Trick-or-treat dangers: Expert reveals truth behind Halloween's poisoned candies, razor apples

Almost all Americans have heard terrifying stories of sick strangers tricking unsuspecting kids on Halloween by handing them poisoned candies and razor apples.

One sociologist has debunked the myth and discovered the true risks of the holiday, despite the fact that even federal government officials advise parents to inspect their children's goodies each year.

"There are people who report getting stuff in their candy, and there have been two efforts over the years to follow up on these reports," sociologist Dr Joel Best exclusively told The US Sun.

"Both of them concluded that about 95 percent of the reports were hoaxes."

Dr Best is a criminology professor at the University of Delaware who has dedicated his professional life to researching what he terms "Halloween sadism."

According to the expert, this is the theory that insane criminals carefully await the one day of the year when they can intentionally harm children.

"It's the absolute best thing to be afraid of because you are telling yourself that down the block from you, there lives somebody who's so crazy, they poison little children at random," he said.

"But they're so tightly wrapped, they only do it one night a year."

According to Best, this idea is exclusive to America, as reports of hazardous materials discovered in treat buckets are rare in other nations.

The anxieties also go almost all the way back to the 1930s, when trick-or-treating first became popular.

He said in the early 1950s, "there were stories that people would heat pennies on skillets and then pour the hot coins into the hands of trick-or-treaters."

"So there have been versions of this for a long time."

Halloween sadism has also become more prevalent in mystery novels and horror films featuring child murders.

However, Dr Best has examined news reports going all the way back to 1958 and has not come across any information supporting the exaggerated assertions made by guardians.

"I can't find any evidence that any child has ever been killed or seriously hurt by a contaminated trick picked up in the course of trick or treating," he said.