It’s October 28, which means it’s officially the week of Halloween. And while there will be plenty of spooky parties happening throughout the city, they won’t be nearly as fun as throwing your own Halloween bash right at home. For those planning a last minute Halloween house party, you may be overwhelmed with the amount of Halloween Pinterest and decor ideas there are out there (and we don’t blame you). To make your life easier, we’ve provided some tips and ideas that will ensure your own homebound monster mash bash is a huge hit with guests.

Costume Contest

Encourage your friends to go all out this Halloween by implementing a costume contest and perhaps a separate couples costume contest as well. This will ensure everyone gets dressed up and cloaked in the Halloween spirit. No lame excuses allowed. I suggest providing a prize such as a gift certificate for the costume winners to make the contest more fun.

If you need some costume ideas check out our 2013 inspired Halloween costume ideas, our ideas for couples costumes and our DIY Halloween costume suggestions.

A mix of Halloween music and upbeat pop music

Honestly, no one is going to volunteer to listen to “Thriller” the entire night (there’s only so much Halloween party music we can handle). But I do recommend creating a playlist that mixes some Michael Jackson, Monster Mash and Ghost Busters theme songs, with more recent pop music. Here are the top 10 Halloween songs that should definitely be on your playlist this Halloween. Just make sure to strike the right balance of fun and upbeat with creepy Halloween songs.

Tell guests to BYOB but also provide them with a special Halloween cocktail

Now for the important part: the booze. Put your own beer in a pumpkin holder — I’m pretty sure this will be a big hit. Tell your guests to BYOB (or wine), but do create a special Halloween cocktail concoction that the entire party can enjoy. I recommend a simple-to-make spiked witches’ brew. There are numerous Witches’ Brew recipes out there but here’s a pretty basic brew recipe that looks delish to me.

Creepy lighting is a must

Halloween parties are all about the dark, mysterious ambience and the best way to set this eerie mood is with candles. Besides Jack-o-lanterns, I recommend some fun DIY Blood Dripped Candles, which you find at your neighborhood CVS. Set the gothic tone with these dimly lit candles — and perhaps throw a couple of black lights into the mix for later in the night.

Creepy decorations that aren’t too cheesy

In my Halloween-loving opinion, decorations make the party complete. You can find spooky decorations at various Halloween stores in and around Boston as well as your local CVS. Two inexpensive decorations that will make your party a bit more spooky are some fake spider webs as well as ghoulish window cling displays. And of course plenty of Jack-o-lanterns to light up the outside.

You can also purchase some cheap Plastic Skull Goblets to hold your witches brew. Also make sure to have some ghosts hanging out around your house, in the bathroom etc. Another fun decorating idea for guests is to decorate a wall with Halloween themed paraphernalia for a creepy fun photoshoot for guests. Try a haunted house wall stencil or the one above. To save you time, we’ve gone ahead and compiled several decorating ideas from Pinterest for some Halloween party inspiration: a candy centerpiece, wall decor background, spider webs, and drink potions at your bar.

Finger foods are a must

It goes without saying that food at your Halloween party is a must. Besides Halloween candy, I recommend preparing or buying finger foods (literally) made out of anything from cookies to carrots. Food is certainly one of the areas where you’re allowed to get really creative this Halloween. Mummy dogs are simple to make (here’s the Pillsbury recipe) and certainly Halloween appropriate. Other fun finger foods ideas include Butterfinger stuffed cupcakes, ghost cupcakes, witches broomstick Reeses or even mini pumpkins treats.

Let us know your own Halloween party planning ideas in the comments below.

Images via Pinterest, CVS website and http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com