1980's Retro Halloween Party Memories

While doing the post for  Ghosts of Halloween Past . I decided to do a post about 1980's Halloween Party . I base this on some of the best parties I attended as a child.

Treats
Candy Apples
Candy Corn Cup Cookies
Doritos ( Doritos were quite a trendy food in the 80's )
Cheese Balls
Brownies
Ruffles Chips
Onion Soup Dip
large bowl of candy ( Snickers , Reese Peanut Butter Cups , M& M's , Hershey's Miniatures, Nerds , Dots , Tootsie Rolls
Coca Cola , Sprite , Orange Crush , Slice , Grape Soda ,

Pop Corn Balls




Tricks 

Ouija Board  use with caution I only mention it for it was the staple of most 80's Halloween Party and Sleep overs . I myself will never use this again

Apple Bobbing, 

also known as bobbing for apples, is a game often played at Halloween. The game is played by filling a tub or a large basin with water and putting apples in the water. Because apples are less dense than water, they will float at the surface. Players (usually children) then try to catch one with their teeth. Use of arms is not allowed, and often are tied behind the back to prevent cheating.In Scotland, this may be called "dooking"," i.e. ducking. In northern England, the game is often called apple ducking or duck-apple In Ireland, mainly County Kerry, it is known as "Snap Apple", and in Newfoundland and Labrador, "Snap Apple Night" is a synonym for Halloween . (via Wiki pedia ) 

Gross Food Guessing Game

Take a Cardboard box and cut a circle in it . ( use caution when cutting cardboard if your a child have a parent do this for you )  Make the whole large enough for a guest to put there hand through . Color the box black with construction paper , paint , fabric decorate how ever you want. Then you place a mystery dish inside for your guests to feel and touch. Tell them what they are touching this used to freak me out as a kid.

Here are some ideas for what to use for gross food :

 Witch's eyeballs (peeled grapes), Witch's brains (cooked spaghetti noodles), a poor soul's guts (canned spinach that's very slimy and disgusting), Frankenstein's fingernails (slivered almonds), Blood (warm non-set Jell-O), Witch Noses (cut hot dogs), dried ears (dried apples), bat toenails (seeds), liver (slab of jell-o), teeth (Popcorn kernels). ( via Coolest Halloween Party Games ) 

Donut on a String

Hang plain donuts on a string and have an eating contest . Guests have there hands tied behind there back . Who ever eats the most donut in 30 sec wins


Ghost Stories 

This old Quaker cemetery gets it name from the iron gates at the entrance that resemble spider webs. One of the rumors is that the entrance to the cemetery is actually the eighth Gate to Hell

Everyone has a regional ghost story that is past on from generations. In my corner of the world its Spider Gates my Aunties and Uncles told me this story. Most people in my area have a Spider Gates story.
The one I hear most often is two lovers went to " Park at Spider Gates" There was an escaped convict with supernatural powers that murdered the two love birds.

It is alleged that a boy hung himself there in the 80's and still can be found roaming the grounds at night.

My psychology teacher in High School loved parapsychology he was fascinating. He was an old eccentric type of man that mad learning fun. He used to take EVP ( Electric Voice Phenomenon )   play them for us in class. The hair would raise up on the your arms when you'd hear things. This just for me added to the urban legend.



Lizzie Borden 

 American woman who was tried and acquitted in the 1892 axe murders of her father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts.

We used to sing this when we jumped rope in the school yard. This didn't alarm our parents or teachers for some reason. Though why I mention most people also have a Lizzie story at parties.

Lizzie Borden took an axe

And gave her mother forty whacks.

When she saw what she had done

She gave her father forty-one.

Folklore says the rhyme was made up by an anonymous writer as a tune to sell newspapers. Others attribute it to the ubiquitous, but anonymous  In reality, Lizzie's stepmother suffered 18^[or 19^[ blows; her father, 11 blows.

Decorations 

Fake Spider Webs ( like everything in the 80's over do it , more is more ) 

Glow Sticks I would say the same rule applies more is more

Fake spiders , rats , skulls , witches brooms 

Pictures of Frankenstein, Dracula , Pumpkins , Black Cats , Ghosts 

Ghost Balloon - Helium Balloon , white trash bag ,   black marker 

Music : Scary Effects tapes were hot in the 80's . Here is a modern example below
Thriller
Ghost Busters
Purple People Eater
They are Going to Take me Away Ha Ha 

Goodie Bags

Plastic Spider Rings , Glow Sticks , Glow in the Dark Stickers , Wax Lips , Bubble Gum




Costume Contest