Easy Murder Mystery Decoration Ideas

If you’re getting ready to host a murder mystery party, you’re probably wondering how to transform your home into the perfect setting for your night of dastardly debauchery.

Rest assured that each Night of Mystery theme comes with all the party-planning resources you’ll need to make your evening a sinister success, including plenty of murder mystery party decoration ideas.

Setting the mood with themed decorations is essential for making your murder mystery party a memorable event and helping your guests stay in character while they play.

Read on to discover some easy murder mystery party decoration ideas that will impress your guests without causing you any stress.

Murder Mystery Party Decoration Ideas

The devil is in the details when setting the scene for a fictional crime. From the moment they walk in the door, you’ll want to transport your guests into another world. In addition to eye-catching centerpieces and major murder mystery props, try to think of personal touches you can place around your home as murder mystery decorations to bring the story to life.

For example, if your mystery involves a scandal at a 1920s speakeasy, consider having guests come in through a “secret” side entrance. This will create an authentic feel right from the moment they arrive. Or, decorate your entryway with fairy lights, flowers, and any other fanciful fanfare to whisk your guests away into a fairytale wonderland.

Once inside, everyone needs to be able to orient themselves in the mysterious world you’ve created. Night of Mystery’s themes come with much more than just a script. You’ll get templates for signage like reward or wanted posters, menus, invitations, announcements, and more. You can also find suggestions for lighting effects and color schemes in the “Party Tips” section of each mystery page.

Make a Dramatic Entrance

First impressions matter, so make sure your guests can make a dramatic entrance and get in character right away. If your murder mystery takes place once upon a time in a faraway land, have the players pass a wishing well, a dragon’s cave, or an alligator pit on their way to your castle’s front door.

Or maybe you’re taking the law into your own hands in a Wild West saloon. Some murder mystery decoration ideas to recreate an old western scene are a swinging saloon door entrance and perhaps a hitchin’ post with a hay bale, horse trough or tin bath, and a few hobby horses tied up out front.

For a murder mystery involving backstabbing buccaneers and secretive swashbucklers, get your mateys on board by hanging a tavern sign for the “Salty Dog Sea Inn” and putting up an ominous message like “All hope abandon, Ye who enter here.” Templates for these pirate-themed decorations and more are included with the Murder Among the Mateys mystery.

Murder Mystery Centerpiece Ideas

Once your guests are inside, keep the air of mystery alive with a stunning centerpiece. Make sure that your centerpiece is in line with the party’s theme and that it’s noticeable but not too obtrusive for your guests.

Here are a few murder mystery centerpiece ideas. 

• Arrange a collection of clues on a tray or platter, such as photographs, notes, and other items that relate to the murder mystery theme.

• Create real or fake floral arrangements to accent the table. Glam it up with gold or silver-painted candlesticks, wine bottles, or a vintage vase.

• Make an 80’s montage with period-themed items like cassette tapes, record albums, Rubik’s Cubes, slinkies, and disco balls.

• Tropical centerpieces might include pineapples and other tropical fruits, paper drink umbrellas, miniature fake palm trees, paper lanterns, and seashells.

• Holiday murder mystery parties are a perfect setting for decorations like a gingerbread house, Santa’s sleigh, paper snowflakes, or a miniature Christmas tree.

Murder Mystery Table Decorations

Most murder mystery parties involve food and drinks, whether it’s a sit-down meal or appetizers and hors d’oeuvres that guests can nosh on while they play. As such, your table decorations are also an essential part of creating an ominous atmosphere for your evening’s odious events.

Depending on your chosen theme, the murder mystery table decorations might be glitzy and glamorous, whimsical and otherworldly, or historically based.

Here are several ideas for how to dress up your dining table for a nefarious night of raucous revelry.

• Set up a medieval feast with metallic candelabras, bejeweled goblets, garlands of greenery, and scrolls for place cards.
• To give your party a Grecian motif, place a laurel crown or a garland of fake ivy in the middle of the table. You could also include a gold or purple-painted bowl of fake or real fruit, gold candlesticks, and a glass or gold-painted vase.
• Take it to the trailer park with miniature pink flamingos, red solo cups, a red and white checkered tablecloth, and lawn chairs for seating.
• Make your dining room feel like a Sin City casino with a green felt tablecloth, red or black dishware, and playing card placeholders or napkin rings. Also, you can scatter dice and poker chips around the table to liven up the casino murder mystery party.

Murder Mystery Party Favors

Murder mystery party favors are a wonderful way to make the night even more memorable. Create gift bags that look like miniature detective kits or evidence bags and fill them with small items like a notepad and pen, a mini flashlight, fake fingerprint tattoos, and a small toy gun or knife. Also, mystery-themed candies and chocolates are always a big hit.

If it’s within your budget, having a photo booth or Polaroid camera at your murder mystery party is a great way to let your guests make the most of the event. They’ll be able to have fun taking photos together, and the pictures will be a wonderful memento from the mystery party.

Set the Scene for the Perfect Crime

Transforming your home to look and feel like another time and place might seem intimidating at first. 

However, you will find everything you need in the “Party Tips” section of each mystery which contains plenty of inspiration for costumes, food, and murder mystery decoration ideas.

Night of Mystery truly goes above and beyond to provide extensive party planning resources for each of the unique mystery themes.