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The Haunted Halloween Heist
$39.95
Add intrigue and fun to your next party with this family friendly, Halloween themed mystery game.
Format:
Mystery Party Kit
Setting:
Haunted forest
Time:
90+ minutes
Ages:
Adult / Teen / Child
Players:
5-100+ people
Scavenger hunt mystery where players dress up like monsters and track down a Halloween candy thief. Perfect for family, school, and Halloween parties!
The Mystery…
The Shufflemore Woods are the haunted home of numerous monsters, ghouls, goblins and other things that go bump in the night. Every Halloween, the dark denizens of the forest gather in the center of the Woods to hold a fantastic Halloween festival, complete with song, dance, eerie decorations and – best of all – a great piñata, filled with candy. But this year, something has gone terribly wrong!
Last night, while most everyone was getting ready for the bash, the party supplies were stolen! The gravestones were toppled over and dragged away, the pumpkins disappeared, the guards went missing, the bats and spiders have fled and, worst of all, the candy filled piñata is gone!
All that remains are some scattered pieces of candy. Everybody knows you don’t mess with the piñata! This is a bold monster indeed. The players will have to search for clues that point to whoever could have done such a villainous deed the night before Halloween.
The Haunted Halloween Heist is an easy-to-run, scavenger hunt themed mystery that is suitable for any number of players of any age! This mystery features the following:
- Unlimited players: while the game requires at least five players, it can be run for any number of guests.
- No gender requirements: this can be run as an all male, all female, or mixed-group party.
- Suitable for all ages: this party contains no adult or risqué themes, making it perfect for child-friendly events, while still being plenty of fun for adults!
- Flexible character roles: this party features characters who can be assigned to party-goers at the very last minute, so you can always have a character on hand for last minute arrivals, and it won’t spoil the story if one of your guests has to cancel at the last minute.
The Haunted Halloween Heist is suitable for 5 to 99 guests (or more!), plus the host or hostess. The available characters include:
- Earl/Erline King: The Goblin Sherriff of Shufflemoore Woods, Earl/Erline is a cunning monster with an eye for detail and the ability to ferret out the facts. This role will be played by the host or hostess.
- Bobby Lupescu: A towering werewolf with a mean streak, Bobby is one of the suspects.
- Lee Walker: A gaunt, cadaverous zombie, Lee is another suspect.
- Cameron Vaduva: A bewitchingly attractive vampire, Cameron is a newcomer to Shufflemoore Woods and is the third suspect.
- *Scarecrow Jack/Jackie: One of the two guardians of Gloomstone Glade in the center of Shufflemore Woods, Jack/Jackie has gone missing and must be found!
- *Scarecrow Sam/Samantha: The second of the Gloomstone Glade guardians, Sam/Samantha has also gone missing.
- *Any number of Goblins, Ghouls or Monsters: These creatures come in all manner of shapes, sizes and dispositions, and make up the majority of the population of Shufflemoore Woods.
* = Optional character
This party kit is a downloadable PDF file that you print at home. It includes the following features:
- An introduction that explains the basic principles of running a mystery-party and provides specific tips on props, menu items, sound effects, and special tips to help make your party exciting, memorable and easy to run
- Step-by-step instructions on how to prepare for your party
- A detailed party guidebook that will walk you through the event in a simple, easy-to-understand format
- Instructions on how to run the party for a large group
- Nametags and character sheets for each player – the character sheets include tips on costuming and role-playing, as well special goals and gossip unique to each character
- Fully customizable invitations, complete with RSVP cards and guest lists
- Voting sheets
- Awards for your guests
- And much more!
With your purchase of Murder in Manhattan you will also receive the following:
- Step-by-step printing instructions
- Two mp3 audio effects for use with your party
- Instructions on how to use these audio clips to best effect
Follow these steps to host this mystery:
- Each guest will each assume the role of a particular character
Mystery Parties involve a combination of improvisational acting, storytelling, and creative problem solving. Each guest will play the part of that character throughout the course of the game. Each character has specific personality traits, goals, secrets, and information, all of which are included in the character sheet; a big part of the fun is getting into character and taking on a new, exciting role.
