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109 Halloween Charades Ideas

Halloween was made for charades. Everyone knows how a zombie walks, how a witch cackles and how a vampire swoops in with a cape, and half your guests may already be in costume.

Here are 109 Halloween charades ideas in six lists, from easy monsters for little trick-or-treaters to horror movie titles for a grown-up party. Each list is marked easy, medium or hard.

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Easy Halloween charades for kids

Easy 18 ideas

Spooky but not scary. Little ones can act these out with a sound, a face or a flap of the arms.

  • Ghost
  • Witch
  • Pumpkin
  • Black Cat
  • Bat
  • Spider
  • Skeleton
  • Owl
  • Candy
  • Broomstick
  • Spider Web
  • Full Moon
  • Cauldron
  • Haunted House
  • Candy Corn
  • Mask
  • Jack-o'-Lantern
  • Trick-or-Treat Bag

Monster and creature charades

Medium 18 ideas

Every creature has a signature walk. Start with the walk, then add the claws, the fangs or the bandages.

  • Vampire
  • Zombie
  • Mummy
  • Werewolf
  • Frankenstein's Monster
  • Dracula
  • Bigfoot
  • Headless Horseman
  • Grim Reaper
  • Goblin
  • Troll
  • Gargoyle
  • Swamp Monster
  • Loch Ness Monster
  • Medusa
  • Banshee
  • Creature from the Black Lagoon
  • Invisible Man

Halloween costume charades

Easy 18 ideas

Popular costumes to act out. Bonus points if someone at the party is actually wearing one.

  • Pirate
  • Princess
  • Superhero
  • Astronaut
  • Ninja
  • Robot
  • Cowboy
  • Fairy
  • Dinosaur
  • Clown
  • Mermaid
  • Unicorn
  • Bumblebee
  • Scarecrow
  • Pizza Slice
  • Hot Dog
  • Ghostbuster
  • Cheerleader

Halloween actions and traditions

Medium 18 ideas

From trick-or-treating to the candy trades afterward.

  • Trick-or-Treating
  • Carving a Pumpkin
  • Bobbing for Apples
  • Telling Ghost Stories
  • Walking Through a Haunted House
  • Sorting Your Candy
  • Trading Candy
  • Eating Too Much Candy
  • Putting On Face Paint
  • Wrapping a Mummy
  • Doing the Monster Mash
  • Casting a Spell
  • Rising from the Grave
  • Howling at the Moon
  • Hiding Under the Blanket
  • Handing Out Candy
  • Ringing the Doorbell
  • Getting Stuck in a Spider Web

Halloween movie charades

Medium 18 ideas

Family-friendly spooky films and shows. Signal “movie” or “TV show” first.

  • Hocus Pocus
  • Ghostbusters
  • Beetlejuice
  • The Addams Family
  • Casper
  • Coraline
  • Hotel Transylvania
  • Monster House
  • Corpse Bride
  • Frankenweenie
  • It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
  • Halloweentown
  • The Haunted Mansion
  • Goosebumps
  • Monsters, Inc.
  • Wednesday
  • Scooby-Doo
  • Stranger Things

Scary charades for adults

Hard 19 ideas

Horror classics, famous villains and the moments that make you jump. Best after the kids are in bed.

  • The Shining
  • Psycho
  • The Exorcist
  • Scream
  • A Nightmare on Elm Street
  • The Blair Witch Project
  • Get Out
  • A Quiet Place
  • The Conjuring
  • Freddy Krueger
  • Michael Myers
  • Chucky
  • Pennywise
  • Jump Scare
  • Séance
  • Ouija Board
  • Creepy Clown
  • Hearing a Noise in the Basement
  • Last One Alive in a Horror Movie

How to play Halloween charades

  1. Write the ideas on slips of paper and drop them into a cauldron, a candy bucket or a hollowed-out pumpkin.
  2. Split into two teams. Costumes are optional, but they make the acting a lot more fun.
  3. Take turns acting out a slip without speaking. Whether howls and cackles are allowed is up to your house rules.
  4. Give a point, or a piece of candy, for each correct guess. The team with the most points wins the leftover candy.

How to Play Charades →

Tips for a spooky game

  • Dim the lights and use a flashlight as a spotlight for the actor.
  • Use the easy and costume lists at kids' parties, and the scary list at grown-up parties.
  • Act in costume. A guest dressed as a witch acting out “zombie” is half the fun.
  • Keep it moving with one-minute rounds. A sand timer or a phone timer both work.

Halloween charades: frequently asked questions

What are good Halloween charades ideas?

Ghost, witch, zombie, vampire, mummy, carving a pumpkin, trick-or-treating and Hocus Pocus. Monsters work especially well because everyone knows how they move.

What are easy Halloween charades for kids?

Ghost, black cat, bat, spider, skeleton, witch, pumpkin and jack-o'-lantern. Let young kids use sounds like “boo”, “meow” and a witch's cackle.

What are scary charades ideas for adults?

Horror films like The Shining, Psycho, Scream and Get Out, villains like Freddy Krueger and Pennywise, and situations like hearing a noise in the basement.

How do you play charades at a Halloween party?

Put the ideas in a bucket or a pumpkin, split into two teams and act them out in one-minute turns. Award a point or a piece of candy for each correct guess.

Is there a Halloween charades app?

Chardz lets you play the forehead version on Android: one player holds the phone up and everyone else gives clues. Add Halloween words in a custom deck, unlocked with tickets you earn by playing or with Premium.

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