Last Friday, Oct. 21, from 8 p.m. to midnight, Student Activities hosted a Murder Mystery Night in Crawford Hall in the Ehinger Center. Students arrived in groups of two to six people, or formed groups upon arrival, and selected a murder mystery tabletop game to play based on the number of people in their group. The games included Clue, Theft on the Mississippi, Body on the Boardwalk, The New Haven Case, Dead Man on the Orient Express, The Mysterious Museum, The House of Riddles and more puzzle-based mystery-solving games. Students also received goodie bags filled with all sorts of candy, as well as a mini magnifying glass and a small spiral-bound notebook for recording clues in their respective games.
Though most people arrived in casual clothes, some dressed up in costumes for the occasion. The event was energetic and full of the competitive fun of a family game night spiced up with spooky flair. Participants cheered when they uncovered a clue or shouted with each other as they raced to solve their whodunnit puzzle first.
Tables were each also topped with some candy, and Student Activities also provided pizza and juice for a late dinner.
“I thought it was a really fun time!” said Brynn McCarthy (’25). “I might be biased because Clue is my favorite board game ever, but it was a blast to put on my Sherlock Holmes cap and try to solve some mysteries. I’ll certainly go to the next one!”
At 10 p.m., the games were phased out, and they rolled out the projectors to play “Knives Out,” a 2019 murder mystery movie directed by Rian Johnson and featuring a star-studded cast including Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Daniel Craig and Ana de Armas. The movie played until the event ended at midnight. Although the tabletop game segment of the night had more attendees, the movie was thoroughly enjoyed by all who chose to stay. The quieter atmosphere was perfect for enjoying the edge-of-your-seat twists and thrills of the movie.
Overall, the Murder Mystery Night was a great success. It was an entertaining and fantastic night full of classic, brain-teasing tabletop and board games, a thrilling mystery movie and just the right combination of the spooky spirit of the Halloween season and raucous game night fun. And look out for Drew’s next spooky event, a Haunted House Night, this Friday, Oct. 28!
Featured photo courtesy of Chloe Gocher.
