Maybe it had to do with the fact that celebrating Halloween is a relatively recent phenomenon in Germany despite the ghoulish festival's roots in Europe. Passengers on a regional train in Bad Segeberg in northern Germany had certainly never heard of it when they mistook a Halloween reveler for victim of a bloody crime.

The man in question was lying in a drunken stupor, dressed in a spooky costume and seemed to have what looked like blood smeared on his hands and face. The horrified passengers called the police after they failed to revive him.

Officers and a first aid team called to the scene soon cleared up the confusion after they shook the 24-year-old awake.

"He explained he was coming from a Halloween party in Hamburg and that his wounds were part of his gory outfit," a police spokeswoman told news agency dpa.

A paramedic scrubbed the makeup off the man's face and he was allowed to continue his journey.

"Bad Segeberg is in a rural area and Halloween isn't very well known there," the police spokeswoman said. "So people weren't expecting anyone to be dressed up in the train."