Thread: All About Themes

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I don't know, if there already is a thread like this. Hope not. But I was thinking
it would be nice to know what themes you have had, do you always have the
same and add props/decorations, or do you like to change your theme? When
you have had some kind of theme, what kind of decorations have you had?

That way we could gather ideas in one place. And please, add photos too! And,
where do you store all your Halloween stuff?

Here is a link to my profile where you can find the photo albums and see
what all I have had:
http://www.halloweenforum.com/members/ecula.html

Here what there has been so far:

• Swamp/voodoo
• Voodoo on the Bayou
• Boo Orleans Bash
• Mardi Ghoul
• Haunted forest
• Spider's liar
• Zombies
• Zombie-spa
• Zombie apocalypse
• Disco zombie
• Egyptian curse
• Mummies
• Medieval
• Scarecrow/harvest
• Killer clown/carnival/circus
• Psychotic circus
• Creepy carnival
• Witches, warlocks and other magical creatures
• Gnomes & trolls
• Train accident
• Morgue/corpses
• Graveyard
• Funeral
• Skeletons
• Pirates
• Mad scientist/lab
• Butcher/slaughter house
• Asylum
• Dungeon
• Surreal Estate
• Hell's Kitchen
• Haunted Manor
• Gothic Manor
• Vampire ball
• Haunted hotel
• Haunted Luau
• Dia de los Muertos Shrine
• Murder mystery
• Murder scene
• Twisted Fairy Tales
• Old Hollywood
• Haunted Hollywood
• Addams Family
• Nightmare Before Christmas
• Harry Potter
• Sleepy Hollow
• Underworld
• World of Warcraft
• Heroes & villains
• Superheroes/comic book
• Men in Black/aliens, space odd-isy
• Famous dead people or dead famous people
• Ghost stories
• Scary tales
• Monster mash
• Face your fears
• 80's/old skool
• Somewhere in time
• Boos & spirits
• Dante's inferno
• Dead man's party
• Choose your own adventure
• It's the end of the world as we know it!

It is great to pick one theme and then start to play with it. Search pics trough internet
and plan. I think I am after all more of the kind of Gothic touch. Can man even say it
like that... Me and my English. Main thing you understand. I loved my clown last year
but all the other stuff was very hard to put up and I wasn't satisfied. How is it you start to
plan your haunt/party?

I used to do just general haunted house, but then I started doing themes:

Surreal Estate
Invite was a Haunted Open House flyer from Rigor Mortgage (idea and name courtesy of the amazing Fright Gallery haunt that is no longer with us)
Surreal Estate theme - INVITES!
I was a surreal estate agent (zombie realtor) and had a coffin shaped name tag with Myra Mains, Rigor Mortgage on it. Made a realtor sign to stick out front with Rigor Mortgage and Myra Mains' contact info on it... (darn, don't have a pic of the street sign)
Had door prizes and everyone brought their keys to open the "stuck" door. It was a huge hit.

Last party I did was funeral themed. It was fun to plan, but we had a horrible turn-out due to swine flu, so if we do decide to do a party again, this theme will be reused.
I made a large painting of Mortimer Widows (the deceased) and DaveintheGrave made me some awesome moving eyes to simulate the "old painting with the secret passage/lookout" effect. Invites were coffin shaped, and had a little rhyme:
Mortimer Widows caught a chill,
He passed away, but left a will.
We meet to mourn and socialize -
Will you be there to claim his prize?



This year's party theme - funeral!

i dont do a specific theme - just go for general 'creepy'... witches, bats, skeletons, pretty classic stuff like that

Inside my house I have a different theme in each room (Kitchen: "Hell's Kitchen, Living Room: "Haunted Manor", Office: "Dia de los Muertos Shrine", Eating Area/Bar "Boos & Spirits", Bathroom: "Nightmare Before Christmas"). I will keep these themes the same each year but just expand on them. To keep things interesting, I plan on changing the theme to the main entryway (vaulted ceilings perfect for hanging decorations) and dining room. Last year was our first party and I chose "classic Halloween" just to get things started. Here is a picture of the dining room, the entryway had dozens of paper bats hanging.

Sound great everyone! I most definitely have to come there sometime during Halloween!
To see how it is and visit all possible stores!


It is so much different there. Here people have parties and decorate their homes.
We don't have TOTs and almost nothing outdoors. And people don't go around
to see, what all people have put up. Some bars have theme parties at the time.
I have been saying this many times, that here in Finland Halloween is for adults.
Where I grew up in the South-West Finland, there is this old custom, that kids
go around asking for candy short after Christmas:

St. Knut's Day - "Good [St.] Thomas brings the Christmas, evil Knut takes [it] away."

Nuuttipukki was a scary character (cf. Krampus). The men dressed as Nuuttipukki wandered from
house to house, came in, and typically demanded household residents for food and especially alcoholic
beverages. In Finland the Nuuttipukki tradition is still living at areas of Satakunta, Finland Proper and
Ostrobothnia. However, nowadays the character is usually played by children and now involves a
happy encounter.


Old mask. Creepy.

And back to themes. I am thinking of having that regular thing this year. Next year it is going
to be swamp/voodoo.

I've only had one proper Halloween party before now, last year, and since it was my first one I just went for a general Halloween feel plus we only have a tiny house so there wasn't much room for interesting props!

This year, I'm going for a Harry Potter Halloween - I've started planning really early and I can't wait. I don't have any pictures yet really, since I can't set anything up, but once I start actually making things then I'll be posting

I like the themes but I'll do both. I've done Gothic Manor with lace, red velvet, black roses and tarnished silver. Voodoo on the Bayou - mambo house/kitchen, swamp and Mardi Ghoul. This year I'm planning a Witches Tea Party and a regular Halloween party. I like to plan a theme a year in advance so I can collect things throughout the year for the party. I have a Scary Tales party planned on paper, down to the invitations and I would like to do a Dead & Breakfast and a Haunted Luau. The problem with the theme parties is storage, you can end up with a lot of props pertaining only to that theme.

My theme is just always Halloween. I use all of the decor that I've collected through the years and always add more every year.

*Hey guys!!! The emoticons are now lil pumpkins