How to Decorate for a Halloween Party

A classic American holiday, Halloween is the perfect time for a party, and the perfect time to go all out on party decorations that will make your guest laugh or scream!

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Food items for body parts
• Fake cobwebs
• Talecloths
• Man's shirt, tissue paper for dead body
• Placesettings
• Balloons
• Orange, black and white construction paper
• Candles
• Banners
• Pumpkins

Set the Halloween Mood With Decorations

1. Use the Halloween colors of orange, black and white for every aspect of the party decorations. From paper goods to banners and centerpieces to wall hangings, nothing says "the Halloween party's here" than the liberal use of Halloween colors.
2. Decorate your party with all manner of Halloween motifs. Use black construction paper to cut silhouettes of witches, jack-o-lanterns, black cats, bats and ghosts. Make banners with Halloween messages and signs pointing to funny or creepy places.
3. Feature props as a highlight of your haunted Halloween party. Try a dead body made from a ripped open stuffed shirt with touchable guts made from spaghetti. Use grapes, Jello, hot dogs and liver for other body parts. Or set out bowls of the "parts," with labels to let your guests know what they're touching.
4. Blow up several balloons with helium, tape pieces of white cloth on top and draw in eyes for scary floating ghosts.
5. Get bags of cotton batting or pre-made "cobwebs" from a party store and string them all about the party area. Add plastic spiders to some of the webs, and put webs in unexpected corners where they're sure to give your guests a fright!
6. Create a centerpiece with a carved jack-o-lantern and candles. Set the jack-o-lantern in the middle of the plate and then surround it with small tea lights that will melt and drip in creepy patterns.
7. Set a table or buffet with paper tablecloths, plates, cups and napkins and plastic silverware, all in mix-and-match Halloween colors. Toss some Halloween-shaped confetti amongst the place-settings. Set out bowls of gross-out candy like eyeballs, gummy worms and gummy bugs.
8. Spook party goers with dim lighting, candlelight and fog from a smoke-machine or dry ice. Smoke-machines are the affordable and safe solution for this effect, as dry ice cannot be handled with bare hands.
9. Don't forget about the exterior areas and walkways of your party. Wouldn't it be nice for your guests to start getting the creeps before they even enter your party? Buy or make tombstones, scarecrows and witches, hide speakers oozing eerie music, and last but not least, place a leering, candlelit jack-o-lantern next to your door.

Tips & Warnings

• Decorate your Halloween party with a combination of store-bought and homemade decorations. Purchase things like paper goods, confetti, spider webs and serving dishes and get creative with the rest.

Who Can Help:

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