Good board games for fans of horror movies

Good horror films trigger a lot of thrills. Sometimes things are quiet and subtle, but often they are loud and brutal. No matter which way, the fun of horror is popular. What few people know is that board games have long since conquered the horror genre and are in no way inferior to the terrifying films when it comes to the adrenaline rush. Some of the horror board games are directly based on the most popular horror films. This is not only fun, but also a good dose of goosebumps - and is a great scary Halloween game.

The joy of being scared is healthy. Research even says so. When you're scared, endorphins and dopamine are released. This is said to make you happy, relaxed and resilient. In keeping with the motto: After the tension caused by horrific images of blood, violence, possession and decay in a controllable environment, relaxation follows. If you add in the fun of a games evening, you have a creepy wellness arrangement for gamers that doesn't require much more preparation than learning the rules of at least one exciting horror board game. 

Movie horror games are fun

The first Halloween parties are coming up soon. For analog gamers who prefer a quiet evening in front of the TV, a games evening with a scary film board game could be the perfect mix of both. Each of the following five horror games conjures up goosebumps. For example, when the players and their characters try to escape from a cannibalistic killer, flee from ghosts in a mansion or fight for survival against zombies - and anyone who now thinks of Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Conjuring and Train to Busan has mentally built the first bridge between horror film and horror board game. 

So here, dear board gamers and horror film enthusiasts, are our five terrifying game tips. Maybe you want to get your night lights ready? In any case, it's going to be scary:

1. Horror board game – Zombicide: Night of the Living Dead 

• The film about the game: Night of the Living Dead

George A. Romero's zombie film "Night of the Living Dead", released in 1968, is now considered a genre-defining and cultural asset. It was the first horror film of its kind. The story tells the story of siblings Barbra and Johnny, who set out together to visit their father's grave. On their way, the two are attacked out of the blue by a strangely anemic-looking man. During the escape, Barbra is able to hide on an abandoned farm and Ben also manages to follow later. But they are not alone: ​​a married couple, Helen and Harry Cooper, along with their daughter Karen, have already sought shelter in the basement of the farmhouse. The news reveals that a terrifying epidemic has broken out that is causing infected, deceased people to rise again as cannibalistic undead. A merciless fight for survival begins. 

• The board game based on the horror film: Zombicide: Night of the Living Dead

The zombie board game "Night Of The Living Dead" is a cooperative dungeon crawler that can be played either as a solo board game or with up to five other friends. Winning or failing is a shared task as the players immerse themselves in the events of the cult film of the same name in their role as survivors. To do this, they select a scenario whose goals they must complete together.

Five of the ten possible scenarios recreate the film as a board game, and the remaining five offer players expanded stories with new "what if" plots that arise from Romero's masterpiece. Teamwork is everything in the horror game Zombicide: Night of the Living Dead. But beware!

While hunting for the ghouls and improving the character skills should not be neglected. As the night progresses, the monsters become more numerous and use nasty tactics to finish off the players. A particularly exciting game mechanic is the switching of the game characters between the identities of the Romero mode, which is intended to recreate the more socially interactive atmosphere of the film, and the Zombicide mode, which allows their bloodthirsty side to surface in the fight against the living dead. Paired with scary miniatures, this version from the Zombicide universe is an exciting horror board game for film lovers.

• Key notes: Asmodee | Connoisseur game | Board game based on the film “Night of the Living Dead” | 1-6 players | Ages 15 and up | 60+ minutes 

2. Horror Board Game – The Thing: The Board Game

• The film about the game: The Thing from Another World | Original title: The Thing

Today celebrated as a cult film by horror and sci-fi fans alike, The Thing by filmmaker John Carpenter was a complete flop with audiences in 1982. It is unclear whether the negative verdict was due to the splatter scenes or the simultaneous release of ET (two aliens may be one too many). The film adaptation of the horror novel "Who Goes There?" tells the story of twelve researchers on an Antarctic mission.

One day, the scientists save a dog from being killed by two supposedly evil Norwegian colleagues - both of whom are killed during this scene. In the devastated Norwegian research station, the scientists then find a strangely deformed corpse, which they transport to their own base along with the dog. The examination of the corpse raises many questions. What no one suspects at this point: An unscrupulous shapeshifter has his hands in the game, causing mistrust, even more corpses and devastation.

• The board game based on the horror film: The Thing: The Board Game

In the deduction and bluff game "The Thing: The Board Game", the players or the solo player take on the roles of the Antarctic explorers from the film. The game sticks to the storyline and lets an unpredictable shapeshifter be reawakened from its icy sleep, against whom one must fight in order to protect humanity from death and devastation.

