Bobbing for apples has had a good run. If you have friends coming over this Halloween and you want something better than standing around the crisps, these are the games that actually get a room of adults talking, screaming and arguing about who did it.
1. Murder In The Dark
The classic for a reason. Fold up slips of paper, one with a cross for the murderer and one with a circle for the detective. Lights off, everyone wanders, the murderer taps a victim on the shoulder and the victim screams. Lights on, and the detective has to work out who did it. It works best in a house with a few rooms and a bit of furniture to bump into.
2. A Horror Escape Room On The Big Screen
Put an online escape room on the TV, draw the curtains and give one person the controller or laptop. Everyone else shouts ideas. Silent Night is our haunted house game for grown ups: a family home that has been empty since a little girl went to hide on Christmas Eve 1953 and was never found. It takes about an hour, saves as you go and has a few jump scares that work far better with a room full of people.
If you want a quick warm up first, The Skeleton’s Curse is free and takes ten minutes.
3. Two Truths And A Ghost Story
Everyone tells three short spooky stories about themselves. Two are true, one is made up. The group votes on the lie. You will be surprised how many people have a genuinely odd story about an old house or a night out.
4. Pass The Mummy
Teams of two, one toilet roll each. One person wraps the other as a mummy, fastest full wrap wins. Cheap, daft and brilliant for photos.
5. Horror Film Charades
Write horror film titles on slips of paper and play charades. Easy ones like Jaws and Scream, harder ones like Hereditary or The Babadook. Bonus points for anyone who can act out The Ring without a well.
6. Blind Taste Test
Peeled grapes for eyeballs, cold spaghetti for brains, jelly for anything you like. Blindfold a volunteer, let them feel and taste, and make them guess. Then tell them what it really was.
7. Spooky Pub Quiz
Four rounds of ten: horror films, Halloween traditions, famous ghosts and a picture round of villains. Teams of three or four, a prize for the winners and a booby prize for last place.
8. Wink Murder
Everyone sits in a circle. One secret murderer kills people by winking at them. The victim waits a few seconds and then dies as dramatically as they can. Everyone else tries to spot the murderer before they get picked off.
9. Guess The Scream
Record everyone screaming on a phone before the party. Play them back later and guess whose is whose. It sounds silly, and it is.
10. Sardines In The Dark
One person hides somewhere in the house. Everyone else looks for them, and when you find them you squeeze in and hide too. The last person left searching on their own in the dark is the loser.
11. A Crime Night Instead
Not everyone loves a jump scare. Harbour House is a murder case rather than a ghost story: an art dealer found dead at the foot of his stairs, a lab to run and alibis to break. It suits a group that likes arguing over clues more than hiding behind a cushion.
12. Costume Awards
End the night with categories everyone can win: scariest, funniest, most effort, least effort and best last minute costume. Paper certificates are fine. People keep them.
Tips For A Good Night
- Keep the lights low but not pitch black, especially near stairs.
- Mix noisy games with sitting down ones so people get a breather.
- If you play an escape room, swap who is in charge of the mouse between rooms so nobody hogs it.
Whatever you pick, the best Halloween parties are the ones where everyone is joining in. Have a look at our Halloween escape rooms if you want a game that does the scary bit for you.
