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    Home » Party Food » Parties

    How to Host a Zombie Party

    Modified: Sep 11, '23 · Published: Oct 31, '12 · By: Beth Klosterboer · Commission earned on paid or sponsored links.

    Get tips on hosting a Zombie party that your guests will be dying to attend! Make this zombie-themed Halloween party the best ever with creepy decorations and gory food.

    Zombies Party Graveyard Decorations

    Welcome to our 2012 Zombie-themed Halloween party. 

    We had so much fun planning and hosting our Zombie Party this year and I want to share some tips for decorating for your own Zombie-themed event. It's such a great theme for Halloween.

    Today, I'm going to share ideas for planning a zombie party. I'll show you how we decorated our house, yard, and garage for our party and give you some tips for making your zombie-themed event fun for the whole family. 

    Zombies in our Graveyard

    Real Zombie Greeters

    We set up a graveyard in our front yard and had a group of teenagers dress up as zombies to greet our guests. 

    As people entered through our cemetery, the Zombies would creep up to them and groan.

    human zombies and zombie props on a front porch.

    It was the perfect way to let our guests know that they had entered the zombie zone. 

    If you don't know a group of teens, you can call your local high school and see if you can recruit kids from the theater department. They are always eager to try out their acting skills.

    Graveyard Halloween Party Ideas

    Our graveyard and front porch were decorated with several life-size props, tombstones, and bones.

    Guests were summoned to enter the haunted house at their own risk.

    Zombie Party Ideas - Decorate your front porch with zombies.

    Brain-eating zombies were trying to enter our home from every door and window.

    Zombies Breaking In through boarded up windows.

    Boarded Window Props

    Some zombies were successful at breaking through the windows that we had boarded up.

    Halloween props boarded up windows with zombies crashing through.

    Their arms were reaching in to grab unsuspecting guests.

    zombie Halloween decorations

    No window frames were harmed in the making of this display!

    These clever props, designed by my husband, just pop into our window opening and can be pulled out after the party.

    He built a wooden frame that fit directly into our window opening. We painted that frame white to match the walls so it would go unnoticed. Then we nailed boards going across the frame. 

    We slid the large boarded-up frame into the window opening and it looked like we actually boarded up our windows. 

    Halloween Food Table Graveyard Theme

    Zombie Party Food

    We had 103 party attendees and we knew they were going to come hungry. We needed a lot of space to hold all of our Pizza Skulls, Stuffed Pizza Brains, Open Face Sandwiches, and Eyeball Appetizers. 

    Fortunately, we have a very large kitchen and morning room with an 8-foot-long island. We always decorate the island and this year it looked amazing! 

    Last year, I was able to buy a cardboard graveyard fence from a Halloween store at the end of the season. It was used as a display. 

    Cool graveyard filled with Halloween party food.

    Cemetery Fence

    It never hurts to ask if you see signs or big displays at a store if you can purchase them at the end of a season. Most of these displays get thrown into the dumpster. 

    The fence fit perfectly around our island and it really gave the kitchen the graveyard look I was hoping for. 

    Zombie Decoration on our Halloween party food table.

    Brain-Eating Zombie

    I placed a brain-eating zombie at the end of our island to greet our guests as they entered the kitchen. He looked like he was climbing out of a grave. 

    The island was covered with tissue paper grass. Did you know that was a thing? It's used for decorating store windows and it worked perfectly to create the cemetery. 

    I could easily set bowls and platters of food on top of the paper grass. 

    zombie hands grabbing a three-tier platter filed with skull-shaped cheese.

    Creepy Appetizers

    Creepy zombie hands reached up out of the ground grasping at food like the skull-shaped cheese.

    I was able to put the plastic hands down through the blades of the paper grass and place the fingers through the metal rack so they stayed in place during the party. 

    From a distance, they looked like they really were reaching out of the ground.

    Halloween Dessert Display

    Creepy Kitchen Decor

    I used more of the cardboard fence to line the walls of our morning room. I hung black sheets on PVC frames so that our kitchen would be black. 

    We placed a zombie waiter prop in the kitchen along with our desserts and drinks.

    Our Halloween dessert table was a focal point of the party food. We were sure to leave plenty of room around the tables so our guests could easily serve themselves.

    Halloween desserts for a Zombie Party displayed on a 3-tier table with a haunted house flower pot decoration.

    Desserts Display

    I have a 4-foot round glass table that is on a black and white marble pedestal. It makes a fantastic display for desserts. 

    I add a big planter in the center of the table, and a smaller glass round on top of it. 

