4 Ways To Throw An Epic Halloween Party Post-College Days

When you're a kid, Halloween is all about that door-to-door, be cute, get candy business. For us 80s and 90s babies, we really got into it with a defining era of Halloween movie classics like "Hocus Pocus," "Casper," "Beetlejuice" and "The Addams Family."

Now that we're pseudo adults (aka old enough to still celebrate, yet young enough where we probably don't have our own offspring to take trick-or-treating), the holiday brings childhood nostalgia. It's also the best excuse to dress up, drink up and get weird without a care.

This All Hallows' Eve, wake up the spirits with the following essentials to throw the perfect Halloween party:

The Tricks

Can't handle all that processed sugar like you used to? Trick-or-treat for a red delicious, instead. Nothing says Halloween like sticking your face in a tub of water with hands tied behind your back, bobbing for apples.

The concept of the activity is actually pretty strange and how it became a Halloween tradition is beyond me. However, it is undeniably energy-packed, fun and highly entertaining.

Make the extracurricular even more outrageous by pregaming the main event with a mummy wrap competition. Have players roll their teammates up in toilet paper before taking the plunge. This kind of opportunity seriously only comes around once a year, and the pictures are guaranteed to gain a record-breaking number of likes on Instagram.

The Treats

Thanksgiving's got turkey, Christmas has ham, Labor Day is BBQ time and Halloween means treats. There are endless possibilities when it comes to Halloween food ideas, and the more creative, the better.

You could dip apples in caramel (extra resourceful if you bobbed for them) or serve cups filled with crushed Oreos, chocolate pudding and gummy worms that “crawl” up from the edible dirt.

If you're looking for a little more sophistication (because you're a “grownup”), but still want to keep the playful holiday theme intact, construct a cheesy Jack-O-Lantern with buttery crackers on the side.

Blend together cream cheese, cheddar, onions and peppers to form a ball of rich, delicious goodness and cut out pepperoni shapes for the eyes, nose and mouth. The other Jacks at the pumpkin-carving contest don't stand a chance once the judges get a taste of this competitor. For this recipe and other Halloween food ideas, check out this site.

The Drinks

“Double, double toil and trouble, fire burn and caldron bubble” is a rhyme to chant as you brew a potion that will get your party in motion. Channel your inner witch and get crafty by picking up a caldron and some dry ice for a devilish pot of witch brew punch.

In a separate punch bowl, mix lime green gelatin with chilled pineapple juice, 7UP and vodka. Place dry ice in the bottom of the caldron and then put the punch bowl on top of the ice. Just remember, this is a make-believe elixir (not intended to be poison), so don't get too sloppy and start mixing the dry ice and actual punch together.

The Décor

What's a witch without a spider, and a haunted house without cobwebs spun by the eight-legged creatures? Decorating for Halloween doesn't need to be fancy, just dark, spooky and built to nightmarish standards.

Cover your pad with glow-in-the-dark spider webs, throw in some glow sticks as party favors and illuminate the room with black lights. Blast "Monster Mash” (throwback!) in the background, and you've got one wicked house party.

Glow-in-the-Dark Spider Web, $6, Amazon 

With mummies, witches, a caldron, spider webs, pumpkins and apple-bobbing action, the perfect storm is brewing. All that's missing are the ghosts, so go ahead and throw on a white sheet, poke in a pair of eyeholes, greet your guests with a chilling “BOO!” and let an epic Halloween party ensue.

Photo Courtesy: Tumblr