52 Best Halloween Charades (For Adults & Kids)

Halloween is the perfect opportunity for a gathering, which means a chance to play all kinds of fun and creative games. From costumes to decorations to spooky activities and parties, this holiday offers countless ways to show off your scariest ideas for celebration.

One of the best games to play at any Halloween party is Halloween Charades! A spooky twist on this classic game, there are all kinds of Halloween-themed variations you can play on charades. Combining the traditional game of charades with Halloween-themed clues and characters, Halloween charades is a super fun game that everyone can play!

We’ve listed a range of Halloween Charades Ideas for the perfect Halloween party, including:

• Classic Halloween Charades Game Ideas
• Halloween Movies
• Fun Halloween Charades Ideas

You can download our printable Halloween Games and free printable Halloween Charades Game Cards to use throughout the party to prompt the best performances during your Halloween Charades game!

How to Play Halloween Charades

Charades is a classic party game where participants act out a word or phrase without speaking, while others try to guess what it is within a set time limit.

Depending on how many people attend your Halloween Game Night will determine whether everyone plays as one team, or whether participants should be split into separate teams and have one ‘actor’ per set time limit. A time limit of 2 minutes is generally a good place to start.

You can design your own Halloween Charades cards, or you can download our free printable Halloween Charades Game Cards, which come with a list of ideas for your game already pre-made for you!

To play charades, you will need:

• A timer (you can use your smartphone for this)
• A whiteboard or pen and paper to keep track of scores
• Halloween Charades cards – you can use our free printable Halloween Charades cards for some fun prompts!
• A bucket or bowl to keep cards inside
• Optional: Props to aid participants (perfect for younger children), Halloween music, and spooky treats for the winners!

Here is a Simple Breakdown of How to Play a Halloween Charades Game:

1. One player stands in front of the group. They must choose one of the Halloween Charade cards from a bowl or bucket. Our free printable Halloween Charades Game Cards help the game to flow better and also help to challenge participants on their knowledge of famous movies, TV shows, and characters. Another person is in charge of timing and ensures the timer runs for a set time limit to see how many correct guesses are made.
2. Without speaking, they must declare whether they are acting out something from a book, movie, or TV show using pre-agreed hand gestures. They must also use their fingers to show how many words the title or character is.
3. The person must then act out clues to help their audience guess the answer, whilst someone else sets a timer. For example, they could act out a famous scene from the movie. Think the famous scene in ‘Titanic,’ with arms outstretched on the deck of the boat, for example.
4. The audience can shout out answers as they think of them, and when a correct guess is made, the ‘actor’ can choose another game card to act out again.
5. To make the game more structured, you can include a specific theme that participants must use for their guesses, such as ‘Horror Movies.’ You can also organize participants into teams if there are a lot of people at your game night. Each team can then have a designated ‘actor’ who performs each of the prompts from the game cards within a set time limit, and the team with the most correct guesses in that time is the winner.
6. If you want to make the game more immersive, set the stage with eerie decorations and dim lighting. Encourage participants to dress up in costumes, and perhaps offer prizes or treats for outstanding performances or the most challenging clues.

How to Create Halloween Charades Game Cards

Creating Halloween charades game cards is a fun and simple activity, and helps make it even easier to play charades.

If you want to save time, simply download our free printable Halloween Charades Game Cards, which come with pre-made ideas already.

However, if you’re feeling creative, then here’s a step-by-step guide on how to create the perfect Halloween Charade cards:

1. Gather Halloween-themed ideas: Start by brainstorming a list of Halloween-related words, phrases, movie titles, and characters. For example, you can include words like “witch” or “ghost,” or phrases like “trick-or-treat” and “haunted house.” Be sure to include some well-known characters and movies too, such as “The Addams Family” or “Hocus Pocus.” We’ve listed plenty of charades ideas below to help you get started!
2. Write Down Your Ideas: Take a sheet of paper, card or index cards and write down each Halloween idea on a separate line. Make sure your handwriting is clear and legible, and if you want to add a creative twist, use Halloween-themed colors, such as orange and black, for your game cards.
3. Add Clues (Optional): If you think some of the ideas might be difficult to act out, you can include a few optional clues on the cards to help the players. For example, you can write “movies” or “song” next to the idea, or give an example of a scene to act out from the movie.
4. Design and Decorate: Once you have written down all the ideas, you can draw some visuals to make the cards more appealing. This can be done by drawing Halloween-themed illustrations or using stickers or clipart to represent the ideas.
5. Laminate (Optional): To make the cards more durable and reusable, you may laminate them using self-adhesive laminating sheets or take them to a local print shop for lamination.
6. Cut the Cards: Carefully cut out each individual card along the lines you’ve indicated or using a paper cutter for clean edges.
7. Organize and Store: Once you have finished creating the game cards, you can sort them into different categories (e.g., movies, characters, phrases) and store them in a decorated box or an envelope for easy access and safekeeping.

