It’s that time of year again! That’s right, Halloween season, which for some people, begins on October 1. This time of year is not just for kids, adults love to get dressed up and have fun too! From simple to full scale fear-stivities, here are some tips to host the perfect Halloween house party gathering. Below are some ideas to get you on the right path to making your event the best it will be!
Decide on Your Décor Theme
Although your event does not require a theme, having one makes it oh so much more fun!!! Whether you DIY or hire out, the idea is to have fun.
American Horror Story
This theme is one that I thought of as a fan of the show myself, I know other people have tried it, the series is great and has a lot of creepy themes inter-webbed into its own overall twisted story, and covers every single mentally disturbing aspect you can think of. There are plenty of characters to work with too!
Carnival
This theme can down right creepy with the clowns, the tents, and the freaks! You could rent pipe and drape to create a labyrinth, and have scary things happen inside, or create your own carnival games and give out prizes. Hire a fortune teller, magician, fire eater, belly dancers, or contortionists, anything and everything circus/carnival themed. Rent out some concession equipment too and serve up some Cotton Candy, Popcorn, Hot Dogs, Funnel Cakes, and Nachos! Inflatable Bounces Houses can be a lot of fun for you and your guests too! J-Dogs, Bounc4U, and Circus Time are both good resources for that, depending on your exact needs.
Day of the Dead
This is a fairly popular theme nowadays too. I have seen many props and décor at the art supply stores this year, as well as Target, and Walmart. You could have your guests dress up in skull face and use the bright festive fuchsia, aqua, lime, lemon, orange, and violet colors in your decorations as well as attire. Don’t forget to get your banners, paper flowers, and get or make a piñata and fill it up with all kinds of fun treats! A lot of those things can also be purchased at Party City too.
Dead Celebrities
Encourage your guests dress as the Actors, Actresses, Musicians, Comedians, even popular Sports figures or Politicians who have passed into the other realm. The décor can be as simple as your typical Halloween decorations, (skulls, spiders, pumpkins, bats, etc.) to a combination of more elaborate things like cemetery gate entryways and tomb stone markers with various celeb names on them, or even a “Dead Carpet Ceremony”, complete with creepy awards for the best Dead Celebs!
Tim Burton
This too is an awesome theme idea that is pretty cool, Tim Burton is an overall brilliant master artist, with films like Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, Edward Scissorhands, James and the Giant Peach, Beetlejuice, Sleepy Hollow, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Alice in Wonderland, and Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, just to name a few under his belt. The décor and character choices are pretty diverse, and could be a frighteningly creative atmosphere for your guests!
Walking Dead/Zombie
This too is a personal favorite, if you are a “Walking-Deadhead” like me, then this theme will be very easy to replicate. The props can be found in the Halloween and art supply stores like Michaels or AC Moore, or can be easily created if you are handy with some paint and tools. Guests could arrive dressed as “Rick Grimes”, “Michonne”, “Negan”, “Daryl Dixon”, or any of the other many badasses they choose, or simply come as a walker or undead character too! You could even add the “Fear The Walking Dead”, or even characters from other zombie flicks like “Shaun Of The Dead”, “Dawn Of The Dead”, “Dead Alive”, “Zombie Land”, “World War Z” group into this theme too if you want to!
Homemade décor
If you are crafty and creative with a glue gun, wood, fabrics, and some paint, you can create your own props, signage and décor for your event with ease. Get some ideas off of sites like Pinterest or just Google what you have in mind to start the creative process.
If you are not handy, or simply do not have time, here is a link to an excellent theme props company The Theme Factory they have an amazing array of props to rent for your event, as well as lighting, and SFX machines like fog and snow machines.
Hauntingly Perfect Invitation ideas
You can create your own invitations, or have your local print shop make them up for you and have them printed out. Of course you can always just Evite people too! I just happen to really love these invitations as a keepsake for your guests as well for a time they will remember well after the event has ended.
