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Fun Halloween Party Themes and Ideas

  • May 3, 2010 10:21 pm
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Halloween is the day of the year that has the most parties thrown in its honor. Everyone loves to dress up and attend Halloween parties with their friends. Most people end up getting several invitations to different Halloween parties that are often on the same night. If you are planning to throw your own Halloween party, how can you get all your friends to head to your shindig and not someone else’s? You need to come up with some unique and fun ideas that will get everyone on your list so excited about your party they won’t even consider going anywhere else.

Not Just Any Old Theme

Many people don’t bother thinking of a theme for their Halloween party since it seems to be somewhat of a theme already. But rather than just putting up some Happy Halloween banners and fake cobwebs, why not come up with a great theme party idea? You can do anything from a haunted house or graveyard to a monster mash or horror movie bash. Once you’ve chosen your theme apply it to everything from your invitations to your party food. Guests will love some guidance on what to dress up as, especially if you do something a little different.

Your Halloween party invitations are one of the most important aspects of your party. Invitations are the best way to get your guests excited about your party. Many people don’t even send invitations anymore so even sending out simple ones will help your party stick in people’s minds. Be sure to apply your party theme to your invitations. If you can’t find any invitations at your local party store that go with your theme you can always use invitation templates that you can download for free from the Internet.

You can totally customize invitation templates and add colorful pictures as well. Guests will love to receive these fun invitations in the mail. You should send your invitations out approximately three to four weeks before your party to give everyone time to make plans to attend. If you’re running short of time sending electronic invitations is a great idea too. You can add animation and sound to e-invitations and even check guest’s responses online. Be sure to contact anyone who doesn’t respond via telephone since not everyone checks their email often.

Everyone will expect to see your house decorated to the nines on Halloween so be sure not to disappoint. Your decorations should match your theme, so give them plenty of thought. For instance, a haunted house theme should be complete with low lighting, smoke, a spooky soundtrack, and even live ghouls to jump out and scare the guests as they arrive. A horror movie bash might include retro horror B-movie posters stuck on the walls which you can find on the Internet and print off at home.

Decorations can be found just about anywhere in the months leading up to Halloween. Even grocery stores carry a wide selection. Start shopping early so you can get the best selection possible and take advantage of any sales. If you can’t find just what you’re looking for you can always rent decorations from a local party supply shop or even purchase decorations from the Internet. The Internet has an almost endless selection and you can find just about any party supplies or decorations you’ll need.

Music is an important aspect of any party as well. While some spooky tunes are fun at first, you’ll want to switch over to some more upbeat music once the party gets going. People love to dance so have plenty of high energy songs ready to go. If you are inviting a variety of different people have several different types of music so no ones gets bored.

Tasty Halloween Treats

Food is an important part of any party. While you don’t need to provide a full meal, some creative and tasty snacks and treats will help keep your guests fueled for the night’s festivities. Turning simple party food into ghoulish culinary delights will surprise and please your guests. Try making some bewitching cupcakes, and put out snacks such as gummy worms and other Halloween candy treats.

Costumes are a given, since this is Halloween after all. If you are having a Halloween theme of some sort, let your guests know on your invitations that they should dress to fit the theme. For instance, if you’re throwing a horror movie bash, you can simply say, “come as your favorite horror movie star”. Don’t expect all your guests to comply with your request. Some people have been thinking up their Halloween costume since last year!

Don’t forget about the party favors! Depending on how many people you’re inviting and how much you’re willing to spend, the possibilities are endless when it comes to party favors. A simple idea is candy bags full of traditional treats such as candy corn. Something more substantial might be a pumpkin carving kit that comes with cutouts and tools. Your guests will love having a little something to take home with them.

Endless Costume Possibilities

If you really aren’t into the scary aspect of Halloween, you can always break with tradition and hold a different type of Halloween party. Have a famous couples party or a crazy hat party instead. Guests can still dress up but might be more creative then a white sheet with holes cut out of it. Dressing up for Halloween is something that both adults and kids can enjoy so great creative and have fun with it!

Having games at your party isn’t a necessity, but can be a great deal of fun for your guests. Games act as an excellent icebreaker if everyone doesn’t know each other. Any games where you can break people off into teams will help to get everyone talking. Pumpkin carving contests are a good idea, as is bobbing for apples. Be sure to give a prize to the best costume as well.

Your Halloween party is sure to be a success if you take the time to plan. Leave yourself plenty of time and don’t forget it’s all the little details that help to make a fabulous party. Enlist the help of family and friends if you’re feeling overwhelmed, and remember, planning is half the fun!