The alien player plays incognito, as befits Carpenter's horror character, and tries to escape from the station undetected. The researchers, however, aim to prevent this from happening by conducting tests to discover the alien's real identity. But it wouldn't be a true base if the players didn't also have to look after their own well-being and that of the base. This requires good coordination among each other, which could be sabotaged at any time by the hidden, active player. He can decide at any time to work cleverly with the other players, assimilate them, or leave his form to compete against the others as an alien.

The alien board game based on the horror film offers a good dose of thrills. No one can trust the other, but they have to cooperate, and when something unexpected happens, like a power failure at the research station, things get dicey.

Key notes: Asmodee | Connoisseur game | Board game based on the film “The Thing from Another World” | 1-8 players | Ages 13 and up | 60+ minutes

3. horror board game – SAW: The Jigsaw Trials

• The films for the game: Saw I to XI

Saw is a ten-part horror film series that has been regularly causing viewers to get on edge since 2004. An eleventh part has already been officially announced for the end of September 2025. All of the films show how people are forced to prove their will to live through brutal torture. An idea from the suicidal film character John Kramer. When he is terminally ill, it seems to him as if most people do not know that life is a gift. They live and waste it senselessly at the same time.

Let's play a game: Live or die, the choice is yours.

doll Billy in the Saw films

John wants to bring these ignorant people to the supposedly healing threshold of their lives using sophisticated torture devices. If the test subjects decide to live and manage to leave the torture chambers alive, their inner attitude should change to a life worth living. At least that is his romanticization of splatter-like torture methods.

Because John knows that his lifespan is running out, he constantly looks for accomplices who will continue his bloody gift to humanity when he is no longer able to. The doll Billy on his tricycle achieved cult status, through which John communicates with his victims and asks the core question of horror films: "Live or die?"

• The board game based on the horror film: Saw: The Jigsaw Trials

The horror and splatter board game Saw: The Jigsaw Trials was a Kickstarter by author Lukas Melia, which has already been financed and is listed in German board game shops. John Kramer aka Jigsaw knows that he doesn't have much time left to live. To ensure a worthy successor, he locks up the one to six possible players in his torture workshop.

All the tools and materials needed to build traps are there, as well as those that the candidates can use to free themselves from other players' traps. If a unique trap has been created using resource cards and a Billy card has been drawn at the same time, the players can challenge their fellow players with the infamous phrase "I want to play a game".

The victims can choose between suffering torture damage or attempting to escape, which can be done with the help of tool cards and other items. If this fails, the precarious situation becomes worse. Only the last surviving player becomes the new Jigsaw.

Key notes: Iconiq Studios | For adults | Board game based on the Saw film series | 1-6 players | Ages 18 and up | 40+ minutes

4. Horror Board Games – Resident Evil 1 to 3

• The films of the games: Resident Evil and following

When the first Resident Evil video game came onto the market in 1996, the passion for the horror game was awakened in countless players. Hollywood also saw film potential in the game's story and released the first movie, "Resident Evil," in 2002.

Since then, the films, which show the fight of a group of survivors against a spreading virus, its undead victims and the company responsible for it in a post-apocalyptic world, have been a highlight for gamers and horror film fans alike.

1. resident evil (2002): The first film in the zombie series tells the story of the Umbrella Corporation, a genetic research factory that is the source of a spreading deadly virus that causes people to mutate into brutal zombies.
2. Resident Evil – Apocalypse (2004): The second film is set in Raccoon City, a city that gamers will be familiar with from the horror video game. The former head of the genetic research factory (Alice) has been given supernatural abilities as a result of a devious move by the Umbrella Corporation. Alice and the other survivors join the fight against the spreading zombie epidemic.
3. Resident Evil: Extinction (2007): The virus has now infected almost all of humanity. Alice joins forces with the last survivors in the Nevada desert to fight against the undead. But that is not her only battle. The Umbrella Corporation must pay for its despicable actions.
4. Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010): The survivors flee to Los Angeles with the powerful woman Alice and discover that the virus is spreading there too. The bloodthirsty fight against evil and the undead enters the next action-packed phase. 
5. Resident Evil: Retribution (2012): In the midst of the zombie apocalypse, Alice wakes up on the premises of the Umbrella Corporation. With the help of other survivors, she joins the fight against those responsible for the undead epidemic.
6. Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016): The world seems to be populated almost exclusively by the undead. Alice's superpowers are the only remaining salvation from the victory of the zombie virus and the end of humanity. Back in Racoon City, the survivors face the fight against the Umbrella Corporation once again.

According to rumors, work on another Resident Evil film project will start in 2025.

• The board games based on horror films: Resident Evil 1|2|3: The Board Game

The order in which the board games based on the zombie films and the video games about the Umbrella Corporation were released has surprised some players. The second part was released in 2019, the third part in 2021 and the first part in 2023. Nevertheless, all board games in the zombie series are extremely well received by their fans.

