Cabin in the Woods Party

Cabin in the Woods will be released on Blu-ray/DVD on Tuesday, and is already available for digital download. This film is one of my new all-time faves, so I knew I had to do something for the release. Check out the details on my “Cabin in the Woods Party” and get planning your own (or use the ideas for a killer Halloween party–pun intended!)

Guests

• Guests should all arrive dressed as their favorite Horror Movie Stereotype
• Invite people who haven’t seen the movie as well as those who have–the night is fun for both! Just make sure you tell people to avoid spoilers, and allow those who haven’t seen it to get closest to the tv.

• S’mores Bar! Put together a selection of your favorite marshmallows, chocolates, and graham crackers (I also included chocolate chip cookies). For added fun, I put out peanut butter and Nutella as well. Guests can put together their own S’mores creations and then microwave them for a few seconds.
• Popcorn and candy. You’re watching a movie, so make the guests feel like they’re at their own private theater (minus the $10 sodas).
• Rogue’s Dead Guy Ale. It’s delicious, available in large quantities at Costco, and perfect for the theme.
• “Blood Sacrifice” Punch. I mixed one part Raspberry vodka, regular vodka and Pomegranate juice to two parts Sprite, and poured over frozen Strawberries. The drink was potent and had a great “bloody” look to it!

Decor

• Because Halloween decorations are currently in stores, decor was a snap. Grab some fake cobwebs and go to town!
• Many stores have bloody vinyl clings right now. These were used to decorate bathroom mirrors, the microwave, and the oven.
• Fake wooden boards decorated the door as people entered, setting the tone of the party.
• Candles added a fun ambiance–I used fake LED candles on the refreshment table to avoid burnt hands.
• Mr. Geek made some excellent labels for the S’mores and punch. Label everything with your creepiest font.

Activities

• Horror Movie Trivia Contest. Once the guests had arrived and settled in, we had a Horror Movie Trivia contest. (You can see the questions I asked here.) Winners had to choose a creepy prize from an assortment laid out on a table. Prizes included a blank mask, creepy picture frame, locket, candle, black roses, fortune-telling playing cards, mysterious spheres, and a music-playing angel figurine with a missing arm that Mr. Geek insisted on getting. As we watched the movie later on, it was fun to see guests find their creepy prizes in the pivotal basement scene.
• Costume Contest. Your friends are all dressed up, so let them show off their costumes! Our finalists included an Occult Bookstore owner, a Creepy/Singing little girl, a Shark, and a Chestburster. We ended up with a tie between the Shark and Chestburster, but an intense round of Rock, Paper, Scissors saw the Chestburster as the winner. The winner recieved a copy of the Cabin in the Woods Visual Companion.
• Watch the movie! Allow everyone to grab one more round of food and drink and then find their seats provided by an event seating rental. Turn the lights off and let the fun begin!

This party was the perfect way to get my friends in the mood for the Halloween season and to introduce a lot of them to one of my favorite films. I hope it will help inspire a party of yours!

Are you throwing a Cabin in the Woods party? Let me know in the comments! (Or let me know which horror film you think would make an excellent theme party!)