How to Plan the Perfect Murder (Mystery Dinner Party)
For a gathering that's a little bit different this Halloween, why not plan and host your own murder mystery party at home! Here's how
A blackout, then – Bang! The sound of a gunshot rings out, echoing through darkened halls. A woman screams. Everyone begins to shout out questions: What was that? Was it a gun? Did you hear a shriek?
Lights flicker back to life, and there’s a body lying in the middle of the floor.
What’s happened? Did anyone see anything? And then, the big question: Whodunnit? That’s when the detective steps in, and the game is really afoot.
Whether it’s for Halloween, or just for a fun night in with friends, planning a murder mystery party for a group of your nearest and dearest is a great way to get everyone together for something a little bit different. There are costumes, clues and the chance to do your best Sherlock Holmes impersonation. What could be more enjoyable? Themed events can be a little bit daunting, though, for those of us who aren’t really used to playing host. But, if you’re keen to give it a try at your home, here’s a step-by-step guide, breaking down what you need to do to get yourself, your space and your guests organised for a truly thrilling evening.
Lights flicker back to life, and there’s a body lying in the middle of the floor.
What’s happened? Did anyone see anything? And then, the big question: Whodunnit? That’s when the detective steps in, and the game is really afoot.
Whether it’s for Halloween, or just for a fun night in with friends, planning a murder mystery party for a group of your nearest and dearest is a great way to get everyone together for something a little bit different. There are costumes, clues and the chance to do your best Sherlock Holmes impersonation. What could be more enjoyable? Themed events can be a little bit daunting, though, for those of us who aren’t really used to playing host. But, if you’re keen to give it a try at your home, here’s a step-by-step guide, breaking down what you need to do to get yourself, your space and your guests organised for a truly thrilling evening.
Haunted house theme
A good call if you’re planning this as a Halloween event would be to set your dinner party up in a haunted house. This could be as simple as having a few ghostly decorations and a soundtrack of rattling chains and spine-tingling screams. Or, you could go all out and make use of traditional Halloween stage-setting, such as hanging cobwebs over bannisters, setting skulls around your space as candleholders, and even getting someone to sneak around the house slamming doors.
Why celebrate Halloween in Australia?
A good call if you’re planning this as a Halloween event would be to set your dinner party up in a haunted house. This could be as simple as having a few ghostly decorations and a soundtrack of rattling chains and spine-tingling screams. Or, you could go all out and make use of traditional Halloween stage-setting, such as hanging cobwebs over bannisters, setting skulls around your space as candleholders, and even getting someone to sneak around the house slamming doors.
Why celebrate Halloween in Australia?
Prison break theme
Another idea would be to decorate your house as a prison, with fake bars on the windows and doors. You could provide many of the guests with orange inmate jumpsuits and give the rest of your party grey or black uniforms so they can be guards – dividing and costuming two antagonistic groups will no doubt add to the charged atmosphere. Those guests posing as prisoners could then stage a breakout, inciting the unfortunate event that is the point of the whole evening: the mystery of the murder.
Another idea would be to decorate your house as a prison, with fake bars on the windows and doors. You could provide many of the guests with orange inmate jumpsuits and give the rest of your party grey or black uniforms so they can be guards – dividing and costuming two antagonistic groups will no doubt add to the charged atmosphere. Those guests posing as prisoners could then stage a breakout, inciting the unfortunate event that is the point of the whole evening: the mystery of the murder.
Medieval murder theme
If your guests are likely to be a bit more open-minded when it comes to costumes, knights in armour and dressed-up damsels could provide just enough distance from reality to help them really get into the swing of things. Fake stone walls made from cardboard, a heavily laden banquet table complete with platters of roast turkey legs, and a draw bridge set up outside your front door will steel everyone up for what the night has in store.
If your guests are likely to be a bit more open-minded when it comes to costumes, knights in armour and dressed-up damsels could provide just enough distance from reality to help them really get into the swing of things. Fake stone walls made from cardboard, a heavily laden banquet table complete with platters of roast turkey legs, and a draw bridge set up outside your front door will steel everyone up for what the night has in store.
