To help you get the most out of your Halloween party decorating, here are some things you might want to consider.

Decide on your Goal

What do you want your Halloween party decorations to do. If you’re throwing a party for little kids, you might want to stick with the cute, smiling Jack-o-lanterns that put kids in a good mood. Older kids, however, tend to enjoy a little fake blood and “spaghetti worms”-style gore.

For adult Halloween parties, though, the goal is usual to scare your guests. But how do you want to scare them? Do you want motion-activated animated props that jump up and make ‘em scream? Or do you want a more subtle décor style that infuses your house with an unsettling creepiness, putting your guests on edge so much that when the phone rings they themselves jump up and scream.

Of course, there are plenty of adults who get a kick out of fake gore, and if you happen to be one, grossing your guests out might be your main goal with your decorations and props.

And let’s not forget the erotic adult Halloween parties. Hey, those need decorations, too. For these, you’ll naturally want to stay away from anything gory or scary and play up the sexy side of things.

Choose a Theme

Once you know what reaction you’re aiming for with your party decorations, it’s fairly easy to pick a theme. A theme not only makes your decorations more effective by creating a unified effect, but it also helps save you money on Halloween party decorating.

With a theme, you know exactly what kind of decorations you need, so you won’t go buying stuff that “looks interesting” only to end up not using it for the party.

Your cute kids’ Halloween party theme might be “Pumpkins” or “witches” or any classic theme. For a scary Halloween party for adults, themes like “crime scene/killer on the loose” or “vampire/zombie/werewolf invasion” work well.

If you’re planning to go for the subtle creepy effect, try something with more implicit danger like “insane asylum” or “haunted house.” For the ever-popular erotic Halloween parties, a Gothic theme can work, especially if you’re guests are primarily vampires or other more elegant creatures.

Halloween party decorating is fun anyway, but it’s even more fun when you plan ahead a little so you don’t have to worry about exactly how your going to decorate or have to run out by decorations at the last minute.

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Halloween Ghost Decorations

What’s a haunting without ghosts? You may not have any real ones hanging around, but you can give the impression of their presence. Glass grabbers, also called window clings, are easy to press onto your mirrors or windows to give the appearance of a ghostly something floating on the other side of the glass.

In dim lighting, the more artistically made ones look strikingly real at first glance. These are a must for hallway and bathroom mirrors, where they can give your party guests a good startle.

In the same family of Halloween party decorations are ceiling clings. Stick one of these in the corner of your living room ceiling to create the impression of red eyes peering down from a hole in the ceiling.

These go well with “red skeleton foot prints” and “scratch mark” wall clings. Makes it look like a poltergeist has been at work. Unlike poltergeists, though, these decorations are easy to clean up after since they’re just “peel and stick” and leave no traces after removal.

Haunted Household Objects

Haunted Halloween party decorations run the gamut from fairly cheesy “possessed” dolls that crawl around and sing kid’s songs to pricey, to reasonably scary haunted house animatronics, to stunningly realistic 3D projection illusions.

While all these decorations have their places (well, at least the second two do), what really creeps people out is what’s going on inside their heads. Part of encouraging that is to put add a little spookiness where it’s least expected.

What’s one of the most popular ghost tricks? Playing with electronics, of course! On super easy way to haunt your house for a party is with timers. Hook your TV, lights or other electronics to a timer set to go on or off at seemingly random times. Obviously, you’ll have to be a decent dissembler to pull this off or your guests will figure out you planned it.

Another method is with PIR (passive infrared) detectors. ScaryGuys.com describes using this for a radio, so the radio is set to switch on and start dialing through stations when someone walks past.

Of course, “haunted” or “possessed” animatronics are the easy way to go. They aren’t all expensive. For example, SpiritHalloween.com has a “possessed portrait” that shakes and jumps along with a good selection of spooky changing lenticular portraits.

The object doesn’t necessarily have to do anything in order to appear haunted. Try sitting an antique doll in a doll-sized chair in a corner somewhere. Hang a large mirror in an area your guests will pass by frequently. You might surprised many people get creeped out by things like this even if the doll doesn’t “come to life” and no scary faces appear in the mirror.

