“Monsters are real and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.” This thought of Stephen King – the real king of popular 20th-century horror terrifies many. Luckily, there is one night during the year when it is funny to be terrified. You guessed right; we are talking about Halloween.
Halloween is not just about being scary, it is also about being creative and having fun! The Halloween costume party themes are made for it. In this article, we are going to present you best Halloween party theme for children and adults that are going to make this year’s 31st of October unforgettable. SOOO, let’s get spooky, fun and creative!
Best themes for children
Disney villain theme
For Halloween, children have to be scared as well but still, they are just children. For that purpose, this could be a good soft spooky theme. Decorate room in a dark and orange theme and put carved pumpkins all over it. Add some additional decorations like fake spiders or spider nets, candle holders that you would find in Dracula palace, fake tombstones in the backyard, dark candles and lanterns. Kids could pick any Disney villain, from Evil Queen and Cruella de Vil to Captain Hook or Jafar. To make this theme more realistic, serve children with food like “poisoned” caramel apple for Snow-white or with items like a big “magical mirror” for evil queen.
Superhero theme
Yet, if your child still picks the light side although it is Halloween, you should consider a superhero theme. Although this is more a boy’s party, girls might find inspiration too. Besides Superman, X-man, Spiderman and Batmen, there are also PowerPuff girls, Wonder Woman, Super Spies and Winx fairies. So, let your kid choose his/her favorite hero/heroine. Make some appetizers with superhero names (like superman whiches for sandwiches, batwings for chicken wings, etc.) Make cookies cover in superhero symbols and put label sticks like BOOM!, SMASH! or POP! at drink bottles/cans or glasses!
Manga/Anime theme
Another superhero theme that is coming from the Far East and that is becoming more and more popular is the manga/anime theme. Decorate space with colors of Japan (red and white) or manga theme clothes. Add to them some manga decorated items (like keychains, erasers etc.). If children are younger, you can even put Hello Kitty decoration. Prepare Japanese appetizers (like teriyaki meat, toasted sesame seed sauce, noodles, fried shrimp…) and colorful Japanese candies (especially if they are anime decorated). Let kids dress up as their favorite manga/anime character! To make party time more creative, you may organize an anime video game competition!
Harry Potter theme
This all-time modern classic is a great idea for a theme party. Make the celebration space look like Hogwarts Great hall. If you have the possibility, put the four separate tables and decorate each one with colors of one Hogwarts house. To make it more fun for children, at their arrival you may put them a sorting hat do a short gaming quiz to see which house they belong to. To add more touch, stick candles to your celling or make some balloons with owl’s faces. Make some HP theme food, like cookies with house colors/logos, Luna Lovegood’s Pudding, Madam Pomfrey’s Pumpkin Juice Smoothie, Wizard Hat cupcakes or golden snitches from Ferrero Rocher. For costumes, children may wear anything, from Hogwarts school uniform (British school uniform + robe with house logo + black pointed hat) to some of the magical creatures of HP universe.
Mad Scientists theme
Is your science favorite school class of your child? Use the lab white as the dominant color for decoration. Serve food and drinks in test tubes and other lab equipment. For children’s entertainment, pick some science experiment toy sets and do some lab games! For costumes, children have two options. First, they can choose to be some of the famous scientists. If they are boys, they can dress in smart suits and put big curly hair and be Albert Einstein or put on a mustache and be Nikola Tesla. Girls can put on some 19th-century style skirt and shirt and be Marie Curie or put Greek toga and be Hypatia. Since the lab experiments could go wrong, children may choose to dress as science errors as well, like Frankenstein or zombie. Finally, since it is Halloween, there should be at least one crazy scientist, with curly electrified hair and big protective eyes in a lab suit.
Alice in Wonderland theme
I found myself in Wonderland, get back on my feet again! The crazy world where Alice ended may be a perfect theme for a Halloween party. Decorate space with mirrors, card motives and clothes in crazy colors. Add some quotes from these all-time children classics. Serve guests with tea and cookies, like Mad Hatter and The Dormouse. Make cookies in crazy colors as well and let the tea be classical English tea. Let children pick their favorite character, from smart Alice to cold-hearted Queen of Hearts and from rabbit to Cheshire cat! Organize some riddle game that Alice would face.
Pirate theme
Hey ho captain! Let’s sail! Turn your celebration space into a pirate ship by adding a black-n-white skull, wooden brown and sea blue decoration. Additionally, add some ship items like swords, treasure chests and anchors. Let kids be dressed as pirates and serve them some sea or sea theme food. To entertain them, organize some treasure hunt or some other pirate/sea-related games. To make space look more like the open sea, buy some sea-scented candles.
