Trick or Treat: The Origins of Halloween's Most Iconic Monsters

As a fantasy writer and avid reader, Halloween is my favorite time of year. Although we don’t celebrate Halloween in Romania, I love watching and reading supernatural and paranormal stories. Let’s face it, I like monsters any day of the year, but October has a special vibe and I can’t resist the pull of eerie stories and mysterious creatures. 

Did you know that the origins of Halloween stretch back to ancient Celtic traditions, particularly the festival of Samhain? On this night, it was believed that the veil between the living and the dead grew thin, allowing spirits to cross over. This tradition still echoes today in the way people celebrate—by dressing up in costumes, carving pumpkins, and indulging in all things spooky. The holiday has become a global phenomenon, celebrated in various forms across the world.

A big part of Halloween’s enduring appeal comes from the monsters that have become synonymous with it—vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and many more. But where do these classic creatures come from? They didn’t emerge from thin air. They were born from old myths, folklore, and centuries of human fears.

Vampires—The Bloodsucking Legend

Few monsters have had such a long reign in our collective imaginations as vampires. The modern depiction of a vampire, a charismatic yet deadly being who drinks human blood, largely comes from Bram Stoker’s "Dracula". Yet, vampire legends existed long before Stoker’s time. Almost every culture has some version of a vampire-like creature, often associated with death, disease, and the fear of the unknown.

In Eastern Europe, vampires were believed to rise from the dead to drain life from the living. Their corpses were often dug up and mutilated in attempts to stop them from spreading plague and death. It’s easy to see how these old-world fears found their way into our modern idea of the vampire—a creature who lingers in the shadows, thirsting for human blood.

Here are some books with vampires that I loved. Chimera Series also includes vampires and is available in Kindle Unlimited.

Interview with the Vampire

A vampire reveals his centuries-old existence and the dark secrets of his undead world in this haunting novel, exploring themes of immortality, isolation, and the human condition.

Dead Until Dark

Sookie Stackhouse, a waitress with the ability to hear people's thoughts, finds herself entangled in a dangerous mystery involving vampires and a serial killer in this thrilling urban fantasy novel.

Dark Lover

In this first installment of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, a vampire warrior must protect a human woman from a powerful enemy while struggling with his own dark desires and the ancient rules of his society.

Blood Knight

When her mother sells her magic to the coven leader, Ella knows her only chance to keep her power is to flee. Too bad they hired the best bounty hunter to drag her back. He’s ruthless, breaks every rule, and always gets the job done. If he catches her, she’ll lose her magic.

Hurt and bleeding, Ella seeks shelter at the back of a crowded bar. All she wants is a reprieve to heal herself, and she’ll disappear before the bounty hunter can track her down again. When Ari, the local vampire bar owner, smells fresh blood, he seeks out the source, and the damsel in distress triggers his protective side.

Dracula

Young lawyer Jonathan Harker journeys to Transylvania to meet with the mysterious Count Dracula only to discover that his nobleman client is a vampire who is thirsty for new blood. 

Werewolves—The Beast Within

Werewolves embody our ancient fears of losing control, of being overtaken by a wild, bestial nature. The idea of a human transforming into a wolf or wolf-like creature dates back to ancient Greece and Rome. In these stories, cursed men would become savage animals, driven by bloodlust and uncontrollable rage.

In Romania, we have the Great White Wolf legend. Zalmoxis, the head of the Dacian pantheon, turned his most beloved priest into a white wolf, a mythical creature that guided the Dacians, an ancient people who inhabited present-day Romania. The wolf, said to be as large as a horse, was revered as a symbol of strength, wisdom, and protection. He was the first werewolf (vârcolac)

The full moon connection came later, but it has become an essential part of the myth. There’s something about the thought of a peaceful night turning deadly under a glowing moon that captures the imagination. Like vampires, werewolves tap into primal fears of the unknown and uncontrollable, making them a staple of Halloween lore.