Remorseless river cruise theme
For those who are more likely to get involved if the dress code is a bit more debonair, setting your space up as the dining cabin aboard a luxury cruise ship or yacht could be just the ticket. With men in black tie and women in glamorous evening gowns, your home will also need to dress to impress. Consider ‘blinging up’ your table with cut crystal glasses and candleholders, sparkling silverware and bone-white china. And for an added touch, stick images of the open ocean over window glass to further set the scene.
For those who are more likely to get involved if the dress code is a bit more debonair, setting your space up as the dining cabin aboard a luxury cruise ship or yacht could be just the ticket. With men in black tie and women in glamorous evening gowns, your home will also need to dress to impress. Consider ‘blinging up’ your table with cut crystal glasses and candleholders, sparkling silverware and bone-white china. And for an added touch, stick images of the open ocean over window glass to further set the scene.
Movie premier mayhem theme
Less vintage but still equally glam would be a Hollywood-style movie premier theme. It could create the perfect opportunity for your guests to get gussied up, and would also set a very believable stage for murder with the lights out, everyone’s attention diverted at the crucial moment and lots of heavy curtains to hide behind.
Try to find and put up posters from your favourite horror or thriller films and/or festoon your walls with swathes of thick fabric. If you can, set up a screen to play a film or two in the background.
Browse more extravagant home theatres
Less vintage but still equally glam would be a Hollywood-style movie premier theme. It could create the perfect opportunity for your guests to get gussied up, and would also set a very believable stage for murder with the lights out, everyone’s attention diverted at the crucial moment and lots of heavy curtains to hide behind.
Try to find and put up posters from your favourite horror or thriller films and/or festoon your walls with swathes of thick fabric. If you can, set up a screen to play a film or two in the background.
Browse more extravagant home theatres
2. Send out invitations
Once you’ve decided on the kind of theme you want, it’s time to get everyone else on board. Try to plan the event two or so weeks in advance to give you time to write out paper invitations. Send them by post to everyone, allowing time to get written RSVPs back well before the event in order to know how many people you’ll be catering for. However, if you’re planning your party last minute, you might be better off using technology to your advantage. Send out themed email invitations or set up a Facebook event and invite all of your guests through their profiles.
Once you’ve decided on the kind of theme you want, it’s time to get everyone else on board. Try to plan the event two or so weeks in advance to give you time to write out paper invitations. Send them by post to everyone, allowing time to get written RSVPs back well before the event in order to know how many people you’ll be catering for. However, if you’re planning your party last minute, you might be better off using technology to your advantage. Send out themed email invitations or set up a Facebook event and invite all of your guests through their profiles.
3. Choose your menu
Decide on what you want to serve your guests, keeping it in line with your theme. If you want something more formal, a full sit-down dinner may be the way to go. But unless you want to get the event catered, this will mean a lot of work for you, and less time to enjoy the party.
You could have a buffet dinner instead – or for even less fuss, ask your guests to bring a dish of their own along with them. You can still make suggestions as to what kind of cuisine you want so you can keep everything cohesive, but this will make things considerably easier for you on the night.
Decide on what you want to serve your guests, keeping it in line with your theme. If you want something more formal, a full sit-down dinner may be the way to go. But unless you want to get the event catered, this will mean a lot of work for you, and less time to enjoy the party.
You could have a buffet dinner instead – or for even less fuss, ask your guests to bring a dish of their own along with them. You can still make suggestions as to what kind of cuisine you want so you can keep everything cohesive, but this will make things considerably easier for you on the night.
4. Start preparing early
To make sure you have time to enjoy the party and get involved yourself, starting getting things organised early on the day. This means preparing the meal, if you’ve decided to cook everything yourself rather than getting guests to bring along a dish of their own, decorating the rooms you’ll be using, and hiding all of your clues. Try to make your clues and hiding places difficult enough that there’s an element of challenge to the game, but not so easy that it’s over within minutes.
To make sure you have time to enjoy the party and get involved yourself, starting getting things organised early on the day. This means preparing the meal, if you’ve decided to cook everything yourself rather than getting guests to bring along a dish of their own, decorating the rooms you’ll be using, and hiding all of your clues. Try to make your clues and hiding places difficult enough that there’s an element of challenge to the game, but not so easy that it’s over within minutes.