- A mysterious Event will occur
At some point during the party, an Event will occur that will force the players to come together in order to solve a problem or unravel a mystery. Traditionally, the Event in question will be the murder of one of the characters (as played by a guest), but the parties crafted by Playing With Murder often use this basic framework to accommodate different types of Events, thereby ensuring that your guests will be surprised and entertained (even if they are veteran murder mystery party players).
- Solve the mystery!
Your guests will need to use the information that their characters know (as well as additional clues that are provided during the game) to solve the mystery or overcome the problem posed by the Event. Typically this culminates in the guests voting on the identity of the murderer, but again, different parties will have different specific goals. All of our parties also come complete with additional subgames (treasure hunts, unique character goals and special puzzles) that are guaranteed to keep the action intense and your guests motivated and focused.
Expanded Game For Large Groups
If you have extra players, there are two ways that you can accommodate everyone:
- Investigator Role – Additional players have the option of playing the role of “Investigators”. In this role the players are not suspects and do not have character backgrounds but can question the suspects and try to solve the mystery along with the other players. Expanded Games include a PDF guide that explains how to use the Investigator role, as well as printable character sheets and name tags for anyone that is playing an Investigator.
- Multiple Groups – It is also possible to break your guests up into groups and play multiple instances of the game at the same time. The game will more or less happen the same way; the host makes announcements and each group moves their game forward simultaneously based on the host’s instructions. It’s good to have one assistant in each group to answer questions and facilitate gameplay within the group. This method provides a more intimate experience for your guests, who get better acquainted with a smaller group and participate in a more digestible story.
Please contact us if you’d like more information about how to run your party using the Multiple Groups method.
Both the standard and expanded games are included with the purchase of any game kit.
Read more about Expanded Games here
First time hosting a murder mystery party?
Visit our How to Host a Mystery Party page to get step-by-step instructions on how to prepare for your murder mystery party.
CM Band Director –
Headline : Great fun, simple set-up, and flexible!
Nickname : CM Band Director
We used The Haunted Halloween Heist for our end-of-season Marching Band party, and the kids had a great time! I used inexpensive props from the dollar store, and we set up Gloomstone Glade in the choir room, so we had lots of space for our group of 18.
jp8791 –
Headline : A spooktacular good time!
Nickname : jp8791
This was a library event for the teens. Everything was amazing and all the kids had a great time. Everything is well organized and easy to use. we made our own props and clues which added to the fun. The kids really enjoyed the scavenger hunt, we just put out a whole bunch of candy and glow in the dark rings and let them go crazy. The only thing I would change is maybe have a female scarecrow voice option. But other than that it was great.
YouthDude –
Headline : Group of 30, ages 12-18, Lots O Fun!
Nickname : YouthDude
We had a great time with a group of about 30 youth and adults. We were able to get through the entire event in 1 hour. We did not have a dinner with our party. I though for sure everyone would figure it out but their number one suspect was actually our host – he was a pirate, shipwrecked near Shufflemoore Wood! He wasn’t even a suspect. lol. Only 5 out of 30 got the correct answer in the end. The award for the best “Hunter” was a nice addition.
Michelle –
Headline : Fun!!!
Nickname : Michelle
So much fun! We did this for my daughters birthday party. We all dressed up and played the characters. We loved it!
Rwilson –
Headline : Fantastic Family Fun
Nickname : Rwilson
This was a family friendly event and we had a blast! The kids did the scavenger hunt and the adults solved the mystery. We loved every minute of it!
jaie –
Headline : Outdoor party for tweens
Nickname : jaie
During coronavirus, I hosted an outdoor party for 5 tweens. Unfortunately after I bought this party I realized that not all 5 of them would get to be characters. Of the 5 players listed in the description, 1 is the host and 1 shows up at the end with one line. I was very disappointed as I wanted each tween to play a character.
Additionally, I thought the price for this was way too much. I don’t need someone to tell me when to plan my grocery shopping and when to decorate the house. I need a well-written mystery!
The mystery took 20 minutes. From setting the scene, hearing alibis, through the scavenger hunt, then questioning about the clues found and a confession.
