7 Halloween Party Themes For 2018

Halloween is one of the best times to throw a get-together for friends and acquaintances. The spookiest day of the year makes planning easy — after all, holidays take a lot of the guesswork out of themes and decorations. But for the hostess looking to go a little beyond “It’s Halloween, let’s celebrate,” there are tons of party ideas and Halloween party themes you can use to make your party a cut above the rest.

Here are our favorite 7 Halloween Party Themes for 2018

Literary

Ghosts, witches, sorcery, and fairies? Shakespeare was all about the supernatural and spooky. Shakespeare’s works covers fairies, witches, ghosts and more murder than the Orient Express. If the bard isn’t to your literary tastes, there’s a wealth of stranger things in the literary world. Tell your guests to pick something out of literature’s finest terrors.

Frankenstein’s monster and Dracula were books before they were movies. And for those who’d like to play to the theme without being scary, literature offers a pantheon of oddball characters who’d make great costumes. From Ms. Havisham to the Mad Hatter, the only limit is your library. This is a great Halloween party theme for anyone who likes books!

Scary Movies

Scary movies are always in style. From the movie adaptations of works of Stephen King to any number of haunted house films, you can always draw inspiration from the silver screen. Decorations can include red balloons from “IT,” writing messages from scary movies on your mirrors (like “Redrum,” or “one, two, Freddy’s coming for you,” from “Friday the 13th”), and decorate the walls with warning messages from ghosts. Get creative with your snacks, and above all, don’t forget to have a constant rotation of scary movies for your guests to watch. This might not be a Halloween party theme for everyone, but for those that like those kinds of movies.

Carnival

Carnivals can be a place for the weird and the wondrous, and that makes them perfect for a Halloween party theme. From colorful sequins to sideshow attractions, a good carnival has it all. A carnival theme can work for parties of all ages; decorations and games won’t be too over-the-top scary for children. If you like, you can even turn it into a spooky carnival — fortune tellers can give out spooky fortunes, balloons can have jack o lantern faces, etc. Food is pretty easy for a carnival theme: popcorn, hot dogs, and any other traditional fare will do.

Murder Mystery

Play acting can be a lot of fun, especially when it lets your friends and family (and even children if you play the story right) ham it up and get involved in an interactive story and game all wrapped up into one. The nice thing about a murder mystery, aside from the fun role-playing supplies, is that the more culinary-inclined can make the event into a dinner party as well. This is one of those Halloween party themes that you can be as dressed up or down as the hostess likes.

Crime Scene

This one is most definitely suited for the adults only. For those fascinated with true crime (or procedural TV shows), turn your party into a crime scene. Put down plastic and splatter red paint around. Make your murder victim out of a dummy or decorative Halloween body parts from a party store. You can even turn your crime scene into a puzzle and offer a prize to the first person to figure out who the culprit is. Serve traditional gross Halloween snacks like peeled grapes. You can go as bloodless or “Dexter” as you like with this Halloween party theme — whatever best suits you and your guests.

Not Scary

Halloween doesn’t have to be about the things that go bump in the night or keep us from getting a good night’s sleep. If you’re throwing a party where scary might not be the most appropriate thing (for example, if children are on the guest list) think of going for a non-scary theme. The key is to come as you aren’t. There’s a lot of Halloween fun that trends towards cute instead of spooky — even bats, jack o lanterns and ghosts can be cartoonish and sweet. Non-scary activities can also be more treat than trick. For children’s parties, you can encourage creativity with activities like decorating pumpkins and writing them a biography.

Skip the Dress Up

Don’t want to get all gussied up but still want to celebrate the spookiest day of the year with your friends? There’s tons to do without dropping a ton of money on a costume or destroying your closet looking for a good closet cosplay. Watch movies, carve pumpkins, or generally hang out and have fun. Sometimes it’s good to kick back and have a low-key hangout or slumber party with friends instead of the big, over-the-top blowout. And that’s okay! Because, at the end of the day, it’s all about what’s going to be the most fun and best Halloween party theme for you and yours.

After you decide on a Halloween party theme, check out these Halloween articles before planning your get together!