As Halloween comes around once again, it’s not just costumes that people will look to for spookiness. Now, a whole host of apps and startups have been designed to help make fright night a little more…well…frightening!

According to PoundStudy, around 69% of adults celebrate Halloween, meaning it’s a huge industry for businesses to capitalise on. And whilst many will do so for one day of the year, others provide scares all year round.

How Much Do People Spend On Halloween?

Halloween has grown massively in popularity over the decades. According to Statista, in 2024, Halloween spending in the UK is projected to reach over £775 million.  Finder.com also reports that 3 in 5 Brits (58%) plan to make a Halloween purchase, with an average planned spend of £25 per person – that’s a HUGE boost to the UK economy!

Some common areas people spend on include:

Costumes: You can’t go out on Halloween without dressing up. Every year, the fancy dress industry sees a rise in sales as people flock to buy their costumes.

Pumpkins: A common Halloween decoration is a carved pumpkin. Across the UK, supermarkets and local farms will have been planning for this, stocking and selling pumpkins on mass.

Sweets and chocolate: Bought for trick or treaters, chocolate companies will regularly release their Halloween themed sweets and chocolates. As people buy them for neighbours and children knocking at their door, this is a key time for businesses in the space.

Here, we take a look at some of the spookiest apps and startups:

Spirit Board

Nothing says spooky like speaking to the dead, the Spirit Board app acts like a digital ouija board, connecting used to the ‘other side’.

The app allows you to speak directly into it, and then watch the spirits reply!

Eternime

Sounding just like something out of Black Mirror, Eternime is an AI digital replica, allowing people to ‘live forever’. Using AI, Eternime produces a digital copy that learns from the user and is able to replicate their personality and responses after they die.

Think of it as a digital ghost. Sounds pretty spooky, right?

They say Halloween is the most haunted night of the year, so what better app to use than a ghost radar?

The app scans the room using a camera and then tells users whether there are any ghosts about. It also tells them how angry the ghosts are, and what sex and age they were when they died. One for anyone heading into a haunted house, it’s sure to give you a scare!

Hereafter

Nothing is quite as scary as death, but hereafter does a good job of making it seem a little less sad. Almost like a digital autobiography, it allows users to collect memories and record moments to share with their loved ones.

Whilst it’s definitely not as scary as the others, it’s certainly a new way of thinking about life after death.

LifeGem

They say crystals have spiritual energies, but what diamonds contained parts of our physical bodies? LifeGem is a startup that helps people create diamonds out of their loved one’s ashes or hair.

With options about what type of jewellery to create, the startup is helping people hold onto their loved ones’ ashes in a meaningful way…talk about haunted stones!

Want to make your house extra spooky? This one’s for you. The app has a whole library of scary sounds, designed to add a touch of horror to your halloween mood.

Perfect for scaring those trick or treaters, users can choose from sounds like monsters, zombies or spooky ambience.

Horror Mask Photo Editor

Want to look scary online? This app transforms any image into a horror story, with options like scary clowns, zombies and more.

By simply uploading or taking a photo, you can add a mask to create an effect of horror. Perfect for keeping things spooky!