Halloween isn’t just for kids. It also gives grown-ups an excuse to dress up and indulge in some spine-tingling amusement — and a Halloween party is the perfect way to get your crew together and howling like werewolves.
What other holiday lets you flex your creative muscles, suspend your disbelief, and pretend to be someone else for the evening? So this year, give everyone in your circle a memorable Halloween with a frighteningly fun themed party especially designed for adults.
Timeless Halloween haunts
These halloween themes never go out of style.
Mad Scientist’s Lab
Are you creating the next Frankenstein right in your home? You can keep your secret safe from your guests while still presenting the crazed atmosphere of a laboratory run amok. Marley Majcher, CEO of The Party Goddess, suggests saving all those glass spaghetti sauce jars and thrifting beakers or carafes. “Take those random jars and fill them with green-dyed water and an element like a plastic rat, spider, or random weird vegetable, like a turnip or cauliflower. Spray paint the lids to look rusted, and add tea-stained labels printed with macabre potion names.”
Creepy Carnival
From killer clowns to demonic fun houses, a circus or carnival theme is ripe for a frightening scene. “We call it carn-evil,” explains Laurie Camacho, owner of Party Planners LA. Serve up popcorn, corn dogs, and candy-covered pretzels, while giving guests a chance to play classic small-scale carnival games, such as ring toss and chicken chuckin’. Creep up the scene with lots of scary clown masks, skeletons dressed as carnival barkers, and, of course, loads of rubber rats. You can never have enough…
Old-fashioned Harvest Fair
Host a grown-up pumpkin festival without the lines or crowds. String up lights and battery-operated lanterns to set the mood, and use a fire pit for roasting sausage and making s’mores. Serve up fall classics like spiced apple cider and mulled wine. Create seating areas with hay bales topped with blankets, and use corn stalks, gourds, and plenty of pumpkins to give that rustic fall feel. Complete the night with a chili or soup bar with autumnal toppings like pumpkins seeds, along with a seasonal centerpiece.
Pirate Ghost Ship
Conjure up a nautical good time with skeletons decked out in pirate garb. Set a terror-filled tropical scene with palm plants covered in cobwebs, moving light displays that mimic the reflection of the ocean waves, and blue lights to create the feeling of being submerged. Paint shipping boxes to look like barrels, and add smoke effects for a creepy mist. A skeleton mermaid or ship’s wheel make the perfect centerpiece, but don’t forget to leave some “hidden treasure” for guests to find, such as Halloween cake pops and cookie favors.
Haunted Mansion
What could be spookier than an old abandoned mansion? You can create this haunted aesthetic, Majcher says, by repurposing vintage, chipped, and mismatched items, such as picture frames and china. “Take all those half-melted candles you have, put them in candlesticks, and spray paint them. Or craft pedestals out of a glass with a plate glued on top. Consider adding dripping ‘blood.’” Majcher says you can also make a display of dripping “candles” out of pool noodles, painted black and grouped together with twine, and topped with flickering electric tea lights. She also loves using a bar cart to create a haunted drink station, packed with spooky concoctions and decor.
Blockbuster Boo
Classic thrillers make great Halloween party themes.
“Beetlejuice” Bash
Bust out the black and white stripes and cemetery decor! Cut cardboard into the shape of bats and paint them black, and surround them with plenty of purple, green, and black balloons to echo the movie’s trademark colors. Include treats that pay homage to the titular character’s monochromatic wardrobe with some black-and-white-striped Belgian chocolate Oreos. And, of course, serve well-chilled shrimp cocktail and Chinese takeout to recreate the film’s memorable dinner scenes.
Ghoulish “Ghostbusters” Affair
Who ya gonna call? This classic ’80s comedy/horror offers plenty of creative fuel for a Halloween party. Play up the slime aesthetic with well-placed homemade goo in jars and bottles surrounded by “caution” tape. Add neon green balloons, stock up on “Stay Puft” marshmallows, and mix up some “Ecto Cooler” and Dana’s Demon Deviled Eggs. Flip over inexpensive margarita glasses and cover them with white shammy towels to instantly create ghost pedestals (just glue on black felt for eyes). Host a scavenger “ghost hunting” mission to collect clues to an otherworldly mystery you’ve conjured up. And don’t forget to include plenty of cute ghosts to discover!
