Imagine stepping into a world where the strange and unusual become the norm, where every corner teems with eccentricity, and where the spirit of mischief and mayhem comes to life. If this sounds like your kind of party, then a Beetlejuice-inspired bash is the perfect way to bring the whimsical world of Tim Burton’s cult classic to your home. Here's how you can throw an unforgettable Beetlejuice-themed party for adults, complete with eerie decorations, spooky food and drinks, engaging games, and a murder mystery that will keep your guests on the edge of their seats.
Beetlejuice Invitation Ideas
Set the tone for your party right from the start with unique, themed invitations. You can send physical invitations styled like an old book or a haunted letter, with a vintage feel. Use black and white stripes, reminiscent of Beetlejuice's suit, as the background pattern. Add elements like faux cobwebs, tiny plastic bugs, or glow-in-the-dark ink to make your invites stand out.
Another fun idea is to design your invitations to look like a newspaper obituary notice, humorously announcing the party details. Encourage your guests to come in costume by including a note about a costume contest with fun prizes.
Vintage Book Invitations: Create invitations that look like old, worn books. The cover can have the title "Handbook for the Recently Deceased Party Edition" with the party details inside.
Obituary Notice Invitations: Design invitations to resemble newspaper obituary notices, humorously announcing the party details with phrases like "You are cordially invited to the afterlife celebration."
Gravestone Invitations: Craft gravestone-shaped invitations with the party details inscribed like an epitaph. Use gray cardstock and add a weathered effect.
Black and White Stripe Invitations: Use Beetlejuice's iconic black and white stripes as the background, with neon green accents for the text and details.
3D Pop-Up Invitations: Create pop-up cards that open to reveal a miniature scene from the movie, such as the Maitlands' living room or a sandworm.
Glow-in-the-Dark Invitations: Use glow-in-the-dark ink to print the party details on black paper. When the lights go out, the invitation will reveal its spooky message.
Scroll Invitations: Roll up invitations like ancient scrolls tied with black and white striped ribbon. Add a wax seal for an extra touch of mystery.
Animated Digital Invitations: Send digital invitations with animated effects like flickering candles, moving ghosts, or a playful Beetlejuice introduction.
Decorating Ideas
Transform your space into the eerie yet captivating world of Beetlejuice with creative and immersive decorations. Start by choosing a color scheme of black, white, and neon green, with accents of red and purple. Cover your walls with black and white striped fabric or wallpaper, and add some fake vines or cobwebs for an extra spooky touch.
Create a focal point with a "Maitland's Living Room" setup, complete with distressed furniture, vintage lamps, and spooky artwork. A life-size cardboard cutout of Beetlejuice can be a great addition, serving as a fun photo op for guests. Use green and purple lighting to create an otherworldly glow, and don't forget to add some fog machines for a truly immersive atmosphere.
Incorporate quirky details like a sandworm model, a miniature graveyard, or a "Handbook for the Recently Deceased" lying around. You can also hang portraits of the Deetz family and other characters from the movie, and place a sign at the entrance that reads "Welcome to the Afterlife."
Food and Drink
Your Beetlejuice-inspired menu should be as playful and peculiar as the movie itself. For appetizers, consider serving "Shrunken Head" meatballs, "Sandworm" breadsticks, and "Ghostly" deviled eggs with green yolks.
For the main course, offer "Maitland's Meatloaf," a creepy take on the classic dish, or "Deetz's Delight," a vegetarian option with stuffed peppers and black rice. Serve these alongside a "Beetlejuice Beet Salad," featuring roasted beets, goat cheese, and arugula, drizzled with a balsamic glaze.
Desserts are where you can truly let your creativity shine. Create a "Creepy Crawly Cake" decorated with gummy worms and edible spiders, or serve "Handbook Cookies," shaped like the famous guidebook. "Ghost Cupcakes" with white frosting and black fondant faces, and "Worms in Dirt" pudding cups, are sure to delight your guests.
For drinks, offer a selection of spooky cocktails such as "Beetlejuice’s Brew," a neon green concoction made with melon liqueur, pineapple juice, and vodka. "Sandworm Sangria," a red wine sangria with sliced fruit, and "Afterlife Elixir," a glowing blue punch made with blue curaçao, lemonade, and club soda, are great choices. Don't forget to have a non-alcoholic option like "Ghoul-Aid," a spooky twist on fruit punch with dry ice for a foggy effect.
Shrunken Head Meatballs: Meatballs served on skewers with a spooky shrunken head decoration made from mini bell peppers.
Sandworm Breadsticks: Breadsticks twisted into the shape of sandworms, with olive eyes and a sprinkle of parmesan "sand."
Ghostly Deviled Eggs: Deviled eggs dyed with a touch of green food coloring and topped with black olive slices to resemble ghostly faces.
Maitland’s Meatloaf: Classic meatloaf served in the shape of a tombstone, with ketchup writing like an epitaph.
Deetz's Delight Stuffed Peppers: Bell peppers stuffed with a mix of black rice, veggies, and spices, with carved jack-o'-lantern faces.
Beetlejuice Beet Salad: A salad featuring roasted beets, arugula, goat cheese, and a balsamic glaze drizzle.
Creepy Crawly Cake: A chocolate cake decorated with gummy worms and edible spiders, with green frosting for a slime effect.
Handbook Cookies: Sugar cookies shaped like the "Handbook for the Recently Deceased," decorated with icing to match the book cover.