Here I recommend a few books with werewolves that I loved. My series Paranormal Misadventures also features the Romanian version of a werewolf (vârcolac) as morally gray character, police captain Radu Lupu.

Protection of the Pack

Lucy, a former accountant turned alpha werewolf, must deal with a treacherous pack dynamic and solve a brutal murder. With her fierce wolf Esme by her side, she'll fight to protect her new pack and uncover the killer before it's too late.

Wolf Pack

Four teenage siblings, secretly werewolves, must risk their secret to rescue their captured sister from a dangerous scientist and uncover the dark truths about their powers.

Forget Me Not

Meet Rae Davis, a human with magic in her blood, who is suddenly thrown into a world where vampires, shifters, and witches exist alongside humans, but under strict secrecy. When Rae stumbles upon their secret, she's given an impossible choice: death or having a vampire erase her memory. Falling in love with a werewolf doesn't help.

Ghosts—The Restless Dead

For as long as humans have feared death, ghosts have been a source of fascination in our imaginations. The idea that the dead can linger, that they might have unfinished business or be trapped between worlds, fascinates us. In ancient cultures, the dead were often believed to have influence over the living, and rituals were performed to appease them.

The ghost story has evolved in many ways, from the vengeful spirits of folklore to the more sympathetic or misunderstood ghosts in modern tales. What remains constant is our curiosity about the afterlife and the unknown. When we tell ghost stories around Halloween, we’re playing with the possibility that death might not be the end.

I Was a Teenage Ghost Hunter

Moody teen barista Devin, teased as a "ghost boy," must confront his fear of the paranormal when a powerful spirit terrorizes his town. With his eccentric friends by his side, he'll risk everything to stop the haunting and protect those he cares about.

The Graveyard Book

A boy raised by ghosts in a graveyard must confront a terrifying threat from the human world while dealing with the dangers and wonders of his supernatural existence.

The Screaming Staircase

A young psychic agent joins a struggling agency to investigate a haunted house in London. Faced with terrifying ghosts and a deadly threat, she must use her skills to survive and save the day.

Zombies—The Walking Dead

Zombies as we know them—shambling, mindless creatures—owe much to George A. Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead”. But the idea of the dead coming back to life has roots in Haitian folklore. In these stories, a sorcerer, or bokor, could reanimate a corpse, turning it into a slave with no will of its own. 

The zombie myth speaks to deep fears about autonomy, consciousness, and death. What’s scarier than losing your humanity, becoming a soulless shell? The popularity of zombie stories, especially in apocalyptic settings, shows that these fears are alive and well today.

Guilty Pleasures

Anita Blake, a zombie re-animator and vampire hunter, must investigate a series of brutal murders and confront her growing attraction to a powerful vampire.

Mummies—The Cursed Dead

Mummies, specifically the wrapped, bandaged figures we see in Halloween imagery, draw from ancient Egyptian burial practices. The fascination with mummies in Western culture began in the 19th century, during the discovery and excavation of Egyptian tombs. Stories of curses placed on tombs began to circulate, feeding into the idea of mummies as cursed beings who could rise from the dead to exact vengeance.

Though ancient Egyptians did not believe mummies would return to life in the way our Halloween monsters do, the Western imagination twisted these burial rituals into something far more terrifying. Mummies became another form of the undead, haunting us from the grave.

Here's a book you might like featuring mummies.

The Mummy

A resurrected Egyptian pharaoh, now a modern-day Egyptologist, struggles with his immortal desires and dark past while seeking his lost love.

Frankenstein’s Monster—The Tragic Creation

Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” remains one of the most influential horror stories ever written. The tale of Dr. Frankenstein’s creation—a stitched-together creature brought to life by science—explores deep fears about playing God and the consequences of overreaching human ambition. Frankenstein’s Monster, as he’s often called, is less a traditional monster and more a tragic figure. He didn’t ask to be created, and yet, he’s feared, rejected, and hunted by society.

This story has remained popular not only because of the monstrous aspects but also due to the questions it raises about humanity, morality, and the fear of the unknown.

