Unsure how to take your Halloween party from a tablescape of pumpkins and gourds to a party every guest will be haunted by? Marc Eliot, the founder and chief creative officer of Swoop, a New York City–based event design company, has answers.
Eliot conceptualized the decor for Bette Midler’s annual “Hulaween” bash this year, which takes place this Friday and benefits her charity, New York Restoration Project. Guests are going to be dazzled by a “Boogie Frights” theme, the ultimate mashup of 1970s Studio 54 disco glitz, and some seriously spooky decor. The space will be bedecked in neon glow, glittery disco balls, and illuminated skulls and skeletons.
The decor at the soirée is sure to be larger-than-life, but for those of us hosting at home, Eliot has some frighteningly good DIY tips to offer. Read on below.
1. Think outside the pumpkin
These orange gourds may be the official symbol of Halloween, but they aren’t the only plant life that makes great themed decor. Eliot suggests filling some simple black glass vases with “a funky flower like Gloriosa lilies in red or orange,” he says.
2. Tune in to what you already have on hand
There’s no need to spend lots of money, Eliot says. For example, if you have a flat-screen TV in your party space, keep some ’60s-era black-and-white episodes of shows like The Munsters or The Addams Family playing on repeat for instant ambiance.
3. Darkness is your friend
This is the one night of the year where dim lighting is a must. “Consider putting those little amber lights that are battery-powered and have no chance of fire or smoking around the house,” he says. “Or, buy a fog machine to add a little mist to your space.”
4. Serve up something spooky
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If you aren’t the type to cover your house in cartoonish decorations, consider communicating your theme using your plates and glassware. “Orange water goblets add lots of flair,” Eliot says. And for a dinner party, “an appetizer of ravioli in a pumpkin sauce served on a black plate screams Halloween,” he says.
5. Consider the entertainment
Whether it’s Monster Mash or the theme from Ghostbusters, a themed playlist will instantly get guests in the party spirit, Eliot says. If you have a backyard—or want to throw an outdoor party out of COVID-19 concerns, consider setting up a screen or hiring a company that can bring a portable drive-in setup to your door. “It adds a vintage feel,” he says. “Just don’t play something scary like A Nightmare on Elm Street. You want to keep the movies to the comedy horror genre rather than Freddy Kruger, especially if some of your guests are young kids.”
