Need some inspiration for an unforgettable April Fools’ Day prank? You’ve come to the right place! At Spirit Halloween, we’re all about having so much fun it’s scary. We’ve come up with 13 epic practical jokes that will terrify and delight your unsuspecting targets.
1. A Shock in the Shower
We all know someone who hesitates a little before pulling back the shower curtain. The infamous shower scene from Psycho (1960) is probably to blame!
Prank a friend by filling the shower with fake blood and a knife prop. For the finishing touch, write “Happy April Fools’ Day” on the shower wall in fake blood! Warning: it might be a while before your friend showers again.
2. Bed Full of Spiders
When your target isn’t home, remove the blankets and pillows from their bed. Stretch fake spider webs over their sheets until you’ve covered the entire surface of the bed.
Place fake spiders throughout the web (sprinkle a little extra where they usually lay their head) and replace the blankets and pillows exactly as you found them. Prepare to hear screaming at bedtime!
3. Dine if You Dare
Offer to cook dinner for your family or friends, claiming that the nice April weather has inspired you to fire up the grill.
Set the table, including side dishes like salad and bread. When it’s time to present the main dish, however, slowly uncover an aluminum foil-covered platter to reveal a shocking brain prop! You can laugh about it together over dinner (yes, you should have an actual meal ready to serve).
4. Gore in the Garden
Do you know someone who loves to garden? In many regions, April is a great month for digging up weeds and tending to fresh blooms.
Ask your target to help you with some light gardening on April 1st. Hand them a shovel, and watch as they dig up the severed hands and feet you buried earlier.
5. New Hair, Don’t Care
This prank works best for people who take their hair seriously. Do you think your mom would freak out if you trimmed your hair by two inches? Perfect.
On April 1st, greet your target wearing this bright green pageboy wig! Bonus points if you have an important family event scheduled for Easter Sunday.
6. Howling at the Moon
If you have an outdoor fire pit, grab some marshmallows for roasting and encourage the family to join you. Take turns telling scary campfire stories to set a spooky tone.
As the sun is setting, say you need to run back inside the house to grab graham crackers and chocolate to make s’mores. While inside, change into this Full Moon Madness Werewolf costume. Sneak up on your targets to give them the scare of a lifetime!
7. Drain of Doom
Weird! The sink won’t drain (hehe).
Call your target into the bathroom to investigate. Surely, they’ll be shocked to discover a 15” snake peering up at them from the mouth of the pipe!
8. Seeing Red
Replace every light bulb in your target’s bedroom with red ones. Once they switch on the lights, they’ll be shocked to see all their belongings bathed in eerie blood-red hues!
9. A Head of Lettuce
Gather the ingredients to make sandwiches for lunch. You’ll need the basics: bread, cheese, meat, and most importantly, a head of lettuce.
Carefully pull apart the head of lettuce until you’ve created a large hole in the center. Remove just enough lettuce to replace the core with a skull prop.
Needless to say, it’ll be your target’s job to put lettuce on the sandwiches!
10. Who’s Out There?
Sneak outside when only you and your target are in the house. Once you’re outside, use a pair of skeleton hands to gently tap on the window closest to your target. Keep tapping until they hear the strange sound and come closer to investigate. Once they’re face-to-face with the window, give a final loud TAP!
11. Stroll Around the Block
Enjoy some fresh April air by taking a casual stroll around the neighborhood. Wear this full Frankenstein mask while you’re at it! You should occasionally break into a light jog as you’re approaching other people.
12. An Unexpected Visitor
It’s always jarring to see realistic animatronics throughout the Halloween season, but it’s a little more unsettling to see them in April! Put The Widow on display facing your front door, creating the illusion that an unnatural visitor with a broken neck is trying to get inside. Your neighbors will watch in horror as she screams and writhes just outside of your house!
13. Fear the Fog
In a concerned tone, ask your targets if they’ve heard about the mysterious fog that’s been rolling in from the coast. Tell them you don’t know much about it, but there’s a rumor going around that everyone who’s exposed to it starts to exhibit strange, zombie-like behavior within minutes.
When they dismiss your concerns, ask them to step outside with you to see if anything is amiss. Make sure they can’t see your fog machine on full blast! They won’t believe their eyes when they see a thick blanket of dreaded fog just beneath their feet.
Have fun this April Fools’ Day and don’t be afraid to get creative! Check out Spirit Halloween’s decorations and costumes for more prank inspiration.