The Grim Reaper—The Personification of Death

When thinking about Halloween, the Grim Reaper—a skeletal figure cloaked in black, wielding a scythe—immediately comes to mind. The Reaper represents death itself, not just a character in a story. This symbol of death emerged in the Middle Ages, during the Black Plague. With death so rampant, it was easier for people to visualize it in the form of a dark, terrifying figure that came to collect souls.

The Grim Reaper is a stark reminder of mortality. Yet, by giving death a face and a form, we can deal with it in stories, confront it in fiction, and somehow make the concept a little less abstract, if not less terrifying.

Book recommendations featuring the grim reaper.

First Grave on the Right

A part-time private investigator and full-time grim reaper, Charley Davidson, must navigate a world of ghosts, murder, and a mysterious entity who haunts her dreams.

Soul of the Crow

A female assassin with deadly magic must hunt down a royal target, but her mission becomes complicated when she falls for the prince she's meant to kill.

Witches—The Mysterious Outcasts

Witches have been vilified throughout history, often used as a scapegoat for unexplained misfortune or tragedy. The Salem Witch Trials are perhaps the most famous example of how fear and suspicion can lead to hysteria. Witches have been depicted as everything from evil hags to powerful sorceresses in fantasy and horror. They represent the unknown power of magic, and often, the fear of women who don’t conform to societal expectations.

In modern interpretations, witches can be both heroes and villains, and their appeal lies in their mastery of the supernatural—something that frightens and fascinates us in equal measure.

Here are some books about witches that you might find appealing.

A Discovery of Witches

A historian discovers her witch heritage and becomes entangled in a dangerous world of magic, vampires, and ancient secrets.

Dead Witch on a Bridge

A disgraced witch with an inability to kill , now a struggling jeweler, must confront her past and use her hidden powers to stop a killer in her small town.

Slouch Witch

A lazy witch with a sassy familiar is forced into a magical investigation and paired with a serious, by-the-book agent. Will she rise to the challenge or turn him into a frog?

Midsummer Night's Curse

Hunted witch Ella Martin seeks refuge in Transylvania, only to become entangled in a missing girl’s case with a charming inspector hiding a secret and a ruthless captain with a hidden agenda. Can they solve the mystery before the truth gets Ella burned at the stake?

Ghouls and Skeletons—The Remains of the Dead

Ghouls are flesh-eating creatures, often associated with graveyards and corpses. Their origins lie in Arabian folklore, where ghouls were said to haunt cemeteries, preying on the living and the dead. Skeletons, too, have become iconic Halloween figures, symbolizing death and decay in their most basic form.

Both ghouls and skeletons remind us of our mortality, the inevitable decay of the body, and the unknown horrors that might lurk in the darkness. They are the ultimate representations of the death we all must face.

I have a couple of recommendations if you want to read about these undead monsters.

Halfway to the Grave

A half-vampire seeks revenge on her father and finds herself in an unlikely partnership with a vampire bounty hunter. Together, they must handle a dangerous world of undead creatures and their own growing attraction.

The Laughing Corpse

Anita Blake, a re-animator, must confront a dangerous zombie that has been brought back to life and is on a killing spree.

Why We’re Drawn to These Monsters

There’s something undeniably fascinating about supernatural stories. They allow us to confront our deepest fears in a safe, controlled way. We can watch characters face death, transformation, or the unknown while remaining safely in our own homes. For readers of fantasy and horror, these monsters give a sense of excitement and thrill, all while exploring the boundaries of life and death, humanity and monstrosity.

These classic Halloween creatures live on because they tap into universal fears. They offer a way for us to explore the mysteries of the unknown, the limits of human control, and the fragility of life. And for a fantasy writer like me, these monsters are a constant source of inspiration—offering endless possibilities for new stories, new worlds, and new ways to confront the darkness that lies beneath the surface of everyday life.

If you crave more book recommendations with monsters, peruse my review section as I read a lot of urban fantasy and paranormal mysteries, so all the books I discuss have monsters of some kind. I love all monsters!