Import Costumes

Hosting a Halloween or costume party is fun. If guests have gone to the trouble of getting great costumes, a good host needs to come up with some great party games. Here are some ideas to get the creative juices flowing.

A ghoulish grab bag is always fun. Fill a box with cooked spaghetti and gummy worms. Tuck a small skeleton or a rubber mouse. Pass this around to blindfolded guests to see who guesses the items first.

Set up a haunted room, house or trail. There are many websites that give easy directions for doing so.

Play the classic game of charades. This is much harder when everyone is in costume. It can also be hilarious to watch Darth Vader give the clues to “Dancing Queen” or Snow White act out the Incredible Hulk. A variation of charades is to pin the clue to someone’s back and have them guess what it is. He or she can ask other attendees questions with yes or no answers in order to find out.

No costume party would be complete without a costume contest. Give prizes for best, worst and most original. Consider a prize for the person whose costume is the biggest departure from his or her personality.

For smaller parties, try creating a story. Start with a phrase, such as the classic, “It was a dark and stormy night.” Write it on a piece of paper. Give each person a pen and a piece of paper for them to write one sentence. Collect the papers and read them out loud for a very original story.

Stuff a scarecrow. Provide old clothing, newspaper or hay and other items. Divide attendees into teams and race to build a scarecrow. Each person on the team performs one part, such as stuffing one pant leg etc.

With games like these, Halloween fun doesn’t have to end with the costume.