Nothing is better than a night of horror movies and board games, especially if both of those hobbies have been combined into an unholy union of dice rolls and familiar franchises. If that sounds like a good time to you, you can keep an eye out for two board games based on classic horror IPs soon: Halloween and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Both of these board games are available to preorder at Amazon and will release on May 8. However, it is worth noting that these games initially released last year, just not at major retailers.
Halloween (1978): Board Game
First up, there’s Halloween: The Board Game. Developed by industry veteran Emerson Matsuuchi and featuring art by Nathan Milliner, this is the first time the original 1978 Halloween movie has been made into its own board game. Like its source material, this game will see Michael Myers hunt down several people, but the plot twist here is that one player will take control of the nigh-unstoppable killer as they prey on their friends.
Everyone else will be looking for a way to escape from Michael, but the task will be made more difficult because Myers can only be seen when he is being looked at on the board. This game is designed for two to four players and each session is expected to last for around an hour.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: Board Game
Next up is The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Board Game. This board game was created by Scott Rogers, who also designed Alien: Fate of Nostromo and worked as a video game developer on franchises such as God of War and Pac-Man. Two to five players must work together if they want to survive a run-in with Leatherface and his family. All players win or lose as a group in this co-op game where you must pull tokens from a gruesome bag of tricks. This isn’t the first Texas Chain Saw Massacre game, as there’s also another adaptation with a more strategic bent. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Slaughterhouse includes custom sculpted figures, dice, and 140 cards featuring highly detailed art.
For another board game based on an iconic horror franchise, check out this budget-friendly Scream game from Funko Games. Starring the voice of Ghostface himself–through a free downloadable mobile app required to play the game–this portable session of thrills and chills will see you use your wits to outsmart the infamous slasher. This is for players aged 13 and up, and sessions are expected to last around 20 minutes.
For something more traditional, you can also check out Monopoly: House of the Dragon. Hasbro’s new licensed game puts a Westeros spin on its classic board game, and this newly launched $35 edition brings the prequel to the hit TV series to your tabletop.
