How to run a Halloween Manhunt night
A Halloween Manhunt night is an hour of night Manhunt with three spooky rounds: Flashlight Manhunt, a zombie infection round and a graveyard-jail finale. Host it somewhere you're allowed to be after dark and away from trick-or-treat traffic, give everyone a light and a buddy, keep costumes safe to run in, and count heads after every round.
Key facts
- When: Halloween 2026 is Saturday, October 31. Start after dusk and finish well before the place you're using closes.
- Who: 8 to 30 players. Teens and adults self-run; for under-13s, adults run the game and stand at jail.
- Plan: 10 minutes of setup, three rounds of 10 to 15 minutes, and a headcount between each.
- Costumes: masks off while playing, nothing that trails on the ground, no toy weapons.
- Where not to play: streets and sidewalks full of trick-or-treaters, anyone's yard, and anywhere near a road.
Host checklist
- Pick the place and get permissionA big private yard or field with the owner's OK, a church or school lawn with permission, or a park that stays open after dark. Not the streets trick-or-treaters use.
- Prepare lights and markersA flashlight for each hunter, a small light for every player, glow sticks to mark jail and the corners of the boundary, and a whistle.
- Walk the boundary before darkTake out roads, water, steps, fences and parked cars. Tell the neighbors when you'll start and finish.
- Run the costume checkMasks off, nothing trailing, shoes you can run in, and no toy weapons. Add a glow band to anything dark.
- Read the rules out loudUse the script on this page. Agree the stop word and the end time.
- Play three roundsFlashlight Manhunt, then zombie infection, then graveyard jail, with a headcount at jail after each.
- Finish with a final headcountEveryone accounted for before prizes, snacks or anyone heading home.
On this page
Halloween is the one night of the year when everyone already wants to be out in the dark. A Manhunt night turns that into a real game with a beginning, a middle and a finale, and it gives teenagers something better to do than wander the streets. This page is a complete plan for a host: the schedule, three rounds, the safety rules that matter on Halloween specifically, and a script to read out. Everything works with a phone timer, and the base game is ordinary Manhunt.
The 60-minute plan
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 0 to 10 min | Arrive, lights and glow bands on, walk the boundary together, costume check, read the rules |
| 10 to 25 min | Round 1: Flashlight Manhunt |
| 25 to 30 min | Headcount at jail, pick new hunters |
| 30 to 45 min | Round 2: Zombie infection |
| 45 to 50 min | Headcount at jail |
| 50 to 60 min | Round 3: Graveyard jail, then the final headcount and prizes |
Round 1: Flashlight Manhunt
The perfect opener, because it’s slow and spooky and nobody has to sprint yet. Hunters carry flashlights; a runner is caught when a hunter holds the beam on them and calls their name. Caught runners walk to jail, and a free runner who touches jail breaks everyone out. Full rules: Flashlight Manhunt.
Round 2: Zombie infection
One or two hunters start as zombies. Every runner they tag becomes a zombie too, so the horde grows until one survivor is left or time runs out. Zombies may walk with their arms out and groan; they may not grab. There’s no jail, so nobody sits out. It’s the round everyone films. More: infection Manhunt.
Round 3: Graveyard jail
Classic Manhunt with a spooky jail. Mark jail with glow sticks as “tombstones”. Caught runners are ghosts: they stand silent and still inside the graveyard until a living runner reaches it and shouts “Jailbreak!”, freeing them all. Hunters win if every runner is a ghost at once; runners win if anyone is alive at the end.
Costumes you can run in
- See clearly. Face paint instead of masks, or masks pushed up while playing.
- Nothing that trails. No capes, robes or tails you can step on.
- No toy weapons. In the dark, from a distance, nobody can tell they’re toys.
- Real shoes. Not boots borrowed for the costume.
- A glow band on every costume, worn on the walk to jail and on the way home.
Safety on Halloween night
Halloween has risks a normal night game doesn’t: the streets are full of small kids in costumes, drivers are distracted, and a lot more people are out. So:
- Keep the game off streets and sidewalks. Use a yard, a field or a park that’s open after dark.
- Tell the neighbors when you’ll start and finish. Groups running through the dark on Halloween get reported.
- Adults run the game for under-13s, with one adult at jail.
- Walk, don’t sprint, where it’s dark. Chases happen on open grass.
- Stop word and headcount. Anyone can call “Freeze” at any time, and every round ends with everyone counted at jail.
The full checklist for night games is in how to play Manhunt at night and the safety guide.
The script to read out
“The boundary is [the fence, the tree line, the lit path]. The street and every yard are out. Jail is [the glow sticks by the big tree]. Round one is Flashlight Manhunt: hunters catch you by holding the beam on you and saying your name. Beams never go in anyone’s face. If you’re caught, turn your light on and walk to jail. If you’re free and you touch jail, shout ‘Jailbreak!’ and everyone in jail is free. Masks up, no running where it’s dark. If anyone shouts ‘Freeze’, everybody stops. When you hear the whistle, come back to jail. Hunters, close your eyes. Runners, you have two minutes. Go!”
Want the rules on paper? Print the one-page Manhunt rules and tape them up by jail. For the night itself, the free printable night kit has a Halloween flyer to fill in, role cards, a JAIL sign and a headcount roster.
Halloween Manhunt questions
Can you play Manhunt on Halloween night in your neighborhood?
Not on the streets. On Halloween the sidewalks are full of small trick-or-treaters and drivers are distracted, which is the worst mix for a chase game. Use a large yard, a field or a park that's open after dark, or play the night before.
What costumes are safe for Manhunt?
Anything you can see out of and run in: face paint instead of masks, costumes that stop above the ankle, no capes or long robes, and nothing that looks like a real weapon. Add a glow band so you're visible walking to jail.
How many people do you need for a Halloween Manhunt night?
About 8 to 30. Below 8, skip the zombie round and play two flashlight rounds. Above 30, split into two games with separate areas and jails.
What prizes work for a Halloween Manhunt night?
Keep them for moments, not speed: best jailbreak, last survivor of the zombie round, best costume that still let you run, and the best hiding spot nobody found.