What do you think of when you hear “Halloween”? For many adults, it means a steady stream of trick-or-treaters knocking on the door, demanding lollies, or organising activities for the kids.

• Apple-bobbing, pumpkin carving, dress-ups, scary (but not too scary) movies and more – all great fun for the younger ones, and us too.
• But how about this year, celebrating the spookiest of holidays in a more adult fashion?
• There are a range of party themes and party games for us to make an evening of it, while the kids scare each other with ghost stories in the next room.
• For a dramatic night, plan a masquerade ball: no-one allowed in without a mask, and preferably an eerie one! This can make for an elegant twist on events, and creates the perfect ambience for a cocktail party.
• After something a bit more spooky? Organise a Murder Mystery night, and assign each guest a character and a mission to detect, throughout dinner, who the murderer is amongst the group. Provide guests with a role, some objects, and a back-story as to where they were during the crime, and allow the detective work to unfold!
• You could even invite a clairvoyant, palm or tarot reader to the evening for a bit of extra entertainment.
• Games for a Halloween party range from the traditional – apple-bobbing is still fun when you are all grown up – to the creative.
• For a dress-up party, make it a competition to see who looks the spookiest; have a scavenger hunt; create a game of Pumpkin Bowling; or play Truth or Dare with a spooky twist.
• And for the ultimate in scary – how about a 1980s theme party? Mullets and stonewashed jeans…. Aaaarrrrrrrrghhhhhh!