Jack-o'-lanterns, witch hats and ghosts are all classics for a Halloween party. But we've been working late these nights to bring you a Halloween party idea full of frights: a mad scientist lab party! After all, who could resist test tubes filled with treats and a funny specimen jar tutorial that'll leave your guests cackling?

This frightful lab party is plenty creepy (think: punch with bloodshot eyeballs!) but with enough sweet treats to cover the tabletop—from gummy worms in coffins to monster popcorn balls—and keep your guests happy...and, OK, a little bit haunted!
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So, get ready to serve some tricks and treats with this delightfully frightful Halloween lab party. Without further ado, let's get mixing and mad scientisting!

Things You'll Need
Clear glass jars in various shapes and sizes
Sharp scissors
Clear contact paper or laminator
Printer
Faux fur
Neon green food coloring
Plastic eyeballs
Drill and 3/16 drill bit
Metal tray
Rice
Lemon lime soda or sparkling water
Plastic spiders and bugs
Hard-boiled eggs
Cooked spaghetti noodles
Gummy worms
Mushrooms
Cauliflower
Wooden caskets
Faux or candy skeletons
Popcorn balls
Candy eyeballs
Plastic test tubes
Black jelly beans
Spider cupcake toppers
Safety goggles
Part 1: Put a Face in a Specimen Jar

How to make a face in a specimen jar
This DIY Halloween decoration project not only made us laugh but it creeped us out just a little, especially when the hair moves! All you need to get started is a photo of one of your partygoers. (Just make sure they're on board first or would be amused by this kind of joke!)
1. Print out a 4 by 6-inch close-up photo
Use a digital camera and a printer to print out a picture of your victim—or, um, we mean your friend—with their eyes closed, making a funny face or even pressed up against glass. Make these ahead of time to use as tabletop place cards or wait and make these as a Halloween craft or party favor to take home. A head in a jar is also a great Halloween gift idea.

2. Cut and laminate the picture
Use clear contact paper or a laminator to waterproof the picture since it will be submerged in water. If you're using clear contact paper, cut two 5 by 7-inch pieces. Peel off the back of one piece of the contact paper. Place the picture face down on the sticky side of the contact paper. Use a credit card to smooth the paper and remove any air bubbles. Take the backing off the other piece of contact paper and center it over the photo with the sticky side down, making sure the edges match up. Keep the edges lined up as best as possible and try to keep it smooth. Use the credit card again to push out any air bubbles that might be trapped.
If you're using a laminator to cover the photo, trim the plastic so it is 1/2 inch from the sides of the photo and 1/4 inch from the top and bottom of the photo.


3. Fill a quart jar with water
Fill a quart jar with water and place the laminated photo inside the jar with the face out. You can even add food coloring at this point for an extra haunting decoration.


4. Add faux fur
To really give the head a realistic look, cut a few small pieces of faux fur that match the hair color of the person in the photo. You can find small pieces of faux fur at most stores that sell craft supplies. Adding the faux fur creates movement and significantly ups the creepy factor.


5. Make it glow
To give the jar an eerie glow, set it on top of a green glow bracelet. There are also waterproof LED lights available on Amazon that will light up the jar when glued to the bottom of the lid.

Part 2: Mix Up "Eyeball Punch"

How to make eyeball punch
This eye-catching concoction not only tastes good but will add some punch to your decorating ideas.
1. Drill small holes
Using a 3/16-inch drill bit, carefully drill a hole in the bottom of each plastic bloodshot eyeball. Inexpensive packs of plastic eyeballs can be found at most stores that sell Halloween party supplies.

2. Clean them and fill them with water
Rinse the eyeballs with soap and water. Then, use a sprayer or a small stream of water to fill the plastic eyeballs 3/4 of the way full through the drilled hole. A small space is needed to ensure that during the freezing process, the eyeball won't crack open. This will also allow for a bit of air space so when they're placed in the punch, the eyeballs will float.

3. Freeze the eyeballs
To keep the drilled holes in the plastic eyeballs facing up, fill the bottom of a metal tray with rice. This prevents the eyeballs from rolling around. (There's nothing worse than a bunch of Halloween eyeball decorations rolling around in your freezer!) Then, place the tray in the freezer overnight.

4. Add the eyeball ice cubes to the punch
Fill a drink dispenser with lemon lime soda or sparkling water, add a few drops of neon green food coloring and pour in the Halloween eyeball ice cubes for a creepy cold drink that even Frankenstein would love.

Part 3: Assemble a Mad Scientist Lab

How to make a mad scientist lab
No mad scientist laboratory would be complete without jars, test tubes and containers filled with all kinds of faux frights as both decorations and treats. These ideas are great for a frightful lab party or as Halloween decor all season long!
1. Line up "specimens"
Dig through cupboards or head to the local thrift store to find different shapes and sizes of clear glass jars. Simply fill the jars with water and add neon green food coloring. Place things like plastic spiders, hard-boiled eggs, cooked spaghetti noodles, large plastic bugs, mushrooms, cauliflower and gummy worms in the jars for a variety of creepy laboratory specimens.


2. Display creepy crawlers
Your guests will be both haunted and delighted by these snack-filled coffins that couldn't be easier to make. Simply add your favorite gummy worms or candies to wooden caskets and then add a faux or candy skeleton as a garnish!

3. Munch on monster popcorn balls
Pop up a batch of 5 quarts of plain popcorn. Melt 3/4 cup of light corn syrup, 1/4 cup of butter, 3 cups of powdered sugar and one cup of marshmallows over the stovetop. Once melted, take it off the stovetop and mix the popcorn into the melted sugar concoction and form it into balls.
Give these popcorn balls a jolt by adding some green food coloring. Add a few candy eyeballs and they'll be doing the "Monster Mash" in no time.

4. Serve up "spider eggs"!
Fill test tubes with spider eggs, aka black jelly beans, and top them with spider cupcake toppers.

Have fun taking a break from typical Halloween party decor and classic trick-or-treat parties and treat your friends to this delightfully frightful Halloween lab party.
Oh, and don't forget the safety glasses!