Ancient Greece theme
Making this theme party are not the 12 labors of Herculis neither Sisyphus job. Décor room with white and blue decoration and add some ancient Greek items to the decoration space (statues of Greek gods, ancient theater masques, olive three branches…). Prepare some Greek food (like gyros or tzatziki) or make Greek-themed cookies (in blue-white color, or in the shape of Greek column or with traditional Greek maze symbol). Since the ancient Greeks loved theater, theater play games may be a good idea for this party!
Medieval fairytale theme
Noble knights, beautiful princesses and dragons! All that makes good medieval sage. Decorate space to look like a castle chamber, with shields and swords as decoration (you can buy them in any toy or holiday store). Children can pick any medieval-related costume, from aristocrat, knight and peasant to dragon. But remember, there is only one king and queen. You may organize a small medieval tournament (in both borders, computer or action games) in order to decide who will be king and queen and then throw a coronation ceremony! At ceremony, serve some medieval theme food, like cheese plate with crackers, cured meats, and fresh olives as appetizers and apple juice in beer glassware (or chalices if you can find them) for a drink.
Outer space theme
E.T calls home! Or just want to have an awesome Halloween celebration. Another solution for science and technology fan kids is a space party. Decorate space like his favorite planet. If it is Jupiter, pick some orange decoration or if it is Neptune, pick blue. Or if your kid is just a space lover, you may throw a curtain to make a darkroom and putting some fluorescent wall stars all over the room and some neon-color light. Children may be dressed as any alien, astronaut or space monster. Serve them with appetizers like rocket wraps (put meat and cheese in a tortilla and make it look like a rocket) or planet cookies.
Dark magical forest theme
Turn your space into a dark forest by using dark green and dark brown. Add some mushrooms, three branches and rocks. You may even use a fog machine if you have one. Children may pick any magical forest costume they like (witch, fairy, elf, goblin, old forest wizard). Serve kids with juices in wooden glasses and make cookies in different leaf shapes.
Egyptian theme
To press the button on time machine and visit this magnificent civilization, use as much gold as possible for your decoration space. Add to it some Egyptian items like gods and goddess figurines, palm branches or send. You may even draw some hieroglyphs on big pieces of paper. For food, make some kebabs (traditional Egyptian dish), “yummy mummies” (sweets in mummy form) or cookies with hieroglyphs and Egyptian gods and symbols. Children may choose any costume from Pharaoh (Rameses and Tutankhamun for boys and Cleopatra, Hatshepsut or Nefertiti for girls), Egyptian god or goddess (just add an animal mask to classical Egyptian makeup), some Egyptian sacred animal (like crocodile, cobra, cat or lion) and of course, the mummy.
Best themes for adults
Elegant harvest theme
Let’s start with one not so scary theme. Halloween is not only about darkness but about fall as well. So, decorate space with some fall motives (like pumpkins, corn, hay bales, season flowers, chestnut, conifer cones). Use orange and black as dominant décor colors. Instead of electric lights, use some lanterns and orange/yellow candles. Serve quests with some apple cider and appetizers!
Dark harvest theme
If you are Children of the Corn or Jeepers creepers franchise fun, you can turn the first theme darker. Add to decoration details like skulls, sickles and scythes. You may even be more creative and add a scarecrow (possibly dressed like Creeper) or scary corn-made cross from Children of the Corn adult deserted Nebraska town church. Just be aware! You don’t want to awake Jeeper Creeper or He Who Walks Behind the Rows.
Irish theme
As you might know, Halloween is the Celtic celebration in the original. The ancestors of modern-day Irish used to celebrate Samhain (as they called it) in order to farewell the fall and say hello to winter. Thus, Irish theme might be perfect for Halloween theme. Use green as dominant decoration color. Put carved pumpkins all over the space and add some Celtic-cross fake graves and garden dwarfs (yes, they origin in Celtic mythology). You may dress like a leprechaun, witch, elf, fairy or any other creature from reaching Celtic folklore. Make some Irish finger food specialties and drink some Guinness dark beer!
Día de los Muertos theme
A similar custom exists among Mexican. On the same day when the rest of the world celebrates Samhain, Mexicans celebrate Día de Muertos. Una Buena fiesta Mexicana is always a good choice, so it is for Halloween. Decorate space with the colors of Mexico (red, white and green) and find some colored skulls. For costumes, you can put traditional Día de Los Muertos face painting (which is very colorful and detailed) or you could just put some sombrero. Prepare some Mexican appetizers (like nachos, tortillas and burritos) and serve quests with tequila and Mexican beer! Arriba!
