How to Throw a Halloween Party

Calling all ghosts, goblins and things that go bump in the night. Here's everything you need to know to transform your home into a haunted house and bewitch your guests with deliciously scary treats.

Things You'll Need

• Black construction paper
• Scissors
• Tape
• Carved pumpkins
• White sheets
• Lilies (optional)
• Dry ice
• Tape recorder
• Spooky noises
• Orange and black plates and napkins
• Orange and black candles
• Food and drink
• Trick or treat bags with goodies
• Cauldron for red fruit punch
• Black lights
• Fake spider webs
• Invitations
• Styrofoam sheets
• Black paint

Instructions

1. Decide on a date for your Halloween party. Unless you're in an area that never gets trick or treaters, it's probably best to avoid October 31 and hold the party a few days earlier. If you do hold it on Halloween and are inviting adults who have young children, you either need to invite the little ones to attend, too, or accept that the parents will probably decline in order to take their brood trick or treating.

2. Send out your invitations at least three weeks in advance. This will allow your guests plenty of time to figure out what costumes they will wear. If you're the creative sort, you can make your own invitations and print them out on commercial card stock or purchase ready-made Halloween invitations at any stationery or party supply store.

3. Hang fake spider webs throughout your entryway and the rooms where guests will be mingling. Cut out giant spiders from the black construction paper and position them in the draped webs. Use the rest of the black construction paper to cut out silhouettes of witch hats, bats and cats. Tape these to the walls.

4. Cut out "tombstones" from sheets of Styrofoam purchased at craft stores. Using the black paint, label them with funny names and inscriptions. If the weather isn't wet or windy the night of the party, you can position them against trees and bushes. If the weather turns ugly, position them around the party area.

5. Carve pumpkins with scary faces. If your drawing abilities are better than your carving skills, you can also paint them. Your neighborhood grocery store may even carry painted pumpkins which will save you yet another step in party preparation.

6. Use black lights to create a particularly spooky effect. These can be purchased at a hardware store.

7. Record spooky sound effects on a tape recorder. These would include things like bloodcurdling screams, cackling laughter, chains rattling, loud moans and wolf howls. During the month of October, you should also be able to find commercial recordings of Halloween background music.

8. Drape your largest pieces of furniture with white sheets. Place candles and lilies in strategic locations to project the atmosphere of a funeral parlor.

9. Visit some of the Halloween themed websites listed at the end of this article for ideas on spooky foods to serve. Make a batch of red fruit punch and serve it out of a cauldron.

10. Use dry ice in your entryway to create an eerie, otherworldly realm as your guests arrive.

11. Prepare trick-or-treat bags to give to your guests as a thank you for coming to the party.

Tips & Warnings

• Fake spider webs (the spray-on kind) can be found at stores that sell party supplies and novelty items. If there isn't a store near you, you can also make your own spider webs out of cotton batting.

• Items such as plastic skulls and skeletons are available at craft and party stores.

• A centerpiece made of skulls or shrunken heads is pretty scary.

• Never leave burning candles unattended. Candles should also be placed at sufficient distance from costumed guests.

Resources

• Party Halloween website
• Halloween ideas
• Source for sound effects