10 Spooktacular Halloween Party Games

Who doesn't love Halloween? Trick-or-Treating, costume parades, bobbing for apples, and of course - candy! It's one of the most laid-back holidays, with no pressure to find the perfect present and no need to prepare a massive meal. But even though Halloween calls for a more informal celebration, that's no reason a Halloween party can't be the most talked-about event of the month.

Whether you're planning a Halloween party for kids or for an older and more daring crowd, there are a host of original Halloween party games that can spice up a Halloween party. With just the right mix of fun and macabre, these Halloween party games will keep people guessing.

The best Halloween party games have a few things in common. They're all ideal for being played in a group, making for perfect bonding experiences at a large party. They can all be adapted to kids, teens, and adults. None of them require any real skill beyond the ability to toss a ball, so no one will feel left out. And they all perfectly capture the Halloween spirit, filled with pumpkins, ghosts, spiders, and monsters.

Here at Master the Event, we've put together a list of 10 spooktacular Halloween party games. You've got physical games and puzzle games, but what all ten of these Halloween party games have in common is old-fashioned scary fun. Read on to discover which Halloween party games are the perfect fit for your next Halloween event.

This is a fun treasure-hunting Halloween party game that mixes a game of chance with a Jack-o'-lantern aesthetic. You only need a few supplies including orange cups, napkins, and rubber bands. You hide small prices inside each orange cup, and affix napkins over the top using rubber bands. You glue the cups to a board in the shape of a pumpkin. Guests then pick a "pumpkin" and poke a hole in the napkin to reveal the prize within, either a trick or a treat. Tricks can include candy, stickers, or little toys, while tricks can include toothpaste or plastic spiders.

This game couldn't be simpler. You take a pumpkin and cut off the stem to make it into a ball. You can also draw a face on it for the Jack-o'-lantern appearance. Then take toilet paper rolls and draw faces on them for instant ghosts. Stack the ghosts up in a pyramid, and guests take turns rolling the pumpkin ball toward the ghosts.  This is an ideal game for the youngest party guests.

The pinata is one of the all-time classic Halloween party games. Amazon has Halloween-themed pinatas on sale, including a classic ghost for $20 here. You fill the belly of the pinata with candy and toys, hang it from the ceiling or a tree with the attached cable, and guests take turns whacking it with a stick until the body splits open and spills its rewards.

This is more of an adult game, ideal for teen parties or grown-up Halloween parties with a taste for the macabre. One of the spookier Halloween party games, it centers on history's most notorious serial killers. You put the pictures of the killers, their aliases, and their real names up on a board, and guests take turns trying to match them up. Expect some discussion of what these famous monsters got up to, so this is definitely a game that should be played after the kids have been put to bed.

Kids love Halloween party games that have elements of chance and prizes. This is another variation on Poke a Pumpkin, and all you need is orange balloons, a market, and some small prizes. You hold open the edge of the balloon enough to slip a small prize inside (like candy or a non-breakable toy), then blow up the orange balloon. If you want, you can draw a Jack-o'-lantern face on each balloon for that extra Halloween twist. The balloons are then laid outside and the guests take turns stomping on them and claiming what's inside.

Do you have a lot of movie buffs coming to your Halloween party? This is one of the simplest Halloween party games you can run, needing only some note cards. You can format a quiz game any way you wish - dividing your guests into teams, or giving each of them a portable buzzer to ring in. Base the game around the most popular scary movies of all time, testing their knowledge of cinema's greatest monsters.

This game can be adapted to any age. A version for kids could be based around classic kids' scary movies like Coraline or Ghostbusters, while a game for adults can incorporate hard-boiled horror movies like Friday the 13th or Silence of the Lambs.

Corn hole is one of the all-time classic party games, involving tossing little beanbags in a box covered with holes. You can easily put a Halloween twist on this classic game by painting the box with spider-webs and affixing little legs and googly eyes to your beanbags. Then it becomes a game of tossing little spiders into their webs. This isn't a game for arachnophobes, but kids will love it. You can also tie the beanbags into napkins to create little "ghosts" and return them to their haunted house.

This is the most iconic of all Halloween party games. You need a big vat filled with water and a lot of apples, and that's pretty much it. Your guests then hold their hands behind their backs and dip their faces into the water, trying to grab an apple with their teeth. If apples aren't enough to get your kids to stick their faces underwater, you can substitute or supplement the apples with little vending machine casings filled with small toys or candy. Whatever the prize, bobbing for apples is a great bonding experience for a party and the kids at your party will enjoy it just as much as you did as a kid.

This is the most elaborate game on the list and is best played with adults or teenagers. It doesn't take much in the way of supplies, but you'll need to do planning ahead of time. When sending out your Halloween party invitation, include a character sheet and description of the plot. When your guests arrive, be in character and set up the "victim". Then, the guests spend the party collecting clues you've left around the house. To motivate people to discover the culprit, a pot of candy or another prize can be offered for the winning detective.

A murder mystery game takes more work than most of the games on the list, but when pulled off it makes for a truly unforgettable Halloween party.

Ring toss is one of the great classic carnival and party games, a simple game of tossing light plastic rings and trying to land them on pegs. Sure, on the boardwalk it's often hopelessly rigged, but that doesn't mean your homemade version won't be a blast for kids. Ring toss can be turned into an easy Halloween party game by substituting the ring pegs for witch hats. The hats can be made yourself with black craft paper and glue, but plastic witch hats are available in party packs at your local Halloween or party supply store.

For an extra twist, hide a little prize under every witch hat - the player who lands on that witch hat wins the prize.

If you're looking to host a Halloween party, there's less pressure for perfection than in a Thanksgiving or Christmas gathering. Halloween parties are by nature chaotic, informal, and silly. No one is looking to exchange gifts or sit down to a formal meal, they just want to have fun. But that also means that a Halloween party should be a fast-paced affair where everyone is engaged in activities. That's why having a fun slate of Halloween party games is essential.

An ideal Halloween party schedule for kids will have several easy-to-set-up party games spaced throughout the evening, with breaks for snacks or a quick meal - kids love sandwiches cut into the shape of ghosts - and a kid-friendly Halloween movie. That break when the kids are engrossed in the movie is the perfect time to set up the next games.

A Halloween party for adults can be a more laid-back affair - although there are few adults who wouldn't still have fun whacking at a pinata no matter how old they are. You're free to center the night around a more elaborate game like a murder mystery, or hold rounds of scary movies or serial killer trivia. Whatever the plan, the key to a successful Halloween party is having fun - both you and the guests. These ten easy Halloween party games are your ticket to a frightful, fun, and memorable Halloween party.