General Spookiness

A large part of planning a haunted Halloween party is created a creepy, unsettling atmosphere that sets your gets on edge. Once you get their imaginations working like this, a bird can land on the window ledge and your guests nearly jump out of their skins.

Re-decorate you house enough that it looks looks well removed from the ordinary. Cover your chairs in black tulle, tied around the chair back with ribbon (this is easiest with straight-back wooden chairs). Use Halloween room setters that depict peeling plaster and rotted wood wainscot as a quick and cheap way to give your home that fashionable abandoned look.

The most important element isn’t visible at all, though: sound. Halloween music and sound effects that creates a “spooky soundscape” helps a lot. After all, even big-budget horror movies would be a lot less effective without the soundtrack.

Stereotypical sound effects like witches cackling and cheesy Halloween songs like Monster Mash won’t have much impact, though. What you need is truly unsettling music like that from Midnight Syndicate or Nox Arcana. These artists, available at SpiritHalloween.com, are both favorites of professional haunted houses.

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The Haunted Entryway

The indoor Halloween decorations just inside your front door and along your entryway set the mood of the whole house. Place a motion- or sound-activated animated prop right by the door to give a good scare to anyone coming in. Horror film serial killer and zombie props are ideal for this.

If you have a small table in your entryway, give it a Gothic makeover with an old lace tablecloth, a gargoyle statue, and a crystal ball (plastic decoration or garden gazing ball). A “Thing” box, as seen on the Addam’s Family, also makes a nice touch.

Hang up a few “haunted” lenticular portraits or other creepy pictures. While you’ll probably want to keep the lights down to add to the mood, but make sure you can still see well enough to hang up coats and stow umbrellas.

Halloween Living Room Decorations

Since you’ll probably be spending most of your time in your home’s living room, don’t skimp on décor here. One good trick, especially if you like to start early, is to bring out your indoor Halloween decorations in batches. If you bring out every decoration you have on October 15th, you’re likely to get bored with them by the time Halloween comes.

Hang a ghost in the corner of the ceiling or sit a gruesome looking corpse prop in a rocking chair. Take advantage of those small, overlooked nooks where guest won’t see a prop until their right up on it. Put a rubber rat in the bookshelf, a giant spider under a chair, or a disembodied head on a shelf somewhere.

Halloween Table Decorations

If you’re planning a Halloween party inside (as opposed to outdoors around a bonfire), good table décor is a must for your collection of indoor Halloween decorations. Even before the party night, though, given what a center of activity the kitchen table is, it’s worth dressing up it up for the season.

In late September or early October, you may want to stick with harvest-theme décor like gourds and scarecrows so you don’t get tired of the Halloween stuff. As Halloween nears, though, a tablecloth with a season print and a centerpiece with ghosts,

Halloween Decorations for the Bathroom

Have some fun decorating the bathroom, too. First, change the light bulb to an eerie green or black light. Then set up scary indoor Halloween decorations to creep out anyone who dares take a bathroom break.

Place props like body parts (complete with fake blood) in the tub, attach a spooky ghost decal to the mirror, or just string some cobwebs in the upper corner of the door. Setting up a door topper over the bathroom door is another simple way to add some atmosphere to the bath.

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Another thing is you really don’t need to spend a lot on Halloween party decorations for children. Just dress the place up a little and the kids’ imaginations will do the rest of the work.

Simple chair covers are a good example. Drape black tulle over your chairs to create a dark, Gothic atmosphere. If you’re going for a more ethereal, ghostly look, use white tulle instead.

You can make your own cheap, yet spooky (for kids) ghosts in a similar way. Buy a few yards of white tulle and white ribbon or string. The day of the party, buy a few helium balloons. Drape a square of tulle over the helium balloon “head” of the ghost, tie the neck with ribbon, and release your ghost it float around the room. A quiet rotating fan placed out of site can add to the effect by moving the ghosts around.

