As you are held to ransom at your door by a gaggle of children dressed as spooks in the balmy glow of a late October sun – you have to admit a New Zealand Halloween is lame.
Charmingly lame, like a handful of half-melted chocolate fish. But there's somethingdefinitely amiss.
Here are the countries that do Halloween better:
Haiti, Cap Haitien
There's a certain Voodoo charm to the capital of Port-au-Prince in Haiti.
Bois Caiman: There's a certain Voodoo charm to Port-au-Prince in Haiti. Photo / Tony Savino, Getty Images
The troubled Caribbean port is a deep gumbo of traditions from West African culture, the Americas and the spectres of its old colonial plantations.
No time is this most clear than during the celebration of All Souls Day and All Saints Day on November 1st and 2nd.
Voodoo culture has become a draw for tourists. Elaborate theatrical ceremonies involving goat blood, beeswax and hot peppers are as much for the benefit of visitors as the believers.
For a seance with the bloody past of the Haitian Revolution, take a guided tour through the ruins of Sans Souci, Citadelles Laferriere and Henry in Cap Haitien
The Hellfire Club: On Montpelier hill, Wicklow. Photo / Joe King, Wikicommons
Ireland, Wicklow hills
There are few places as warmly receptive Ireland in late October.
That being said there are plenty of places to 'scare the bejaysus out of you'.
Just out of Dublin, the Wicklow Mountains are purported to be the most ghostly parts of the country - and of course, there are 'haunted hills' here.
On top of Mountpelier Hill are the ruins of the Hellfire Club, an abandoned clubhouse which was supposed to count the devil amongst its members.
The carved jack-o-lantern is also said to have originated here. However, instead of pumpkins, faces were carved into ugly turnips and lit to scare away evil spirits and misfortune.
Best to take one with you as you walk through the Wicklow Hills.
Auld Reekie: Lady Stair's Close on Edinburgh's gothic streets can be a creepy place. Photo / Getty Images
Scotland, Edinburgh
There are few places spookier than a late October's night in 'Auld Reekie' on the cusp of a Hibernian winter.
One of the earliest written references to Halloween is the 1785 poem by the Scots bard Robert Burns.
It details a story of laddies and lassies creeping though dark woods playing tricks on one another "wi hearts gang startin'".
Even back then it seems the night was more about making merry and "houghmagandie" than actual spooks.
If you're after frights, why not take a ghost tour of Edinburgh's underground town. Beneath the streets of the Royal Mile lie hundreds of subterranean streets, locked away undergound during the plague epidemic.
Day of the Dead in Janitzio cemetery on Mexico's Lake Patzcuaro. Photo / David Cordova, Getty Images
Mexico, Lake Patzcuaro
The Mesoamerican Dia de Los Muertos is a huge event for all generations.
Foods such as Pan de Muerta ("bread of the dead") and spun-sugar skull lollies are everywhere. On November 1st the decorated calavera skulls can be seen everywhere. These are often dressed elaborately as caricatures of the Spanish Peninsulares.
However the carnival atmosphere of Mexico City gives way to a more contemplative spectacle in the provinces.
On Lake Pátzcuaro, the local Purépecha people honour the dead with midnight vigils in torch-lit boats.
Fright night: Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles. Photo / Ronen Tivony, Getty Images
Across the United States, it would appear revellers spend all year planning next Halloween's elaborate costume. Comic book characters and dead celebrities stalk the night.
No place embodies this national pageant of make-believe quite like Hollywood.
On a quiet end of the Sunset Boulevard, you'll find a graveyard like any other: Hollywood Forever is cemetery to the stars.
Haunted by golden-era greats including Johnny Ramone, Cecil B. DeMille, Jayne Mansfield and Rudolph Valentino - this hallowed ground is where many of the early movie stars are interned.
While the art-deco graveyard is open to visitors and runs tours, during this time of the year it's a hotspot for Halloween events. This includes open-air cinema projections of horror movie triple bills.
Fantasy dress: Halloween in Tokyo. Photo / Damon Coulter, Getty Images
Japan, Shibuya crossing in Tokyo
Tokyo is full of colourful cartoon characters at the best of times, but on October 31 that is taken to a new level.
Perhaps the best place to witness this is the now-famous Shibuya crossing. Around 70,000 ghosts and ghouls descend on the pedestrian crossing to have a monstrous street party. The street crossing is almost impossible to traverse for all the costumes.
"From about four years ago, people started going out on the streets rather than enjoying Halloween events in clubs or bars," said Shibuya Ward Mayor Ken Hasebe, in an interview with The Japan Times.