This was not worth $40!!
Kelly –
Headline : Halloween Party for the Win
Nickname : Kelly
Due to COVID, we decided not to go trick or treating this year. Instead, we had a Halloween get together with our quarantine families. So. Much. Fun. The house was decorated as the King’s creepy shack, the backyard was Shufflemoore Woods and we were all in costume. I used real items for the scavenger hunt props that I got from the Dollar Tree. The kids went crazy looking for everything, the adults were into full character mode and we all had a blast! Forget trick or treating- This may be a new tradition!
Gocrazy –
Headline : Halloween party. It was awesome.
Nickname : Gocrazy
This was a very fun party for our age group of 8-10. We had 24 girls and completed in 1 hour but they could have used more time. The story line was very simple and easy to figure out but we still had groups choosing different culprits. We used real props from the dollar store and attached the vouchers. All of the girls were engaged in solving the mystery. We will use this idea for parties in the future.
Talia Horst –
Headline : Party went great!
Nickname : Talia Horst
Menu Highlights : "Poison apples" candy apples that used black food coloring Pizza Candy Baked ziti
Theme Highlights : I used real props. I didn't use any tokens. I got my items from the dollar store. Small bats and spiders and pumpkins. Dollar tree was a good spot along with dollar General. For the clues I taped the clue to the prop.
I did the party for my 14 year old niece’s birthday. We did the scavenger hunt outside. I thought being 14 and 15 year old that they might lose interest. All of our guests dressed up which was surprising, I figured that some wouldn’t. They all seemed excited and interested in the game, they kept focused until the end. I would say the party was a success!
Amy –
Headline : Halloween Heist
Nickname : Amy
Menu Highlights : We had all Halloween themed snacks and brought in "booritos" from Chipotle.
Theme Highlights : Halloween costumes, pintrest for food ideas, decorations from Target, spotify Halloween playlist.
This was a party of 10-13 year olds. 13 kids. We had 3 adults be the suspects. I actually broke up the host’s text into smaller parts had them write their names on the name tags and put them in a hat. When we pulled a name out, that "monster" came and read the text. 4 different people got to show a clue and question the suspects.
It went well. I wondered if it was too obvious who the culprit was, but some people did make other guesses. All in all, it took about 1/2 hour to 40 minutes. I think the kids enjoyed it overall.
Ann W. –
Headline : Super awesome halloween heist
Nickname : Ann W.
Menu Highlights : Italian take-out on a spooky table. Easy and enjoyable for everyone!
Theme Highlights : There is a scavenger hunt, so to complete this indoors I sealed off a room in the house, filled it with dollar store decorations (tombs, skeletons etc) and hide the clues in their. Our "monsters" were each given a flashlight to search the area which made it easy and fun to complete this aspect at night and indoors. We did reward them with a pinata, which I think brings the whole night together and a perfect end to the mystery! A great game and one that would be perfect for a group childrens halloween party!
We loved this party! We had planned a dinner party with family friends including all of our 4 children (ages 7 10 10) The Halloween Heist was perfect as it gave plenty of fun elements for the children to complete during the evening, while the adults took on the key suspect roles. The written materials, instructions and design was wonderfully laid out for the host and it came together very easily.
Ann W. –
Headline : Super awesome halloween heist
Nickname : Ann W.
Menu Highlights : Italian take out on a spooky table!
Theme Highlights : Songza music Dollar store decor ($30) great monster costumes
We loved this party! We had planned a dinner party with family friends including all of our 4 children (ages 7 10 10) The Halloween Heist was perfect as it gave plenty of fun elements for the children to complete during the evening, while the adults took on the key suspect roles. The written materials, instructions and design was wonderfully laid out for the host and it came together very easily.
There is a scavenger hunt, so to complete this indoors I sealed off a room in the house, filled it with dollar store decorations (tombs, skeletons etc) and hide the clues in their. Our "monsters" were each given a flashlight to search the area which made it easy and fun to complete this aspect at night and indoors.
We did reward them with a pinata, which I think brings the whole night together and a perfect end to the mystery!
A great game and one that would be perfect for a group childrens halloween party!