    My friend handcrafted the coolest haunted house out of clay pots. I set the largest one on top of the second glass round then added a third glass round over it. 

    Then, I placed the top pieces of the haunted house on top. It made a spectacular display or all of my zombie-themed desserts. 

    Zombie Party Desserts

    Creepy Desserts

    I served so many creepy-looking desserts including my popular Cake Ball Brains, Gummy Brains and Skulls, and Bleeding PB&J Brains.

    I also served Dark Chocolate Marshmallow Filled Brains and Caramel-Filled Chocolate Brains that I made using a silicone brain mold. You can see my Chocolate Marshmallow Eggs recipe and my Chocolate Caramel Eggs recipe for instructions. Just swap out a brain mold for an egg mold. 

    I also made my Homemade Marshmallows recipe into brains using the molds too. I added drips of red candy melts (blood) to my White Chocolate Popcorn and used a Skull silicone mold to create Coconut Cream candies. 

    To round it out, I had Gingerbread Zombies, Zombie Sugar Cookies, White Chocolate Zombies, and Chocolate Coffins on the dessert table. 

    Chocolate Brains and Skulls

    Halloween Chocolates

    We made plenty of hand-painted chocolate lollipops and painted candies to set around the table too.

    I loved that I could fit my small skull-shaped candies into chocolate coffins. During the party, one young boy came up to me holding a chocolate coffin lid that had a big bite taken out of it and said, "This is chocolate, the whole thing is chocolate, this is so awesome." It was so cute!

    Nutter Butter Skulls and Zombie Cookies

    Zombie Cookies

    We really had fun decorating lots of zombie-themed cookies for our display including Nutter Butter Skulls.

    Zombie Desserts including brownie coffins, candy tombstones, zombie marshmallow pops, and more.

    More Dead-Serts

    All of the desserts I made for our party guests did not fit on that one display so I used the desk in our kitchen too. 

    Our guests also enjoyed Cookies 'n Cream Fudge Tombstones, Brownie Coffins, Pumpkin Caramels, Zombie Marshmallow Pops, and lots of handmade Halloween Chocolates.

    Sorry, I don't have recipes to share for all of these desserts. Blogging at the same time we are preparing to host a party is daunting! 

    Decorate for a Zombie Party

    Creepy Living Room Decor

    Let me show you the rest of the house.

    To keep the room dark, I hung black curtains on the windows and added some zombie window decorations to a few. 

    I had a zombie party guest sitting in a chair and lots of creepy Halloween decorations throughout the room. 

    Zombie Decorations including bloody and torn tablecloths.

    Blood Splattered Tablecloths

    We added tables covered in blood-splattered tablecloths to our living room so our guests could sit and enjoy all their tasty morsels. To make the tablecloths, we used cheap white sheets, tore holes in them, and splattered them with fake blood.

    Vases were filled with dead black roses, our mantle was decked out with blood-dripped candles, and our tables each had a Halloween game for our guests to play. 

    One of my favorite decorations at this year's party was our zombie family portrait wall.

    Wall of zombie portraits.

    Zombie Family Gallery

    Family and friends were zombified using a clever zombie app. Even the dogs were zombified!

    I printed them out on photo paper and hung them on the wall using removable tape. 

    I added pictures of many of our party guests. Everyone loved it! 

    Mad Scientist Halloween Party Decorations

    Mad Scientist Laboratory

    Our garage was transformed into a laboratory complete with a mad scientist doing experimental work.

    We create PVC frames and hang scene setters around the walls of the garage. This allows us to hide all of our garage stuff and add a cool look to an otherwise drab room. 

    We served drinks and had more tables and chairs set up for our guests in the garage. 

    If you plan to use your garage be prepared for the weather. We open the garage door if it is nice outside and add heaters if it's cold. 

    Hairy Spider Decorations

    Spider-Infested Basement

    Our basement, once again, became a movie theater. The entry into the movie theater was infested with spiders and guests got their hands stuck in spider webs as they made their descent down into the catacombs.

    Every year we change up our movie theater so our guests aren't bored seeing the same thing year after year. 

    Zombie Movie Theater

    Zombie Ticket Taker

    Guests entered the cinema and met our zombie ticket taker. You can see how you can make this prop in my Halloween Movie Theater post.

    This prop usually looks like a skeleton but this year I put a fabric zombie make over the skeleton's head to keep with our zombie theme. 

    Zombie Concession Stand Halloween Party

    Concession Stand

    Our zombie usher was ready for a new job this year so I put him behind the concession stand.

    Our party guests could grab popcorn and candy before they sat down to watch a movie. 

    The picture above shows the set up but we added the snacks after that picture was snapped. I had movie theater candy boxes and big bowls of popcorn. 

