BOO! Are you easily scared? If not, then it is time to plan the spookiest Halloween party ever. We’ve got all the details you need to get started – all you need to do is gather the easily spooked mortal souls!
Choose your theme
You don’t necessarily have to choose a theme for your Halloween party, but doing so can give some uniformity and fluidity to your decorations, costumes, and entertainment. A few of the creepiest theme ideas for 2017 are:
- Mystery party – This could be your own version of a Clue-type party or a whodunit adventure among your guests.
- Horror movie – Choose a horror movie and transform your space into the movie set! For example: It, Saw, Annabelle, Child’s Play,
- Vampires – This is a great theme if you can get your guests to participate in it. Having a tent full of vampires all sipping a deep red adult beverage will be sure to spook any passerby.
- Creepy crawlers – While many people fear monsters, there are much more scared of bugs. In fact, they can make your skin crawl. Decorate with spider webs, moving creatures, and lots of creepy crawlers. (Even add them to your ice cubes and food!)
Invite those who will participate
Not everyone is into Halloween. Those who aren’t, may not consider attending or, if they do, may not be good sports. What kind of fun would that be? Make your invitee list and check it twice for those you know will add to your party and help make it Spooktacular!
Take it outdoors
Which is scarier: being behind locked doors inside or being exposed outdoors in the dark? Exactly! Outside at night is much scarier. Therefore, you need to have an outdoor Halloween party. You never know what the weather may do and you are going to be putting a lot of time and effort into your spooky decorations, so make sure to rent a tent.
Tents come in all shapes and sizes and can keep you and your guests protected from the outdoor elements while also letting you enjoy the crisp weather that this time of year brings.
Set the stage with lighting and fog
Bright lights at a Halloween party? No way! You will need soft lighting – perhaps lanterns, candles (the flameless type), or even soft colored lighting. Combine the lighting with a fog machine. You don’t need a lot of fog – just enough to set the stage for a scary night.
Play Creepy sounds
Place small speakers throughout your tent and the surrounding outdoor area. Use them to play creepy sounds that will make the hair on your guests’ necks stand up. Make sure the sounds are low enough to sound real and get your guests asking, “Did you hear that?!”
Make scary food
There are many creative ways to involve food in your decorations. Check out these freaky bites:
- Deadman fingers (little bite-size finger sandwiches)
- Jack-o-lantern stuffed peppers (orange bell peppers stuffed with all kinds of goodness!)
- Monster Munch (a mixture of popcorn, Reese’s Pieces, candy corn, and chocolate drizzle)
- Candy apples (instead of the usual stick, use a tree branch)
- Halloween Jello Shots
- Spooky Cheese Fingers (a Halloween take on mozzarella sticks)
Build a haunted house
Tent rentals come with a wide-open space that allows you to decorate in any manner you wish. If you have the open space, why not build a haunted house? You can build it out of black garbage bags and rope or make your guests crawl through cardboard boxes. Make it twist and turn and make sure there are plenty of scares along the way. You may even hire friends to get into character for your party guests – to add some additional scare through their haunted house journey.
Homemade haunted houses don’t have to be big and they don’t have to be over-filled. After all, most people get spooked just waiting for the next scary thing to happen. They walk through on pins and needles, never knowing when it will.
Use your monster imagination and create a little fun adventure for your guests that will keep them entertained – and screaming out loud!
Plan unexpected guests
As the party is carrying on, plan to have a surprise guest or two. These costumed characters will fit your theme and show up in character to scare the living daylights out of your guests. For example, if you are having a murder mystery party, maybe have what appears like the murderer show up unexpectedly – when everyone wouldn’t think anyone else would be arriving. This character would walk in and draw attention to himself (or herself).
Or, you could have a group of clowns or a group of vampires. Whatever you choose, remember they are there for an entertainment purpose.
Include ghostly entertainment
Speaking of entertainment, you are going to need some. Halloween parties are not really the time for playing Twister or Monopoly, but setting up some form of entertainment could give your guests something to chat about as they mingle with one another.
- Having a fortune teller could prove to be entertaining.
- How about a costume contest?
- Another idea is using a projector to show (silently) old horror movies and monster movies.
Give out party favors
No matter what type of party you have, guests like to go home with something. This holds true for Halloween parties, too. So, make sure you are prepared with party favors. To give you some ideas, check these out:
- Fill small bottles with little candies and name them things, such as arsenic, wart grow, vampire blood vitamins, rat tails, etc.
- Have a table of small pumpkins and all sorts of decorating tools. Let your guests decorate his or her own pumpkin – and then take it home.
- Candy-filled balloon pumpkins.
Halloween parties can be as scary as you want them to be. By following these 10 steps, you will be able to plan the spookiest Halloween party that will keep your friends talking year after year.