Goth Halloween Party Ideas

Goth is a subculture that has endured for many decades with it's origin beginning in the late 70's and early 80's. Goth continues to be popular today particularly in Western Europe where it is celebrated by large festivals held annually in both England and Germany. The Goth style emerged at the time of the punk rock era in music, which has since died out but the Goth culture survived!

The Goth subculture includes those who like Goth style rock - a genre of music that grew from the punk rock culture. Additionally, Victorian and Medieval history is an interest among Goth advocates.

Horror films coupled with a death fascination are also popular interests of Goth proponents and this makes Goth the perfect muse for Halloween parties!

However, contrary to popular belief those who belong to the Goth subculture are not necessarily the morbid and depressed individuals that are often depicted. They are more likely to be intellectuals with a cynical view of societal norms.

There is a certain pride in being distinct from mainstream expectations. The dark dress style with accompanying make-up expresses their choice not to be governed by mainstream social norms.

Whether you are part of the Goth scene all year round or not, you cannot deny it is a cool theme for a Halloween party.

To make your Goth party great start by decorating in basic black and be sure to have some sinister music playing in the background. Items such as candles, skulls and black crows are must haves. The crow is the perfect Goth creature because they are large, black and actually quite smart - a sinister combination.

During the party be sure to toast the night with goblets filled with punch preferably dark red or black in color for that "bloody" appearance. Add treats such as edible Halloween eyeballs and your party will be a hit. The ideas are endless and if you need more inspiration just keep reading!

There should not be any bright lights at a Goth Party. You need to have a dark and sinister look ambiance so the glow of flickering candles is the best lighting for this purpose.

Of course there are significant safety issues if there are lit candles everywhere. The room gets crowded; people may be drinking and accidents do happen. A great option is to use flameless candles. You can still achieve the right look for your party with an assortment of black candles just leave them unlit among a few fameless candles. It will still look spooky. Flameless candles can be placed strategically around the room to create the right glow.

Horror cinematography is popular among the Goth crowd. You should consider a large screen television playing classic blank and white horror films during the party. There is nothing more sinister than these old movies especially during Halloween season.

You don't even need to have the sound on! Just have the image running as a backdrop and the spooky ambience is achieved either way. One classic horror film to consider is "Frankenstein" - a cult favorite.

Crows are very large, black birds. Their feathers practically glisten and they are entirely black from beak to claw. These attributes make them the perfect Halloween creature. Crows are also very intelligent and have a haunting cry. Everyone has heard that distinctive "caw, caw" at some time or another.

A Goth party would be remiss if it didn't have a few black crows hanging around, not real ones of course, but maybe a few fakes! If you can't find crows at your local party store during the Halloween season, try Amazon!

The perfect party needs the perfect hostess outfit. If you are hosting a Goth Halloween Party you have got to have the look. A beautiful Goth princess outfit is a stand out costume for your party.

You can easily achieve this look through a trip to your local second hand clothing shop. Some of these shops carry vintage clothing. A large black scarf or cape to cover a black corset will work. Add a black skirt and boots and you are good to go. Or you can just tie swaths of cloth to your arms as demonstrated in the picture above. It doesn't have to cost you much to achieve this look.

Did you ever wonder how this dark style came to be? It is thought that the classic black look of Goth is a backlash to the colorful and sparkling outfits of the Disco era that came just before it.

The punk movement spawned the Gothic look and a new subculture complete with it's own distinctive fashion was borne. Goth has certainly endured because so far the disco culture, complete with sparkle, is no where to be seen these days.

Dressing for a goth man can be relatively simple. A oversized black shirt and black pants or alternatively a tight black tee shirt Include with this a pair of black boots and accessories such as a skull necklace, and/or earrings and you are good to go. In order to kick it up a notch include some sinister make up. Cosmetics are key for the guys too, even black nail polish!

The classic look of thick dark eyeliner around the eyes is a simple for guys and gals alike.

Your Halloween Goth look is not complete until you do the make up. This is the hallmark of the Gothic style especially the eye make up that his heavy on the black eyeliner for men and women both.

The dark heavy black make up especially around the eyes is mandatory. This look is popular with the guys as well. The tutorial below will take you through the steps to achieving this look for both sexes.

This is a great accessory if real tattoos just are not your thing. It really is hard to tell that these are fake when they are worn properly. The entire sleeve is purchased and then pulled onto your arms. This is an easy application no stencils or mess.

These tattoo sleeves were featured on an episode of "Big Bang Theory". when the guys go out dressed up in Goth style. I was quite surprised at how real their tattoos looked but they were actually tattoo sleeves. This is a great way to sport the look with out the permanency!

You can't just drink out of an ordinary glass at a Goth Party. It must be a goblet. Goblets are so intricate they are almost too ornate to drink from.

The goblet as a drinking vessel has been around in the English language since the 14th century. Tracing the history of the term goblet and its association with a particular style is difficult as there were many names given to drinking vessels by pubs, drinkers and manufacturers of cups.

Goblets are often referred to as "Chalices"; meaning a stemmed drinking glass that was most popular for use in religious ceremonies. The goblet was a predecessor for our modern and quite ordinary wine glasses.

Serve your guests some punch that looks like black blood. This recipe by Martha Stewart for Bloody Black Currant Punch is perfect for a Goth themed Halloween Party. This link also has several other recipes for ghastly drinks that you may want to try.

If you want to cut back on the alcohol, try this non-alcoholic version.

The origin of Halloween goes way back to Celtic ancient times when a festival took place annually called the festival of Samhain. November 1 was the beginning of the New Year for the Celts so October 31st was a time to celebrate because it was technically their New Years Eve.

Two thousand years ago The Celts lived on the land that we now call Ireland, the United Kingdom and the northern part of France. November 1 was the end of the summer harvest and start of winter and additionally it was also a time of the year that was associated with death.

This death association was because the Celts thought that on the night before the new year began, the separation between the worlds of the living and dead became less distinct. So the festival Samhain was celebrated as day that the ghosts of the dead returned to the Earth. They believed that these spirits were responsible for crop damage amid other troubles.

On the positive side, the Celts also believed that when these ghosts were present, it made it easier for the Celtic priests (Druids) to make predictions about the future. The prophecies that the Druids made were important to the Celtic culture as a source of direction and comfort during the darkness of winter.

Halloween, as we know it today, evolved from this ancient history.