I’m a January baby, which frankly sucks. There’s not much to celebrate about that first month: it’s cold, it’s dark, and the post-Christmas crash has everyone feeling fat, dejected, and broke. The third Monday in January has even been called the most depressing day of the year; my birthday falls on January 19th. Not the best omen.
Despite that, I always managed to find something nice to do on the day, whether it was go out for dinner or have a games night with a few friends. But 10 years ago, I discovered the absolute best way to counter the mid-winter blues: host a murder mystery party.
HOW IT BEGAN
Just after New Year’s 2013, while I was Googling party game ideas to lift my spirits, I came across a company that offered downloadable murder mysteries. I’d done a couple of those boxed sets way back in high school, but this one intrigued me because the murder happened during the party. Not knowing which one of my friends would drop dead added to the suspense and excitement, so I decided to give it a try.
The mystery came with character descriptions, three rounds of clues, decorating tips, and even food ideas. I was careful not to read anything that would give away the plot, since I wanted to play along as one of the characters.
My husband was initially reluctant to wear a costume and act out a part—but fortified with beer, even he had a great time.
It was such a success that it became an annual tradition. I now spend the better part of the year checking out themes and thinking of new ways to transform my living room.
CHOOSING A THEME
For that first party, I went with a superhero theme because a) I figured it would help overcome male reluctance, and b) we had the right number of characters.
My circle of friends skews female, so it can be tricky to fill the male roles. I don’t worry about it anymore, though, because our group has gotten so comfortable with these parties that some of the women are happy to play a male character. That gives me a lot more leeway when choosing a mystery.
Since that superhero party in 2013, we’ve done a wide variety of themes:
- Fairy tale
- Old West saloon
- Pirates
- 1920s gangsters
- Ancient Rome
- Steampunk time travel
- Trailer park
- 1980s prom
- Medieval
- Vegas
I’m partial to the ones from totally different time periods, but we’ve done so many that I’ve had to branch out.
DECOR
Decorating is one of my favourite parts. I love creating as immersive an environment as possible.
In the early years I simply worked around what I had in the living room.
But things got more elaborate as time went on. The first big adventure was putting actual saloon doors on our kitchen for our Old West party. People would wander into the kitchen for no real reason just so they could go through those doors. When we took it down I had to patch and paint a few holes where we’d anchored it to the wall, but it was totally worth it.
The next year, we moved the furniture out and built a pirate ship.
Then I discovered what a difference those plastic scene setter rolls can make.
COSTUMES
Some of my more creative friends put together outfits sourced from different thrift stores. Others (including me) prefer to rent from the one year-round costume store in town. I call it my happy place; they know me so well I don’t even have to give my name when I walk in.
One thing I have definitely noticed: the more all-out I go with the decor, the more people are inspired to take it up a notch when it comes to costumes.
FOOD
The theming carries over into the food. All the mysteries I’ve used are built around having dinner, so we do a buffet that reflects the story or time period.
Sometimes the choices are obvious: the ancient Rome party featured wine, cheese, grapes, and bread with olive oil. And sometimes things are a little more abstract, like the dice cheese ball and crackers in rows like poker chips for the Vegas party.
THE TRADITION CONTINUES
I keep saying that we’re running out of themes, but somehow I always find a new one that intrigues me. Up next: murder at a luau!
Want to host your own murder mystery party? Have a look at this infographic for some key tips.
EXSM 3989 - Digital Storytelling Class Blog 