Who dunnit? I can remember playing countless games of Clue as a kid, using my keen sense of deduction to be just like Sherlock Holmes and figure out who the murderer was and the weapon they used and in what room. Now, they have taken that concept to a whole new level, one that makes a heck of a fun Halloween dinner party with friends: Host a Murder Mystery Dinner.
Sound complicated? Not so much. Many stores offer a boxed kit for your convenience in setting up and organizing your party. Or you have the freedom of just browsing the web and finding a script online that will give you the components you need to throw a successful party. Some charge, some don’t. I think you get what you pay for. You can also make up your own if you have been to one before and know how they work.
The first thing you will need to do is make your guest list so that you can choose your theme to fit the number of people you will have coming. 
The invites you send will give each person a character background so they can put together a costume that fits that persona. Boxed sets will have invites already made up, you just send them out. When you do your own, you will have to figure out what you want to say and how youwant them to look.
Get the invites out giving your guests a two week window to get back to you with their R.S.V.P. That is a courteous thing to do as a host and keeps it in the guest’s mind so they tend to not forget you.
If you are throwing your Mystery Dinner at Halloween, adult costumes should be mandatory and your friends should arrive in character, not as themselves.
If you are doing a mobster dinner, everyone should come in their Fedoras and suspenders and perhaps a light Italian accent in their voice to be in character.
Decorate your home to be like that of the scene you are trying to create and have food to fit, like maybe pizza or spaghetti would be a great choice for the dinner menu.
The instructions tell you what to say to get things going and some of it can be impromptu. One that I went to gave each person cards they could choose from to interject into the conversation to keep it on track to finding who the murderer was. It all makes sense once you start going. Be sure to take down notes of who you think looks suspicious, because everyone is made out to be guilty! It takes someone really smart to put all the clues in place and accuse the right one. Just grant the winning prize to the one who can guess the murderer. They say that prizes for things like best costume take away from the competitive nature of the evening!
So this year, branch out and try something new. Go fun, go spooky, but enjoy the company you are with. Don’t forget to laugh a whole lot!
Emma Rae Curtis is a costume/dressing up/makeup & accessories expert. She mainly writes about Halloween but also about all things costume and dress-up related.
