Thread: 2011 theme ideas

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Hi guys,
I've been trying to think of a theme for 2011's Halloween soiree, but I've been drawing a blank. So I'm hoping that some of you could help me come up with a theme, based on what kinds of things I want to incorporate in my party. I know it's waaaay early to be planning, but I figure if I at least know my theme, I can keep an eye out (pun intended ) for items that match it and would look good as decor.
So far, I have two elements that I want to incorporate...

1) I'm a big fan of Disney's classic dark ride, The Haunted Mansion. So, for my version of the portrait gallery, I (last year) bought a few of those lenticular portraits, and plan to buy more this year. That way I can have an entire room/section of a room/nook dedicated as a "portrait gallery."

2) I love the idea of the house lit solely by flickering candle light. I have LOTS of those LED tea lights that flicker, so placing them strategically throughout the house would be really, really awesome.

I know that these two elements pretty much limit my theme to some sort of haunted house/mansion theme...but can anyone come up with something creative, or a twist on the haunted house/mansion theme?

Thanks guys!!!

Go ahead and get creative...you're not limited to a haunted house/mansion theme! We've been doing themes for several years now for our party, and I think the most fun themes we've had are the ones where each room has it's own mini-theme. For instance, one year we did Hollyweird, and each room &the yards were all based on different movies. The familyroom was a Harry Potter theme, the livingroom was filled with Disney paraphenalia, the back yard was Indiana Jones in the jungle (tropical setting), the side yard/photo op area was the Wizard of Oz. The driveway/cemetery was Beetlejuice's graveyard.

This past Halloween we had a Dread Rot Cafe theme, based on the music world. The side yard had a 3d maze that started out as a flower child type pathway to "Woodrot", and morphed into a bad acid trip as you wound your way through. You ended up at a concert stage complete with a beat up drum set, guitars as props and a tie dyed sheet for a concert stage backdrop. The photo op area worked great! The kitchen had concert t-shirts all over the ceiling, the livingroom was from the 50's and early 60's with various ghoulish props....the master bedroom was an Elvis room, the master bath was filled with props denoting various music world artists that died, etc.


What you can do is choose a main theme that could incorporate the Disney haunted mansion theme in maybe your livingroom, and then the rest of the rooms could have themes where the flickering tealights would fit right in. You could even do a Disney theme...have each room be a different Disney movie...maybe feature the evil women in each of those.

Or a vampire theme would work as well. Or a haunted Victorian theme....lots of choices!

Great ideas, Haunted Dogs!! I especially like the haunted victorian theme, I think that that theme would go wonderfully with the style of home I have to work with. And by the way, your parties sound awesome! I applaud your creative nature and, again, thanks SO MUCH for the wonderful ideas! I think I'm going to go with the haunted victorian house/mansion theme...any ideas on what kind of decor I would need and/or where I could get it? Any info you (or anyone else!) could provide would be very helpful! Thanks!

Victorians had so many funeral and death-related customs that you have a wealth of possibilities to run with. Seances were so popular that they're a natural. Mourning and funeral customs were elaborate and included all kinds of details that are fun to incorporate in a haunt. Even Dracula and ouija boards date to late Victorian times. Check out this thread for some ideas.

Well...I'm going with a evil bunny theme this year. Everyone has to dress up as a rabbit in some various shade of badness. Food will be bunny based (bloody carrot cake, sinister salads, etc.)

Originally Posted by BlueFrog

Victorians had so many funeral and death-related customs that you have a wealth of possibilities to run with. Seances were so popular that they're a natural. Mourning and funeral customs were elaborate and included all kinds of details that are fun to incorporate in a haunt. Even Dracula and ouija boards date to late Victorian times. Check out this thread for some ideas.

Great thoughts!!! I never thought of that...I'm thinking about incorporating the movie "A Haunting in Connecticut" into part of the entertainment. I've been researching mourning customs, superstitions, etc. during the Victorian era, and there's a wealth of possibilities. But, I'm on a budget, and can't afford to throw an all-out "blockbuster" party...any ideas on decor on a budget? I was thinking about making the upstairs living room a saence scene. An alternative was making the entire house a "home in mourning," and re-create that type of atmosphere. Any ideas on decor? I already know that the windows should all be draped, and so should the mirrors; the clocks should be stopped at the "time of death," etc. I thought my invites could be an obituary/notification of death. Thoughts?

Love the obit notification idea. I might have to steal that some day

NOW is the time to start hitting up Goodwill, Salvation Army, Craigslist, yard sales, etc. Check out the 2010 Yard Saling thread started by Mr. Gris in General Halloween to get a sense of just what kinds of amazing finds are out there. When in doubt, hit it with black spray paint

See if you can't find cheap black fabric at estate sales, garage sales, etc. from people leaving their hobbies. Watch JoAnn Fabrics for closeouts and deep discounts on cheap black cloth. Faux Victorian picture frames, candle holders, etc. have been popular for ages and can often be found quite cheaply.

More stuff as I think of it...

I read on here somewhere that people get white sheets from hotels that are throwing them out. You could always cover the furniture and always check garage sales for lace curtains, even ones with stains. Big vases and flower arrangements. Plaster columns etc.... I had a funeral parlour in my living room this year and picked up stuff all year long. It's the only way to go.

Consider including a white lady, another feature popular in Victorian times. You'll have to hunt the thrift stores for a while to find a suitable dress that hasn't already been snapped up by a fellow haunter . Check out the many tutorials on this site for how to make a body to wear the dress.

Speaking of bodies, the corpse itself should be layed out in the living room for it to be a proper funeral.

Along with the stopped clocks, never underestimate the simple symbolism of an hourglass. It's not specifically Victorian, as far as I know, but it was one of visitors' favorite props last year.

If you're serving a meal, now is the time to stock up on silverplate dinnerware from thrift stores. Just a few of the ubiquitous big serving platters and a couple of taller accent items, like candleholders or tea pots, can do a lot to make the affair look more formal and period-appropriate.

Not sure if this would be too macabre, but you can find numerous Victorian era death photos on the internet that could be printed out (for relatively little $$) and displayed in frames around a room. Or if that's too creepy (since they are real), perhaps you could have an area set up in your house where your guests could "pose" for their own fake digital death portraits...then email them their pictures as a (de)parting gift/party favor! Though I suppose that sounds equally weird...

But your obituary invitation sounds most excellent! : )