Halloween Party Ideas

Party Ideas for Halloween

The key to the success of any party depends on creating the right mood and the right ambience at the right time. And a theme driven party like that of the Halloween is no exception to this as well. So plan beforehand. Are you going to keep it a simple fun party? Or do you wish to make it a fun party filled with scary ideas? Or do you want to give your guests a creepy feel alongside the fun element? If you are at a loss, don't worry. We are here to help you.

Here are some theme ideas you could suggest to your guests:

Start right from the point of invitation. While the theme is frightful, things should be made for sheer fun of your guests. The atmosphere might have a spooky touch. Yet everything should be in a lighter vein, that is, the fun element should be definitely there. While decking the whole of the house or only the party room with traditional Halloween themes, like Jack-o-Lanterns, trick or treat candy boxes, paper skeletons, carved pumpkins are usual, be innovative in your presentation, for this is what goes on to impress your guests a long way.

Unleash your imagination right from the sending of invitation card to seeing them off. The invitation card may be shaped like a spread winged bat, a goblin, or a phantom's mask or in the shape of a skull. It may feature any character from any of the ghost movies.
You can also take help from our Halloween humor page to prepare a fun open quiz for your guests, and read out the answers for pure fun. The newer the approach, the better it is.

For a simple Fun Party :

Ask your guests to come dressed in a costume that suits the desired atmosphere. If it is a historic theme party wrap yourself with some medieval period jackets with golden buttons and wigs and foiled sticks as the swords. If it doesn't go with your persona, dress in a lavish Victorian ball gown or as a can-can dancer for a reception. Supply the partygoers with hats and other gears to wear at the door. But make sure that none of the costumes look out of place.

If you are an admirer of curry westerns, you can base your themes on them. If it is a theme from the Western paste characters like Django, or Dirty Harry or any of the favorite heroes on the invitation cover and feature western decor and costumes. You could hand out tin foil sheriff's stars and tiny Western hats. You could also ask your guests to dress as outlaws or cowpunchers, native Indians or preachers or Sunday school teachers.

You can also dress in a legend's attire. Say, for instance, the likes of Elvis Presley, Jim Morrison, or John Lennon. You could ask your guest to dress like those in the era of Rock 'n Roll. Think poodle skirts, cool cars, sock hops. Or early rock 'n roll stars wearing suits and thin ties! Even wigs can be sported liberally.

You can also suggest your guests to dress in colonial times complete with powdered wigs and rich embroidered fabrics, tights and buckled shoes. This is a popular party idea.

For a Scary Party :

If the theme is a scary one, you can send out a bat or coffin or vampire or Frankesteine (or his bride) shaped invitations. Decorate your house with cobwebs, coffins, bats, skeletons and bugs! Ask your friends to come dressed as their favorite movie monster. Like a vampire looking dastardly with the hidden fangs and tiny drops of blood at the corner of the mouth. Count Dracula and Lady Vampire are the obvious favourites for such a party.

The setting should gel with the theme. Use dark interior, like deep red flooring. Cover your walls with red, blue or bottle green. Illuminate the hall or room with dark colored microwatts. Use plenty of dry ice, cob webs, plastic bats stuck on the walls or hanging loose from the ceiling. Dark curtains can be a good idea.

For a dramatic effect keep the door of the party room shut until all the guests arrive. Lead them to the door front and open the door of the pre-decked room. You could also use timer lights and sound effects like screeching door, blood curdling howls of werewolves, or the grinning of witches taped in your sound system. Don't forget to keep the remote hidden in your palm so that guests cannot guess what is going to happen. An element of suspense is a must in such parties.


For a Creepy Party :

Wanna have a creepy party? Why not paint the face like the face of a famous dead celeb, or use masks of a skull, a witch or a fanged red eyed vampire? Or you could use an all white robe and white long gloves. Ask your guests to come dressed in creepy characters according to their choice. That way, you won't have to rack your brains for the whole costume part.

Masks are a great way to build up the atmosphere. Sling spooky masks from the walls. You could also fill your party room with elegant china and silver, candle bras, trays filled with fake pearls and jewels, drapes of fancy fabric from the fabric store. Use candles and soft lights, or shaded lamps in a way that creates longer than usual shadows. The party will indeed be creepy with the use of colored lightings, potted plants covered with dark colored robes. You can also use candles for a creepier ambience. Ask your guests to talk in a very soft or whispering voice for the first ten minutes or so. You could also use a creepy music as a final touch.
Serve food in trays and on tables that match with the party mood. And arrange for some competition like story telling, the spooky ones of course, and award the scariest one. Or a separate 'ghost-as-you-like' costume contest. Finally make sure that everyone leaves the place content with a fun filled heart. Make sure that your scary party doesn't scare the kids. Never forget that in the end, you want to let your guests have some fun, not scare the hell out of them.


Ghosts and Goblins Party :

Give your guests a chilling feel with a Ghosts and Goblins party! You can improvise your garage or your backyard into either a haunted house or a scary cemetery. Remember, the party should not be anything less than frightening.

Invitations :

1. Make masks from stiff cardboard, cut to fit the faces. Decorate the masks with puff paints, sequins, stickers and feathers to turn them into whatever you like- Frankestein, Wolfman, Freddy, Jason and what not? Write the party details on the other side of the masks. Attach an elastic string through holes on either side of each mask. Send the masks to guests for an inviting scare. Have the guests wear their masks to the party. That itself will build up half the atmosphere.

2. For added fun, fill the invitation envelopes with a few plastic bugs, ants, or gummy worms.


Graveyard Cake :

To give a spooky touch to your party, you can make this easy dish. The steps are easy enough.

1. Bake a chocolate cake; cool.
2. Top with softened chocolate wafer cookies to look like finely ground dirt and sprinkle over ice-cream.
3. Stick lolly snakes into the cake, half-in and half-out.
4. Stick oval cookies into the cake to make gravestones. Write funny names on the "graves" with piping bags.
5. Refreeze before serving so the ice cream doesn't melt.


Costumes

1. Ask the invitees to come dressed as a favorite monster, creepy creature or bad guy.

2. Award prizes for all kinds of costume categories, such as Scariest, Funniest, Hardest to Make, Hardest to Wear, Most Creative, Most Authentic, Most Disgusting and so on. That will serve to increase the fun.

3. When the kids arrive, provide them with sheets of colored crepe paper, tape, string and a stapler, and let them design their own costumes. That will let them have the fun as well as engage them in a constructive way, saving you a bad headache.

Decorations :

1. Create a haunted house in the garage or party room. Cover the windows with black paper and set up scary stations. Have the guests weave through the haunted house one at a time.

2. Set up a Mad Scientist Laboratory. Have someone dress as a Frankenstein monster and lie on a table among bubbling concoctions (use dry ice and colored water in clear bowls). Add kitchen utensils, such as tongs, basters and a garlic press, to serve as bizarre scientific instruments.

3. Make a Deadbody Storehouse. Dress friends as accident victims, with torn clothes and fake blood and scars. Have them lie on the floor and come to life from to time, by sitting up, grabbing a passing foot or something.

4. Make a Witches Cauldron. Dress the witches in long, grey wigs and black dresses, color their fingernails black, black out a tooth or two and have them stir a cauldron with a broom. Inside the cauldron place wet noodles or jelly.


Last but not the least, don't take too much pressure. Enjoy yourself. Just Chill!