How to Host a Tactful Halloween Dinner Party

Your centerpiece should give an eery feel- like this photo.

Many adults enjoy the creepiness of Halloween. For some, just a suggestion of creepiness without the garish costumes and screaming candy bowls is more fun. A dinner party is the perfect adult event for Halloween. A tactful Halloween dinner party allows adults to enjoy Halloween in a calm, creepy, non-gross way.

Things You'll Need

• Plates Placemats Napkins Wine Glasses Flatware Twigs Spray paint (black) Styrofoam Fake cobwebs Small crystal beads

Instructions

1. Create a centerpiece using twigs that you spray paint black. Place four black twigs of equal height in a block of Styrofoam four inches wide and 12 inches long. Stretch fake cobwebs over the twigs and place some clear crystals in the cobwebs.

2. Buy black woven place mats and place them on the table for each place setting. If you can not find black placemats, buy any woven mat and paint it black. Do not use plastic.

3. Place white linen napkins on the table and use thick silver ribbon as a napkin ring. Silver and black ribbons will work also.

4. Place clear glasses with red wine in them in front of each placemat. The glasses can be short for a more Gothic look, or they can be normal stemware.

5. Put white or silver plates on top of the black place mats and add any silver flatware. Your entire table should be black and silver. Creepy and elegant.

Ambience

1. Make DVDs filled with black and white horror movies or film noir from the 50s and 60s. Cult classics by Edward Wood or William Castle are perfect. Make one DVD for every room your guests will access in your home. Turn the televisions on in each room and put the DVDs in and play them without sound.

2. Find some smoky jazz music to play throughout your home that has a noir feel to it. The sound track to, "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me" is a good example.

3. Use a fog machine on a low setting close to the floor to create a spooky mist.

Tips & Warnings

• Serve fun food such as pumpkin soup served in hollowed out mini pumpkins.

• If you use candles, be sure to keep them out of reach of children and pets.