The cooperative survival and horror board games by Sherwin Matthews, for one to four players, take players as survivors of the T-virus epidemic into the world of the Resident Evil video game. Familiar characters and enemies, such as the Licker, are also part of the game. The first part of the board game series takes place in the Spencer Mansion, the headquarters of the underground Umbrella Corporation, which is responsible for the outbreak of the zombie virus. Parts two and three start in Racoon City.

Starting with a small area, the game board, which initially only consists of a few tiles, expands with each decision the players make. In the meantime, puzzles must be solved, the property explored, NPCs sent on missions and battles fought. On their dangerous tour, the players keep opening up new paths on which they can find useful resources. But bloodthirsty enemies await the survivors, and the general danger level of the horror board game also increases as the game progresses.

The campaign game offers a large number of free decision-making and action options, which, in conjunction with the tension and encounter decks, to which new effect cards are continually added over the course of the game, significantly change the course of the game in each game. The campaign game lasts up to 27 hours. If you have less time for the horror board game, you can also play Resident Evil: The Board Game one to three as a 60+ minute one-shot.

Key notes: Steamforged Games | Campaign game | Board game based on the film series "Resident Evil" | 1-4 players | Ages 14 and up | 60+ minutes

4. Horror board game – Texas Chain Saw Massacre

• The film about the game: Texas Blood Court | Original title: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

When the cannibal film "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre", based on a true story, was released in American cinemas in 1974, the perverse depictions of violence shocked audiences. Newspapers around the world reported on the "terror film" and in the same decade the Museum of Modern Arts added the disturbing horror film to its collection. In 1978, the shocker by director and producer Tobe Hooper appeared on German-speaking screens under the title Blood Court in Texas, but was confiscated by the public prosecutor's office just a few years later and denounced as glorifying violence. The horror classic was not released for viewing again until 2012. The cult film has since served as a model for many films in the horror and splatter genres.

The plot of Texas Chain Saw Massacre tells the story of a group of five young people: Sally and her brother Franklin, Jerry, Pam and Kirk. Due to recent news of grave desecrations, the friends set off across Texas to check the grave of Sally and Franklin's grandfather, who is rumored to have fallen victim to the evildoers. On the way, they pick up a hitchhiker. A fatal mistake, as it soon turns out. The stranger hitchhiker suddenly pulls out a knife and injures Franklin.

But the friends manage to get rid of him with all their strength. Only a short time later, their tank runs out of gas. Unfortunately for the group, the gas station they stopped at doesn't have any left either. They continue on foot. When they arrive at a nasty-looking farm, their hopes of finding gas are raised again. But things turn out differently. A man wearing a mask made of human skin kills Kirk and the cannibalistic horror begins...

• The board game based on the horror film: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Game

The plot of the board and horror game by Scott Rogers follows the storyline of the film.

The players have also run out of gas. They must work together to find keys for the van and enough fuel (canisters). There is also the cannibalistic Leatherface, who the players must escape from in this board game with push-your-luck elements. The game is played in four phases: moving, drawing pieces, performing actions and cleaning up. If the search is successful, the group wins, but be careful: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Game ends when Leatherface manages to hang three characters on meat hooks in the slaughter room. A solo game is possible.

Key notes: Trick or Treat Studios | Co-op game | Board game based on the movie "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" | 1-4 players | Ages 14 and up | 45+ minutes

More horror board games to try:

• Friday the 13th: Horror at Camp Crystal Lake – The Op Games, Passport Game Studios
• Cat Horror Festival – Invedars
• Funko Games: Scream The Game
• Nightmare the Thriller Game – Noris
• Final Girl - Van Ryder Games
• Terrorscape – Ice Makes
• Horrified – Ravensburger
• Last Friday – Ares Games
• Betrayal at House on The Hill – Hasbro
• Arkham Horror – Fantasy Flight Games
• The Night Cage - Smirk and Dagger
• Cthulhu: Death May Die – CMON
• Stranger Things: Shadow World – CMON
• Abgrundtief – Fantasy Flight Games
• Escape from the Darkness – Moses
• Ghost Letters – BORGOS
• Mansions of Madness – Fantasy Flight Games
• Alone: ​​Lonely Awakening – Heidelberger Spieleverlag, Horrible Guild
• Nemesis: Lockdown – Awaken Realms
• Bloodborne: The Board Game – Forbidden Forest – CMON
• The Elder Sign – Fantasy Flight Games
• Trivial Pursuit XL Horror – Winning Moves
• Vampire: The Masquerade – Chapters – Pegasus Spiele

Asmodee | CMON | Zombicide: Night of the Living Dead |...* 

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