An outdoor Halloween party based on horror movies can be set up in little time using a back yard or nearby park and basic school supplies. Here are graveyard scene party ideas that teens and adults can use.
Make a list of different main or supporting characters who died in modern or classic horror movies, such as Paige Edwards, played by Paris Hilton in “House of Wax,” or photographer Keith Jennings, played by David Warner in “The Omen.” Send party invitations that require guests to arrive in costume as one of the characters on this list. Set up an RSVP system allowing guests to claim their character weeks in advance to prevent duplicate costumes at the party.
Cover the ground area where the party will take place with large black table cloths, trash bags, or cheap bed sheets. Sprinkle artificial grass and fake body parts covered in green slime on top of the black cloth foundation to create scenes from “Return of the Living Dead” when zombies came out of the ground.
Cut out a few headstone shapes from thick pieces of cardboard boxes or sheets using scissors. The headstone shapes should be a minimum of 12 by 18 inches in size and vary in style. Make enough headstones to accommodate the amount of guests invited to the Halloween party and the scavenger hunt trivia game they will be asked to play. Cover one or both sides of each cardboard shape with gray construction paper, foam sheets or felt material using glue. Double sided tape can also be used as a substitute for glue if necessary.
Using your guest list and costume references, write the name of a deceased horror movie character on each headstone in a method that coincides with some element of the film. A headstone for “I Know What You Did Last Summer” character Barry Cox could display his name in a handwritten note on white note paper in black ink. Repeat this process by attaching the name of the movie each character appeared in under his or her name on the headstone. This works to make guests search to find their grave-style seat.
Place milk crates, foot stools, or sofa cushions in scattered areas within the graveyard scene to create seats for each guest. Cover or wrap the seats with black table cloths and then attach one headstone to the back of these makeshift Halloween party furniture items. Place dead roses around the area in front of each headstone and then write the name of horror movie characters that died but are not being represented by guests attending the party on all of the leftover headstones.
Leave the bottom of these headstones blank and then scatter them around the graveyard area. Decorate each headstone with visual hints to the answers of the scavenger hunt based on the movie plot, such as a VHS tape for the Noah Clay character in “The Ring.”
Keep a list of the headstone game characters and their accompanying movies on a nearby sheet to reference after the party gets started. Build a low gate around the graveyard scene using leftover pieces of cardboard and glue. Secure the gate near the ground by attaching it to chairs or tables at their corners or ends using heavy duty tape. Place the food, dinnerware, and other items that will be served to guests on top of these tables or chairs. Wrap the furniture in black, brown, or gray streamer paper and secure it with tape. Surround the serving areas at the top of the furniture with black crow birds, corn crops, and scarecrows attached to wooden crosses that resemble scenes in “Husk.”
Lead guests in a tombstone-centered scavenger hunt and trivia game where they search the graveyard to find headstones with missing movie titles. Instruct them to figure out the movie these deceased characters appear in on as many headstones as they can during a specific time frame you choose in advance. The guest who has the most correct dead character and movie title matches wins this game.
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