Scary Halloween Party Ideas

Scary Halloween party ideas are all about creating atmosphere. Set the tone for your celebration with a bloody greeting. Window clings are easy to apply and can create realistic blood spatter, bloody handprints and other effects. You can also use them on mirrors and other slick surfaces throughout your home to instantly turn any room into a locale worthy of a horror movie.

Skeletons are a classic Halloween image that plays on fears of death and dying. If you're trying to create a scary setting, avoid cartoony cardboard skeletons in favor of realistic plastic bones and skulls. You can scatter the bones across tables and other surfaces. Place them around candles to add some shadowy menace to your display.

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Fabric offers an easy way to create a scary backdrop to your celebration. With a bit of draping, your everyday furniture and knick-knacks disappear. Gauzy materials lend a ghostly aura, while dark velvet has a sumptuous feel suitable for a vampire's den.

Don't forget the outside of your home in creating a scary setting for your party. Plastic or foam tombstones are great for making an old graveyard. Motion-sensor decorations can spook arriving guests. To really scare your guests, have someone dress in a costume with a mask, then sit or stand without moving near the doorway. Guests approaching the party will think the costumed person is a prop but will be in for a surprise when the "prop" jumps up and reaches for them.

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The element of surprise is important for using props such as ghosts to maximum effect. Placing a ghost decal on a bathroom mirror or a wall that guests face after turning a corner offers a shock when they suddenly come face to face with a spirit. You can also create three dimensional ghosts by placing sheer fabric over a plastic skeleton form, or cover a coat rack with white fabric and paint on a scary ghost face.

A gory prop is one of the classic scary Halloween party ideas. Fake body parts, bloody plastic knives and creepy creatures can give guests a fright. Set them up around the room or place them in surprising locations, such as a coat closet, to give guests a scare. Use battery operated candles to add strategic lighting to showcase these props.

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Gargoyles add a gothic touch to any home. Place them on the porch to greet guests or use them on bookshelves and mantles inside where they can "observe" the celebration. You can drape things like fake spider webs and spiders on the wings of the gargoyles to add even more fright to your display.

Create an atmosphere of fright and delight with an appropriate soundtrack for the evening. Keep a CD of scary sound effects playing in the background to keep your guests on edge.

Get inspired with more Halloween party ideas:

• How to Throw a Halloween Party
• Adult Halloween Party Ideas
• Halloween Party Recipes
• Halloween Party Games
• Halloween Party Supplies

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