This post is part of our “Throw a Zombie Party!” series. When you throw a theme party, it’s pretty easy to overlook decorating the actual space for the party, especially if you just go to the party store and buy whatever seems to fit with the theme. (Or if you happen to be a particular past roommate of mine, whose idea of decorating for a “Luau” was putting the contents of the liquor cabinet on the kitchen table next to some cups. If that sounds ok to you, please read the other posts in this series. Or just go to other people’s parties instead of throwing one.) Even if you do consider the space, decorating can seem intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be much work or cost much money, even for a zombie party.
The super-easy way to make the space fit the theme is to decorate with posters and signs. When you’re throwing a zombie party, this is especially easy because there are so many zombie movie posters, most of which are ridiculously cheap. I also like to put up signs that direct guests to where the party areas are, and signs that keep them out of non-party areas, where I store your dirty laundry and things that bite. You can also cover the walls with temporary wallpaper–it’s easier than it sounds but it’s more work than slapping up a few posters. Read on for the details…
Zombie Party Signs
This is one of four printable zombie signs we made. Make your own, or download our set and print as many as you want.
Putting up signs enhances the atmosphere at a party, and zombie parties are no exception! We’ve made a set of zombie party signs you can print out and tape up around the house (see link below!). You can even put them in the front yard or on the mailbox.
You can download the printable signs we made for free, but if you don’t like these you can easily make your own signs even with a basic program like Microsoft Word. Think about the space where you’ll have the party and get creative with your sign wording! Even if you don’t have a color printer you can print black & white designs on yellow or red paper, and you’re good to go.
Zombie Party Posters
Putting up a few zombie posters will quickly whip a room into shape for your zombie party. We sifted through a lot of them online and we put together a list of posters here that are fun and not too gory. The two main things to keep in mind when you choose your posters: do you want people reading them for awhile versus enjoying them as “background decoration;” and is it a kids’ party (avoid images of disemboweled eyeless zombies eating things that inspire stuffed animals). We didn’t choose any of the posters with a lot of words on them, and we also tried to avoid art that would inspire new death metal bands to form.
Your front door is the entrance to your zombie party–put a poster on it! This helps people who haven’t been to your house know that they’ve come to the right place. Closet doors are also good, as well as the walls near food and where most of the activities will take place.
Zombie Wall Coverings
If you don’t want to put the posters directly onto your walls, we have one more suggestion that’s a little more work but it’s pretty fun and it looks AWESOME, if you’re down for it. You can cover the walls with black plastic tablecloths, or you can get temporary wall coverings with graphics on them.
Plastic black or red tablecloths will be the cheapest way to go, and they are plain enough that they will not fight with the artwork on your posters, so that’s our top recommendation for wall coverings.
These go up with sticky tac (the blue or yellow gum-like substance), double-sided tape, or even tacks if the covering is light enough and you do it in sections. Once the backdrop is securely hung on the wall, you can just tape posters directly onto that.
If you must have a backdrop with graphics on it, there is a brand of party backdrops called Scene Setters, and we found one that could work for a zombie party. It’s a bit on the gross side, but that’s part of its charm…
That’s it for decorating the surrounding space for your zombie party. Have fun, stay safe, and look out for zombies!