Zombie Skittles Are Going To Be This Year's Viral Halloween Trend

Whether it's a pumpkin shaped Reese's or the oh-so-controversial candy corn, sweets are the best part of Halloween, hands down. Seeing the grocery store shelves lined with the festive, sugary goodness is a downright thrill, and now Halloween candy is more exciting than ever thanks to limited edition Zombie Skittles. They're a festive twist on the colorful candies you know and love that offers an experience and a treat.

Skittles are made by Mars Wrigley, the company behind M&M's and Snickers (two trick-or-treating faves because of the mini packs they come in for holidays). And now the brand is aiming to get Skittles into the Halloween mix with their Zombie-themed treats. These sinister sweets take the rainbow taste you know and love and give them a creepy vibe, as well as a sense of danger because of one less than delicious candy.

Per a company press release, each pack of Zombie Skittles comes with five flavors that sound spooky but taste delicious: Petrifying Citrus Punch, Mummified Melon, Boogeyman Blackberry, Chilling Black Cherry, and Blood Red Berry. But in every pack, one flavor will actually be "rotten zombie," a flavor that only starts to taste bad after you start chewing it. They're kind of like Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans from Harry Potter, except you don't have to worry about accidentally eating an ear wax candy.

But rotten zombie might be just as bad as ear wax based on reports, so I'd stay on guard. The same press release describes the flavor as an "utterly disgusting taste experience that will elicit strong reactions from anyone and everyone," so I wouldn't recommend it to anyone with a weak stomach. You might not feel like trying because of the risk of the, for lack of a better word, nasty taste you could end up with in your mouth, but Skittles is ~sweetening~ the deal with a social media component that might make you feel like it's worth it.

Enter the #DareTheRainbow Challenge (a reference to their famous "taste the rainbow" slogan) that has the potential to be one of fall's viral trends, if people react as dramatically to the candy as the brand is anticipating. Basically, Skittles wants people to record themselves and their friends trying Zombie Skittles, capturing the moment the rotten flavor hits their tastebuds. Hilarity will likely ensue as people try to get the grossness off their tongues, and the comical videos will then be shared with #DareTheRainbow and @skittles on social media. It's pretty clever, and I'm sure teenagers in particular will be into it. Anything for five minutes of internet fame, right?

You'll be able to buy Zombie Skittles staring mid-August at major U.S. retailers in three sizes through the Halloween season: Share Size ($1.89), Lay Down Bag ($2.49) and Fun Size Bag ($2.99). Zombie Ski, so just keep an eye out for them when you start seeing piles of orange candy bags in your local grocery store. Or maybe you'll see the viral videos first. Either way, your trick-or-treat haul will never taste the same.