Fun Halloween Party Themes and Ideas

Where to Find the Best Halloween Night Theme Party

  • April 19, 2010 3:21 pm

Looking for an excuse to party? Halloween night presents one of the best opportunities for creative party planning. You may choose a generic “Halloween” theme or you may opt for a more specific theme from a horror movie, such as a pirate theme, a zombie theme or a Renaissance vampire theme. Once you’ve got a basic idea, the Halloween decorations, music, food and games will all fall into place. Oh, and don’t forget to align your music selection and costume design with your theme as well!

Comedian (“Strangers with Candy”) and Entertainer Extraordinaire, Amy Sedaris, recommends hosting a Halloween Night Movie Party. “The fun of the party to me is the movie I’m featuring,” says Sedaris, who personally recommends classics like Dracula and Frankenstein, Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte, The Trilogy of Terror, The Bad Seed, and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Of course, there are countless movies from which to choose. To create the in-home theater, she moves the TV to the center of the room and arranges cushy beanbag chairs and furniture around it so everyone can see.

Then she places food trays around the room in accessible spots. She serves meatloaf, mashed potatoes and corn because “you don’t have to see it to eat it” and she also highly recommends pumpkin pie dessert and pumpkin seed snacks. She likes to start the Halloween fun with a pumpkin carving activity too.

Drinks can include a Bloody Mary, a Berry Rum Punch, Sangria or a witch’s brew. Sedaris also recommends sending out invitations that look like a movie ticket or film reel, draping red velvet around the room, playing elevator muzak, setting up 25-cent concessions booths and throwing a few of the more traditional Halloween decorations around. “Entertaining alone is one of the most creative and rewarding experiences I can think of,” she concludes.

Perhaps you’d like to plan a formal Halloween Night Dinner Party. This is a great idea and works well if you’d like to make it a themed event. For instance, you could request that everyone dress up as pirates or in turn-of-the-century vampire/Renaissance costumes. For the best results, do a little research ahead of time and find adult costume sites to direct your guests to visit. HGTV has some good “eerily elegant” Halloween decorations recommendations for you at “Hgtv” and “Epicurious” offers a full selection of Halloween recipes for you to choose from. Your food should be planned out, from the appetizers and drinks to a main course and desserts, served up in themed kitchenware for the most memorable dinner.

Still wondering where to look for Halloween Night inspiration? HGTV has a great “eerily elegant” party planner on their site, located at “Hgtv”, which gives you advice on stylish Halloween decorations and menus ranging from “dreadfully decadent desserts” to ghoulish grill outs.” The website, “Epicurious”, is noted for their comprehensive holiday planning menus as well.

For more Halloween decorations, check out “Fright Catalog” or “Old Fashion Halloween” for more ideas. If you’re stumped on costume design, then consider “Costumzee”, “Buycostumes” or “Halloween-Mask” for creative ideas. As with anything, becoming a master party planner takes time. It might be easiest to begin with a desserts or movie party this year and gradually add new elements as the years go by.

Where to Find the Best Halloween Night Theme Party

Creepy Halloween Party Decorations For an Adult Halloween Party

  • April 11, 2010 11:21 am

When done right, good Halloween party decorations and props can give your adult guests genuine chills they’ll remember long after the party. One of the most effective ways to give your decor more psychological impact is to choose a theme. A coherent theme helps set the mood better than a collection of random decorations.

Straight Out of a Horror Movie

If you’re a movie buff, this theme will be easy to create. Say your favorite scary movie is Psycho. Set up your entry way to look like the lobby of the Bates motel, complete with guest book. In the living room, dress up a corpse or skeleton prop as the late Mrs. Bates. And don’t forget to put the remains of poor Marion Crane in the shower. With the horror movie set theme, details really help. Using the Psycho theme as an example, you might hang a lenticular changing portrait in your living room and label it “Mother.”

Haunting Ghosts

Even those who claim they “don’t believe in ghosts” still get a little spooked by seemingly paranormal activity when the mood is right. To really rock the ghost theme, don’t skimp on your ghost decorations and props. Hanging bed sheets won’t cut it. What you want, at least for your most visible ghosts, are specters that look like they used to be human. It’s the twisted faces, pale skin and hollow eyes that really creep people out. If you have some room in your Halloween decorations budget, look into a ghost illusion prop. These project semi-transparent, 3-D figures that look disturbingly realistic. Ghost illusion DVDs will get you a similar effect cheaper.

A Night with the Devil

This is another theme that’s more about chills than gore. To get the most out of this theme, set up a devil prop that’s as life-like as you can find. Place him where your guests will be spending most of their time, whether that’s in the living room or outside around a bonfire. To compliment your devil, pick up some ghouls and demons. Decent motion- or sound-activated animated demons can be found for less than $30. Hang up a few winged demons and leave standing ones lurking in dark corners. Placing one outside on a window ledge looking in also creates a nice creepy effect.

Creepy Halloween Party Decorations For an Adult Halloween Party