Forget the cheesy club night. You can have so much more fun throwing your own spooky house party. Check out our guide to making the most out of your Halloween shindig.
So Halloween falls on a Monday this year - meaning the weekend is conveniently close. Wow! – perfect excuse to go out and get smasherooed at all these cool Halloween-themed club nights going on. WRONG. There are cool club nights going on every weekend. This is the perfect opportunity to throw a massive fancy dress party, show off those pumpkins, scare the trick-or-treaters (this time you will have an army of drunk people at your disposal - take that bratlets!) all in the comfort of your own home with time to clear up on Sunday. It's the obvious choice. So how to make your party the 'All Time Bestest Halloween Party Since Records Began?' Here are a few tips and ideas you are welcome to steal:
The Theme
'Halloween dur-brain!' I hear you cry. Well yes, but why not dress it up a bit (aha). Let's take it to the next level. We're talking a THEMED THEME here. For example:
• Malice in Wonderland (see above)
• Dead idols (e.g. Heath Ledger as The Joker, Patrick Swayze ...too soon? Floyd would be easy – bow tie, apron, bottle of wine)
• Vampire Chic (think Interview With A Vampire, Lost Boys, Twilight, True Blood)
• You Sick F*** (how low can you go? We're not going to dig ourselves a hole here but you might draw inspiration from news stories, horrible illnesses and mass tragedies)
• Wes Craven party (Nightmare on Elm Street, Vampire In Brooklyn, Scream, The Hills Have Eyes)
• Eco Halloween. Recycle any fancy dress costume and add a few rips and fake blood. e.g. Beach Party = dead surfer munched by shark. Hen Night = evil fairy/corpse bride. Tarts and Vicars = dead prostitutes and psycho priests.
The Set-Up
Scary costumes are going to look pretty silly against some chintz throws and a Nintendo Wii. Clear out all the cosy stuff, make a lot of room and let's get creepy.
• Lighting – No white lights if possible. If you have dimmers use them and if you can, get some red light bulbs and plenty of red/black candles (if in doubt head straight for your nearest goth shop).
• Incense. Not just for hippies. Also smells....evil.
• Pumpkins. Feeling creative? Check out extremepumpkins.com and try and make your own. We particularly like Baby-Eating Pumpkin.
ExtremePumpkins.com
• Have a loft? Leave it open for people to go up and scare themselves silly. Might need to make them sign an accident disclaimer.
• 'Dead bodies' or creatures in weird places. Nothing scares the shit out of someone like a dead body in the bath when you're taking a whizz. You'll need tights stuffed with newspaper for the head and clothes stuffed with newspaper for the body. Use a mask for the face and a wig for the hair. Alternatively make a dead body mummified in a spider's web. Add plastic spiders and a can of Raid for effect.
Food and Drink
• Food is a tricky one. Who can be bothered to cook when you've got so much else to think of? A very quick and simple recipe you might like to try when you still have the capacity to care is pumpkin and gorgonzola bruschettas. Just make sure you pre-bake your pumpkin it will make the process very quick on the night.
• Some form of evil punch is essential at any Halloween party. Here is a good 'bloody' punch recipe, you may care to call it something more jazzy like 'Satan's Brew':
Tequila/Vodka/Rum
Creme de Cassis
Freshly squeezed lime juice
Ginger ale
Bitter Lemon
Mix ingredients to required strength and serve in a bowl with ice.
Green also has a certain wrong je ne se quois to it. Mix Blue Curacao and Creme de Cassis (blue + red = green by jove!) with vodka.
Vodka
Creme de Cassis
Blue Curacao
Freshly squeezed orange juice
Lemon-lime mixer (like Sprite)
Add a fake eyeball or two if you can find them.
Music
• Obviously a personal choice but if you get stuck, you are more than welcome to use our Spoonfed spooky playlist.
• Sound effects. Another good way of scaring people in the bathroom is to leave some spooky sound effects like blood curdling screams playing on a loop. Visit: www.free-loops.com to download some eerie noises.
Phew! We're all out of ideas. Get inviting, get planning and don't buy any supplies off the internet that might not arrive in time.
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