How to Have a Great Vampire Party for Halloween
Throwing a Fun Theme Bash for Fans of Bloodsucking Fiends
Aug 13, 2009
Vampires have been one of the most popular staples of Halloween decorations, costumes and movies for decades. If you are looking to have a party this Halloween or any other time of year for that matter, and you want vampires to be part of it, consider using some of the suggestions below for food, entertainment, costumes and decorations.
Wax Fangs and Blood-Red Gelatin
For refreshments, consider serving drinks such as blood-red punch, tomato juice, and any other flavor of red juice. For food, consider wax vampire teeth as a fun treat, coffin cupcakes and bat cakes, blood-red gelatin (with Halloween-shaped cutouts if you choose), and Count Chocula cereal for the vampire kid in everyone.
Vampire Entertainment
To keep your guests occupied, show movies, either to have on in the background or to sit down and watch together. Some suggestions to fit the theme of the evening are:
- Nosferatu (1922)
- Dracula (1931)
- Salem’s Lot (1979)
- Fright Night (1985)
- The Lost Boys (1987)
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)
- Interview With the Vampire (1994)
- Blade (1998)
- Shadow of the Vampire (2000)
- I Am Legend (2007)
The movies’ ratings vary from PG to R, so consider this before you decide which ones are best for your party.
Music:
If possible, find some vampire songs to jam to at your party. Below are a few suggestions. Be sure to preview each song that you consider before the party, as they all have different tones and use of language.
- “I’m a Vampire” by Future Bible Heroes
- “Cry Little Sister” by Gerard McMann (from the Lost Boys soundtrack)
- “Vampires” by Pet Shop Boys
- “Love Song For a Vampire by Annie Lennox (from Bram Stoker’s Dracula soundtrack)
- “Vampires Will Never Hurt You” by My Chemical Romance
- “Bloodletting (The Vampire Song)” by Concrete Blonde
Games
- Vampire Murder Mystery: Like Clue, except you have to figure out who the vampire is.
- Pin the Fangs on the Vampire: a Halloween spin on the classic pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey.
- Vampire Trivia: Create your own questions of vampire lore related to movies, books, television shows, and anything vampire-related. Play as singles or pairs, and whoever wins gets candy teeth!
Another fun way to pass the evening might be to share your favorite vampire stories (short ones would work best, although classic passages from longer works would be fine also) or poems or artwork, and explain why you like them.
Vampire Costumes
No Halloween party is complete without costumes! Encourage your guests to dress up as their favorite vampires from movies, books, or even just their own creations. Here are some ideas to get started:
- Dracula: can’t argue with the classics! All you need is a white dress shirt, some black trousers, a vest, a cape, and some fangs! Feel free to mix it up a bit, though, and let your imagination take over.
- The Vampire Lestat from Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles: a blond-haired vampire bombshell! All you need is a blond wig (if you’re non-blond), some fangs and some fancy duds, like a velvet coat and nineteenth-century gentleman’s costume.
- Louis de Pointe du Lac: this raven-haired beauty is also one of Anne Rice’s vampires, who is Lestat’s companion. He is broody but kind. He tends to wear gentleman’s clothing as well, though his is shabbier than Lestat’s.
- Elvira: this vampiress is a classic pop culture figure. A black bouffant wig, lots of makeup and a black dress is all you need.
If there aren’t any specific vampires you’d like to look like, go for your own vampire creation. Be as classic or as unique as you want. You can even create a whole new genre of vampire looks!
Vampire Decorations
Depending on whether or not you want your party to be kid-friendly or sophisticated, consider some of the following decorating ideas for your vampire party:
- Cut-out vampires to put on the walls or the windows
- Pumpkins carved to look like your favorite vampire’s face
- A stuffed, life-size vampire to spook your partygoers (bonus points if he’s in a coffin!)
- Bats hanging from the ceiling
- Mini coffin-shaped boxes to hold refreshments
- A CD on loop playing Halloween sound effects
Alternately, if you are going for understated decorations, you could simply use accents of color here and there around the main party area with hints of black, purple and red to suggest rather than scream the theme of the night.
While a vampire-themed party will surely excite all of the bloodsucking fans out
there, feel free to use only a handful of these ideas if they appeal to you. A general Halloween party may be more to your liking. Vampires can be a small part of your Halloween or they can be the main focus. The great thing is that it’s all up to you. Hope you have a great party!
 |
 |
