Slip a creepy CD into the sound system, turn down the lights, line the front steps with Jack-o-lanterns and you’ve begun to set the mood. Here are a few more spooky ideas:
Ghostly games
Pumpkin throw — In the backyard, set up targets and establish a throwing line. Then see who has the most success hitting the targets.
Halloween trivia — Come up with Halloween related questions (Who wrote “Frankenstein”? When was the original “Halloween” made?) and place them in a hat. The guest who gets the most right wins.
Scavenger hunt — This is great for a kid-friendly party. Make a checklist of items hidden inside the house or things known to be outside on the street. Send your guests off in teams to see how many things they can find. If they’re hunting outside, add a technology twist and ask that each item be photographed on a camera phone.
Creepy cuisine
Roasted pumpkin seeds — Take unwashed pumpkin seeds and toss in olive oil, salt, freshly ground black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and cayenne pepper. Place on a cookie sheet in an oven pre-heated to 300? and bake for roughly 45 minutes.
Witch’s brew — Mix 2 oz. Yellow Chartreuse, 1 1/2 oz. Blue Curacao, 1/2 oz. spiced brandy, 1/4 tsp. ground cloves, 1 dash nutmeg and 1 dash allspice. Serve in a chilled glass. Make a nonalcoholic version by mixing the same spices with apple cider and ginger ale.
Zombie — Mix 1 1/4 oz. lemon juice, 2 dashes grenadine, 3/4 oz. blood orange juice, 3/4 oz. cherry Heering liqueur, 3/4 oz. white rum, 2 oz. dark rum and 3/4 oz. dark — proof rum. Shake with ice and then strain into a highball glass over crushed ice.
Deathly decorations
Creepy crawlies — Buy plastic ants at a party store. Place these around the desserts. A few fake spiders also add a nice touch.
Apple heads — A couple days before the party, peel apples, brush with lemon juice mixed with salt and then carve faces into the flesh. Allow the apples to air dry so they’ll become shriveled, wrinkled heads. Insert cloves into the eye sockets and rice into the mouth as teeth. Use them as a centerpiece or on the mantle.
Occult accents — Place tarot cards, Ouija boards and crystal balls in the living room. Invite guests to use them, if they dare.