Party Themes & MotifsNo. 6491 · The 2026 edition
How to host a haunting Halloween party
From spine-chilling decor to creature feature playlists, your ultimate Halloween bash blueprint awaits.
Our own summary of the original — the full post and photos live at cbc.ca.
This guide curates all the essentials for a haunting Halloween party: horror movie suggestions, a moody soundtrack, DIY macabre decorations, spooky treats, party games, and costume ideas.
About this
CBC Life's guide to hosting a haunting Halloween party, featuring horror movie watch-lists, spooky menu and cocktail recipes, gothic decor and DIY hacks, a haunting film score soundtrack, costume and makeup looks, and activities like ghost stories, tarot reading, and pumpkin carving. Published October 25, 2024.
The plan
- Host a dinner party, movie night, or classic costume party this Halloween.
- Set the scene with haunting film scores for your Halloween dinner party.
Decoration ideas
- How to create a gorgeous gothic display in your home this Halloween
- 13 TikTok hosting hacks for Halloween
Food & drink
- What to cook in October: Hearty meals for Halloween night
- Gin and Blackberry Chiller
- Spiced apple cider sangria: A festive beverage that's bursting with fall flavours
- Spider Web Mirror-Glaze Cake
- Black and Orange Halloween Chili
- Make these Mummy Candy Apples for a haunting Halloween treat
Activities
- 10 gateway horror films to spook the whole family this Halloween
- 10 period horror films to watch by candlelight this Halloween
- 9 Canadian horror films that belong on every Halloween watch-list
- Fear not! 10 Halloween movies for scaredy cats
- A vampire makeup look from Ms. Myles that's perfect for Halloween
- A dripping "blood " Halloween nail tutorial
- An adorable ghost manicure for Halloween
- A 3D webbed manicure with spiders, just in time for Halloween
- The best pop culture Halloween costumes of 2023
- How to create a gingerbread haunted house for Halloween
- How to tell a ghost story and scare your friends
- How to read the tarot for yourself or your friends — with advice from the experts
- Last-minute pumpkin carving and decorating help
More photos
Photos hosted by cbc.ca.