5. Set the mood music
Try to match your music to your theme as much as possible; something eerie for the haunted house, swing music for the vintage cruise and perhaps the soundtrack from The Great Escape for a prison break-themed party. Have this set up ahead of time for when your guests arrive so that music is playing loud enough to set the scene but still in the background for ease of conversation.
Try to match your music to your theme as much as possible; something eerie for the haunted house, swing music for the vintage cruise and perhaps the soundtrack from The Great Escape for a prison break-themed party. Have this set up ahead of time for when your guests arrive so that music is playing loud enough to set the scene but still in the background for ease of conversation.
6. Greet your guests
Set the scene for your party at the door, so everyone has an idea of what they’ll be in for before they even step inside. This may mean dressing up your entryway to define your theme straight off the bat, or it could mean greeting your guests at the door already in costume and in character.
Set the scene for your party at the door, so everyone has an idea of what they’ll be in for before they even step inside. This may mean dressing up your entryway to define your theme straight off the bat, or it could mean greeting your guests at the door already in costume and in character.
7. Hand out character information
Once you’ve got everyone gathered together, it’s time to let people know the roles they’ll be playing. Have their character information written on a piece of paper, to be handed out and kept secret from the rest of the guests. Remember, one person needs to be the killer, one the victim, and one the investigator. Other than that, have a little bit of fun with the other roles you hand out, as this will encourage your guests to have fun with it, too.
Once you’ve got everyone gathered together, it’s time to let people know the roles they’ll be playing. Have their character information written on a piece of paper, to be handed out and kept secret from the rest of the guests. Remember, one person needs to be the killer, one the victim, and one the investigator. Other than that, have a little bit of fun with the other roles you hand out, as this will encourage your guests to have fun with it, too.
8. Ring the dinner bell
However you’ve decided to have your meal, you need to set a time for it to actually take place. It’s up to you whether this will be before or after the fun begins, but make sure you let your guests know either way, so that they know what to expect if their tummies start to rumble.
Dinner party dos and don’ts
However you’ve decided to have your meal, you need to set a time for it to actually take place. It’s up to you whether this will be before or after the fun begins, but make sure you let your guests know either way, so that they know what to expect if their tummies start to rumble.
Dinner party dos and don’ts
9. Hand it over to homicide
Once everyone knows who they are and what the course of events is going to be for the evening, it’s time to get down to the nitty gritty. Try to make the occurrence of the murder a surprise to everyone but the killer (and possibly the victim) so that reactions will be a bit more genuine. This will make it easier for everyone to go along with.
Once everyone knows who they are and what the course of events is going to be for the evening, it’s time to get down to the nitty gritty. Try to make the occurrence of the murder a surprise to everyone but the killer (and possibly the victim) so that reactions will be a bit more genuine. This will make it easier for everyone to go along with.
10. Search for clues
Now it’s time to get everyone in on the game. Set your guests in the right direction to find the first set of clues, hopefully hidden in a place that’s easy enough for them to find for a quicker start. Then join in and enjoy the night yourself.
Now it’s time to get everyone in on the game. Set your guests in the right direction to find the first set of clues, hopefully hidden in a place that’s easy enough for them to find for a quicker start. Then join in and enjoy the night yourself.
11. Present the prizes
Once the killer’s caught, the inspector’s been praised for their prowess and everyone’s had a chance to share their own character stories with the group, it’s nice to have a few prizes ready for things like the best costume, the most convincing performance and, of course, the person who solved the murder. This will add an extra element of fun, and will help your guests to remember your party fondly for years to come with a little token to take home.
TELL US
Have you ever hosted a themed party at your place? Tell us all about your hits and misses in the Comments below.
Once the killer’s caught, the inspector’s been praised for their prowess and everyone’s had a chance to share their own character stories with the group, it’s nice to have a few prizes ready for things like the best costume, the most convincing performance and, of course, the person who solved the murder. This will add an extra element of fun, and will help your guests to remember your party fondly for years to come with a little token to take home.
TELL US
Have you ever hosted a themed party at your place? Tell us all about your hits and misses in the Comments below.
One of the first things you’ll need to do when planning your murder mystery party is decide on a theme for the evening. This will help you with your invitations, decorations, costume suggestions for your guests – in case they need a little help – and even your menu. Here are five suggestions to get you started.