By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes!

Yes, that’s right, it’s fall, which means Halloween is right around the corner, and the question is: are you ready to throw the most creative Halloween party of the year? If you’re still grasping at straws for this year’s spooky soiree, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve put together a list of adults-only Halloween party ideas that are sure to be a hit with your friends. So grab your witch hat, leave out a tub of candy by the front door, and prepare for a childfree Halloween bash you’ll never forget!

Pumpkin Carving/Decorating Contest 

Grab your gourd and get ready for the pumpkin decorating competition of the year. All you need to put this party together are some pumpkins, some carving or decorating supplies, and a sense of creativity. You can choose to carve your pumpkin or, if you’re not too adept with the carving knife (or if all that gooey junk in the pumpkin make you squeamish), you might choose to decorate your pumpkins using paint, markers, or other materials to help your pumpkin stand out. 

At the end of the night, give out awards for those who made the “Scariest,” “Most Creative,” “Best Use of Color,” or “People’s Choice Award.” Whose pumpkin will reign supreme in this battle of the squashes?

Ouija Board Night

Gather your friends and prepare for the old-school haunting tradition of Ouija board! This is for the low-key entertainer. All you need is a Ouija board (affiliate link), a place to play, and a sense of adventure. Are you moving it? Or are the spirits moving it for you? Be prepared to channel the spirit world and see what the board spells out for you!

Haunted Child Movie Marathon

There’s nothing quite like a night of watching films about possessed, violent, screaming toddler terrors to remind yourself why it’s such a wonderful idea to never have children. Some movies that fall into this category include:

• Children of the Corn: “A young couple is trapped in a remote town where a dangerous religious cult of children believes that everyone over age 18 must be killed.”
• The Ring: “A journalist must investigate a mysterious videotape which seems to cause the death of anyone one week to the day after they view it.”
• Poltergeist: “A family’s home is haunted by a host of demonic ghosts.”
• The Exorcist: “When a young girl is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother seeks the help of two priests to save her daughter.”
• The Shining: “A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future.”
• Pet Sematary: “After tragedy strikes, a grieving father discovers an ancient burial ground behind his home with the power to raise the dead.’
• The Orphanage: “A woman brings her family back to her childhood home, which used to be an orphanage for handicapped children. Before long, her son starts to communicate with an invisible new friend.” 
• The Children: “A relaxing Christmas vacation turns into a terrifying fight for survival as the children begin to turn on their parents.”

If you have a big crowd coming, set up a projector and watch your movie on the lawn. There’s something even spookier about being outside on a dark, windy fall night that will make you want to scream!

Halo-wine Tasting 

Looking to add a little sophistication to your ghoulish festivities? Look no further than a Hallo-wine tasting. You pick your favorite wine and fix up a charcuterie board with a haunted spin. If you really want to go all-out, you can have separate tables with different themes, which might include things like:

• Vampire Table – Keep the vampires away with a table adorned with garlic-filled cheese and aged meat, all served with blood red wine.
• Witch Table – Prepare for bubbles and broomsticks because the witch table is devoted to cocktails that you can brew up yourself! Get some cauldron-shaped glasses, a festive stirring stick, and a blend of liquor, wine, and flavorings to brew up your own love potion no. 9.
• Skeleton and Zombie Table – This table might have hard-boiled eggs carved to look like a skull, eyeball appetizers, meatballs that look like brains, a cheese board with a zombie pastry, and aged cheese carved to look like zombie fingers.
• Pumpkin Table – for a celebration of fall, this table is devoted to everything pumpkin-spiced, from the liquor to the cheese dip!

Ghouls Night In

A twist on girls night in, this is an opportunity to have a party with your fellow ghouls. The theme of this particular party can be whatever you want! You can have a trick-or-treat exchange in the style of White Elephant gifts, go visit a corn maze, or just turn up “Monster Mash” in the living room and dance your bones across the floor.

If you’re looking for some ghoulish activities to do, you might have stations like:

Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble

This activity is for the chefs of the afterlife! The magic potions you brew up can be almost anything you like, be it food, cocktails, or any type of delicious treat you want to whip up. Everyone’s mixing bowls could be shaped like cauldrons and, if your guests are up to it, they can dress up like witches

Skeleton Dance-Off 

Think of this like So You Think You Can Dance, only with a skeleton. Get a fake skeleton, pick the judges, and have everyone at the party dance with the skeleton. Whichever guest has the best moves wins!

Pumpkin Hunt

Who wouldn’t want an easter egg hunt for Halloween? Well, that’s exactly what this is, but with an adult spin. All you need to do is get some small plastic pumpkin containers, fill them with cash, and hide them around your house. One of the pumpkins is painted gold. Whomever finds the golden pumpkin one gets the big prize of the night, like a $100 gift card.

Capture the Ghost

This is the same as Capture the Flag, but done at night and where the “flag” is a glow-in-the-dark ghost. Find a huge yard or public park, hide your ghost, and defend your territory with this hauntingly fun game.

While these ideas are potential picks for the best Halloween bash of the year, don’t think these are the only ideas out there! With a dash of imagination and a sprinkle of eerie excitement, you can come up with your own ways to make this Halloween haunt you for years to come!