Ghost Cupcakes: Cupcakes topped with white frosting and black fondant ghost faces, with a hidden surprise filling inside.
Worms in Dirt Pudding Cups: Chocolate pudding cups topped with crushed Oreos and gummy worms, resembling worms in dirt.
Beetlejuice’s Brew: A neon green cocktail made with melon liqueur, pineapple juice, and vodka. Serve with a glow stick stirrer for an eerie glow.
Sandworm Sangria: A red wine sangria with sliced fruits and gummy worms floating inside. Add a touch of sparkling water for a fizzy effect.
Afterlife Elixir: A glowing blue punch made with blue curaçao, lemonade, and club soda. Garnish with a lemon slice and a cherry for a vibrant look.
Music Playlist:
"Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)" by Harry Belafonte
"Jump in the Line (Shake, Senora)" by Harry Belafonte
"Ghostbusters" by Ray Parker Jr.
"Thriller" by Michael Jackson
"Somebody's Watching Me" by Rockwell
"This Is Halloween" from The Nightmare Before Christmas
"Spooky, Scary Skeletons" by Andrew Gold
"The Monster Mash" by Bobby "Boris" Pickett
"Dead Man's Party" by Oingo Boingo
"Beetlejuice Theme" by Danny Elfman
"Superstition" by Stevie Wonder
"Bury a Friend" by Billie Eilish
Games and Activities
No Beetlejuice-themed party would be complete without engaging games and activities that bring the movie to life.
Start with a costume contest, encouraging guests to dress as their favorite characters from the movie. Offer prizes for categories like "Best Beetlejuice," "Most Creative," and "Scariest."
Next, introduce the main event: the murder mystery game "The Deetz Afterlife Hotel for the Recently Deceased," provided by Game Nights Galore. This immersive game is perfect for a Beetlejuice party, as it involves the guests in a thrilling mystery set in the Deetz family home, now a hotel for the recently deceased. The plot revolves around the disappearance of the hotel manager, Juno, with suspects including Lydia Deetz, Beetlejuice, and other beloved characters. As your guests take on different roles, they will interrogate each other, uncover clues, and ultimately solve the mystery.
Other fun activities include a "Handbook for the Recently Deceased" scavenger hunt, where guests search for hidden items from the movie around your party space. You can also set up a "Beetlejuice Trivia" game, testing your guests' knowledge of the film with questions ranging from easy to difficult.
For a more hands-on activity, create a DIY photo booth with props like Beetlejuice wigs, striped suits, and oversized glasses. Encourage guests to take silly photos and share them on social media with a custom party hashtag.
Beetlejuice Bingo: Create bingo cards with scenes and quotes from the movie. Play the movie in the background, and guests mark off the scenes and quotes as they appear.
Costume Contest: Host a costume contest with categories like "Best Beetlejuice," "Most Creative Costume," and "Scariest Costume." Offer fun prizes for the winners.
Sandworm Ring Toss: Set up a ring toss game with sandworm targets. Use glow-in-the-dark rings for an added challenge.
Haunted Trivia: Create a trivia game with questions about the Beetlejuice movie and other spooky topics. Divide guests into teams and see who knows the most about the strange and unusual.
DIY Ghost Hunt: Hide small ghost figurines or glow-in-the-dark objects around the party space. Give guests flashlights and challenge them to find all the hidden ghosts.
Costumes
Encourage your guests to fully embrace the Beetlejuice theme by dressing up as their favorite characters. Some popular choices include Beetlejuice himself, with his iconic black and white striped suit, wild hair, and ghostly makeup. Lydia Deetz is another favorite, with her gothic attire and dark veil. Other options include the Maitlands, with their otherworldly makeup, or the eccentric Deetz family members.
Provide a few costume accessories for those who might not have come prepared, such as striped scarves, fake bugs, or gothic jewelry. You can also set up a face painting station, where guests can get ghostly makeup or spooky designs to enhance their costumes.
Hosting Tips
To ensure your Beetlejuice party is a hit, here are some tips for hosting:
Plan Ahead: Make sure to send out invitations well in advance, and confirm RSVPs so you know how many guests to expect. This will help you plan food, drinks, and activities accordingly.
Set the Scene: Invest time in decorating your space to fully immerse your guests in the Beetlejuice world. Attention to detail will make a big difference.
Create your Playlist: Curate a playlist of spooky and fun music to keep the atmosphere lively. Include the iconic "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)" from the movie, along with other Halloween classics.
Engage Your Guests: Keep the energy high by actively engaging your guests in games and activities. Encourage mingling and participation in the murder mystery game.
Safety First: If you're serving alcohol, be sure to have plenty of non-alcoholic options and encourage guests to drink responsibly. Arrange for designated drivers or rideshares if needed.
Capture the Moments: Hire a photographer or set up a photo booth to capture the fun. These photos will be great keepsakes for you and your guests.
A Beetlejuice-inspired party is a fantastic way to celebrate the strange and unusual with your friends. From eerie decorations and spooky food and drinks to engaging games and costumes, every element of your party can be infused with the spirit of Tim Burton’s beloved film. By following these tips and ideas, you'll create an unforgettable experience that your guests will talk about for years to come. For even more inspiration and ideas, be sure to visit Game Nights Galore's Pinterest board. So go ahead, say "Beetlejuice" three times, and let the mischief begin!
Loved!