Remember, the number of game cards you create may vary depending on the number of players and your desired game duration. Additionally, customization is key, so feel free to add your own creative touch to the cards.

Charades is a fantastic way to bring people together, encourage teamwork, and showcase creative performance skills. And when it’s tailored to the Halloween season, it’s a great party game that can get everyone in the spooky spirit!

Classic Halloween Charades Game Ideas

If you’re looking for some Halloween word ideas to get the game started, we’ve listed some classic characters for you to include in your Halloween Charades game. These Halloween words and characters are generally suitable for all ages, but feel free to use props to help younger children get involved.

These ideas are perfect to add to your Halloween Charades Game Cards, or you can download our free printable Halloween Charades cards to get you started! These cards will not only help everyone to perform, but also to guess the correct answers, and you can use these free printables again for different Halloween games!

1. Ghost: Mimic your body floating and swaying, while pointing at yourself or others. Remember, no speech allowed!
2. Zombie: Shuffle your feet, drag your arms, and moan like an undead creature straight out of a horror film.
3. Witches’ Brew: Stir an invisible cauldron with an oversized spoon, casting glances over your shoulder as if adding mystical ingredients.
4. Jack-o’-Lantern: Shape your hands into a pumpkin-like form and simulate the carving motions with an invisible knife.
5. Werewolf: Show your claws, howl at the moon, and portray the transformation from human to ferocious beast.
6. Trick or Treat: Pretend to knock on a door, hold out your bag, and mime the excitement of receiving candy.
7. Vampire: Extend your hands as if holding a cape, and point to your fangs while hissing with menace.
8. Haunted House: Place your hands in front of you, palms facing out, and pretend to creak open an invisible door. Make spooky sounds and gestures as if navigating through a haunted house.
9. Spiderweb: Use your hands to create a web shape in front of you, alternating between large and small movements.
10. Frankenstein: Walk with heavy and stiff steps, hold your arms stiffly, and pretend to bolt together your neck.

Halloween Charades Game Ideas: Movie Theme

Halloween is known for being the best season for horror movies and spooky cinema, so what better theme for any Halloween Charades Game?

We’ve listed some of the most iconic movies for you to use in your Halloween Charades game night, and you can add these ideas to your Halloween Charades Game Cards. Of course, not all of these ideas will be suitable for younger children, so be sure to check before adding them to your Halloween Charade Cards.

This Halloween theme is perfect for charades, as there are plenty of scenes from each movie for you to use in the game, as well as characters you can mimic!

Personally, I think movies are one of the most fun ideas to act out in a Halloween Charades Game, and, depending on your participants, you can up the difficulty level and choose more obscure movies, which can lead to all kinds of crazy guesses!

1. Halloween (the movie)
2. The Nightmare Before Christmas
3. Hocus Pocus
4. Beetlejuice
5. Friday the 13th
6. The Addams Family
7. The Exorcist
8. Scream
9. Casper
10. Ghostbusters
11. Psycho
12. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
13. A Nightmare on Elm Street
14. The Shining
15. It (2017)
16. Poltergeist
17. The Ring
18. Edward Scissorhands
19. The Blair Witch Project
20. Corpse Bride

Fun Halloween Charades Ideas

We’ve listed some additional fun game ideas to use as part of your Halloween Charades Game Cards. These include various Halloween characters acting in different scenarios, as well as words and phrases related to Halloween. You can download our free printable Halloween Charades Game Cards which include a range of ideas such as these, perfect for all kinds of Halloween games.

Choose which ideas would work for your Halloween Charades game night, and prepare for endless laughs as participants guess the answers!

1. Witch flying on a broomstick
2. Vampire biting someone’s neck
3. Werewolf transformation
4. Mummy bandaging
5. Black cat crossing your path
6. Skeleton dancing
7. Candy corn eating
8. Pumpkin smashing
9. Scarecrow standing in a field
10. Spider crawling on a wall
11. Wicked witch casting a spell
12. Headless horseman riding through the night
13. Fortune teller reading a crystal ball
14. Zombie apocalypse survivor hiding from zombies
15. Creepy doll coming to life
16. Mad scientist conducting experiments
17. Ghoul rising from the grave
18. Sleepy hollow bridge collapsing
19. Voodoo doll being manipulated
20. Cursed pirate searching for buried treasure
21. Possessed doll moving on its own
22. Banshee wailing in the night

Halloween Charades is not only a game that brings laughter and excitement to the party, but it also encourages creativity and improvisation skills. It’s perfect for all ages, from kids to adults, and can be a delightful addition to any Halloween get-together.

So, this Halloween, gather your friends and family, put your acting skills to the test, and get ready for a bone-chillingly good time with Halloween charades. You can download our free printable Halloween Charades Game Cards to help you prepare for one of the best Halloween games!

Dare to get into character, embrace the spirit of the spooky season, and enjoy a night full of thrilling fun!