Halloween Movie Night Pairings, Part 1
Last night we carved pumpkins and watched Clue. We didn't also play a game (on account of the table being used for carving knives and pumpkin guts), but if we did, it would have been, you guessed it...Kill Dr. Lucky.
There are definitely a lot of "Best Games to Play for Halloween" lists, but they're always the usual suspects: Betrayal at House on the Hill, One Night Ultimate Werewolf, Halloween Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza. I wanted to make a slightly different spin, so here are 7 games to pair with 7 classic Halloween movies.
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Halloween Movie Night Pairings
Watch:Â Blithe Spirit (1945, or the 2020 remake)
Play: That's the Spirit | 3-5 players | Ages 14+ | 20 mins
In Blithe Spirit, a novelist holds a séance for book research and accidentally summons the ghost of his first wife, who has no intention of leaving his second marriage alone. Things go downhill from there, and somebody ends up responsible for somebody else's death.
That's the Spirit from Always Awake Games starts where the movie leaves off. You and your friends have died, and one of you is to blame. Trouble is, nobody remembers what happened, so it might have been you.
Watch:Â Death Becomes Her (1992)
Play: Flatter Me | 2-8 players | Ages 12+ | 30-60 mins
Madeline and Helen will drink an immortality potion before they'll admit the other one looks good. Flatter Me goes the opposite direction. It's a card game built around celebrating the people at the table: players answer questions about each other and give real compliments.
I gave this one to my mother-in-law for Mother's Day, which is a much nicer use of compliments than anything that happens in this movie.
Watch:Â Gremlins (1984)
Play: Satanimals | 2-5 players | Ages 14+ | 20-30 mins
Gizmo came with three rules: no bright light, no water, and never feed him after midnight. Satanimals is what happens when nobody follows the rules. It's a drafting card game by Mega Mint Games where players gather satanic creatures, attract visitors, and hire Zoo Keepers to create the ultimate demonic petting zoo. Build your collection, sacrifice your visitors, protect your Satanimals, and obliterate your rivals. It is exactly as chaotic as it sounds.
Watch:Â It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)
Play: Old Maid with any deck of cards | 2-6 players | Ages 5+ | 10 mins
Charlie Brown goes trick-or-treating and gets a rock at every single house. So play Old Maid with one small change: pull one queen out of the deck before you deal, and the leftover queen becomes The Rock. Whoever is stuck holding it at the end got a rock, just like Charlie Brown.
Watch:Â Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Play: Not So Neighborly | 2-4 players | Ages 7+ | 15-30 mins
The pastel cul-de-sac in Edward Scissorhands welcomes him with casseroles and haircut appointments, and then turns on him. Not So Neighborly is that neighborhood in card form. You're trying to complete a neighborhood worth 10 points while setting your friends' buildings on fire and leaving poop on their doorsteps. The art is adorable. The gameplay is cutthroat.
It's from FamBam Games, and the creators behind it (Alice and Jessica) are a real inspiration for indie publishers like me.
Watch:Â Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Play: Dank & Draft | 2-4 players | Ages 21+ | 30-45 mins
Shaun's entire zombie apocalypse plan is to go to the Winchester, have a nice cold pint, and wait for it all to blow over. Dank & Draft is my game, so I'm biased, but it's the obvious follow-up. Everyone plays a taproom owner competing to build the best lineup of real Washington brews. It's strategic and fast, and it's made for people who take their beer seriously but don't take themselves too seriously.
Watch:Â Clue (1985)
Play: Kill Doctor Lucky | 2-7 players | Ages 12+ | 30-60 mins
The pairing that started the whole list. Kill Doctor Lucky is Clue turned inside out. The murder hasn't happened yet, and everyone is racing to be the one who commits it. You wander the mansion collecting weapons and wait to catch Doctor Lucky alone with nobody watching. If you want to lean all the way into October, there's an expansion board called Doctor Lucky's Mansion That Is Haunted.
Quick Reference: Halloween Movie Night Pairings, Part 1
Game | Pair With | Players | Time |
Blithe Spirit | 3-5 | 20 mins | |
Death Becomes Her | 2-8 | 30-60 mins | |
Old Maid (any deck) | It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown | 2-6 | 10 mins |
Gremlins | 2-5 | 20-30 mins | |
Edward Scissorhands | 2-4 | 15-30 mins | |
Shaun of the Dead | 2-4 | 30-45 mins | |
Clue | 2-7 | 30-60 mins |
