Demonic Spirits and Dead Saints: How Christians Should View Halloween
Introduction — A Contested Holiday
Every October, Christians ask the same question: How should I view Halloween? Some have concluded that it is a night of darkness and demonic influence. Others see it as innocent fun and neighborhood engagement. If you find yourself wrestling over how to feel about it, be encouraged—you are doing the good, mature, and necessary work of seeking wisdom. As James 1:5 reminds us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” Let us, then, think carefully about all things, including this contested holiday.
Before we go further, allow me to reassure you: this is not a gospel issue. Whether Christians go trick-or-treating, carve pumpkins, or hang spiderwebs on their doors is far less important than the doctrines that define our faith—the substitutionary life and death of Christ, the Holy Trinity, the depravity of sinful man, and the inerrancy and infallibility of Scripture. Those are hills to die on—Halloween isn’t. Yet that doesn’t make it insignificant.
What I hope you’ll see by the end of this article is that Halloween, in itself, is spiritually neutral. The day has no inherent power—neither cursed nor consecrated. October 31 belongs to Christ no less than any other day. That’s why we can wake up that morning and sing, “This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). At the same time, evil should be taken seriously. Demons should not be followed, death should not be celebrated, and degeneracy should be avoided. These colliding truths are precisely why Halloween can feel so divisive in the church.
A History of Samhain and All Saint’s Day
To think biblically about Halloween, we must first think historically.
Samhain (pronounced sah-win) was an ancient Celtic festival held on November 1, marking the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter—the darker half of the year. Because Celtic days began and ended at sunset, celebrations started on the evening of October 31.
The Celts rightly observed that the world we live in is more than merely physical—there is an unseen world that exists. The fall was a time of abundant life, and the winter was a time of lifelessness. So, the thought of the day was that the veil between the physical and spiritual worlds was thinnest at that time. The tradition is that bonfires were lit to honor or guide ancestral spirits, and disguises were worn to ward off harmful ones.
However, the claim that Samhain was a “demonic celebration” is not supported by any early evidence. No surviving Celtic texts mention necromancy, devil worship, or human sacrifice linked to November 1. The earliest written descriptions come from medieval Christian missionaries.
As the gospel spread throughout Europe, the Catholic Church took existing pagan holidays and redeemed them for Christ. In AD 609, Pope Boniface IV dedicated the Roman Pantheon to Saint Mary and All Martyrs, establishing All Saint’s Day on May 13. Later, in the eighth century, Pope Gregory moved it to November 1, making the night before—All Saint’s Eve—a time of vigil and prayer. Because the word “hallow” means holy, All Hallow’s Eve was eventually shortened to Halloween.
Secularization, Commercialization, and Satanic Panic
Over the centuries, Halloween became a mixture of several traditions. By the 19th and 20th centuries, Irish and Scottish immigrants brought their customs to America, where they later merged with consumer culture. Halloween became a marketing machine now worth billions in candy, costumes, and decorations. Hollywood further amplified it with fear, horror, and devils. From a purely secular point of view, Halloween is Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Easter—just another way to squeeze out some money.
At the same time, there was a growing fascination with the occult, seances, and spiritualism. Horror fiction popularized ghostly and demonic imagery. In the 1980s, the Satanic Panic contributed greatly to viewing Halloween as a portal to evil through claims of ritual murder, poisoned candy, and witchcraft.
Most recently, the Church of Satan have tried to co-opt the holiday. Their High Priestess, Blanche Barton once wrote that Halloween is “a time when the obscure portal into the realms of darkness, death and the supernatural is thrown open. Demons and spirits have free reign for one night, cavorting, enticing us into their revels and revealing glimpses into the future. As a child drawn to darker passions from birth, I always delighted in the fear and fantasies of Halloween.” She closes her letter with “Hail Satan!”
Truthfully, I would want to dismiss her comments purely on the grounds of a lack of credibility. This woman literally worships the devil, so I don’t possess a deep respect for her opinion. However, for the sake of critical engagement, I’ll respond:
Barton claims that “the obscure portal into the realms of darkness… is thrown open” on this one night. Why is that? What makes October 31 any different than December 25? The Bible does not say that any special period of time is more or less emphatic for spiritual warfare. 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
Barton claims that Halloween grants “demons and spirits [to] have free rein for one night.” Demons and spirits never have “free reign” whether for one night or at all. Even in their rebellion, they operate under the authority of God. The Lord Jesus Christ alone is sovereign over all things. Job 1-2 and Luke 22 are two examples of Satan pleading with God for permission.
Barton confesses, “I always delighted in the fear and fantasies of Halloween.” This is tragically revealing of her heart’s condition. Isaiah 5:20 offers a rebuke: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness.” Barton has been gripped by the claws of the evil one and has inverted worship. She loves that which should be hated and hates what should be loved.
