Haunted House Halloween Party

If you choose to celebrate Halloween, you probably want to do it in style.  That could mean having a haunted house Halloween party.  But how do you make your house look spooky enough to be considered haunted?[ad]

Start out by asking yourself some questions.  The answers will make decorating easier.

1.  Where will you start decorating?  Do you begin outside and carry the decorations into the house or will you decorate beginning at the front door?
2.  How many rooms in your house will be haunted?
3.  How many people can safely fit in each room you plan on using?

Knowing the answers to these questions will help you plan a more effective, fun-filled haunted house. 

Be aware of the ages of the people who will be coming to your party and plan your decorations and entertainment accordingly.  If there will be several children, you may choose to have an area that is set aside for those more squeamish.

Decide how much money you’re willing to spend on decorations.  If you can’t afford all of the mechanized coffins and fog machines, you can still have a great haunted house.  Here are some ideas:

* Have all family members dress up in scary costumes:  werewolves, vampires, witches, and skeletons are good choices.
* Play a scary movie in one of the rooms and have someone dress up like the main character to jump out at the guests at pivotal points in the movie.
* Create a mad scientist lab with plenty of items for your guests to feel.  Peel grapes for eyeballs, spaghetti in a bowl, or make a brain out of jell-o.
* Set aside buckets of dry ice throughout the house to give it an eerie feel.
* Use police tape to block off areas that shouldn’t be entered.

Keep safety in mind when creating your haunted house.  You need enough light so people can get safely through the rooms, but not so much that the room is fully lit. Cover the windows with dark fabric or plastic bags so outside light doesn’t seep in.  Find your old strobe or black lights to change the atmosphere.  Use orange or red light bulbs in your lamps.

Create a maze with cardboard or sheets.  If you have enough people that are helping, have some of them stand between the hanging sheets to make noise and grab at the guests.  Hang bats, spiders and spider webs, and skeletons inside the maze for people to walk into.

If these things haven’t given you any ideas, take a look online.  There are websites galore that have pictures of past haunted houses and you’re sure to get some great ideas from them.  When it’s time to plan your haunted house Halloween party, if you do it right, your house will be a scream!
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