Bloody Mary, Sandman and Dry Bones—Oh My! Here Are 35 Scary Games To Play When Bored

Scary game of a spirit board or ouija board

Are you looking for some spooky fun? If you find yourself bored at home this winter and craving some much-needed time away from screens, try playing a scary game! Not only is it a fun way to bond with friends and family members, but it can serve as an exciting adrenaline rush at little to no cost.

Parade collected 35 scary games to play when bored that you can do at home—both solo, or with friends and family. Few experiences elicit the thrill and camaraderie that playing scary games with friends does. Plus, going out to eat and spending excessive money on events can get redundant after a while.

From classic games like Bloody Mary and The Candyman to popular board games like the Ouija Board, keep reading for the best and scariest games to play. Brace yourself! Expect chills to be sent up your spine, your heart to pound and plenty of horror-filled fun.

Spoiler alert: many of these games involve dark rooms, lit candles and mirrors.

Related: 75 Scary Quotes

35 Scary Games To Play When Bored

1. Ouija Board

Want to chat with the afterlife? Tread cautiously. The Ouija Board is often hailed as the paranormal party starter, inviting players to communicate with spirits through a simple (and unnerving) séance. Place your hands on the planchette and await supernatural guidance to spell out messages.

2. Queen of Spades

Prepare for a spooky bathroom ritual. Place a Queen of Spades card against the mirror and draw a set of stairs with red lipstick. Light a candle, close your eyes and chant "Queen of Spades, come" three times to see if it appears. If you're unsuccessful, make sure to tell her to go away—or else.

3. The Candyman

Are you ready to meet the Candyman? We have a feeling he's not all that friendly. Players stand before a mirror in a dark room, repeating "Candyman" five times to summon the spirit. Hurry to turn on the lights! Otherwise, the Candyman will get you.

4. Concentrate

Stay focused, now. Have someone stand directly behind you, facing the back of your head, while reciting the "Concentrate" poem. Behind closed eyes, the game is supposed to reveal how you will die. For example, the color orange suggests dying in a fire while white signifies death from old age. Spooky, huh?

5. Light As A Feather, Stiff As A Board

Talk about a supernatural trust fall. This scary game involves lifting an individual, using only fingertips, all while chanting, "Light as a feather, stiff as a board." Legend suggests that supernatural forces are at play, making the seemingly impossible task a reality before everyone's eyes.

6. Sandman

The opposite of "Light As A Feather, Stiff As A Board," Sandman weighs you down. With one person lying face down, everyone else forms a circle in complete silence. One participant describes a tale of murder and how their body is full of sand. When the person lying down attempts to stand back up, the sensation of being filled with sand intensifies.

7. Dead Man, Dead Man, Take Me To Your Grave

Have one person close their eyes while the other directs them to move their arms back and forth, gradually reducing the repetitions. The speaker chants, "Dead man, dead man, take me to your grave," until the other person's arms seemingly rise on their own.

8. Bloody Mary

Bloody Mary is a timeless scary game that your great-grandparents probably played. Players will summon a ghostly apparition (AKA Bloody Mary) by chanting her name into a mirror in a dark room. It's all fun and games until you start wondering if that figure in the mirror is just your imagination, or something more...

9. Binoculars Game

As the sun sets, close and lock all doors and windows. Place a lit flashlight on each windowsill, tie a rope to a chair or heavy object near a door and loop it around one participant—who must remain silent.

Slide a message under the door and at precisely 10:30 p.m., with only flashlights illuminating the house, begin to listen for sounds. If you hear a knocking, use binoculars and scissors to navigate and check each window.

10. The Midnight Man

The Midnight Man is allegedly based on an old Pagan punishment. Everyone writes their full names on paper, placing it in front of a wooden door. Light a candle on top of the paper and knock on the door 22 times, just before midnight. Try to time it so the final knock times up with midnight, then blow out the candle and open the door to release the Midnight Man. Walk around the dark house with a newly lit candle until 3:33 a.m.—if the candle goes out, the Midnight Man is close by.

11. Three Kings

Set up two mirrors facing each other and sit in a chair—the King's throne—between them. Hold a lit candle without looking at the flame and begin asking questions into the darkness, beginning precisely at 3:30 a.m. Don't be surprised if you receive an answer from one of the mirrors.

12. The Picture Game

Gather some rope, scissors, small mirrors, an empty glass and a flash camera. Make a circle on the floor with the rope and place the glass in the center filled with a bit of alcohol. Everyone surrounds the circle, holding mirrors with the reflective side upwards while closing their eyes in a dark room. While reciting the game's chant, everyone passes around the camera, taking turns capturing pictures in the dark while declaring "I caught you." Will any of the photos reveal a ghostly orb?

13. Ghost

No Ouija Board? No problem—you can still chat with the afterlife if you dare. In a dark room of candles, shuffle a deck of cards nine times and deal yourself 11 cards facedown, placing the remaining cards in a deck in front of others. Ask questions to the ghost and watch them respond. Hearts mean "yes," spades mean "no," diamonds mean "maybe" and clubs mean "I don't know."

14. The Telephone Ritual

Find an abandoned, dark house and locate the bathroom. Sprinkle salt across the threshold outside the door, lock it securely and illuminate the toilet with a flashlight. Dial the house's landline number from your cell phone and wait to see who—or what—responds to the phone call.

15. The Pendulum

Create a pendulum by attaching an object to a string, allowing it to dangle freely. Explore the depths of your subconscious and the supernatural by asking questions aloud and seeing which way the pendulum swings.

