Murder Mystery Party ideas

I am organizing a Murder Mystery Party for my In-Laws 50th Wedding Anniversary.  My Mother-In-Law loves to read and watch murder mystery shows.  Does anyone have any good ideas they can share with me.  Thanks for your help.

If it’s your first time hosting a murder mystery party, I would suggest buying a prepackaged kit.  Just for an example, here’s the first one that came up at Amazon when I search for murder mystery kit - Murder Mystery Party - A Taste for Wine and Murder.  But these kits take a lot of the stress out of planning by providing the plot and themed food suggestions.

I don’t know what your budget is, but you should look into local theater groups/troupes. Some may have a murder mystery option, where they come to your location, set up everything and then lead everyone through the mystery.

Are you a good writer? Can you come up with a full-scale mystery on your own? If not, I agree with the previous poster who suggested a kit.

If you don’t care how “adult” the mystery is, you could hit the library for some pre-teen Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective books. These books offer cute, simple scenarios you could easily turn into a little mystery with a little editing and a few “actors” (friends/family).

Thanks for your ideas.  I will definitely purchase the game.  I know that everyone is really excited, so I am sure it will be a lot of fun.  I really hope the guests really get into the game and dress up for the part.

Don’t forget to take lots of pictures! I’m sure that this will be an anniversary which your in-laws will want to enjoy over and over after the party. A memory book or electronic picture frame loaded with the photos might be a special after-party gift. Have a great time.

Christine, your comment about hoping everybody dresses up gave me the idea that you should provide a “costume kit” for every guest that will be participating in the murder mystery.  I’m thinking simple things like a feather boa for the femme fatale or an eyepatch to give menace to a potential culprit.  You could pass out the accessories along with any information you have to provide about their roles in the mystery.

Thank you Susan and Lorie.  I love your ideas.  I will definitely do the after party gift.  The costume kit is a great idea.  That will help the guest to really get into their role.  I am so excited now.  The party is on June 21st.  I will let you know how it goes.

Hi Lorie, Amy, and Susan,

I wanted to thank you again for all your suggestions.  We moved our party to yesterday the 28th and it turned out so good.  Everyone had such a great time and it was so funny.  We ended up having 40 guests, so it was challenging finding the right Murder Mystery game.  I found one on-line which involved 10 main cast members and then the rest of the guests were detectives.  We asked the main characters to come in costume and then we supplied the props.  We had a prop room and cast member room to organize the game.  I was the director who kept it moving and told the cast where to do each scene.  It was not always done correctly, but that is what made it so funny.  One of our friends who had the biggest part actually had tears in his eyes when he thanked my Mother-in-law for letting him be a part of the play.  Our camera broke, but we found someone else who was our photographer.  She took some great pictures of the party and the whole cast ensemble, so I will be putting together a memory book.  Thanks again for all your great ideas.  It was definitely a night we will never forget.

That’s so great to hear Christine!  It sounds like everyone had a great time and the experience was everything you hoped it would be.  I’m curious how you decided which ten guests would be the cast members.  Did you choose relatives or select guests outgoing personalities or something else?  Did anyone you ask actually not want to do it?

Hi Lorie,

Well, the hard part was that we needed more men then women.  I started by reading the personality of the character and then I tried to match that personality with one of our guests.  We ended up with friends and relatives as cast members.  There was only one guest that was not told by his wife that he had a part.  They ended up showing up late.  I was concerned, so I asked someone else if they would be willing to join the cast.  He said he would and he did a great job.  Everyone was more than willing and dressed for the part.  I just found out this morning that one of the cast members had such a good time, that she is going to host a Murder Mystery Party with a group that she regularly gets together with.  It was definitely a success.  I highly recommend this type of party.

Wow Christine, it sounds like you had a terrific party! Is there anything you would have done differently? I’m sure that your thoughts would really help someone who is considering this type of party. Maybe your thoughts could help another reader.

Hi Susan, I am sitting here camping with my family, who were all involved in the party.  We are collectively giving our feedback.  It is important if you are going to have a Murder Mystery Party, to make sure you plan in advance.  Make sure you pick your cast members and send them information two weeks before the party.  Have the cast members confirm back that they accept the role and make sure you have a backup plan in case they are unable to fulfill their commitment.  I would highly suggest that you ask your cast members to study their script in advance.  It made it pretty funny when they made mistakes, due to lack of preperation.  I think it would, however, be better if they would know their script.  It is also important to make sure you have the props organized in a prop room for easy access.  Make sure they know how to use the props.  You will also want to have a director.  Someone needs to know where the cast members should stand and what props they should be using.  The other conscensous is that you need to make sure you have a big enough area and air conditioning if it is really hot.  We had to fit 40 people in a medium size house when it was 90 degrees outside.  All in all it turned out to be a great party!

Christine,
Thanks so much for taking the time to tell us all your thoughts about the party! It sounds like everyone had lots of fun. Your suggestions will certainly help anyone planning their own murder mystery party. I’m sure it would have made for a smoother party if everyone had more time to study their roles; however, I’m sure the mistakes made for great fun! The Director and air conditioning sound like great ideas!