Halloween Scavenger Hunt Party: Technology Brings Video Hunts to Your Party

Crisp autumn evenings beg for some outdoor fun. Rather than keep the party indoors, send your guests out on a Halloween scavenger hunt.

Have your guests bring a camera or camcorder with them, and have an AV cable on hand so you can plug the cameras into the TV later. You may even want to set up folding chairs, theater-style, in rows in front of the TV. That way everyone can watch and rate the results while relaxing after their hard work!

In a normal Halloween scavenger hunt, a list of objects is presented to be found. Since this is a video hunt, rather than bringing back objects, teams will be required to provide photo proof of funny activities or wacky images.

About five to fifteen photos should be plenty. Run through the scavenger hunt list yourself ahead of time to get an idea of how long it will take. For an evening party, you probably don't want the hunt to take more than a few hours.

Split the party into teams. Groups of three to five people are manageable but if you plan a big bash more is fine.

Get the permission of your neighbors, and let them know you're hosting a Halloween scavenger hunt. While getting the neighbors' permission, recruit them! They could hold certain list items, and only turn them over if the team answers a riddle correctly, or if the team does something goofy.

Pick a theme. Name the teams after the theme. A classic horror movie theme could have teams named "Frankensteins," "Wolfmen," and "Mummies." A Buffy the Vampire Slayer theme could have teams named "Vampires," "Demons," "The Scoobies," "The Initiative," and "The First."

Set a time limit, and let the teams know it's better to return with an incomplete list than to return late.

Get some cheap flashlights and supply each team with one. Have a few disposable cameras on hand in case the teams come up short.

What should you put on your Halloween scavenger hunt list? Here are some ideas:

a team member posing with a scarecrow, bale of straw, or shock of corn

get a policeman to put on a fright wig

a team member standing next to the largest pumpkin you can find - vote on a winner at the viewing after the hunt!

a stranger acting like Dracula and saying, "I vant to suck your blood"

a team member standing next to a tombstone

the team singing and dancing the Time Warp in a restaurant

have the team become mummies: they must go to a store, purchase toilet paper, wrap one another like mummies, and leave the store that way

get a stranger to spell "Frankenstein" forward and backwards

the team trick or treating

Scavenger hunting is hard work, so have snacks and drinks on hand for the teams' return, and don't forget to offer prizes! With a little planning, your Halloween scavenger hunt party will be the talk of the neighborhood.