    Halloween Party Movie Theater Decorations

    Movie Theater

    Movies played throughout the party and many guests enjoyed time viewing the show. We typically show short 30-minute clips instead of a full-length movie. That is so our guests don't spend the entire evening in the theater when there are other fun things to do. 

    Aside from the movies, we always have a scavenger hunt for the kids. With 30 kids in attendance, it gets pretty crazy. So we send them out in teams, each with a teenage leader, to solve clues and find items throughout the neighborhood.

    This is the highlight for most of the kids. 

    The parents get over an hour of kid-free time to enjoy spending time with other adults. It's a win-win. 

    Speaking of winning, we always have games and prizes for the kids and adults. We host a costume contest and give a big $50 prize to the grand prize winner. We have smaller prizes for each category: scariest costume, cutest costume, best couple costume, most original costume, and best themed- costume (to match our party theme.)

    Halloween Decorations Shelf of Skulls

    Dead End

    It's always sad to say goodbye at the end of the night. Our guests walked past this ghoulish display as they exited the house. 

    We have so much fun decorating and making food for our Halloween parties. 

    More Halloween Party Themes

    Be sure to check out my posts for these other fun Halloween party themes.

    dean man's diner Halloween party decorations and food.

    Dead Man's Diner

    We transformed our kitchen into the Dead Man's Diner and served creepy diner food. 

    day of the dead party food table and decorations

    Dia de Los Muertos

    Then, we created a Day of the Dead Party complete with sugar skull decorations, food, and desserts. 

    Halloween Party Decorations and Food

    Spooky Carnival

    One year, we turned each room in our house into a different themed room. Check out our fun Halloween party ideas. We turned our garage into a classic Halloween carnival and served a variety of Halloween party food. 

    Halloween Carnival Games image featuring a ladybug balloon toss and a rat infested ring toss game.

    Creepy Crawler Carnival

    Speaking of carnivals. For another party, we hosted a creepy crawler carnival party and served Bug-Themed Food. The kids had a blast playing these clever DIY Halloween carnival games. 

    cute and silly jack-o-lantern decorations

    Pumpkin Carving Party

    We don't always have gross or gory party themes. One year we hosted a Pumpkin Carving Party, served cute pumpkin-themed desserts, and decorated the house with adorably cute Jack-O-Lanterns.

    I hope you are inspired to create festive food and fun decorations for your next Halloween party.

    • Author
    • Recent Posts
    Beth Klosterboer
    Beth Klosterboer
    Hi, I'm Beth Klosterboer, a professional chocolatier & baker, cookbook author, and event planner. I love sharing recipes for happy occasions here on Hungry Happenings. I also create easy fudge recipes to share at HowToMakeEasyFudge.com, rice krispie treat recipes at HowToMakeCerealTreats.com, and easy cookie recipes at HowToMakeEasyCookies.com
    Beth Klosterboer
    Latest posts by Beth Klosterboer (see all)
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      Recipe Rating




    1. Domagoj says

      September 25, 2013 at 5:35 pm

      Like someone already said before me... truly brilliant!Love the boards on the window detail! :)They actually look like real boards and not fake ones. I've seen people use cardboard for fake barricades and that looks amazing!Zombie Decorations

      Reply
      • beth says

        September 25, 2013 at 8:26 pm

        Thanks! My husband built the boarded up window panels to just pop in and out of our actual window frames. We are storing them for use at another party someday. They really looked cool in our dining room.

        Reply
    2. KarenB says

      November 06, 2012 at 7:48 pm

      OMG!!! This is so amazing!!! PLEASE put me on your guest list!!!!! I'll even clean up for you!!! Your friends are so lucky to have a friend like you!!! They probably talk about "THE Party" to go to and look forward to coming every year!!!!

      Great memories for your children. Can you picture them some day telling their kids about Grandma and Grandpa putting a graveyard on the front lawn and having creepy monsters "breaking in" the house!! Too Funny!!!!!

      Reply
      • Beth Jackson Klosterboer says

        November 06, 2012 at 8:23 pm

        I welcome anyone who is willing to clean!!!!! I did get smart this year and hired someone to clean before and after the party. That is just something I don't have time to do. Last year as I sat in the middle of the aftermath from the party, I realized I needed help. Smartest thing I've ever done! Of course, we still have to take all the decorations down. Taking a vacation right after the party was so nice, but coming home to the decorations was a bit overwhelming.

