August 23rd, 2010
Halloween parties are of course all about the fancy dress costumes, but what else can you do to make your party a scream?
Food - Cup cakes are ideal for children’s Halloween parties, and to give them a little something ghoulish you can easily use icing to create a variety of iconic Halloween designs, such as skulls, ghosts and pumpkins. Fill them with jam as ‘blood’ to really make them special. Alternatively, many supermarkets sell edible sugar paper designs which can be transferred onto the cakes.
Drinks - Create a range of eerie yet healthy drinks by using juices and food colourings. Red for blood, green for slime, etc. Give them names like vampire essence, or troll juice to really peak your young guests’ interest.
Music - You can buy CD’s with a range of Halloween sound effects and spooky songs to add creepy vibes to your party. Alternatively make your own compilation from relevant children’s theme tunes such as Doctor Who, Ghostbusters, Scooby Doo and Spiderman.
Costumes - Send out invites with ideas for Halloween fancy dress costumes. Ensure that you and any other adults are also in fancy dress for the Halloween party, as this will help create a truly memorable and ghoulish experience for your young guests.
Tags: fancy dress, fancy dress costumes, Halloween fancy dress, Halloween fancy dress costumes, Halloween parties, Halloween party
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August 1st, 2010
Next to awesomely scary and outrageous costumes, the most important element of any Halloween party is the atmosphere. The setting you create, whether in your own back garden, a local barn or anywhere else, is absolutely vital in creating a mood fit for ghouls, goblins and things that go bump in the night. This week we take a look at a few ideas you can use as themes for this year’s Halloween fancy dress party.
• Graveyard – The perfect party location for ghouls, ghosts, skeletons and mummies, you can create a spooky looking graveyard in your own back garden without too much effort. All you need is some construction material to make tombstone props out of. Strong cardboard, glue and several shades of paint should do the trick.
• Derelict spaceship – Anyone who has seen a sci-fi horror film will testify to the fact that there’s nothing more nerve jangling than a deserted looking spaceship. Try and get hold of various coloured lights and paint the walls with all kinds of buttons and contraptions to get the look. Play some eerie synth music in the background.
• Medieval – Perfect for witches, knights, wizards, ogres and other mythical beasts, a medieval setting will whisk your guests back to a time when witches were burnt at the stake, knights did gallant deeds to win the hand of fair maidens, and no-one had ever heard of deodorant.
Tags: fancy dress party, Halloween fancy dress, Halloween fancy dress party, Halloween party
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July 28th, 2010
When you’re thinking of fancy dress costumes for this year’s Halloween party, the first ideas that come to mind are probably of famous and iconic monsters and terrifying creatures. But if you’re looking for a killer costume, the ranks of legendary monster hunters can offer you some fantastic costume ideas. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Ghostbusters – Who you gonna call? Egon, Ray, Winston and Peter make up the ghost-busting team that saw off the likes of a sixty foot tall marshmallow man. If you want to follow in their footsteps, get yourself a jumpsuit, embroider on a Ghostbusters badge and grab a pair of heavy boots. Add a backpack and some homemade ghoul-beating equipment to complete the look. This will work even better if you can persuade a group of friends to wear similar costumes.
Chris Redfield/ Jill Valentine – Characters from the original Resident Evil video game that spawned a plethora of sequels and movies, Chris and Jill are members of the STARS special ops team sent to neutralise the zombie threat created by the mysterious T-virus. Get yourself a uniform and a plastic gun and get ready to kick undead butt!
Shaun of the Dead – No less effective but certainly adopting a different style of hand to zombie combat, our very own Shaun (as portrayed by Simon Pegg) is the classic British everyman struggling to save the day in time for a quick pint down the pub. Blood splattered shirt and a cricket bat are key aspects of this Halloween costume.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Sexy, sassy and pretty nifty with a stake and a crucifix, Buffy kills vampires dead in double-time and does it in fine martial arts style. Knock ‘em dead and keep the ghouls at bay by going to the Halloween party as Sunnydale’s favourite daughter.
Tags: fancy dress, fancy dress costumes, Halloween costumes, Halloween party
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June 30th, 2010
If you’re struggling to think of a theme for this year’s Halloween fancy dress party, why not make it a monster mash up, with guests encouraged to come as famous monsters from mythology, movies and literature?
This broad theme should be enough to inspire your guests to come in a whole range of gruesome guises. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Bigfoot/ yeti – Both similarly proportioned ape-like beasts from American and Nepalese folk-lore respectively. This fancy dress costume is easier to pull off if you’re over six feet tall.
Frankenstein’s Monster – Perhaps the most famous monster of all time, Frankenstein’s monster was never inherently bad, but perhaps a little confused. Get yourself some green-grey face paint, some neck bolts and some shoulder pads to bring him to life. Remember to add lobotomy scars.