Slasher theme
This theme can never be a wrong choice. It is straight-to-the-point and easy-to-make. Just make a regular teenage or college/fraternity/sorority party, regardless of the decade. The famous slasher villains will come even if you don’t invite them since sinful youth is their sweet sin. For this party you have three costume choices: 1) horror movie villain (Leatherface, Michael Myers, Jason Vorhees, Chucky, Freddy, Ghostface, Pinhead), 2) heroic final girl (Sally Hardesty, Lourie Strode, Nancy Thompson, Sidney Prescot) and finally 3) teenage/college victim. The third one is easiest, just pick your favorite slasher decade and dress in its youth fashion. Serve the cheeps and alcohol, like at any teen/college party!
Insidious theme
You don’t have to do an astral projection to reach The Further. You can make it by turning off the lights and turning on neon lamps (if you don’t have one, mosquito lamps will do the work) and dressing up as any of creepy Further creatures. You can put on some makeup and be a red demon or you can dress traditionally like a smiling family or you could put on a widow black dress and face cover like Parker Crane! If the party is happening in two separate spaces, you can turn red lights in one, put on some Venetian masks and turn it into red demon’s lair. Don’t worry, in this party version of Further you won’t get stuck like poor Dalton!
Hillbillies theme
From Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Hills have Eyes to Wrong turn, creepy atmosphere of rural areas always caused chills. So, turn celebration space into a hillbilly’s cabin. Just take tools from your tool storage and decorate room with them. Don’t put any clothing on the tables, let it be just wood. For costumes, you will need a lot of makeup to make you look like a deformed rural cannibal or Leatherface. Or you could just put on an overall and plaid shirt. Prepare a lot of red-colored food and some ramstek. Make it look as raw as possible and be mysterious about its origin!
Zombie theme
This theme is actually very demanding and you will need a lot of hard work and creativity to turn your party into Zombieland. If you have a garden, put some fake graves. Create the tracks from a long strip of cardboard saying things like “Contagious” or “Hard risk” and put them on your doors and windows. Inside, you can decorate space with some fluorescent green and bloody red and nuclear waste signs. As in the previous theme, make the rawest possible ramstek star of the evening! Additionally, make deserts like brain cupcakes or watermelon brain! Make a zombie serum cocktail. Regarding other drinks, you may remove labels from bottles and put small nuclear sign sticks on them. For zombie costumes, you will need a tone of multiple colors makeup (although red, brown and green dominate) and more tones of creativity!
Bloody splatter theme
Okay, this is for people with morbid taste. Use bloody red as main decoration color and add some knives, chains or similar to make it look like a torture room. As food, serve the rawest looking ramstek and make other food (like sweets) look like body parts. The good thing about this theme is that you don’t have to put a lot of effort into your mask. Just put some fake blood on your outfit and be an innocent victim. You can make fake blood by 1) mixing 1 cup of corn syrup with two tablespoon chocolate syrup in a bowl or 2) blending red food coloring until it gets deep red.
Gothic vampire theme
If you want your Halloween party to be elegant and glamourous, then this is a perfect theme for you. Use black as dominant décor color (especially for a tablecloth). Put some large candle holders on the table and all over the space and add some items like fake skulls, black roses, old vases, creepy old-black and white photos in antique-looking frames etc. Dress as an elegant vampire or elegant Victorian lady (with a long black dress). For more elegant female outfits, you may add some jewelry, black or dark color lady hats and lady gloves and elegant face vail. Make some elegant appetizers (red as possible) and serve guests with red wine and Bloody Mary, Vampire’s kiss or similar cocktails. In Oscar Wilde style, you may even add absinthe with a specific absinthe glass and spoon to your drink list!
Adult Halloween theme
Now it is time for one really adult theme. Light the room with red light or red candles! The female costumes may include anything from seductive vampire to the wicked witch, while male costume could also include anything elegant charming vampire in a black suit and long cloak to a half-naked werewolf-like Taylor Lautner (especially if you own six-packs). Make some cocktails (like Bloody Mary, Cosmopolitan or Sex on the beach) or grab some elegant wine.
“Was that the bogeyman? As a matter of fact – it was!“
As Dr. Loomis said in 1978 Carpenter’s classic, bogeymen are real. So let yourself be one of them on this special night. As we hoped this article proved, it does not hurt. Quite an opposite, it can be a good opportunity to gather some friends, put on a funny costume and throw an awesome party in a creatively decorated space! If you ain’t a fan of dark side, then celebrate the beauties of fall in its last days or make an entertaining party for your children! All in all, have fun! Happy Halloween!