The “haunted harvest festival” theme is another kids’ party idea that’s sufficiently spooky, but not scary enough to have the little ones running for the door. Put out a few bales of hay, dry corn stalks, and colorful gourds. A scarecrow (spooky or cute) is another nice touch. Then add a fog machine and a black light. You’d be surprised how much the eerie effect of the fog and weird light impresses children. Just make sure the kids don’t try to get into the fog machine because the dry ice used to power it can burn skin.

The types of Halloween party decorations for kids you choose also depends on the age of the kids. What thrills five-year-olds will bore 10-year-olds. For older kids, a little goo and gore is just fine.

You might want to add a not-so-realistic headless man. Stuff an old shirt and pair of jeans with newspaper and add gloves and shoes. On the neck of the, slap on a little cooked hamburger and ketchup to show where your poor victim’s head used to be. Leave the bloody murder weapon, such as a plastic hatchet with ketchup on the edges, lying around nearby.

Unlike the pricey, yet realistic décor many adults prefer, Halloween party decorations for kids are generally pretty cheap and simple. If you’re the one buying the decorations for a little kids’ party, error on the site of cute so as not to give the little ones nightmares. For older kids, get their input on the types of Halloween decorations they want. You’ll probably be surprised at their enthusiasm for the scary stuff.

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Fun Halloween Party Decorations

Up-beat, humorous Halloween décor isn’t just for kids’ parties. Take the “crashed witch,” for example—the witch doll you hang up so it looks like she crashed and flattened herself against a wall. It’s just a silly bit of slightly dark humor.

Also try pumpkins dressed up like witches or vampires, a skeleton dressed and posed in a funny position (eg. holding a drink), inflatable decorations, and windsocks. Decorate your yard with tombstones engraved with funny epitaphs like the classic “See, I told you I was sick!” or names puns like “I. L. Beabach” (make your own out of Styrofoam or plywood)

Fun Halloween Party Games and Activities

Remember bobbing for apples, pumpkin bowling, and bashing Halloween piñatas? Sure, they’re kid’s games, but Halloween’s the perfect time to act like a kid again. Set up a few childhood favorites to lighten the mood.

For the more “adult” (I said more “adult,” not more mature) games, consider scavenger hunts (racy items optional), mummy making race (pair guests up and have one wrap the other in TP), and “That’s my man” (in which a blindfolded female guest identifies her boyfriend or husband’s touch after all the guys present have touched her cheek or arm.) The idea is just to get guests laughing, with or without that second goblet of witch’s brew.

If your friends are the artsy types, do some fun Halloween party crafts, too. Pumpkin carving or painting are fine, but if you’d rather avoid the mess try “build a monster.” Clipping parts out of magazines to create their own Frankenstein-style monsters. Another crafts theme is autumn home décor, such as a leaf wreath your guests can take home and leave up throughout November.

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Realistic Ghosts

I’m not talking about a garbage bag with a newspaper-stuffed head here. What you want, at least for your main ghost, is something that looks like it used to be human. A life-sized figure with a human, albeit twisted, face and skin that’s either white or greenish works well. The eyes may be either empty holes or “alive” looking.

If budget isn’t an issue, look into a ghost illusion prop. These make semi-transparent, 3D and very realistic looking ghosts appear and disappear. They’re good scares, but can run to $2000 or more. A cheaper option is a Halloween special effects “scary faces” DVD running on a TV placed in a window.

Ghoul in a Cage

This one’s blessedly (or should I say “cursedly?”) cheap and easy. Pick up a suitably unsettling looking ghoul or other creature. The creepiest ones tend to look at least partly human, which makes you think such a thing “could be real.” Put your critter in a cage such as a small dog kennel or fence covered with chicken wire. Scatter dismembered body parts from the ghoul’s dinner and splash fake blood to taste.

Witches’ Coven

Depending on your budget or inclination to make your own props, your coven may be a party of two or half a dozen. Give your girls a cauldron that steams (equipped with a fogger). Supply them with spell books made from Styrofoam or plywood. Make sure each has a broom, too. Add a few black cats and ravens, as well as bats suspended from the trees.

