $32
In the mood for something cute that kids can enjoy too? Just open each small, cut-out box in this cemetery-themed advent calendar in the lead up to Halloween to reveal 31 different toys, including ghosts, pumpkins, witches, bats, black cats, and more. You also get an assortment of spooky rubber duckies to make bath time even more of a blast.
Buy it: Amazon
7. My Growing Season Halloween Advent Calendar and Countdown; $28
Another good option if you’re looking to get the kiddos hyped for October 31 is this hanging fabric calendar. It covers the full month and there are holiday-themed pockets on each one of the days, which you can use to sneak in a small treat or some other kind of kid-friendly token. This adorable calendar also comes with a finger puppet ghost, which is fully detachable and can be moved from pocket to pocket until it’s Halloween time.
Buy it: Amazon
8. Vermont Little Goblins Halloween Countdown Calendar; $6
Each window in this Little Goblins countdown calendar from the Vermont Christmas Store features a spooky joke, ghoulish riddle, or fun picture that’s great for children of all ages. It can be used for the whole month and includes 31 windows to open every day before Halloween. Even if you don’t get to use it fully this month, you can have it ready to go for next October—or put it to use for your next Halloween in July bash.
Buy it: Amazon
9. Spirit Halloween The Nightmare Before Christmas Block Countdown; $27
It just wouldn’t feel like Halloween without an appearance from Jack Skellington, Sally, and the rest of the crew from The Nightmare Before Christmas. With this officially licensed countdown clock from Spirit Halloween, you can mark the days until the spookiest time of the year is upon us while you rewatch this ’90s kid classic. But that’s not all—this wooden décor item is actually double-sided, so you can use it to tally up the time left until Halloween and Christmas (which is pretty fitting, all things considered).
Buy it: Spirit Halloween
10. Roman Halloween Décor Advent Calendar; $40
Made from high quality wood, the Roman Halloween Décor advent calendar features 24 boxes placed inside of an eerie haunted house. Each box slides out, so you can tuck a small treat inside, like a piece of candy or toy, to make the lead up to Halloween even more special.
Buy it: Amazon
This article was originally published on www.mentalfloss.com as 10 Great Halloween Advent Calendars to Help You Count Down to the Spookiest Time of the Year.