There is no holiday that inspires fun in quite the same way that Halloween does. For the celebration times before and after trick-or-treating (or just for those of us who are a bit too old for this), some spooky party games are great for making this holiday a festive occasion. Enjoy some Halloween games that can bring a taste of the traditional while giving guests opportunities for several different types of fun and challenge.

Costume Contest

No Halloween party is complete without a costume contest. While this is a game that players largely compete in while making their preparations in the home, you can make it a little more fun by giving your guests themes or instructions before they start making and obtaining their costumes. For example, you can tell them that prizes will be offered for the costume that is "funniest" or "most disgusting."

Guess the Monster

Each guest gets a small note card taped to his or her forehead (where the player cannot see it) with the name of a different Halloween monster or trivia item. Players must then guess what the item is by asking "yes" or "no" questions of the other players. Choose what to write on these cards based on the age of your players; for example, a children's party might have items such as "witch" or "vampire," while an adult party may have cards that say, "Bela Lugosi" or "Freddy Krueger."

Pinata

Though the Mexican tradition of the pinata is most often used for birthday celebrations, it can be used for any holiday party including Halloween. Stores that sell Halloween items during the season will often sell special holiday pinatas, or you can easily make your own by wrapping papier-mache around a balloon, then painting it with orange paint and a pumpkin face.

Alphabet Ghost Story

This is a variant on the tradition of telling campfire ghost stories. Guests sit around a bonfire or lit candle, or simply sit in a circle and pass a flashlight. A ghost story is made up one sentence at a time with each player contributing the next sentence, then passing it on. Each sentence, however, must start with the next letter in the alphabet. For example, "A long time ago, there lived an old man and a black cat." "Before the sun went down every evening, this cat would go on the prowl." And so on. Every time a player has a turn but can't think of a new sentence, that person is out. The game continues until only one person is left.

Corpse Gross-Out

This is a classic Halloween game that goes by many names. Whatever you want to call it, however, the rules remain the same: The guests sit in a circle and are blindfolded (or just told to close their eyes). The host tells a story about a dead witch or ghoul whose body parts were preserved, then claims that he has those same body parts on hand to pass around. Various cold food items are passed around after the guests are told they are handling "eyeballs" (peeled grapes), "brains" (cooked cauliflower) or "fingers" (baby carrots). A variation on this game can allow the guests to keep their eyes open and place the food items in paper bags to be felt but not removed.