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Halloween is the perfect time of year to throw a party. No worrying about cooking a gourmet five-course meal or having exemplary cutlery presentation – the emphasis is on fun and the scarier the better! If you’re hosting this year your mission is simple: to transform your home from happy to haunted. And here are some decoration ideas to help you do that:
The Pumpkin
Of course – a haunted house has to have pumpkins. Use as many as you like and position them around the home. You might want a large one, with a twisted and evil grin carved into it, placed in the front window of the house or a group of smaller pumpkins clustered on the front lawn as a welcome to visitors. For some more ideas on creating eye-catching Jack O’Lanterns, read this article by Good Housekeeping.
Halloween wreaths
Wreaths aren’t just made out of holly and stuck on front doors at Christmas. Give wreaths a creepy twist for Halloween by making your own out of black paper and indulging the dark crafts. This Pinterest page has loads of designs to browse.
Spider web
Loads of these, all around the house, can help to achieve a spooky look. Or, to make a bigger impact, go shopping for some of the larger sheet spider webs which are available. You can then drape one of these across an entire wall. For added scare factor, pin one over a door and keep the room, and entrance to the room, dark. Then direct guests there and listen to the screams as they walk straight into the web!
Costumes
Don’t just go for static props around the house – remember, as party host you and your family have got to look the part too by dressing in suitable attire. Go the extra mile and pick a stunning outfit – click here for some Halloween costumes. The golden rule though: if any of your guests turn up with a costume, turn them away!
Music
Not strictly a physical decoration but absolutely vital for any party nonetheless. You can’t have a Halloween gathering and stick some disco music on, can you? No. Set the scene with an eerie ambience. You can buy Halloween-themed CDs but it’s also great fun to put your own soundtrack together – visit spookysoundtrack.com to get involved.
Tombstones
How creepy is this? Create lifelike (can tombstones be lifelike?) tombstones and put them into the front lawn. Imagine how freaked out your guests will be when they arrive for the party to see their own names inscribed on the front of those tombstones…
Skeleton in hammock!
So far we’ve looked at decorations which are reasonably commonplace. For a real crowd-pleaser (or shocker) how about a skeleton in a hammock? Not only that, a skeleton which moves, breathes and makes noises? Terrifying! You can buy such a thing – look at this example.
Skull and bones
In a corner of one of the rooms in your house, lay a skull on top of a series of different-sized bones. Freaky. Not real skull and bones, naturally – model stores will stock realistic versions. For added terror, put tea light candles in the eye sockets of the skull and light.
Cauldron
A large black cauldron is the perfect centerpiece for the party food table. For extra bonus points, fill it with a noxious witches brew – some unnamed poisonous looking and smelling brew, made to look green with food coloring. Warn your guests off touching it!
Bats
Bats – have them everywhere. You can buy sheets off them to hang over doors and windows, or to use as a tablecloth. Or get individual rubber ones to place on paper party plates, on the edge of cups; anywhere you like.