Superstition is not a virtue, discernment is. Believers are called to test everything (1 John 4:1) and to avoid being “outwitted by Satan” through ignorance or paranoia (2 Corinthians 2:11). Therefore, the Christian must think both critically and biblically, neither dismissing spiritual realities nor exaggerating them.
A Biblical Theology of Death and Demons
The Bible speaks clearly and soberly about death. 1 Corinthians 15:26 calls death an enemy, but a defeated one. Christ “abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:10). Paganism feared the dead; Christianity remembers the faithful. That is why believers do not pray to the dead but thank God for the dead—those who ran their race with endurance (Hebrews 12:1–2). The original purpose of All Saints’ Day was precisely this: to honor the faith of those who have gone before us and to fix our eyes on the One who overcame death.
Scripture also warns against any fascination with the occult. “When you come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations… there shall not be found among you anyone who practices divination or necromancy” (Deuteronomy 18:9–12). Christians are not to commune with the dead or toy around with darkness. Any attempt to play with death or demons is contra gospel. We have been resurrected by a risen Savior who conquered the grave. Therefore, there is no good or godly reason to fear or flirt with death.
Demons, unlike death, are alive; but like death, they have been defeated by Christ. Still, Scripture calls us to vigilance. “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness” (Ephesians 6:12). The Enemy’s strategy is often twofold: to either overwhelm or underwhelm the believer. One error sees a demon behind every door; the other sees none at all. Both are distortions of biblical reality.
C.S. Lewis helpfully writes in The Screwtape Letters, “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.”
The truth is this: death and demons exist, but both bow to Jesus. They should not be feared because Christ is Lord. They should not be entertained for the same reason. Apart from Christ, death will defeat you; apart from Christ, demons will devour you. But united to Christ, the believer can stand in victory, neither paranoid nor passive, but protected by the power of God.
A Matter of Christian Liberty
Halloween is a matter of Christian liberty. This means that believers are free to act in ways not explicitly commanded or forbidden by Scripture. That freedom, however, must be guided by faith in Christ, humility from Christ, and love of Christ. In Romans 14, Paul addresses two groups within the church: those whose consciences allow greater freedom, and those whose consciences are more cautious. He never condemns either group but instructs them both to live “fully convinced in [their] own mind” (14:5) and to refuse to criticize one another. Liberty, then, is not license; it is freely living under the lordship of Christ.
How, then, should a Christian respond to Halloween? With discernment, holiness, and mission.
Discernment means testing everything by Scripture. Not everything associated with Halloween is inherently evil, but neither is it innocent. We must resist the temptation of being swept away by emotion (fear, anger) or opinion (superstition, tradition). Christians must think biblically, testing everything against Scripture. If you find yourself wrestling with this issue, ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom and peace. If your conscience forbids participation, abstain in faith. If your conscience allows participation, engage with prudence and purpose. In either case, do it “to the Lord” (Romans 14:6).
Holiness calls us to live set apart. To resist the world’s fascination with darkness, death, and immorality. The freedom we have in Christ is not freedom to sin but freedom from sin. As Paul writes, “All things are lawful,” yet “not all things are helpful… not all things build up” (1 Corinthians 6:12; 10:23). Whether you abstain or engage, do so with humility. Abstain without pride; participate without compromise. Let the purity of Christ, not the pressure of culture, determine what October 31 looks like for you and your family.
Mission reminds us that liberty is never merely personal, it’s purposeful. Halloween is one of the few nights when the world literally comes to your door. You can shut off your lights and retreat, or you can open the door with generosity and grace. For some, conscience will rightly forbid involvement; for others, conscience will free them to engage. Romans 14:12 says, “Each of us will give an account of himself to God.”
A Pastoral Warning and Invitation
If you’ve come to see Halloween as spiritually neutral and can be celebrated to the glory of God, let me offer a few closing thoughts.
In your celebration, do not sin. There should be a visible difference between how Christians and the world celebrate. We do not use Halloween as a license to sin. Christians do not get drunk and dress up in provocative clothing. Yet, there is nothing wrong with dressing up as firefighters and princesses. Be wholesome. Look different. Enjoy Christ.
In your disagreement, do not sin. Be careful not to be spiritually arrogant. Halloween is not a doctrinal test of orthodoxy. Romans 14 reminds us that Christians are going to disagree, and that’s okay. What matters is that each is “fully convinced in his own mind.” So, be diligent in your pursuit of truth. Read the Bible, pray to God, and consider whether you should participate in the Halloween festivities or not. Then extend grace to those who see it differently.
Finally, take advantage of the day. For years, my wife and I have moved our bonfire pit into the driveway for trick-or-treaters. It’s become a neighborhood tradition and an open door for gospel conversation. We want to engage our neighbors with the gospel and that starts with knowing them. One year, we invited our neighbors over to join us for the bonfire later and they did. You never know what relationships God might spark through simple acts of hospitality.