Medusa – A perfect choice for the ladies, Medusa originates from Greek mythology, and was most recently seen in the remake of the classic fantasy film Clash of the Titans. Lithe in appearance, Medusa’s most prominent feature was the fact that her hair was made of snakes, and she could turn men to stone just by looking at them. Handy for warding off unwanted suitors.
Spring-heeled Jack – Part of Victorian folklore and urban myth, Spring-heeled Jack was reportedly seen throughout England in the 19th century, particularly in London. Famed for his ability to jump incredibly high and his grotesque appearance, Jack supposedly wore a black cloak, had clawed hands and eyes of fire.
Pennywise the Clown – Responsible for many an enduring childhood fear of clowns, Pennywise was a character in the Stephen King novel/ film, IT. Dressing up as the nightmarish Pennywise can be done with a standard clown costume and make up, with the addition of razor sharp dentures, blood splatters and a manic expression.
Tags: Frankenstein costume, Halloween costume party, Halloween costumes, Halloween party, Medusa costume
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June 21st, 2010
If you’re looking for a suitable theme for this year’s Halloween party then why not take a voyage back to medieval times? There is of course no need for complete historical accuracy, and a fantastical element to the theme is an excellent way of ensuring a good mix of ghoulish, gallant and ghastly characters at your fancy dress Halloween party. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
Witches
Warty, old and cackling or young, attractive and devilishly alluring, the witch has always been a central part of medieval folklore. You can make your own witch’s costume with a slinky dress, some strategic make-up and the odd prosthetic boil. Black cat and broom optional.
Knights
A suit of armour, sword and shield are the main prerequisites for this costume. Hire or buy a full costume to prepare yourself for the battle against the forces of evil on Halloween.
Maiden’s Fair
Where there are knights, there are usually hapless yet beautiful maidens close at hand. Get yourself a long blonde wig or start growing your hair now in preparation for this year’s Halloween fancy dress party.
Goblins
Small, ugly, and green-skinned, goblins rarely have nice words said about them, but can make an excellent choice for an unusual Halloween costume. A deep green body-paint and some shabby clothes are all that’s required.
Wizards
Forget Harry Potter, proper wizards are tall, thin figures with long white beards and a pointy hat. To boost your credibility try learning a few phrases in a fictional tongue such as elvish and go around the fancy dress party casting spells on people.
Tags: fancy dress costumes, Halloween fancy dress party, Halloween party, medieval costumes, witches and wizards
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June 11th, 2010
Over the past century Hollywood and other national cinemas have given us countless incarnations of the vampire legend. This week we take a look at a selection of these to give you ideas for this year’s Halloween costume. Forget the teen heart-throb vampire-lites of the Twilight saga, these guys and girls are the real thing.
Nosferatu - The original vampire film, German director FW Murneau’s silent film treatment of the Dracula legend remains a classic. Murneau’s Count Orlok was a far cry from the vampires strutting their stuff on the silver screen today. Gruesome and animal-like, you can easily make a Nosferatu vampire costume with a long black coat, a bald cap, prosthetic fangs and some elongated fake nails.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula - Francis Ford Coppola’s interpretation of Bram Stoker’s classic novel sees Gary Oldman’s Count Dracula travel to England to seduce a nobleman’s mistress. Oldman’s portrayal is of a suave alluring vampire in a sharp suit and fashionable sunglasses. You can complete your fancy dress costume with a top hat.
Interview with the Vampire - Starring Brad Pitt as an aristocratic plantation owner turned vampire, and Tom Cruise as the wily, ruthless vampire who offers him eternal life. Fine period costumes and long well kept hair are the order of the night in perfecting your Halloween fancy dress costume.
Queen of the Damned – A modern take on the vampire myth, Queen of the Damned reinvents the undead as rock stars. Watch the film then show up to the Halloween party dressed as either the sulky rock singer vampire Lestat, or the beautiful yet deadly Akasha, Queen of the damned.
Lost Boys – If you’re a child of the eighties then taking your Halloween costume cues from Joel Schumacher’s Lost Boys could be just the thing. Lost Boys centred around a vampire motorcycle gang with Kiefer Sutherland at their head, so grab yourself some bike leathers, fangs and a dodgy eighties haircut.
Other vampire films worth a watch before Halloween include the Tarentino penned From Dusk till Dawn, Russian vampire saga Nightwatch (Nochnoy Dozor) and the vampires versus werewolves action of the Underworld films.
Tags: Halloween costume, Halloween fancy dress, Halloween party, Halloween vampire, vampire, vampire costume
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May 22nd, 2010
Halloween may be some way off yet, but that just means there’s plenty of time to plan and design your fancy dress costume for the big night. This week we explore the gore-filled post-apocalytica which is the world of the living dead.
To quote George A. Romero, the godfather of modern zombie movies, “when there’s no more room in hell, the dead shall walk the earth.” This premise remains at the centre of zombie mythology and popular culture, and to ensure you look the part at your Halloween party you should keep it in mind.
To get you in the mood for your very own night of the living dead and to give you ideas for your zombie Halloween costume it’s a good idea to research the subject matter. It’s also a lot of brain-dead fun.