Creature Feature
B-movie horror films from the ’50s and ’60s lend the perfect campy/creepy background for a monster-themed party. Project some classic flicks onto walls or screens, or stream them on TVs. Place fun monster pillows around, serve up Monster Dipped Strawberries, and give guests a surprise opening a Monster Explosion Gift Box. Keep the decor cheesy with rubber bats, plastic skeletons, and retro movie posters. Majcher likes to serve up throwback Shirley Temple drinks but with a twist. “Instead of adding the maraschino cherry juice first, put it in a syringe that sits in the drink so guests can squeeze in their own gore.”
Enchanted Sorcery
Harry Potter heads will love the chance to dress up as their favorite Hogwarts character. Camacho recently completed an outdoor Potter-themed party that included battery-operated candles hanging in the trees, like the ones in The Great Hall. She created the iconic red telephone booth with some paint and moving boxes. Casting spells works up quite the appetite, so while you’re screening one of the eight movies, give guests a hearty Hogwarts-style dinner with a comforting sampling of pot pies. Add some magic to the dessert table with a Harry Potter Explosion Box, which includes a chocolate cake!
Haunt Couture
A trendy Halloween party theme never goes out of style.
Witchy Wellness
Gather friends for an evening watching “Hocus Pocus” and infuse some self-care into the party. Create a cozy vibe with candles, ambient music, and lots of comfy places to unwind. Try your hand at some tarot readings or maybe a crystal healing session. Share some “healing potions,” such as herbal teas or intoxicating blood orange and sage vodka cocktails, along with sweet Halloween-themed treats. Guests can dress as witches or just wear an ugly Halloween sweater! Don’t forget to invite a Witchy Pooch and Purrfect Potions Cat to the festivities, and send guests home with some Witch’s Brew coffee.
Thank Goodness It’s “Wednesday”
Bring guests into your own version of Nevermore Academy with a gothic scene that’s straight out of “The Addams Family.” To give your space a true “Wednesday” aesthetic, Camacho says to introduce plenty of black and purple decorations, the spookier the better. “Add in a lot of mirrors, lots of candles…this theme can be more fun than scary.” Think creepy candelabras and black cauldrons to hold bowls of hummus and dip. Pair black preserved roses with lavender roses for a very Wednesday look.
Embrace an Eerie Era
Let an iconic time drive your Halloween party planning.
Cursed Decade
A haunted ’70s disco? Undead ’50s sock hop? Sixties hippie haunting? Each decade gives guests plenty of costume inspiration! Play music of the time period and reference popular horror movies from the decade to inspire your decorating.
Grave Affairs of the Heart
Love the demure aesthetic of the Regency era? Then invite your guests to a “Bridgerton”-style ball that has a dark side to it. Get inspired by the movie “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” and have your guests turn up as the understated undead bearing some well-placed zombie makeup. Or give your Austen-tatious party a haunting feel with headstones of your favorite characters, ghostly makeup, and “Phantom of the Opera”-style music. Just don’t forget the tea and crumpets.
Spooky Speakeasy
Feel like a fancy Halloween this year? Channel the ghost of Gatsby with all the opulence of the 1920s but with an eerie twist. Guests can dress like they’re back from the dead and still living their best Jazz Age life. Undead flappers, anyone? Display Art Deco-style pieces covered with cheesecloth and cobwebs, and play spooky-style jazz tunes. Mix up vintage cocktails with a classy kit, and serve an elevated menu of wild crab and shrimp cakes and grass-fed filet mignon.
AUTHOR
Jackie Rupp is a longtime writer and editor who enjoys covering home, family, and lifestyle topics. She usually writes with at least one cat by her side and juggles fostering kittens with dabbling in handmade crafts. A connoisseur of pancakes, you can find her brunching when not writing or working on home renovation projects.