The Halloween Candy Scare That Never Really Happened

Every October, the familiar parental ritual plays out in Texas.  Parents tiptoeing through a bag of Halloween treats, examining wrappers, looking for anomalies, in fear that someone may have slipped a razor blade, needle, or poison into their children's Halloween candy.

Yet, despite decades of warnings, has there ever been a verified case of a stranger randomly placing razors (or poison) into Halloween candy given to trick-or-treaters?

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Has Anyone Ever Hurt Children By Tainting Halloween Candy?

For Texas families, the worry may feel especially poignant.

In fact, the only documented fatal Halloween-candy tampering case in US history occurred in Texas: on October 31, 1974, in the suburb of Pasadena, Texas.

A father, Ronald Clark O’Bryan, poisoned his own child (and others) with cyanide-laced Pixy Stix in an insurance-fraud plot.

As horrible as that situation is, that is seemingly the only incident on record to have ever actually happened.

Where Does This Fear of Tainted Halloween Candy Come From?

Dr. Joel Best, a sociology and criminal justice professor at the University of Delaware, has been researching what he calls “Halloween sadism”.

This is the passing of contaminated treats to trick-or-treaters for 30 years, as studied in articles in major newspapers dating back to 1958.

Despite there not being any hard or even popularized incidents, the fear persists, with local press still reminding Texas parents to inspect candy annually.

So it appears that hearsay and the media play a significant role.  In all likelihood, in 2025, you can add social media to that list as well.

Read More: One of America's Best Desserts is From Texas

So What’s the Takeaway for Texas Parents?

The real dangers on Halloween are far more mundane: tripping over costumes, children not being seen by drivers, ingesting large amounts of sugar, or accepting unwrapped or homemade treats from unfamiliar sources.

It’s wise to check that candies are commercially wrapped and the seal intact; discard anything that’s torn, unbranded, or looks tampered with.

But obsessing over “razors in candy” isn’t justified based on the data.