Halloween Party

Party Basics

Your party may be for Halloween, but you still need to have the basics in place. You will want to invite your guests at least two weeks before the party; if you are holding your bash on the actual holiday, you should let people know about your bash three to four weeks ahead. Ask your guests to RSVP at least a week ahead so that you know how much food and drink to have on hand.

Plan your decorations ahead of time, since people expect a truly spooky venue on this scary holiday. At the very least, you need some spider webs, pumpkins and cauldrons to hold your snacks. Remember that this dark event is all about mood and lighting. You can substitute a black light bulb for a regular one in most fixtures for an eerie look that will make white items glow; a red bulb will provide a spooky, bloody look. Candles are great as long as you can place them out of the way, where they will not prove a hazard to costumes or decorative elements.

What else can you do to ensure the success of your spooky gathering? Put lights or jack-o-lantern luminaries along the pathway to your front door. Invest in a little dry ice and drop chips of it into drinks as you serve your guests. Want to get everyone in the mood to party as soon as they walk in the door? Hand out inexpensive vampire fangs to your guests as they arrive.

Halloween Party Ideas

Certainly Halloween is enough of a theme for your party, but if you want to have a truly stand-out gathering, you may want a supplemental theme. Try some of these unique flavors for your next Halloween party.

Mad Scientist's Lab Party

Mad scientists have played a critical part in horror history, bringing us Frankenstein's monster, Mr. Hyde and an assortment of mutant monsters. Don your lab coat and turn your Halloween party space into a creepy laboratory with just a few additions:

• "smoke" or "fog": You can rent a fog machine from a party rental store. You can also purchase cans of "smoke" that can be sprayed in the room prior to the party. It lingers for a couple of hours.
• lab equipment: Strategically place some evil looking tools, nuts, bolts, Bunsen burners, beakers and chains around your counters. Use a hot plate to display bubbling green liquid (a little food coloring in water works wonders) and top it all off with some spider webs and a standup Frankenstein.
• experimental food and drinks: Even if you plan to serve party basics, you can give everything a lab feel with some simple twists. Serve lime jello shots for a great lab beverage. Coat your popcorn with grated parmesan cheese to which you have added a little green or purple food coloring. Serving buffalo wings? Make sure everyone knows they actually came from tiny mutant buffalo.

Area 51 Party

Looking for some classic alien fun at your Halloween party? Turn your home into Area 51 and give your guests their very own alien encounter with these party ideas.

• Place small toy UFOs on strings hanging from the ceiling; Invest in a few inflatable aliens to place around the room.
• Want to do your own alien autopsy? Fill a silver balloon with jello, using a funnel. Tie it closed, place it on a "gurney" (a countertop or table will work), cover around it with sheets and get ready to slice into the goo when everyone has arrived.
• Get tiny plastic babies and mason jars. Place each baby in a jar, fill it with water, add a drop of food coloring and seal. Place them in rows on shelves or the mantle.
• Periodically "abduct" your guests and take them to another secret party room. (Make sure the secret room has a fully stocked bar!)
• Make sure to play some eerie space music.

Classic Halloween Themes

Of course, there are hundreds of Halloween themes you can use for your party. Find inspiration in classic horror movies, your favorite fantasy, horror or science fiction characters or even an animated Halloween classic like Nightmare Before Christmas.

Some additional Halloween party theme ideas include:

• Nightmare on Elm Street party
• Friday the 13th party
• Arachnophobia party (spiders, spiders, spiders)
• Insane asylum party
• The Birds party
• Pumpkin carving contest party
• Body parts party
• Ghostbusters party
• Day of the Dead party
• Zombie party
• Shaun of the Dead party

Whatever you choose, planning your Halloween party doesn't have to be the scary part!