Haunt Your Classroom: Spooky & Creative Drama Activities for Halloween

The Halloween season brings a special kind of chaotic energy to the classroom. It’s the perfect opportunity to move beyond the usual games and lean into the spooky, mysterious, and transformative spirit of the holiday.
Instead of just putting a pumpkin-spice filter on our regular warm-ups, let's try some activities designed specifically to explore the things that make this time of year so much fun: building suspense, creating atmosphere, and telling a good ghost story.

1. The Soundscape of Fear

This exercise is all about creating an entire story and atmosphere using only sound. It’s a fantastic ensemble builder that forces students to listen intently to one another.

• The Setup: Divide the class into two halves. One half are the Listeners, who will sit or lie down with their eyes closed. The other half are the Makers.
• The Task: Give the Makers a simple, spooky scenario, such as:
  • Exploring a creepy, abandoned house.
  • Walking through a haunted forest.
  • Someone is hiding, and something is looking for them.
• The Makers then have 2–3 minutes to create a soundscape that tells that story. They can only use their voices, bodies, and objects in the room. No words allowed! They must create the environment (creaking doors, wind, rustling leaves) and the emotional journey (rising tension, a jump scare, a moment of quiet fear).
• The Payoff: Swap groups. Afterwards, discuss what the Listeners "saw" in their minds. What sounds were most effective at building suspense and telling the story?

2. The Creature in the Dark

This improv exercise focuses on reacting authentically to an unseen terror. It’s less about jokes and more about genuine, in-the-moment responses.

• The Setup: One student is chosen to be the Explorer.
• The Task: The rest of the class becomes a single Creature. Their goal is to surround and create a world for the Explorer based solely on feeling and sound.
• The Explorer should step out of the classroom so the rest of the class can discuss and decide upon three sounds they will make that define their creature. Who will make the sounds? Will it be in unison (a soft hiss, a low growl, the sound of a nail scraping the floor)? They can also discuss how they’re going to surround the Explorer without touching them.
• The Explorer will then return to the classroom and stand in the center of a cleared space. The Explorer's eyes must be closed for the entire exercise.
• The group will move in and surround the Explorer without touching them. The Creature is investigating the Explorer.
• On your signal, the Creature will make their three sounds. Have pauses in between the sounds. The Explorer must react, in character, to the unseen presence they can only hear and feel around them.
• The Payoff: This is a powerful exercise in building and releasing tension. Debrief with the Explorer about what they felt. What sounds were the most unnerving? How did their imagination fill in the blanks?

3. Shadow Puppet Ghost Story

This activity uses light and shadow - the building blocks of horror - to tell a story. It's a great low-stakes introduction to design and non-verbal storytelling.

• The Setup: You'll need a light source (like an overhead projector or a strong lamp) and a screen (a white sheet or a bare wall). Divide students into small groups.
• The Task: Each group must create a 60-second, silent ghost story using only shadow puppets. They can use their hands, their bodies, and simple cardboard cutouts. The story must have a clear beginning, a moment of rising tension, and a spooky conclusion.
• The Payoff: This activity forces students to think visually. How can you show fear, surprise, or a ghostly presence using only a silhouette? It’s a fun, hands-on way to explore the theatrical power of "less is more."

4. The Urban Legend Circle

This is a collaborative writing and storytelling exercise that focuses on the specific structure of a good scary story.

• The Setup: Arrange the class in a circle, as if around a campfire.
• The Task: You will collaboratively build an urban legend from scratch. Each person will add one sentence to the story, but they must follow specific prompts that you call out. Start the story with a classic opening like, "You know that old abandoned diner on the edge of town? Well, they say..."
• Prompts to call out:
  • "Add a specific, strange detail." (E.g., "...and the clocks are all stuck at 3:13 AM.")
  • "Introduce a sound." (E.g., "That's when you hear a single fork tap against a plate.")
  • "Reveal a warning." (E.g., "The locals say you should never, ever order the chili.")
  • "End on a question." (E.g., "But if no one's been inside for 40 years... who's cooking?")
• The Payoff: This exercise teaches the craft of building suspense and structuring a narrative, all while creating a brand-new, custom-made ghost story for your class.