16. Devil Face

Warning: do not play if you do not wish to see a devil's face. The name is in the game, what can we say? Stand in front of a mirror in a dark bathroom, right before midnight. Close your eyes and open them when the clock strikes midnight to witness a devil in the mirror.

17. Ma Lon

Prepare to be hunted by spirits. Light a cigarette or incense and place it near an empty can. If the cigarette burns with the inhaling and exhaling motion, it signals the summoning of a spirit. Get ready, as they will target your lower body and you need to work to banish the spirit before the light extinguishes.

18. Baby Blue

Are you sure you're ready for a child? By yourself in a dark room, repeat "Baby blue, blue baby" 13 times while cradling your arms and facing a mirror. After completing the chant, the sensation of holding a baby is said to manifest.

20. Monster Tag

Monster Tag is a bit more friendly for all ages, but adds the anticipatory factor all scary games require. One participant starts as the monster, wearing a mask, and is fully blindfolded. Players stay within a circle while the monster roams with outstretched arms, attempting to tag others. When the monster emits sounds, players must mimic them, as in Marco Polo.

21. The Bath Game

In a dark bathroom, fill the tub with water and sit on the edge. Wash your hair with closed eyes and chant, "Daruma-san fell down, Daruma-san fell down.” You should begin to visualize a ghostly figure named Daruma-san falling and dying in the bathtub. Just don't make eye contact.

22. Man Hunt

Man Hunt is a fun combination of tag and hide and seek in the dark. Participants navigate the outdoors in the dark, combining the excitement of a chase with an eerie atmosphere. Suspense builds quickly while you're hiding and on the run!

23. Red Door Yellow Door

Red Door, Yellow Door game is a hypnosis-based activity where one participant guides another into a trance-like state. The guide instructs the participant to visualize a red door and a yellow door, leading to a mysterious
"Mind Palace." The participant explores this imaginary space while the guide asks questions about their surroundings.

24. Cat Scratching Game

Lie on the floor with your head on another participant's lap while they tell eerie stories about a cat and rub your temples. Once they're done, stand up and lift your shirt to see if there are any red claw marks from a summoned ghostly cat.

25. Ghost Stories

There's nothing better than gathering around a fire, holding a flashlight beneath your chin and spooking your friends with ghost stories. Whether you tell old, urban legends or make up your own, telling ghost stories can serve as a spooky way to pass the time. Turn it into a game by having a competition to see who can tell the scariest story!

26. Pencil Game

For the pencil game, all you need is a sheet of paper and two pencils. Draw a large X on the paper and label two quadrants "no" and the other two "yes." Cross the pencils over the paper to form four separate boxes and say "Charlie, Charlie, are you here?" If one of the pencils moves towards yes, you may have just communicated with a ghost.

27. Elevator Game

What if elevators could take you to otherworldly dimensions? Ride an elevator in a building with at least ten floors and follow this sequence: up to the 4th floor; down to the 2nd floor; up to the 6th floor; back down to the 2nd floor; up to the 10th floor; and then down to the 5th floor. Legend has it you may have some supernatural experiences along the way.

28. Dry Bones

Are you ready to summon Dry Bones, the demon, for a game of hide and seek? Light a match in a dark bathroom after midnight, must close your eyes and visualize a prize. If you hear a moaning...that's Dry Bones accepting the challenge. Find a hiding spot and avoid Dry Bones until 3:00 a.m., or lose your soul. The choice is yours.

29. The Thumb Game

This scary game is based on a Japanese legend about a murdered woman whose body parts were found—all except for her left thumb. Sit in a circle holding the left thumb of the person to your right, with a lit candle in the center. Everyone closes their eyes while making the chant to be transported to the village where the murder occurred. The goal is to locate the missing thumb without releasing anyone's grip.

30. The Answer Man

10 against one seems like pretty good odds, right? Have at least 10 people stand in a circle, each with a phone in hand. Have everyone exchange numbers with the person to their left and simultaneously call that number. While most will encounter a busy signal, the goal of the game is to see if someone connects with the Answer Man.

31. Sara Sarita

Sit on the floor across from a friend and say, "Sara Sarita, may we join your game?" Each participant tosses a coin, and if both land on heads, the answer is "yes," both tails mean "no," and a combination results in "maybe." If and only if you receive a yes can you ask Sara Sarita a question.

32. Hide-And-Seek in the Dark

This classic childhood game turns into a heart-pounding adventure quickly with the lights out. Whether you play indoors or outdoors, the anticipation is much higher in the darkness, no matter if you're the one doing the hiding or the seeking.

33. The Dice Game

Place a dice inside a cup and hold another in your hand. While standing by a table, announce the initiation of the game, express your willingness to make a wager, visualize your greatest desire and then exit the room for seven minutes. If the cup with the second dice is overturned, it signifies acceptance of your bet by someone—or something—in the room.

34. The Corner Game

With four other friends, turn off all the lights and stand in the corners of a room. Follow a series of specific moves in an attempt to draw demons out of the ceiling. Hopefully, nobody mysteriously disappears in the shadow of the night...

35. Tsuji-Ura

This ancient, Japanese game involves players seeking answers at a crossroads—using only a comb and a face-covering. After dark, stand near the center and make the comb speak by running fingers across its teeth while reciting "Tsuji-ura, tsuji-ura, grant me a true response." Cover your face and wait. If a stranger approaches, ask them to tell you your fortune.

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