The Devil and his Demons

For this you’ll need one—just one, but as realistic as you can find—devil prop. Skip the cutesy red guys with friendly smiles and get one that looks like he’s real enough to reach out and grab your soul. Good demons are fairly cheap. You don’t really need a lot of detail because they’ll be viewed from a distance. You can even animated tree-hanging demons for between $10 to $30. In addition to the tree hanging models, pick up a few demon dogs to guard your property.

Criminally Insane on the Loose

Where there’s one escaped psycho, there are bound to be others. Place your best dangerous wacko crouching in the bushes where he appears to be hiding, but is easy enough to see. Then put his fellow crazies partially hidden behind trees or other objects. The idea is to set the scene with one obvious prop and make a few others hard to see until your right up on them. If done right, just for a second, your guests will think someone’s really lurking there. Decorate with appropriate weapons like bloody machetes. A discarded “muzzle” mask or other restraints also suggest danger.

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Halloween Table Décor and Tableware

How much you want to deck out your table really depends on your personal tastes. The first thing to consider is your centerpiece. If you have nothing else “Halloweeny” on your table, at least have a good centerpiece.

A Halloween tablecloth is another nice touch. Most of the novelty table covers are paper, but there are higher-end cloth ones, too. For a Gothic or haunted theme, an old lace tablecloth will work well. For a murder or mad scientist themed party, butcher paper spattered with fake blood makes a fine table cover.

Then add your plates, bowls, flatware, and napkins with Halloween designs. Gothic goblets are a nice touch, even if they’re plastic. Chair covers also add to the mood, especially they’re the creepy kinds.

Halloween Party Games and Entertainment

Pumpkin carving is good, messy fun, but you’ll want decent lighting or you might end up with a real dismembered finger in among those plastic body parts. Another classic form of Halloween entertainment is telling ghost stories. In your invitation, ask each guests to come prepared to tell the spookiest ghost story they know.

A Halloween scavenger hunt is another option. Have guests hunt for objects around your haunted house and yard or go out on the town for a photo scavenger hunt using digital cameras. Don’t forget prizes like goody bags and novelty items.

Truly Disturbing Scary Movies

Sometimes when it’s just a small group of close friends, nothing’s better than sitting around in the dark and watching a scary movie together. But let’s face it, they’ve probably already seen Psycho and The Shining and few times already.

For something really scary, try a lesser known movie. Don’t shy away from old movies, either. Try Basket Case, a 1982 movie directed by Frank Henenlotter, about a boy who carries his deformed brother in a basket. Another good one is Ruby, a 1977 movie director Curtis Harrington, about a dead mobster possessing his daughter. Better yet, pick up a documentary or two about real hauntings, possessions and the like.

Sound and Lighting Effects

Few things set the mood for your party like sound and light. Dim lights and odd colored lights, like red or green, are the easiest way to get this effect. Strobe and flicker lights are great for when the guests arrive, but can wear on the eyes if left on too long.

Real candlelight may look good, but avoid using candles in high traffic areas where someone’s costume could knock one over. A house fire probably isn’t the kind of scare your guests were hoping for. A safer alternative is the very realistic electric candles made of wax available at Halloween party supplies stores. The right soundtrack may be even more important in setting the mood.

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Fun Halloween party songs like Thriller and Monster Mash are great for dance parties, but if you’re trying to create a truly scary atmosphere in your home, you’ll need Halloween sounds of a different kind.

Halloween Sound Effects

Halloween sound effects CDs and tapes are most useful at the beginning of the party. They help set the mood provide as the guests walk up your haunted sidewalk and enter the house. The only problem with them is that those traditional sound effects like hooting owls, yowling cats, and cackling witches get repetitive fast. Once you’ve heard the same woman scream for the eighth time, it ceases to be scary.

Scary Halloween Sounds

Once you’re guests are settled in, you’ll probably want to turn on the sound effects and turn on something a little more…disquieting. The genre of music known as dark ambient is perfect for this. This type of music has an very strong unsettling effect. Not surprisingly, themes from horror movies also work well for this. While not repetitive like Halloween sound effects, dark ambient still isn’t really something you want to leave on throughout the party. The whole point of this music is to set you on edge and too much of that is tiring.

