10 board games to get you in the spirit for Spooky Season

The evenings are getting darker, the thick sweaters are being pulled from the back of the closet where they’ve been hiding all summer, and spooky season has officially begun. With Halloween in mind, here are some great board games to get in the spirit of things.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year (in my opinion), and there’s nothing better than cozying up next to a crackling fire and whipping out a board game or two. I’ve got a cupboard full of them, including the ultra-spooky Ouija Board. If you’re too easily creeped out to give that a try, here are my 10 favorite, loosely Halloween-themed choices. 

Stupid Deaths

If you’ve ever witnessed the joy that is Horrible Histories, you’ll know what to expect from the Stupid Deaths board game inspired by a specific segment of the show. Each player takes turns to read out a Stupid Death Card, and the rest have to decide whether it’s actually a way in which someone died or not. Did I mention that the Grim Reaper is chasing you to give you your own Stupid Death? 

Horrified

As a player in Horrified, it’s your job to protect the village from the likes of Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, The Mummy, and other suitably creepy Monsters. Each Monster has challenges that must be overcome as a group, with the fight taking place in locations such as the Laboratory, Institute, or Church. 

Cadaver

Cadaver is a card-based game in which players duke it out to reanimate as many corpses as they can. Up to three players can play with a single deck, and each player has to gather as many arcane resources, coffin locks, and terrifying ghouls as they can. It’s a really quick game to play, and the illustrations on the cards are really pretty to look at, if not a little creepy. 

The Night Cage

The Night Cage is different every time you play, thanks to the mechanic of area tiles, which can be put down in any combination. As a player, it’s your job to escape the ever-changing maze with nothing but the light from candles to illuminate the way. You’ll need to work together if you’re going to get out and try not to double back on yourself.

Hocus Pocus

Another card-based game, but this time, there’s a cauldron and Binx the cat involved. You’ll need to work together in Hocus Pocus to try and stun the Sanderson Sisters three times, but it’s not as simple as it sounds. You’ve got objectives to meet, and each sister has her own special rules because, of course, they do. The Sanderson Sisters are nothing if they’re not awkward.

Monopoly: Ghostbusters Edition

If you’ve played any of the hundreds of versions of Monopoly, you pretty much know what you’re doing in the Ghostbusters Edition. It gets a place on this list for simply being Ghostbusters-themed, and rather than Chance and Community Chest cards, you have Roaming Vapor and Ghost Trap cards, both of which sit atop a replica Ghost Trap that plays Ray Parker Junior at the touch of a button. Perfection. 

Jumanji

Although not necessarily the first thing you think about when it comes to Halloween, Jumanji honestly terrified me as a child and put me off playing any board games for years, lest I end up getting sucked into them. Plus, what’s scarier than a bunch of giant bugs and rampaging creatures coming out of a game to tear your world apart? 

Mysterium

Mysterium is essentially a cooperative murder mystery in which most of the players are Mediums, while one of them is the ghost of the murder victim. The Ghost can provide Mediums with visions, helping them to guess the suspect, location, and murder weapon. Imagine Clue but with a spooky twist. There’s also a bunch of expansions available.

Psycho Killer

Psycho Killer is a card based game in which players take turns to draw a card from the top of the deck. These cards can give you useful perks, equip you with weapons, or, at worst, be a Psycho Killer. If you pull a Psycho Killer card, everyone in the group needs to use the cards in their hand to get away with their lives. 

Jumping Spiders

If you want a family-friendly fun game to play this Halloween, then Jumping Spiders is an excellent choice, and it’s really simple. If any adults reading this have ever played tiddlywinks, then you’re going to master this real fast. There’s a web set up between two trees, and you take it in turns to push down on spiders until they fly forward and, hopefully, attach themselves to the web.