# themed rooms



## ragdoll_sally (Jul 8, 2005)

I'm thinking about having a Halloween party this year the Saturday before Halloween. I'm debating on where to have it though, but it will probably be a combined party of my friends and my brother's friends. Anyway, if we do it at the house instead of using a nother space, i was thinking about doing each room in a different theme. i kinda have to work with what we already have, but my mom is a sucker for victorian style antiques, so our living room and dining room are done in that style. I'm thinking for the living room, the theme will be Vampire's Parlor. I'm not sure about the dining room, but i'm thinking about Creepy Feast and having a head on a platter.... Also, since the family room, which is on the same floor is not done in antiques really, i'm thinking about doing it like an abandoned house and covering the furniture in white sheets and putting up cobwebs everywhere. Honestly, there will probably be cobwebs all over the house just because. I was also going to put a black light in the family room and light the dining room and living room with fake christmans candles. I'm not sure what to do with the Kitchen, but i want to use regular lighting in there. Any ideas, or suggestions to improve the other rooms?


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## Lurks in the shadows (Mar 12, 2005)

If you have a room you can't or don't want to decorate, you could make the door look boarded up.

Use thin boards (cut paneling into boards) and glue them together in a "panicked" fashion, you know, so it looks like you grabbed whatever boards you could and nailed them up as quickly as possible. Cut the heads off of several different kinds of nails, and add them to the appropriate places. 
Again, for the "panlcky" look, bend a lot of them over and add several hammer marks where you missed the nail.

The trick: On the back, use wire to hang the whole thing from the door so that it looks as if it is holding the door shut. You might wnat to add felt to the back to keep from scratching the door or frame.


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## Wolfman (Apr 15, 2004)

I went to a party years ago where everybody was asked to bring three carved Jack O'Lanterns. The Rumpus Room already contained a good number of JOL's, but as guests arrived, the number grew and grew, by 9:00 they were everywhere, all over the house, even in the Restrooms.


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## ragdoll_sally (Jul 8, 2005)

LIS, the borded up idea would be cool, but to get to the other rooms in the house, you have to go through the kitchen. Never fear, however, I thought i could do the kitchen indof like a laboratory. Not sure about it yet, but i think i may still have a chemestry set from when i was a kid that i can't set up on the counter. maybe i could look into geting some freeze dried ice or renting a fog machine... 
I like that JOL idea, Wolfman. I might have to "borrow" that one...


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## RedSonja (Sep 18, 2004)

Sally, I have a theme every year for my party. Such as a bat theme, when I hung tons of bats from the ceiling. Last years theme was a psycho circus and I put up black & white ballons, lots of crepe paper and demented clowns all dressed in black.

I also do themes in my bathrooms, such as the infamous bloody shower from Psycho. One of my faves was the Hellraiser bathroom. I covered every wall with black trashbags, hung bloody chains from the ceiling (real long, so people had to move in between them), had the movie score playing in the background and a stobe light that made everyone disoriented!  

Or simply have a dark room w/ a TV in the corner on static...that'll be the Poltergeist room!

Hope the ideas help!


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## FontGeek (May 7, 2005)

For one of the Victorian rooms, how about a seance room, Fortune Teller and all. Use a crystal ball, tarot cards, the whole bit. It gives some entertainment and a place where people can sit down. 
For the kitchen, how about the brain depository as shown in Young Frankenstein.
There are jello molds in the shapes of brains, doing either jello or silicone for the brains, and put them in jars or clear containers marked with the names of some famous monsters or writers (Poe, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, etc.), don't forget to have one that is "abnormal".
You could do the kitchen to look like the little shop of horrors, with plants everyplace.
The lab of Dr Moreau with creatures in various stages of metomorphisis.
Almost any horror movie has a scene with a kitchen in it. But if this kitchen is going to get used as a kitchen during the party, you have to keep the facilities available.
FontGeek


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## Wolfman (Apr 15, 2004)

Fontgeek, that reminded me of a scene we used years ago. I met this girl from Hungary who had the perfect "Gypsy" accent. We hired her to be a Fortune Teller, Madam Tsigano. She worked in a Pet Store, she could use the extra cash. We worked in a werewolf story using a "plant" in the group going through. Another actor, dressed identically to the plant, was huddled underneath the Gypsy's table. The plant sat down to have his fortune told, "Oh, no, you're a werewolf, yadda, yadda...The table was held together using velcro strips, I think you see where this is going. Under a strobelight, it was awesome. But it took almost 3 minutes to pull off, just too long. Plus the werewolf started loosing his voice by 6:00. By 10 he was so hoarse you could hardly hear him. The most elaborate, drawn out scare I've ever pulled, but if they're in a room longer than 90 seconds, it's too long.


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## ragdoll_sally (Jul 8, 2005)

I have a friend who can read tarot, so the gypsy fortune teller may not be a bad idea. However, she might get a bit exaughsted by the end of the night. from what she tells me, it's very draining to read people's cards. 
The kitchen may or may not be used. i'm not sure yet. right now i'm in the planning stage. These are all great ideas though. I'm only doing 1 floor of my house for the party (i live in a two story house and the second floor is all bedrooms). I won't have a lot of time to decorate before the party, since i'll be away at school until friday afternoon.


