Halloween Games

Party Games

Bobbing for Apples

The oldest trick in the book. Fill a large basin or tub with water and toss in a dozen apples. Players must retrieve an apple using only their teeth, and no hands are allowed. Pro tip: remove the stems first so nobody chokes, and have towels on hand. Award extra points for speed or for grabbing the biggest apple. Works best outdoors or in a room you don't mind getting soaked.

Mummy Wrap Race

Divide your guests into teams of two. One person stands still as the "mummy" while their partner wraps them head-to-toe in toilet paper. The first team to use up an entire roll wins. Bonus round: the mummies race to the finish line without their wrappings falling apart. Cheap, chaotic, and always hilarious.

Costume Contest

Set up categories to keep things interesting: Scariest, Funniest, Most Creative, Best Couple/Group, and Best DIY. Have all guests vote anonymously on slips of paper. Award dollar-store trophies spray-painted gold or hand out full-size candy bars as prizes. A quick parade around the room gives everyone their moment in the spotlight.

Murder Mystery

Host a murder mystery dinner with pre-assigned characters. You can find free printable kits online or write your own. Set the scene in a haunted mansion, an abandoned asylum, or a cursed graveyard. Dim the lights, play ambient thunder sounds, and let your guests interrogate each other over appetizers. The "murderer" is revealed at dessert.

Outdoor Games

Graveyard Scavenger Hunt

Hide small items around your yard (plastic spiders, mini skulls, rubber bats, glow-in-the-dark eyeballs). Give each player a list and a bag. The twist: do it after dark with only flashlights. Scatter some decoy items (things not on the list) to keep people guessing. The person who finds the most items wins. For an extra layer of dread, hide one "golden skull" worth triple points.

Flashlight Tag

A spooky twist on classic tag. Played after dark in a large yard or park. The person who is "it" carries a flashlight. Instead of physically tagging someone, they shine the beam on them and call out their name. Once "tagged" by the light, that player is out (or becomes the new "it," depending on your rules). Add atmosphere with fog machines or ambient spooky sounds from a speaker.

Kids Games

Pin the Nose on the Pumpkin

Draw or print a large pumpkin face on poster board with eyes, mouth, and stem, but no nose. Cut out a triangle nose from black paper and stick a loop of tape on the back. Blindfold each kid, spin them around three times, and let them try to place the nose. Mark each attempt with their initials. Closest to the right spot wins a prize. A Halloween classic that never gets old.

Ghost Bowling

Collect ten empty plastic bottles or milk jugs. Paint them white, draw ghostly faces on each one with a black marker, and arrange them in a bowling pin formation. Use a small pumpkin (real or plastic) as the bowling ball. Each player gets two rolls per turn. Keep score on a chalkboard for that old-school feel. Works great indoors on a smooth floor or outside on flat ground.

Candy Corn Relay

Set up two bowls about 20 feet apart for each team. Fill one bowl with candy corn. Players must transfer the candy corn to the empty bowl using only a spoon held in their mouth, and no hands are allowed. If a piece drops, leave it. The team with the most candy corn in their bowl after two minutes wins. Messy, competitive, and the kids can eat the candy afterward.