As Halloween 2022 quickly approaches, board game fans might want to reach for some games that embrace the season's spirit. Combining fear and rolling dice has never been an easy task, but these horror board games know how to create tension without taking away from what makes board games enjoyable. Simply slapping a theme over boring game mechanics is quick to turn away most players.

During the spooky season, there is no better way to enjoy time together than sitting down at a table, popping on some background music, and pulling out a game to play. For those who like to keep horror in their hearts, these choices will be perfect for the next board game get-together and will be especially enjoyable around the Halloween season.

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FNAF Night of Frights! Game: Family Game Night

Five Night at Freddy's Night of Frights has players running around Freddy Fazbear's Pizza as evil animatronic animals, collecting items, and attacking the night guard by drawing tokens out of a bag. The first player to draw a Guard token is the winner. The game sounds incredibly simple, and it is, but the tension created by reaching in and hoping to grab that 1 out of 20 chance to win is addicting.

Players can increase their token pulls by completing sets of items that are littered around and boosting themselves on the fear meter. For a game geared toward families, there is a lot of strategy to be had and a bit of back-stabbing in this one. Even if someone has never tried the FNAF video games before, Night of Frights is worth checking out.

Secondary Choice: Disney: The Haunted Mansion – Call of the Spirits Game

Horrified: The Classic Monster Takeover

Horrified is one of those games that is perfectly balanced for the players. Choosing combinations from 6 different classic Univeral Monsters, players have to stop the onslaught of horrors by collecting and delivering items, protecting townsfolk, and even directly fighting with the monsters themselves. What makes this game so unique is how differently each monster plays, and with the combinations that can be constructed players can make the game as hard, or as easy, as they wish. Dracula has players smashing coffins in search of him while the Wolf-Man has players trying to discover a cure.

There is also a separate standalone set that can be mixed in with this one that contains cryptozoology monsters like Bigfoot and The Chupacabra. Both sets are playable on their own or mixed together for an even bigger game. Horrified and Horrified: American Monsters is the perfect light strategy game for fans of the classics.

Secondary Choice: Camp Grizzly

Last Friday: A Slasher-Flick Come Alive

Last Friday clearly wears its influences on its sleeve, as a giant Maniac hunts down a camp full of counselors. The full game is played out in four chapters, and each one has its own setup and rules. Chapter 1 has the Maniac hunting down the Campers while they frantically search for keys to escape. Chapter 2 has the Campers fighting back as they try to catch the Maniac. Chapter 3 creates the 'Predestined', a fancy word for the final girl, and once again has the Maniac on the hunt. Finally, in Chapter 4, the Predestined needs to find and kill the Maniac.

This game is unique due to its board, which is covered in tiny dots with numbers. The Campers play on top of the board with their characters represented with pawns, while the Maniac plays on their own by keeping track of what numbered dot they are on. Certain actions and special abilities require the Maniac to reveal his last location at times, but overall, they stay hidden. This sort of cat-and-mouse-type hidden movement is perfect for a game of this theme and creates some fun, and tense moments. Each chapter is playable on its own, so players don't have to make a full commitment, but doing them all back-to-back Friday The 13th-style is the most enjoyable way.

Secondary Choice: Fury of Dracula

Mansions of Madness: Defeat The Old Ones

Mansions of Madness is a game brought up by many as one of the best story-rich board games, and rightfully so. Players act as investigators as they enter the spooky mansion to discover the Old One's plot and try to vanquish the Elder Gods back to where they came from. The game does require an app, which can be a turn-off for some, but it helps with setup, bookkeeping, and advancing the story without the need for multiple books.

Combat and investigation are the core of Mansions of Madness and it plays well with any size group, including solo. The miniatures help make the game that much more immersive, and it's a smooth-running dungeon crawler due to the app-usage and simple gameplay.

Secondary Choice: Eldritch Horror

Escape The Dark Castle: Delve Into The Darkness

Players need to escape a creepy basement prison in Escape The Dark Castle. Using one of six different characters, each with their own unique dice, players barrel through a deck of cards filled with traps, enemies, and the occasional ally. What Escape The Dark Castle does well is the simplified setup and gameplay, choose a character, shuffle a few cards and flip the top one, instant story.

Each card is beautifully illustrated with black-and-white line art that immerses the players in this depressing and grime-filled world. Playable solo or with a group, for a quick and dirty adventure story with some dice-chucking, players can't go wrong with Escape The Dark Castle.

Secondary Choice: Escape The Dark Sector

Final Girl: Escape The Nightmares

A solo-only game that tasks players with surviving a number of classic horror icons by saving civilians, finding the monster, and taking them down. What makes Final Girl unique is the modular way it's sold. The first thing required is a Core Box which contains all the cards and bits that players will need to play the game. Then there is a choice of five different Feature Film boxes that contain a location, a Killer, and the Final Girls.

Each Killer clearly takes inspiration from classic horror icons. There is Dr. Fright, who infects players' dreams in Frightmare on Maple Lane, or The Poltergeist who attempts to trap people in The Haunting of Creech Manor​​​​​​. All of these Feature Film boxes create a new and exciting way to play the basic game of Final Girl, adding new mechanics for each Killer and location.

Even more variety can be added by mixing the Killers and Locations, creating a brand-new way to play. The Butcher normally stalks his victims at Summer Camp, but now the player is trapped with him in the much more cramped Creech Manor. Each game can be crafted however the player wishes, and with even more Killers coming next year in Final Girl: Season Two there are endless ways to save the day or die trying.

Secondary Choice: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns – The Game

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