        We don't actually have any children, but our nieces, nephews, and exchange students will surely have stories to tell. My niece just house sat while we were gone and she was a bit scared by some of the zombies, so she moved them into the basement:)

        Reply
    3. Jen says

      November 06, 2012 at 1:43 am

      What great decorations! It is amazing. I really liked the boards on the windows.

      Reply
    4. Lora says

      November 04, 2012 at 12:48 am

      Best zombie party ever. The details, the decor, the food...soooo fabulous.

      Reply
    5. Anonymous says

      November 02, 2012 at 9:55 pm

      I have that same Welcome outdoor sign and realized I forgot it this year! I did your brains both white and gray and they were a hit at my office. Love the garage.
      P. Calef (I can't figure out the name stuff without facebook).

      Reply
    6. Misbah says

      November 02, 2012 at 7:28 am

      How briiliant. I agree with the above about your front lawn and the inside windows very very impressing.

      Reply
    7. J says

      November 01, 2012 at 5:59 pm

      Beth, this is absolutely AMAZING! I love everything, but the front lawn and the inside windows are a movie-set-worthy work of art! And your countertop...with the zombie crawling out.....WOW! So much fun for us just to view- but I can't imagine how much the guests enjoy actually being there every year!

      Reply
    8. The Partiologist says

      October 31, 2012 at 9:21 pm

      I enjoyed and spent alot of time viewing all the wonderful pics of your party. It truly was an amazing party and I know how much work, time and zombie love went into it! Fantastic!!

      Reply
    9. Beth Jackson Klosterboer says

      October 31, 2012 at 7:30 pm

      THANKS FOR ALL THE WONDERFUL COMMENTS! Our party was really a lot of fun. Not only did the guests have a great time, but we did also, which isn't an easy feat when you are trying to keep such a large party going. It was my favorite party to date. I can't wait until the next one!

      Reply
    10. Lisa says

      October 31, 2012 at 5:11 pm

      YOU are such the Halloween BOMB! what totally awesome memories you have created for all your guests! what totally awesome inspiration you have created for all of us! way to go Beth way to go! 🙂

      Reply
    11. Brenda says

      October 31, 2012 at 4:15 pm

      WOW! I am totally amazed and impressed ... you thought of everything!

      Reply
    12. Diane says

      October 31, 2012 at 4:01 pm

      That is Incredible!!!

      Reply
    13. Anonymous says

      October 31, 2012 at 2:12 pm

      Wow, I THOUGHT my Halloween party (for 100) was over the top until I saw yours! AMAZING!!!! I know how much work goes into these things, so really appreciate your labor of love. Happy Halloween!

      Reply
    14. Jennifer @ Not Your Momma's Cookie says

      October 31, 2012 at 12:49 pm

      Wow - what an amazing party! You have quite a house!! 🙂

      Reply
    15. Jo and Sue says

      October 31, 2012 at 12:09 pm

      I just died.
      Seriously.
      Holy heck woman! Once again you have raised the bar. That looks AMAZING!
      Sue and I just finished our little Halloween dinner and it took quite a bit of work. I can't even imagine how much work it took to pull that party together. Congratulations! It looks like an incredibly successful night. 🙂

      Reply
      • Beth Jackson Klosterboer says

        October 31, 2012 at 7:45 pm

        Don't die, unless of course you want to come back from the dead to be part of my party!!!! Our party is a true labor of love. It takes more than a month just to decorate our house, over a week to make all the food, plus much more time just planning, but all the work is worth it when the party is a success like it was this year. I'm currently resting and enjoying some down time.

        Reply
    16. humblehomespun says

      October 31, 2012 at 12:03 pm

      I am BLOWN AWAY by this party. Incredible. I'm bookmarking it so I can get inspired next year. The zombie portrait wall, the dessert table, the laboratory...fantastic. Congratulations on being awesome!

      Reply
    17. sandy says

      October 31, 2012 at 8:32 am

      wow you did awesome!!! keep up the good work. i love all the stuff you do.

      Reply
    18. Dina says

      October 31, 2012 at 7:20 am

      I'm totally impressed! Brutally good! :))

      Reply
    19. Candy says

      October 31, 2012 at 6:54 am

      Happy Halloween, Beth! Everything is great! Amazing and scary and fun!

      Reply
    20. Enda says

      October 31, 2012 at 6:04 am

      You're amazing! It looks very fun!!! Hope to be in your party in the near future 🙂
      Bestt!
      http://detailsbyenda.blogspot.com/

      Reply
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    Beth Jackson Klosterboer

    Welcome to Hungry Happenings!

    I'm Beth. I've been a professional chocolatier & baker for over 30 years, have written 5 cookbooks, and love creating fun food for holidays and special occasions.

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