Use simple but spooky Halloween ideas to brighten up your celebration. These fun party activities will help fill your guests with thrills and chills this Halloween.

Monster Mash Musical Chairs

Do the twist and shout — and create a cool party game — which turns Musical Chairs into a spooky experience. Pop in a CD of fun monster tunes (classics like Monster Mash, Love Potion #9 and others are perfect) and form a circle of chairs, enough for all your dancing guests minus one. Let everyone dance away to the classic tunes until you hit the “pause” button — then watch them scramble from the dance floor to the seats!

Smash a Spider Pinata

Pinatas make for plenty of party fun — so why not multiply it with a treeful of scary spiders? Use a lightweight paper-mache mixture and small party balloons to form the spider’s bodies. Leave an opening at the top, fill with candy and party treats, then seal over it. Glue a painted Styrofoam ball “head” and poseable pipe cleaner “legs” to each spider, then dangle from the branches of a tree with yarn or fishing line. String some spidery cotton for webbing, then watch as your guests take a whack at their choice of spiders for a sweet treat inside.

Pumpkin Painting Contest

Perfect for kids (and artists at heart) this contest doesn’t have to be about simple black triangles on an orange surface. Cool landscapes, classic monster characters, and gruesome expressions are all possible with a little paint and imagination — the perfect prize for the winning design is up to you!

No matter what haunted scenarios or ghostly theme you choose for your party, one or more of these activities is a perfect way to keep all your guests in the Halloween spirit.