List of references (Halloween)

Due to the comedic style of Team Fortress 2 and Valve's humor, the game includes references, usually in a humorous fashion. There are many sources, including games, movies, and music; even jokes that have developed within the game and its community have been included. Below are a list of references specifically found in the Halloween events, generally aiming at grim events and horror stories, movies, and others of the like. Note that class specific halloween cosmetics do not appear on this page, due to them already appearing on the class-specific references page.

Bosses

Horseless Headless Horseman

The Horseless Headless Horseman is a reference to a headless ghost named the Headless Horseman that pursues a teacher named Ichabod Crane in the story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving.

Achievements

Scarechievements

Candy Coroner Collect 20 Halloween pumpkins from dead players to unlock a hat. Reward: Mildly Disturbing Halloween Mask

A candy corner is the name of a general store that sells candy and the like. A coroner is a special government investigator that investigates violent, sudden, or suspicious deaths.

Scared Stiff Kill a player scared by a ghost.

Being "Scared Stiff" refers to the state of being so afraid of something the victim is unable to move. The term "stiff" may also refer to the state of being dead.

Costume Contest Kill a Spy disguised as your current class.

A Costume Contest is a contest between two or more individuals dressed in costumes to determine who has the better costume.

Attack o' Lantern Cause the deaths of 5 players by exploding nearby pumpkin bombs.

A "Jack o' Lantern" is a traditional Halloween decoration where one carves a face into a pumpkin. "Attack" is to do harm.

Ghostchievements

Sleepy Holl0WND Kill the Horseless Headless Horsemann. Reward: Horseless Headless Horsemann's Head

"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is a book by Washington Irving about a young school teacher named Ichabod Crane who is pursued by a ghost named the Headless Horseman. "0wnd" is internet slang, specifically used in online games, for dominating another player.

Masked Mann Collect a Soul Gargoyle in Mann Manor.

A Masked Man is a mysterious character in stories who, as the name says, wears a mask to conceal his/her identity. In the TF2 Universe, Mann Co. is a big-shot hat and weapons company in which the story mainly revolves around. The gift players receive from picking up the Halloween Gift in this case is a paper bag that players wear as a mask.

Sackston Hale Craft the Saxton Hale Mask.

In the TF2 universe, Saxton Hale is the CEO of Mann Co.

Eye-chievements

Optical Defusion Kill MONOCULUS! Reward: MONOCULUS!

An Optical Illusion is a special image that defies one's perspective, and can leave their sight on the picture slightly disorienting. Optical Diffusion is also the scattering of light, and is an important game technology, such as in the Source Phong shader on the Valve Developer Community. However, the purposeful misspelling suggests that by defeating the Optical organ, the player is defusing an explosive situation.

Dive Into a Good Book Get to Loot Island and claim your reward!

"Dive into a good book" is a slogan commonly used in children's areas of libraries to encourage kids to read.

Necromannchievements

Wizards Never Prosper Kill MERASMUS!

Reference to the idiom "Cheaters never prosper."

Bereavements

Helltower: Hell's Spells Get and use a rare spell

"Hell's Bells" is a song by Australian hard rock band AC/DC.

Helltower: Spelling Spree Use spells to kill 25 players

The name of this achievement is named after "Spelling Bee", in which students are given complex words that they have to flawlessly spell out. Could also reference the term "killing spree."

Helltower: The Mann-tastic Four Earn 4 of the Helltower achievements

"The Fantastic Four" is a group of four superheroes made by Marvel Comics.

Helltower: Competitive Spirit Win 142 rounds

Someone who has "Competitive Spirit" is really enthusiastic about competition, in this case "Spirit" is another term for a ghost.

Helltower: Hat Out of Hell Get the loot from Skull Island in Hell

Based on the idiom "Bat out of Hell", coincidentally, an all-class (except Spy and Engineer) item is named Bat Outta Hell.

Helltower: Hell on Wheels Send Redmond/Blutarch to Hell 10 times

"Hell on Wheels" is an idiom meaning extremely difficult.

Merasmachievements

Carnival of Carnage: ReinKartnation Respawn 30 ghost teammates during bumper car games.

Reincarnation is the belief that once you die, your soul is carried on to become another being in your next life.

Carnival of Carnage: Up All Night To Get Ducky Collect 250 ducks.

This is named after the Daft Punk song "Get Lucky."

Carnival of Carnage: Hat Trick Score 3 goals in bumper car soccer.

A Hat Trick is a type of magic trick in which multiple or large objects are pulled out of a stove pipe hat. A "hat trick" can also refer to scoring 3 goals in a single game by one player, primarily in soccer.

