Well, we did it again! Managed to solve another pesky murder. Eighties style. I have to say I might have had a little too much fun planning the Murder High Reunion! We had so much fun we just might have to have another 80s theme murder mystery party sometime! Today, I’m sharing some of our 80s party ideas for you so you can have the most epic 1980s murder mystery party ever!
Don’t worry…no spoilers here!
In the middle of the grueling grad classes I took this summer, I managed to devote time several days these last few weeks for party planning. This was way more fun than second language acquisition and pedagogy homework.
My party was centered around the specific Murder High Reunion party from A Night of Mystery. But these ideas from my party could be used for any 1980s murder mystery party or just any 80s theme party, in general. Some other 80s theme murder mystery parties which seem interesting are: Totally 80s Prom Gone Bad and Like Oh My Gosh Murder.
Decorations for an 80s Theme Murder Mystery Party – Murder High Reunion
I bought a make-your-own banner kit at Party City to have a large class reunion sign welcoming guests as they drove up.
Luckily, I found an awesome online program that allowed me to insert all of our faces into old pictures which were grouped by the decades. I found one “yearbook portrait” to use for each guest. However, there weren’t enough 80’s hairstyles for everyone so I had to use some 70s and 90s styles, too.
Also, I put together a “blast from the past” activity display. This display showed the gang at a school dance, the homecoming king and queen riding in the parade, the chess club “nerds” in front of their chess board. It took a whole day to do this. Totally worth it.
At Dollar Tree, I picked up some plain black 5X7 frames for $1 to display all of the portraits. They needed to be front and center so that no one could possibly miss the hilarity of them. I also posted a Facebook album of our party with all of these portraits included. I’m telling you – I just had to much fun with planning the Murder High Reunion party!
Here are a few close ups of the candid shots.
Other easy decorations which I didn’t manage to photograph very well include old trophies, megaphones, letterman jackets, cheerleading costumes, old yearbooks, etc.
Menu for an 80s Theme Murder Mystery Party
For our 80s party, we had typical foods of the 1980’s, such as pasta salad, Rotel cheese dip, fruit pizza, and chicken divine. For dessert, we had Rice Krispy Treats, chocolate chip cookies, etc. Prizes included cheesy toys and candy from the 1980’s. This menu was super easy because it was a smorgasboard of pretty much anything – which is exactly how I remember the 1980s! In fact, don’t many of us still eat 80s party food on a regular basis, anyway?
More Food Ideas for a 1980s Party
- Popcorn
- Orange Push-Up Ice Cream Bars
- Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Twinkies
- Ding Dongs
- Guacamole Dip
- Sausage Cocktail Bread Appetizers
- Pepperoni Pizza
80s Costumes for an 80s Theme Murder Mystery Party
Isn’t my quarterback just the hunkiest? I mean even if he does have that cheerleader hussy on his lap. Hehee!
1980s Party Costumes
Of course, your assigned character’s personality determines how wacky or how mellow your costume needs to be. I had a pretty out-there character for the Murder High Reunion so I had to amp up the 80s costume with bright colors and bold looks. I did the best I could while seven months preggo.
For 80s costumes, you can’t really go wrong with big glasses, big hair, big makeup, and big shoulder pads. Also, you need big earrings, big bracelets, big necklaces, big clunky shoes…and well, big everything! And not only should these things be big, but they should be colorful! Neon! Bold! I lived in the 80s, folks! I know how it was!
More 80s Costume Ideas for a 1980s Party
- floral dresses
- Guess jeans
- tight-rolled Jordache jeans
- short denim skirts
- off-the-shoulder shirts
- Converse
- bomber jackets
Our friend, C, always brings it when it comes to our murder mystery parties. Here, he perfectly embodied a nerdy character, and his role-playing was pure perfection!
More Party Ideas
If you are still narrowing down an 80s murder mystery party, Murder High Reunion is a winner! Be sure to check out my other party ideas!
Planning a Murder Mystery Party
1980s Theme Murder Mystery Party
80s Theme Murder Mystery Party
How to Plan a Potluck Charcuterie Table Plus 50 Charcuterie Boards
Best Fiesta and Cinco de Mayo Quotes
Patriotic Recipes for a July 4th Party
Chips and Hummus Party Plus 12 Hummus Recipes
Best Tropical Foods for a Luau
Christy
What program did you use for the 80s yearbook photos?
The Gifted Gabber
Hi Christy,
The program I used was called Yearbook Yourself. Unfortunately, I just searched for it, and it seems it no longer exists. Eeek! It was such a fun program! The closest thing I came across is the app called Oldbooth – which I think you can find in the app store. You could probably use this app and then run a “slideshow” of sorts on your TV if you have a smart TV. https://oldbooth.app/
Stephanie
Do you remember what food you served? I am soing the same theme and looking for some appetizer ideas!
The Gifted Gabber
Oh, Stephanie! I’m so sorry I’m just now seeing this. Not sure how I missed your comment. I know we had guacamole dip and those little cocktail bread pizzas. I know your party was six months ago so it doesn’t help you now! ;p