Life

10 Halloween Games For Adults, Because Why Should Kids Have All The Fun?

by Jacqueline Burt Cote

When you're little, you think Halloween is a holiday just for kids, which is totally understandable: It involves dressing up, imaginary characters, and tons of candy. But when you're an adult, you figure out the truth, which is that Halloween is absolutely a holiday for grown-ups, too. After all, which segment of the population is known for wearing sexy black cat costumes, watching super scary flicks and knocking back drinks with names like "Morgue-A-Ritas"? Of course, you won't be trick-or-treating or painting pumpkins. So what are some frighteningly fun Halloween party games for adults?

Because, if you were still on the fence, the answer is yes: You should definitely be throwing a monster mash bash. It's not until you're more mature that you can really appreciate the spookier stuff (without getting nightmares for weeks), and it's not until you're forced to be presentable and "normal" every day that you really need a night to morph into some kind of alter ego and let your inner vamp (or monster, or devil, or whatever else) come out to play. And while you could certainly go over-the-top and turn your house into a haunted mansion for the occasion, you don't need to spend tons of time or money on your get-together. Just plan a night filled with ghoulish games like these (and be sure to save some candy from your trick-or-treat supply to serve).

1Horror Movie Trivia

Scary movie buffs love getting the chance to show off their extensive knowledge of related facts. Need help thinking of a few great q's? There are lots of free horror movie trivia games online (some are even printable).

2Sick & Twisted Charades Board Game

Sort of like what would happen if you mixed charades with dodge ball, Sick & Twisted Charades ($25, Target) is a "raucous" take on the traditional game featuring "saucy, suggestive, and downright obscene clues" (as well as a foam ball for throwing at opponents when necessary).

3Grown-Up Bobbing For Apples

How do you turn bobbing for apples into a game for grown-ups? Instead of putting apples in a tub of water, fill with white wine sangria (or red wine, if you want everybody to spend the rest of the party looking like a vampire, post-feed).

4Bucket Of Doom Board Game

Described as a "death-dodging adult party game," Bucket of Doom, ($15, Target) forces players to figure out how they'd escape if, say, they were left behind on Mars, or "woke up as the back-end of a human centipede" with nothing to help them besides a foot-long hotdog and an angry beaver. An ice-breaker for sure!

5Nightmare Before Halloween Operation

Just because your fine motor skills are more developed now than when you were a kid doesn't make this Tim Burton-inspired Operation: A Nightmare Before Christmas ($30, Barnes & Noble) any easier to play than the timeless board game used to be (especially after a few bottles of pumpkin IPA).

6Mummy Wrap

Another one you probably remember from elementary school, this game involves splitting guests into teams (with each team choosing one player as the mummy), then supplying lots of toilet paper as the team members attempt to completely wrap up their designated "mummy" (team with the first totally covered mummy wins). Sounds simple, but the results are always hilarious... as are the resulting photos.

7Pick Your Poison NSFW Edition

A card game of "unfathomable 'Would You Rather... ?' scenarios," three or more players compete to come up with the toughest situation possible in Pick Your Poison NSFW Edition ($25, Amazon). (Examples include "Would you rather... have undeniably ugly offspring or have someone in the room give you a rectal exam?" The horror!)

8Scary Karaoke

Put together a playlist of songs that relate to the Halloween theme ("Season of the Witch" by Donovan, "Highway to Hell" by AC/DC, "Witchcraft" by Frank Sinatra, "Psycho Killer" by the Talking Heads, "Don't Fear the Reaper" by Blue Oyster Cult) and — after a round of cocktails or two — give everybody a turn in the spotlight. (No fancy equipment necessary, but it might be worth getting a microphone for this one.)

9Stack The Bones

The reigning Jenga champion at your party won't be able to resist a turn at Stack the Bones ($30, Kikkerland). It's played the same way as the popular balancing game (pull out the lower blocks and stack them on top without tipping the stack over), but this version is infinitely cooler because the stack = a skeleton. For 1 or more players.

10Donuts On Strings

As if you needed an excuse to eat more donuts, this old classic is just as much fun to play as an adult as it was when you were a kid (if not more so, because your appreciation for donuts has only deepened over the years). Basically, just hang some donuts from strings (the kind with holes, obviously) and see who can polish their treat off first... no hands allowed, of course.

11