How to Throw a Murder Mystery Party
We’ve spoke to an expert in throwing slasher soirees
Fact: it’s a lot of work to throw a murder mystery party. (Almost as much work as it takes to plan a plot to off someone….) Luckily, Wondercade has corralled Randi Strand, owner of Night of Mystery, to help you plan a bloodbath of a bash. She’s been designing murder mystery parties for decades, and offers nearly 40 different themes: a random sampling includes “A Sorority Slaying,” “Crime at Christmastime,” “Totally Rad ‘80s Prom Gone Bad” [Neil Note: I lived this one in real life] and the very Wondercade “Murder Under the Big Top.”
As Randi will explain, you can follow one of her scripts, or not. You can buy a kit that’ll give you everything you need, or not. Either way, there’s a good bit of logistics involved, and she’s gonna break down everything you need to keep in mind when inviting guests over to your abode, even if it means one of them won’t be leaving…
By Randi Strand
Pick a theme
First thing: figure out what kind of theme you want. What resonates with you? Circus? Mobsters and gangsters? Beauty pageant?
Are you hosting the party in your house? In your backyard? Anything is possible — we’ve had people be like, “I’m having a party in a castle” — but knowing where you’ll host, and the ins and outs of the space, will help you land on an ideal theme. Same with decorations. What do you already have, and what do you need? You can consider a theme that’s not too hard to pull off, like a wedding-themed murder mystery, which doesn’t ask much of your guests because most people already have some kind of wedding attire to wear as costumes. Or maybe you want to go Gatsby-ish, with an over-the-top Roaring ’20s theme, with flappers, jazz and a champagne tower. A lot of the fun comes out of the immersive part — the more immersive you’re making it, the more fun people will have, and the more experiential it feels.
Consider what works best for you…and your guests
Between all the materials and logistics, it can be a LOT to plan a party like this, and this is why it can be helpful to hire a company or buy a kit — a company’s games are already played, tried and tested. But if storytelling is in your wheelhouse and you want to come up with your own mystery, go for it! I’m going to help you do that today.
Back to a theme…pick one that fits you and your guests. Think about your crew’s personalities. Are you into playing 1920s mobsters and gangsters, packing heat and frisking each other for clues? Or maybe you’d rather grab your neon gear and dive into a ‘90s rave where every other word is “as if”? Whatever fits your vibe, go with it!
Come up with clues and a KILLER solution!
Now that you picked a theme, build a story and characters — and, of course, the perfect solution, or reveal. The reveal is the most fun part of the night, and you don’t want your guests to go home feeling cheated! Having the mystery too easy to solve is a big letdown. If everyone knows who the murderer is, what the mystery is, where’s the fun?
For the clues, use a blend of tangible and intangible ones. Tangible stuff could be a torn love letter stashed in a drawer, or a button from the victim’s coat found in a peculiar place. Intangible clues are more subtle, and could be included in someone’s envelope (more on those later) as instructions when they’re acting in character: maybe someone gets super nervous when a certain name is mentioned, or one character has a limp, which might relate back to another clue. Throwing in both types of clues keeps the guests aware of their surroundings and immersed in the mystery.
Craft the perfect guest list
Here’s another tip: when you make a guest list, assign characters to everyone. Know which of your friends are likely to get into it, and consider assigning lesser roles to more timid guests — you don’t want anyone’s shyness to drag the party down. Think about how the roles, and how the outgoing and timid folks you assign them to, will interact. You want people to be engaged! It’s a party, right?! Murder mysteries encourage conversation — characters have to ask others questions. It’s a fun way to get everyone introduced, and for the more timid partygoers, it’ll get them out of their shells.
Costumes and props take time
Make sure you send out the invites and costume assignments at least two weeks ahead of time, so people have time to get their outfits together. And don’t expect them to do everything! Let’s say you’re hosting a beach-themed party: you can ask people to wear tropical attire, and then, as the host, you hand out props like a lifesaver ring for someone playing a lifeguard. Maybe you give everyone flower leis when they arrive to get them into character…
Prepare for the party itself
Before your guests arrive, prepare envelopes for each character. You’ll stuff them with the character’s name tag and maybe some paper props, like fake money or a map. Most importantly, you’ll include a list of objectives and instructions for each guest: notes about their character, what conversations to have, what actions to take and with which of the other guests. Be specific! This is how the plot and the clues are revealed. For example, give character X instructions to try to bribe character Y to keep it a secret that he’s cheating on his wife. Have someone go up to another guest and say that she saw her at the bank the other day with someone suspicious…
The victim won’t know they’re going to be murdered before the party — only when they get their envelope. I like to write instructions like, “You’re the victim tonight. Tell no one, and very discreetly inform your host after you complete your tasks. When the lights go out, scream and fall down dead.”
Once everyone arrives and gets settled with a drink and a bite, you’ll kick things off in your own character. For example, if the theme of the party is Wild West murder, you’ll say, “I’m Harry High Stakes, owner of the Deadwood Saloon. Thanks for coming to my poker tournament.” Then the in-character mingling and fact-finding begins!
Plan the murder!
Once you see the story progressing, with all the characters moving through the tasks and conversations that were spelled out in their welcome envelopes, and the victim tells you they’ve completed their tasks, it’s time to put the murder into motion. Give a sudden, clear cue to your guests, like turning the lights off or making a loud bang.
Shortly after the victim is murdered, you’ll give the guests a second envelope with more clues, evidence or objectives. Different characters will get pieces of evidence based on their character and what they already learned. You’ll have chosen someone to play the investigator — I like it when it’s the victim, so they can still be a part of the party and not have to play dead on the floor. The investigator gathers all the evidence and discusses it aloud. “Get exhibit A, the smoking gun, from Brian.” “Get exhibit B, the life insurance policy, from Randy.” This gives everyone at the party the opportunity to observe all the pieces of evidence.
Plan the reveal!
Finally, when all the evidence is shared, everyone casts a vote for who they think is the murderer — and why. (I also like to have everyone vote for best actor, or best costume.) The host goes and tabulates all the votes. Then, they (or the investigator) reads a sealed solution: who killed the victim, why, what the pieces of evidence were and clues everyone could have seen or heard throughout the night. Mystery solved!
You should have rewards for the folks who guessed correctly, and those who won bonus prizes, like best costume. A themed reward is great. Most people are very happy to get a bottle of wine, and everyone loves a cash prize.
The wrap-up
As I said, murder mystery parties are great because they encourage mingling. After the murder is solved and the game is over, your guests who didn’t know each other have the easiest icebreakers of all time: “Hi, my real name is Suzie. You were great! What’s your name?” They bring people together in ways a normal party wouldn’t. And that’s what it’s all about.
