35 Halloween Jokes: The 2012 “Gangnam Style & The End of the World” Edition

In 2012, Halloween was a global dance-off. Between trying to survive the Mayan apocalypse and catching monsters on our phones, we were living in the peak of “viral” culture. It was the year we learned that “family” means superheroes, tribute games, and a grumpy cat who hates everything.

The 2012 Top 10: “Invisible Horses & Avengers”

1. Gangnam Style: Why was every 2012 Halloween party a cardio workout? Because the moment that beat dropped, everyone—from Batman to the Queen of England—started galloping like they were on an invisible horse. Oop-oop-oop-oop-Opa Gangnam Style!
2. The Avengers: Why did six people show up at the door together? Because Marvel finally “Assembled,” and every group of friends had to fight over who got to be Iron Man and who was stuck being Hawkeye.
3. The Mayan Apocalypse: Why did the 2012 trick-or-treaters eat all their candy in one night? Because according to the ancient calendar, the world was ending in December, so there was no point in saving the “good” stuff for later.
4. The Hunger Games: Why were the girls in the neighborhood carrying bows and arrows? Because “I volunteer as tribute!” was the catchphrase of the year, and everyone was terrified of a “Reaping” in the suburbs.
5. Grumpy Cat: What was the scariest internet costume? A cat with a permanent frown and a sign that said: “I had fun once. It was awful.”
6. The Dark Knight Rises: Why was the guy in the mask talking like he had a mouth full of marbles? Because Tom Hardy’s Bane made “muffled villainy” the most imitated (and misunderstood) voice of the year.
7. Skyfall: Why was the vampire drinking a martini “shaken, not stirred”? Because James Bond turned 50 and proved that even a ghost looks better in a Tom Ford suit.
8. The Curiosity Rover: Why was there a robot on the lawn? Because NASA landed on Mars, and everyone wanted to celebrate “Mohawk Guy” and the fact that we were one step closer to trick-or-treating on another planet.
9. Carly Rae Jepsen – “Call Me Maybe”: Why was the witch so hopeful? “Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy, but here’s my number (on a napkin), so give me a full-size Snickers maybe?”
10. The Wii U Launch: Why was the gamer so confused? Because Nintendo gave him a controller that looked like a tablet, and he spent the whole night trying to figure out if he should look at the TV or his hands.

The Full 2012 Halloween Jokes Archive

11. Brave: Why was the girl with the red hair so rebellious? Because Merida taught us that you can change your fate (and turn your mom into a bear) if you’re good enough with a bow.
12. Magic Mike: Why was the “construction worker” costume so popular with moms? Let’s just say it had nothing to do with building a new porch and everything to do with Channing Tatum.
13. Ted: Why was the teddy bear so foul-mouthed? Because Seth MacFarlane proved that childhood toys aren’t always innocent, especially when thunder buddies are involved.
14. The “Ermahgerd” Girl: Why was the ghost holding a stack of “Goosebumps” books? “ERMAHGERD! GERSBERMS!”—the meme that made bad retainers and excitement the ultimate 2012 look.
15. Hotel Transylvania: Why was Dracula so stressed? Because being a single dad to a teenage vampire is harder than running a resort for monsters.
16. Prometheus: Why were the astronauts so bad at their jobs? Because they traveled light-years across the galaxy just to take their helmets off in a toxic cave and run in a straight line away from a falling ship.
17. Wreck-It Ralph: Why was the villain at a support group? Because “I’m bad, and that’s good. I will never be good, and that’s not bad”—the mantra for every misunderstood monster in 2012.
18. The “Kony 2012” Video: Why was everyone sharing the same link in March? Because for one week in 2012, we all thought we could change the world with a hashtag and a poster.
19. The Amazing Spider-Man: Why was Spidey rebooted so soon? Because Andrew Garfield had better hair and a skateboard, and apparently, we needed to see Uncle Ben die one more time.
20. Pitch Perfect: Why were the witches singing a-cappella? Because “Cups” was the only way to perform, and everyone was trying to be “aca-awesome.”
21. The “Ecce Homo” Restoration Fail: What was the scariest art costume? The “Potato Jesus” painting that an elderly lady “fixed” in Spain, turning a masterpiece into a blurry nightmare.
22. Looper: Why was the guy fighting his older self? Because time travel is messy, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt spent the whole movie trying to look like Bruce Willis.
23. The “Overly Attached Girlfriend” Meme: Why was the girl staring at the doorbell camera without blinking? Because she saw you liked another house’s decorations on Facebook and she has some questions.
24. Django Unchained (Hype): Why was the cowboy so stylish? Because Quentin Tarantino reminded us that “the D is silent” and revenge is a dish best served with a blue velvet suit.
25. The Mars “Curiosity” Mohawk: Why did the tech guy have a red mohawk? Because if you work for NASA, you can have any hairstyle you want as long as you land a rover on a different planet.
26. Lincoln: Why was the ghost so tall and honest? Because Daniel Day-Lewis stayed in character for a year, and he still wasn’t sure if he should sign the 13th Amendment or take the candy.
27. The “Bad Luck Brian” Meme: Why did the kid in the plaid vest lose his candy? Because he found a King Size bar, but it turned out to be a prop made of cardboard.
28. Life of Pi: Why was there a tiger in the lifeboat? Because Richard Parker doesn’t care about your spiritual journey; he just wants to know if you’re edible.
29. The “Fifty Shades” Craze: Why were all the moms reading on their Kindles during the party? Because Christian Grey made “hardware store supplies” a very awkward topic of conversation.
30. Frankenweenie: Why was the dog stitched together? Because Tim Burton missed his own childhood pet and decided that “dead is better” isn’t always true.
31. The “Shit People Say” Videos: Why was the ghost saying “Literally, I can’t even”? Because in 2012, every subculture had a “Shit [X] Says” video on YouTube.
32. ParaNorman: Why was the kid talking to the air? Because he could see ghosts, and apparently, the dead have a lot to say about the local bullying problem.
33. The “McKayla is Not Impressed” Face: Why was the gymnast scowling at her silver medal? Because even at the Olympics, being second place is just another reason to make a viral face.
34. Sinister: Why was the snuff film so creepy? Because “Bughuul” was hiding in the bushes, and Ethan Hawke realized that moving into a murder house is never a good idea.
35. The Final 2012 Vibe: Why was it a “Survivalist” Halloween? Because between the Mayan prophecy and the “Gangnam Style” exhaustion, we were all just happy to still be standing on January 1st, 2013.