Suggestions

• Nox Arcana
• Midnight Syndicate

Halloween Spooky Sounds From Nature

For a good background noise throughout dinner or the whole party, I recommended the wholesomely spooky sound of a menacing thunderstorm. Kept at a low volume, this natural sound is neither distracting nor overly disturbing. It does, however, help to set a mellow and rather dark mood. Look for a thunderstorm recording taken direct from nature rather than a synthesized version. Ideally, it should be free of twittering birdies and other not-so-scary noises.

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Autumnal theme

If you like breaking out the Halloween decorations the first day of October, consider a fall theme. The main benefit is that seasonal décor wears better, so you’re less likely to be bored with it by the time October 31st rolls around. It’s also less limiting. You’re no longer restricted to orange and black, but also have red, brown and yellow, and deep green to work with.

The main theme here is the harvest. Place a bunch of dry corn stocks and gourds near your door and a wreath of colored leaves on the door itself. As Halloween approaches, start adding more holiday-specific décor. Replace the pumpkins with Jack-o-lanterns and hang a ghost in the nearest tree.

Cute and Kid-friendly

If you have kids around, provided they haven’t yet been desensitized to gruesome decorations, you may want to keep the décor in the “cute and charming” department. Friendly looking ghosts and scarecrows, smiling Jack-o-lanterns, and black cats wearing orange bows all add a touch of spookiness without giving the kids nightmares. Reasonably well-mannered witches and vampires also tend to go over well with kids. Any one of these figures can be found as useful items like soap dishes, throw pillows, rugs and lamps.

Spooky Gothic and Victorian Décor

You don’t need to live in a dilapidated mansion to get the creepy look of an abandoned haunted house. String fake cobwebs on the trees and shrubs around your home. Mount a gargoyle over the door (extra points for glowing eyes) or frame the doorway in a Gothic . Then add a few rats or ravens to the mix.

Inside the house, more spider webs and gargoyles will look great. Hang a “changing portrait” in among your family portraits. Replace your ordinary home décor and items with a Gothic style clock, candelabras and wall lighting, chalices or goblets, crosses and elaborately framed mirrors. If you get tired of the Gothic or Victorian, bring in a few unusual pieces of Egyptian home décor for the mysterious feel of ancient Egypt.

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Kids or Grown-ups?

The first thing to take into account when you plan how to decorate for Halloween is your audience. Are you decorating for you little munchkins and their friends, some of whom think the Teletubbies are scary? Then Jack-o-lanterns with pleasant smiles and cute black kitties with orange bows are probably enough.

Of course, if you’ve taken a look at the kids’ books on the market today, it’s pretty obvious a lot of kids love scary stuff. You’ll probably want to keep the gore to a minimum, but you can goal all out with the Gothic and ghosts.

Deciding how to decorate for Halloween where adults are concerned is another matter. In most cases, your only challenge will be making your decorations and prop scary enough. Keep in mind that some adults don’t tolerate gore very well. The problem is often that while ghosts and vampires are easy to pass off as fake, murder, severe physical deformities, and the criminally insane are all too real.

Others may have had personal experiences—ranging from a Ouija board scare to witnessing a murder—that put them off certain types of decorations and props. When you choose your Halloween party decorations, be sensitive to your guests’ tastes and everyone will have a lot more fun.

Spark the Imagination

Few decorations are scary all by themselves. Sure, a full-sized skeleton lounging on the couch might be creepy, but it won’t scare most people. The scary part is largely up to the imagination.

Sudden, unexpected motion and noise, such as a prop that sits up and screams or just a book falling off a shelf, triggers a fear response because we imagine that something might attack us. The flickering light in the attic makes us wonder who—or what—is up there and what they might do if they decide to come down. We see a “Room for Rent” sign smeared with bloody hand prints and wonder what got the last renter.

So when you’re deciding how to decorate for Halloween, opt for decorations that get your imagination going instead of those that try to look scary in and of themselves.

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