16 Killer Halloween Party Recipes, Goodies and Craft Ideas

What’s the recipe for a fun and fabulous grown-up Halloween party? Mix equal parts spooky and silly, add a splash of kitsch… and serve! These cute bites and clever crafts are just the thing to give your guests a real scream.

Author:
Updated:: Dec 5, 2018
Original:: Oct 26, 2018

What to Eat

These adorable hors d’oeuvres will charm both kids and adults. And they’re frighteningly easy to make.

Spicy Devil's Brew

Mix a devilishly good drink!

Try our Spicy Devil's Brew

Read next: More Halloween Recipes: Spiderweb Soup, Candy Corn Pretzels, Frankenstein Punch, etc!

What to Buy

Why should Halloween costumes have all the fun puns? These party accessories are good for a laugh or two.

Witchy Word plates

$49 for 4 (in a variety of sayings), grandinroad.com

Drink Up Witches plastic cups

$10 for 8, pier1.com

Boos It Up! napkins

$6.50 for 20, blueribbongeneralstore.com

Dead Inside doormat

$40, shopjosieb.com

Spirits Served Nightly decanter

$39, grandinroad.com

What to Make

Carve Something Cool

pumpkin ice bucket — Photography by Aaron Dyer

To make this ice bucket, remove the stem portion of a large pumpkin with a carving knife, creating a wide opening. Scoop out the pulp and seeds, then decorate the pumpkin with a funny saying using a permanent marker. Line the pumpkin with a plastic bag or bowl, fill with ice and drinks, and then raise a toast to your creative genius!

Light It Up

pumpkins carved bar — Photography by Aaron Dyer

To make a seasonal sign, buy foam half pumpkins at a crafts store, or cut two foam whole pumpkins vertically (you’ll have one extra half). Trace letters onto the fronts to spell out a party phrase: BAR lets guests know where the booze is, but EAT or BOO would work, too. Using an X-Acto knife, carve out letters, place wireless LED lights inside the pumpkins and mount to a wall using damage-free mounting strips.

Tier Up

tiered pumpkin server — Photography by Aaron Dyer

For this tiered server, cut the tops off three foam pumpkins to make bowls of graduated sizes. Spray-paint; let dry. At a hardware store, get pipe and flanges that fit your bowls. Cut or drill a hole in the bottom of each bowl, then glue a flange onto the bottom. Connect the bowls by screwing pipe into the flanges; top the entire thing with an end cap. Wrap the pipe with black crepe paper and secure with glue. Line the bowls with parchment before filling with snacks

Set Out a Cheese Gourd (Get It?!)

cheese gourds — Photography by Aaron Dyer

To make these serving plates, cut off the top portion of a pumpkin with a carving knife. Scoop out the pulp and seeds, then cover the outside of the pumpkin with two coats of spray paint, allowing the paint to dry fully after each coat. Set a plastic platter on top of the pumpkin, securing with hot glue if it’s wobbly. Add cheese and all the fixings!