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## FontGeek (May 7, 2005)

You can also add a ouija board and a crystal ball, it doesn't have to be a single person doing all this stuff. Often just having the stuff out creates it's own crowd and "Fortune Teller" from the group. You can also save some small bones, cleaned and dryed ofcourse to let people roll the bones. If you want a giant (12"-14") crystal ball, go to your local lighting store, they sell them as spheres or globes for seiling mounted lighting, they have a good size opening on one side that gives you a fairly easy way to mount it. you can put a fogger pointed up into it, and let the fog come out the bottom of the base so that it rolls off the table, you can use angel hair and twinkle lights or LEDs to illuminate the interior of the ball. The fog and the angel hair are great for lighting, they defract the light from the source, so the effect stays etherial. You can have a sound track of a seance going on, cards being read, bones being red, etc.
Hide the expensive or fragile stuff, they grow legs at parties.
FontGeek


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## Gym Whourlfeld (Jan 22, 2003)

Font:Will those legs be female and shapley or male and hairy?
I vote for them to be female.
Imagine everyone just sitting around watching legs grow....wait a minute!
Is this an ad for some kind of Chea-Pet?


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## ragdoll_sally (Jul 8, 2005)

lol! that's great, Gym.


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## FontGeek (May 7, 2005)

Sorry to burst your bubble Gym, those are male legs, and yes, they are hairy.
But hey, if that's what turns you on...

Unfortunately, expensive things seem to grow less and less valuable as time goes on at parties, especially if there is alcohol being consumed and the items don't belong to you. Little things get taken because people think they are props, or they just don't care because the booze has taken the last of the common sense from them, and with two different groups coming to this party you will get a lot of finger pointing from each group. You are just looking for trouble if you don't take away the temptations.

For the kitchen scene, you could do the kitchen scene from Poltergiest, stack the chairs, have the football helmet on a little girl or a mannequin and the chair or stool with a nylon line to pull it across the room. Even without the nylon line you could have the scene set up and still let the kitchen be functional.
FontGeek


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## ragdoll_sally (Jul 8, 2005)

I don't think there are going to be a lot of people at the party and if there is drinking, which i'm doubting since while some of my friends drink, I don't really like to and my brotherand his friends are only 17, i'm limiting everyone who does drink. ( man, that sentance is confusing...) Plus, it's in my parents' house and i don't think they'd appriciate it.


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## FontGeek (May 7, 2005)

I understand on the drinking part, I think that's great!
I would still put away the small expensive or rare pieces though.
Kitchens have a tendency to be meeting (meating?) places where people gather, if the fridge and pantry are there, so will the people. You can do you kitchen with props for your own ideas. With odd foods under glass (hand sandwiches, fingertip sandwiches, etc.) just for some entertainment.
FontGeek


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## ragdoll_sally (Jul 8, 2005)

I see what you're saying about the small stuff and it makes sense. I'll have to keep all that in mind. My kitchen and my tv room tend to be the gathering rooms. I'm thinking about having a Tim Burton marathon in the tv room, just because i love Tim Burton and a lot of his movies fit the Halloween mood. Most of them, actually... Too bad Corpse Bride won't be on video yet...


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## Wolfman (Apr 15, 2004)

Knowing that the party is focused on "The Younger Set" really changes things. I'm thinking Gross Foods. You know, Tootsie Roll Cat Poo in a Litter Box, that sort of thing. We had bloody maggots last year but I can't remember how we did it. Might make for an interesting Thread here.


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## FontGeek (May 7, 2005)

This sounds like two distinct groups, early twenties and late teens.
How about Gummy Worms in strawberry jelly?
MMMMMMMMMMMM, makes me hungry just thinking of bloody maggots.
Boy do I feel old.

Given the age groups, it may be better to have rooms that will appeal to each group, and a common room or two for food. If the kids mix they mix, if they don't then each have their areas to retreat to.
FontGeek


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## ragdoll_sally (Jul 8, 2005)

Well, my brother had a Lord of the Rings party in December at which both his and my friends attended. His friends are the non-typical mature high school students, in short the quite, bookish types. My friends are theatre geeks. Oddly enough, everybody got along really well, so I'm not worried about the groups not melding as much as decorating and keeping alcohol out of the minors, given, that group probably wouldn't try to anyway, but better safe than sorry.


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## pirategirl (Jul 9, 2005)

Ok so the kitchen is was seems to be the problem.... Gots a question for you deary.... is your mom going to be there? If so can she be the demented cook and have things "boiling" on the stove top... like actual food type things? Or you can still do that... have a tape recorder with your mom saying wako things and there be pots on the stove with dry ice in them... and one or two have things like spagettie or something.
That's one idea. 
Or you can just use that as the "safe zone" area. You know there are certain points in horror movies where the characters are safe at least for the moment. 
Then the chemistry lab is a good idea. And the gross out foods... I maybe able to brainstorm some more and think of other things.

Now about the tarot readings, hun as long as I can have a break I will be fine. Like after every three readings have a break. so not too bad. And only ONE reading per person. That way it will be fair. (you know why I said that or if not I will explain when I talk to you again.)

HE HE HE that way I can dress in my ren garb  cause I might do something differnt for halloween this year I just don't know yet. Hmmmmmmmm might have to put a post on here for suggestions.
Welp hugs dear ttyl


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## ragdoll_sally (Jul 8, 2005)

I think i understand about the one per person deal. I'll have to talk with you about that late though. But thanks for that! That'll be fun. A lot of people may not want them though. Some people just aren't into it and that's ok. This is going to be fun if I can pull it off. And to answer the one question, yeah, Mom will be there but i don't know how involved she'll want to be. I could use it for the "safe place and jut have Sterotypical Halloween decor, you know the cardboard cutouts and everything. You know what would be fun? A Halloween tree. Get a dead tree or tree branch and put rubber bats and tissue ghosts and stuff on it. maybe tell everybody to bring something to put on the halloween tree... I could put one of my old teenage Mutant Ninja turtle action figures on it! No real reason besides the fact that it's funny to see one on a tree. Well, I've reached insanity...


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