5 Spooky Board Games to Play This Halloween
While some love horror movies year round, I keep the scares to the Halloween season. During October, I enjoy a creepy movie or two, an annual viewing of the immortal Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown special, and the excuse to break out some Halloween-themed board games that let players experience the frights and thrills of the season. While a pumpkin patch, haunted house or maybe seeing a Stephen King film can be fun, nothing beats board games when it comes to spending quality time with your friends and family (here’s the research that you need more).
Thus, I present to you five games that capture the Halloween spirit to add to your holiday traditions. Grab some candy (fun-size is fine), some family and friends (new ones welcome), and gather around the table for some scary fun (they aren’t too scary):
- One Night Ultimate Werewolf — Werewolf has been a popular party game for a long time. Those old versions are okay but could go on too long like a bad game of Monopoly. That’s why Bezier Games created One Night Ultimate Werewolf, giving players that thrill of secret agendas, bluffing and hidden traitors — but squeezed into a 5 minute experience. Don’t worry about needing to find another board game right away because you will want to play it again immediately. The physical game is augmented by a free app you that will guide you through play and set the mood for the evening with the eerie narration. Once you get the hang of it, you can invest in the expansion and its sister games in the series, all of which are huge hits with my Halloween crew.
2. Horrified — This new game from Ravensburger comes with a classic horror movie feel, courtesy of the Universal Studios gallery of monsters. In the game, the players work together to battle Dracula, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, and even Frankenstein and his Bride. The rules are fairly light, the game offers some nice variation in the challenges posed by fighting the different monsters, and new players can ask for help since it’s a cooperative game. Horrified is also a great choice for a ghoulish feeling without any gore, which nicely aligned with its classic horror theme.
3. Ghost Fightin’ Treasure Hunters — Looking for a spooky game for the whole family? Look no further than this award-winning cooperative game that’s great for 1 to 4 players. Players get the chance to explore a haunted house and battle some ghosts. Since you work together, you can help younger players. The game even awards teaming up to defeat the cute green ghosts that come with the game. The components alone are worth the price of admission on this one and there’s plenty of replay value with advanced levels of play and even an expansion to explore once you have played through the original game.
4. Fearsome Floors — This light racing game with quirky artwork is perfect for the season and will handle up to seven players. Each player has a set of characters trying to get out of a haunted castle before the monster gets them. Each turn, they move a designated number of spaces around obstacles, possibly sliding on pools of blood and even moving the walls of the castle in their rush to get out. First one to get most of their pawns out wins, but watch out for the monster, who can teleport around the castle when the players are getting too far ahead.
5. Dead of Winter — If you love The Walking Dead television show (or, like most of us, LOVED it), there is no better board game to capture that feel than Dead of Winter. This is the most involved and longest game on the list so be warned that it will take up your whole game night and it is pretty grim so leave the kids at the other game table. But it’s worth it: Dead of Winter is a compelling experience that captures the feeling of zombie-infused dread, the concern about a traitor in the midst, and the tense struggle to survive. Dead of Winter even has some clever mechanisms to vary the story, allowing you the play the game over and over with a totally new feel. Pro Tip: If you are all new to the game, watch a YouTube video about how to play ahead of time so you are ready to hit the table when you arrive.
Halloween is for Friends and Family
Halloween, like all holidays, is an opportunity to spend time with friends and family. I hope you’ll grab one or more of these games to enjoy some good times in a non-digital experience with those closest to you. Even though they provide a nail-biting and bloodcurdling experience, it’ll bring you all closer together and will enrich the season of ghosts and ghouls with some good old-fashioned quality time that you will remember fondly.
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