Carnival of Carnage: Arms Reduction Kill 15 enemies while under the effect of Merasmus's melee-only curse.

An Arms Reduction, also known as Arms Control, is a term for international restrictions upon the development, production, stockpiling, proliferation and usage of small arms, conventional weapons, and weapons of mass destruction.

Carnival of Carnage: Bumper to Bumper to Bumper Win each of the 3 bumper car games to earn a bonus Halloween Gift Cauldron.

"Bumper to Bumper" is the term for when cars are very close together, the term is generally used for traffic jams.

Carnival of Carnage: Step Right Up Earn 4 of the Carnival of Carnage achievements. Reward: Necro Smasher

"Step right up" is a slogan used by most people hosting carnival games or attractions.

Items

Bombinomicon "If ye gaze upon one tome-themed badge this year, MAKE IT NOT THIS ONE!" - Merasmus the Magician

The name "Bombinomicon", a portmanteau of Bomb and Necronomicon, is a reference to the fictional grimoire from the The Evil Dead films which also had a face, was bound in flesh, and inked in blood. The name of the book from the film series was taken, as a tip of the hat, from the works of H. P. Lovecraft, which feature a grimoire of the same name.

Merasmus Quotes

Summoning Bombs

'"[maniacal laughter] Everything's coming up Merasmus!"'

This is a reference to the play Gypsy: A Musical Fable.

Wheel of Fate: Crits

"It is the crit boostening!"

A reference to the Quickening from the Highlander series.

Wheel of Fate: Dancing

"And though you fight to stay alive, your body starts to spasmus. For no mere mortal can resist, the magic of Merasmus!"

This is a reference to the song Thriller by Michael Jackson. The ending of the song has a man speaking in a mysterious tone "...and though you fight to stay alive, your body starts to shiver. For no mere mortal can resist, the evil of the thriller!".

Carnival of Carnage: Round Start

"Welcome mortals to my Magic Kingdom!...which is unaffiliated with any other Magic Kingdom that may or may not exist. Step right up and get your tickets from me! For I am the Ticket Master!...again, not a term Merasmus officially owns."

The Magic Kingdom is a widely famous amusement park owned by Disney located in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Ticketmaster is an American ticket sales and distribution company.

Carnival of Carnage: Balloon Head curse

"Balloon Head spell! And that's just a taste of the spells I've been cooking up! Merasmus's getting a lot of buzz from some pretty big magical universities right now. I don't want to name drop...Hogwarts is very interested!"

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is a castle-like school kept hidden from normal society that teaches young kids to become proper wizards in the Harry Potter books by J.K Rowling.

"Balloon Heads! Just a little spell I cooked up last night. Oh what's that, Gandalf? You can't make people's heads into balloons? Ah ha ha! Well maybe you should cry hot tears into your stupid beard, because Merasmus is the best!" (See: Gandalf)

Gandalf the Gray/Gandalf the White is a fictional wizard from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings books.

Carnival of Carnage: Melee Only Curse

"Your precious Second Amendment won't help you now, Soldier. No guns! For anyone!"

"Merasmus banishes your guns! (laughter) This isn't a Second Amendment thing by the way, it's non-politically motivated evil!"

The second amendment on the United States Bill of Rights states "Everyone has the right to bear arms", which means everyone is allowed to have a firearm of some sort.

Carnival of Carnage: Bumper Car Game Start

"I hope none of you are pregnant or have an existing heart condition! Because you about to be jostled like you've never been jostled before!"

A general safety rule in many thrill rides is that people who have a heart condition or are pregnant cannot ride.

"I don't want to scare you, but bumper cars aren't meant to go this fast! (laughter) That's right, they're non-OSHA-compliant! Awoooo!"

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is a government agency that assures safety and health around workplaces.

Bombinomicon Quotes

Hell Greetings

"Man, I'm such a good Devil. They'll have to give me a hell-raise!" (laughter) "I am cracking myself up down here."

This is a pun on the horror movie Hellraiser.

"Let me tell you, you guys are like the Tom Jones of tearing a dude's face off. That's not me talking, that's Tom Jones. Yeah, he down here. Tom, say something!" (laughs maliciously) "Who am I kidding? He's choking on a bottle of molten deer poop."

In the Team Fortress Comic Ring of Fired, Tom Jones was killed by Soldier by Soldier's now signature "Huttah! Necksnap!" move seen in the comics.

Misc

• The Thriller taunt is based on the Michael Jackson song of the same name.