Murder Mystery Party - Hosting a Frightfully Good Night

Murder mysteries are one of the highest selling genres of books in the market. The thrill of suspense and partial knowledge entraps many teens and adults. Agatha Christie is the world’s highest selling novelists on the strength of her numerous murder mysteries in print. The most famous detective is known the world over – Sherlock Holmes, of course. Turning this classic genre into a murder mystery party is sure to be popular with both teenagers and adults.

The atmosphere and decorations for the murder mystery party depend on the location of the murder. Ideas include a cruise ship, casino, jungle or castle. Simple effects with lighting, props, streamers and artificial cobwebs can really contribute to the atmosphere.

Any good murder mystery party needs good characters. With the party invitations, send out a character description for each guest. This way they can organize a costume, and act the part when they arrive. The role of ‘murderer’ also has to be assigned once guests arrive, preferably in a discrete but random manner (for example finding a sticker on the back of their place-card). The ‘murder’ has to take place early on in the evening; the victim can be a murder mystery party guest, or even a blow-up doll with fake blood-stains!!

Games played during the night should revolve around gathering clues to solve the murder. ’20 Questions’ and ‘Never Ever’ both work well. Other games can be tweaked to fit the theme.

Executed well, a murder mystery party can be loads of fun for both teenagers and adults. The ideas above are just a start. Being creative with characters and setting will only add to the success of your party.