The weather is getting nippier and the leaves are changing color—autumn is upon us, and with the seasonal shift comes the impending Halloween holiday. Get into the ghoulish spirit by checking out some of the spookiest board game box art out there; then, seek out your own favorites, IF YOU DARE!!!…

Ghost Train

The lengths some of us thrill-seeking individuals will go in the hunt for the next great scare! Based on an amusement park ride, Ghost Train boasts some board game box art that hits all the most terrifying notes. A gargantuan collection of spiders, skeletons, bats and, well, some guy in a hood facing the wrong direction can be found looming over some innocent children who have obviously been petrified into appearing that they are having a good time. Clearly this is a lie: How could anyone see Dracula hanging from a Buick and find that amusing in any way? Prepare to find yourself awash in fear and confusion when gazing upon this board game box art and the two bonus, inset scenes of terror!

Séance: The Voice From the Great Beyond

Sometimes, the scariest thing imaginable is the thing you can’t see (and every horror movie agrees); the fear of the unknown trumps anything you might know. It’s this reason why the art for Séance remains so frightening. Depicting a simple living room set-up, the board game box betrays a sense of foreboding by depicting a hollow suit of armor, an enormous dollar bill and what appears to be a two-dimensional grandfather clock—something is not quite right. And it doesn’t end there: Much like a Magic Eye puzzle, the true nature of this scene reveals itself only after much staring and straining of the eye. Notice the words emanating from below the table, “My voice tells all.” What mysteries will this reveal? What spirits will conjure themselves when you start playing? Does the building have a roof? Questions without answers are horrific.

The Bloody Inn

Board games are often focused on big, splashy events—whether it’s the rise and fall of an empire, the colonization of far-flung planets or a focus on the bizarre inhabitants of a land made entirely out of candy. But we often forget the people who make those grand plot lines possible: For every building destroyed, there is a person collecting insurance money, for example. Which is why the fella depicted on the box art for The Bloody Inn inspires such horror. Having witnessed something too maleficent to behold, his facial expression betrays a feeling of true torment not even an asymmetrical hat can hide. He holds a lantern next to his heart as a ward against the evil currently renting a room at The Bloody Inn; as spectators, we can only shiver with fear and hope this man finds some peace in the stillness of the great beyond.

What is some board game box art that you find terrifying and/or strange?! Let us know in the comments!