For Zombie films, check out the one that started it all- George A Romero’s 1968 classic, Night of the Living Dead. The seminal film spawned a thousand imitations, and many sequels have been made, including Dawn of the Dead and the upcoming Survival of the Dead. Zombie films such as 28 Days Later and the Resident Evil series provide a modern slant on the zombie mythology.
By now you should have a few good ideas for your zombie fancy dress costume. Think ripped clothes with a liberal dowsing of fake blood, lots of face make up and the odd cosmetic scar for extra effect. If you’re lucky enough to own an iPhone there are many apps out there which enable you to take a picture of your own face and then map it onto a chillingly realistic moving zombie figure for inspiration.
Happy brain hunting!
Tags: fancy dress costume, Halloween 2010, Halloween costume, Halloween fancy dress, Halloween party, zombie costume
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May 6th, 2010
Like Halloween, May Day is a commonly observed festival with pre-Christian roots. The earliest festivals celebrated the Greek goddess Flora, before becoming a day of religious significance as Christianity came to dominate Europe. Today it has once again become a secular festival and many of the original traditions have been revived in folk celebrations across the country.
Of these traditions, the most famous is the Maypole dance. This was only adopted in the UK in the late 19th century, but had previously formed part of Europe’s May Day festivities. In England it came to sit alongside morris dancing as an expected festival activity. This historic emphasis on dance is shared with the original observance of Halloween, which saw masked figures dance around a fire to ward off evil spirits.
Another shared characteristic is that both festivals have their own ‘Jack’. The May Day version is Jack in the Green who participates in morris dances and parades wearing a full costume of leaves and twigs; the effect is akin to a walking tree. The figure is thought to be derived from the Green Man of English folklore, a symbol of nature, fertility and life.
The two feast days can be seen as book ends to the agricultural season, May Day marks the beginning as the work begins, Halloween marks the end of harvest once all the fruits are gathered. So if it feels like a long time until October, why not have a May Day celebration to mark the beginning of the season?
Tags: early festivals, Halloween, Halloween origins, Halloween roots, May Day, Maypole, pre-Christian, pre-Christian festivals
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April 21st, 2010
Horror movies have been a staple genre almost since cinema began. So, if you’re looking to host a Halloween party with movies, the choices are endless. Here is a selection of suggestions for your spooky cinematic experience.
Halloween: Well, with that title we couldn’t leave it out! A seminal 70s’ slasher flick, John Carpenter’s film created several tropes of the genre and the film’s villain, Michael Myers, remains a popular costume choice at Halloween parties.
The Exorcist: Based on a documented exorcism from 1949, this went on to become one of the most notorious films of the 1970s. It was deemed to be too scary for home viewing and banned on UK home video for 14 years. Legends persist of supernatural activity plaguing the cast and crew on set.
Night of the Living Dead: It wouldn’t be Halloween without a zombie movie and Night of the Living Dead is a classic of its genre. The first film of zombie maestro George A Romero, it spawned 6 sequels and a 1990 remake.
The Haunting: Although first released in 1963, The Haunting remains as potent as ever. In 2009 famed director Martin Scorsese, director of the recent thriller Shutter Island, placed it at the top of his ‘Scariest Movies of all Time’ list.
Freaks: Tod Browning’s 1932 film, set among the world of carnival freaks, was banned in the UK for 30 years. It’s an unusual and unnerving film, with an ending that haunts your nightmares for days afterwards.
Tags: Halloween movies, Halloween party, scary Halloween movies, scary Halloween party, scary movies
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April 8th, 2010
When planning a Halloween party, there are so many things to remember that it is easy to let those final touches slide. Here’s our top five checklist of details to remember:
1) Crockery: Pumpkin plates and bat decorated tumblers can help give a buffet table an extra-spooky feel. Cutlery in Halloween colours – black and orange – can also help add to the overall look. If they are of the disposable variety, it also helps you save on washing-up!
2) Invitations: These come so early in the party process, they almost seem detached from it! However, a thoughtfully designed invitation, reflecting your theme, can be a great indicator of things to come for your guests; especially if you have fancy dress!
3) Prizes: If you are awarding these for games or fancy dress, try to match them to your theme. Spooky skull chocolates, pumpkin candle holders or skeleton statuettes are all great options.
4) Food: There are two ways to theme your menu. The first is to create food that looks like Halloween icons – marshmallow ghosts, spider cupcakes etc. The second, and easier if you have a full spread, is to rename popular foods to fit your theme; so tomato soup becomes hot blood. Signs scattered around the buffet area will help identify your dishes!
5) Inter-room decorations: It’s easy to decorate the rooms of your venue but don’t forget the in-between spaces your guests will visit. Corridors and doorways are often left bare. A door curtain can provide a fun entrance and continue that Halloween feeling across the party.
Tags: Halloween party, Halloween party decorations, Halloween party food, Halloween party invitations, Halloween party room decorations
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