Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant are really bad at suggesting Halloween costumes

With Halloween just a few days away, Google, Amazon and Apple have given their virtual assistants and smart speakers some fun and spooky answers if you ask the right questions.

GearBrain has spent the day talking to a Google Home, Amazon Echo and Apple's Siri to find out how each fares when asked to get into the Halloween spirit. Here's what we found - but be warned, some of the answers are more cringeworthy than creepy...

Google Assistant

The Google Home and Home Mini were given a spooky update earlier this month, including canned reactions to a variety of Halloween-themed questions and commands. Some take control of your smart home lights, while others help you decide what to wear for this year's costume.

Here are some for you to try at home:

Okay Google, what should I be for Halloween?

• "Can't go wrong with a sheet over the head"
• "Do you have a spare cardboard box? A robot might be a good costume"
• "Wear your heart on your sleeve. It'll terrify people"

Hey Google, happy Halloween

• "Happy Halloween *werewolf sounds* Dare you to ask me for some monster fighting tips?" - but when you ask for these tips, she doesn't understand

Hey Google, let's get spooky

• Google Assistant flashes any lights you have connected to your Google Home, plays spooky sounds, then takes control of all Chromecast-connected TVs and plays Halloween-themed YouTube videos until you tell her to stop.

Okay Google, scare me

• Google Home will tell a 'scary story' about a time "some maniac went rogue in a Circuit City and started spilling water and all the electronics".

Hey Google, trick or treat?

• "Smell my feet"
• "Smell my feet, give me something good to eat. If you don't I don't care, I'll assist with extra flare"

Hey Google, are you scared?

• "I used to be scared of sharks but then I leant that the smallest shark is called the pygmy ribbontail catshark and that isn't scary at all"
• "I'm afraid that when it's really dark you won't be able to find any of your devices to talk to me"

Hey Google, I'm scared

• "We can be brave together"

Amazon Alexa

Amazon has given a similar list of spooky new Easter eggs to Alexa on its Echo products. These include:

Alexa, what should I wear for Halloween?

• "I mean, going as an Echo would be pretty cool. Not that I'm biased of anything."
• "A tree sloth would be good costume, although you might not get as much candy as sloths move so slowly"

Alexa, trick or treat?

• "I choose trick. Hey, you've got a little something on your shirt. Gotcha."
• "Uh oh. I don't have any candy to give you, but I do think you're pretty sweet."
• "Happy Halloween"

Alexa, I'm scared

• "I have nothing to do with Skynet. Don't worry"

Siri

Finally, Siri has also been given some Halloween-based Easter eggs. Although she sometimes struggled, here's what we have found:

What should I wear for Halloween?

• Put on a little pointy hat and go as a circumflex
• Plankton
• You could place a calendar on your head and go as an update
• Just be yourself, pumpkin
• Be a ghost. All you need is an old spreadsheet
• Just jump up and down, shake your fist and tell people you're antigravity
• You could be a pirate. I'll be your co-pirate

Trick or treat?

• Both!
• Ummmmm...I'm not home
• Treat! No, trick! That's the good one, right?