Halloween Party – Video Scavenger Hunt Theme
Last year for Halloween, my husband and I hosted a Video Scavenger Hunt. Our friends look forward to our annual Halloween bash every year, but last year's party was better than ever. It's a party I know you'll want to try when you read about it.
For invitations, we went to great lengths to convey the Halloween party theme. My husband and I dressed like corpses, with tattered clothing, our faces made pale with make-up, black circles under our eyes, you get the idea. We laid down in the street and a policeman friend of ours drew a chalk line around each of us. He kneeled down beside us and we had our picture taken. I had the photo of our stunt enlarged and taped a typed invitation onto the back. The party invitation announced the scavenger hunt but gave no other details. Guests were told they must come in costume and arrive promptly at 7 o'clock. I mailed each invitation in a photo mailer.
My husband and I spent many nights planning our list of required stunts and activities to be videotaped by the teams. We decided to divide the guests into teams of four to six people (enough to fill a car) and chose 90 minutes for each carload to complete the list. Once our friends gave their RSVP, I asked a few of them to bring their video cameras so we would have enough. With only an hour and a half to videotape as many stunts as possible, we thought 15 activities would be good.
Here are some of the ideas we did, but I'm sure you can come up with many more on your own. Be creative. The fun part in planning was thinking how hard some of the stunts would be dressed in Halloween costumes.
*One or more team members standing beside a tombstone
*A policeman drawing a chalk line on the ground around one of the group
members.
*The whole group trick or treating and receiving some candy.
*The group standing next to a street sign with the word “black” in it.
*A team member singing The Monster Mash in the middle of a fast food
restaurant.
*A stranger spelling Transylvania forward and backward.
*A group member helping to carry a stranger's groceries.
*The team doing a conga line through an expensive restaurant.
*A stranger imitating Frankenstein for 30 seconds.
*A team member helping to carry a pumpkin to a stranger's car.
*A stranger whose birthday is October 31st.
*A group member standing in the window of a costume shop.
For party decorations, we decided to go with a simple idea. We set up our family room with folding chairs, theater-style, in front of the TV. We tied black and orange balloons to the back of the chairs. The walls were decorated with old horror movie posters. While guests were arriving to our party venue, we served snacks, appetizers and Halloween punch (nonalcoholic, since guests would be driving.) We explained the rules of the game, announced teams and handed out identical lists (in different orders, however) to the groups.
The teams were told to return to the party by 9 o'clock. If not back on time, the team would be disqualified. We emphasized that timing, not completing everything on the list was most important. At exactly seven thirty the game began. Guests ran out the door, eager and excited. My husband and I were thrilled with the warm reception.
The first group returned about 10 minutes early. They had clearly enjoyed the escapade and acquaintances were now the best of friends. They talked quickly and laughed repeatedly as they told of their adventure. It was only minutes before everyone else returned, all on time.
We set up a self-serve ice cream sundae station for the guests to enjoy while watching the videos. We also rented a theater-style popcorn cart and had popped plenty of popcorn to enjoy while viewing the stunts. In addition, alcoholic beverages were served to anyone who needed a drink (the hunt proved taxing to many.)
Before playing the first videotape, we explained that guests would vote on the stunts presented. It would work as follows: 1 point if the stunt was completed, whether done well or not; 2 points if the stunt was completed with creativity; 3 points if the stunt was especially creative. In addition, five bonus points would be awarded to any team that came up with an original stunt and taped it. (This was all explained at the beginning of the Halloween party but I repeated it now.)
It was so much fun watching the videos and on numerous occasions we froze the image on the screen for additional explanation and story-telling. I had tears in my eyes from laughing so hard. The guests were fair in their voting but one group definitely stood out from the rest. They were declared the winner and each member received a party favor of movie tickets and a gift certificate to a local restaurant.
Our friends still talk about the great time they had last year and can't wait to see what we come up with this year. I promise, a Halloween party with a scavenger hunt theme will be the talk of the town.
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