6 Tips for a successful Halloween party

Let's start with the fact that this happens far too little in the Netherlands, we all know it from American movies: October 31, trick or treat, all the kids are on the street in their homemade costumes. Originally, Halloween is also very common in Ireland, the UK, and Canada. I think this is the best time of the year to throw a party because you can go all out with the craziest locations and decorations, plus: there are a hundred and one options for your outfit. It definitely makes the cold and dark October month less boring. Here are my ideas, maybe you'll find them useful.

1. Location
Look for an old barn, an open field, or a location in the woods, because you don't want to be alone in any of these places, right? If you don't have the option to do this, make sure the space you use is completely dark, without outside light. This way, you can play with the lights. I would go for blacklight combined with a smoke machine, this creates disorientation and it's extra fun if your guests come in white outfits or with glow in the dark details. If you want more light in places like where the drinks or snacks are: use candles in glass jars with red, yellow, orange, and black colored glass.

2. Theme
Are you going for a theme? Maybe your favorite movie, inspired by one of your favorite celebs, or everyone gets a letter from the alphabet and has to come up with their own spooky idea. Or just let it run wild with one rule: EVERYONE comes in costume. Make sure to make this clear on the invitation; I find nothing more annoying than when your guests show up in their normal outfits. Come on, it's Halloween...

3. Gatekeeper
And then we come to the next point. Let your dad, brother, friend, or neighbor be your ‘gatekeeper’, because you don't want anyone, as we said, coming in without a costume, but also not that one friend of your friend who thought they could just come along. This is your party, your rules, and maybe most importantly: your friends. It would be such a shame if you had to leave a poisoned apple somewhere, haha.

The easiest way to think about how to scare people is to look at what phobias there are. I get scared quickly: put an old creepy doll with bead eyes somewhere and all the hairs on my body stand up and I get a lump in my throat (also known as pediophobia, or doll phobia). Oh, and then you have coulrophobia, or the fear of clowns. Yes, clowns mean pure panic for me, and I won't be the only one. Lastly, there's arachnophobia, the extreme fear people have of spiders. I think we can all name five people who don't like these eight-legged creatures, myself included.

4. Decoration
That said: it's Halloween, so we're going to use these fears in the decorations. Don't make it too difficult for yourself, because no one will pay as much attention as you do. First: the good old spider webs - yes, this can go anywhere. Here and there a little creature in between; easy does it. Those dolls, you mainly place in spots where people don't expect them. Open the bathroom door: BAM, doll, with a dirty, old stuffed animal if possible. Do you have a wardrobe: BAM, doll, maybe here with a few spider webs. And for that clown, I would hire your brother, sister, neighbor boy, or neighbor girl and dress them in a clown suit with blood, a dirty (fake) knife, and a horn, a bit like Chucky. Let him or her scare people for a few hours by suddenly running between people and hiding under the table where people are standing next to. One time feeling something on your leg and you'll be on edge the whole evening.

5. Food and drinks
For the snacks, I would go for bite size: easy and you can play with them. Take a strawberry, remove the crown with a straw, and make a small slit in the middle: not all the way through, but like a little tube. In this goes fake blood (you can make it yourself so it's edible) or red food coloring mixed with a bit of honey or another thick syrup. To finish it off, melted dark chocolate goes on top. One bite and not only the water, but also the blood runs in your mouth. You can mix this same red goo with ketchup or tomato sauce and squirt it on your mini pizzas. For drinks, make ice cubes with black food coloring so that all drinks look eerily dark after a few minutes.

6. Music
Nothing is more annoying than when you're dancing and the music suddenly stops because the songs in the playlist are over. Therefore, create a joint playlist for everyone you invite, so everyone can include their favorite hits and you can be sure that no one is sitting still. Here are a few songs that of course should not be missing.

Thriller – Michael Jackson
Disturbia – Rihanna
Bloody Mary – Lady Gaga
Super Freak – Rick James
Unholy – Sam Smith, Kim Petras
Sweet but Psycho – Ava Max
Bad Guy – Billie Eilish
Toxic – Britney Spears
She Wolf – Shakira
Cannibal – Kesha
Look at what you made me do – Taylor Swift
Sweet Dreams – Beyoncé
Black Magic – Little Mix