Best Murder Mystery Party Themes – 15 Ideas Ranked

The 1920s speakeasy theme is the most popular one you’ll find. With its rise in popularity, lots of stores and online marketplaces now offer low-cost costumes and decorations designed for it. Easy costume ideas include flapper dresses, feather headbands, flat caps, pinstriped suits, which most guests can put together with minimal shopping or with items they already own. This theme is filled with bootleggers, corrupt cops, and jealous rivals. Kits are widely available and generally well-written.

If you pick this theme, we have a dedicated 1920s speakeasy murder mystery guide with cocktail recipes, decoration ideas, playlist recommendations, and costume ideas.

The Victorian theme is also extemely popular. Sherlock Holmes, the Victorian era itself, and being part of the golden age of detective fiction all make this theme exciting to explore. Costume ideas include top hats, pocket watches, corsets, and magnifying glasses. As with lots of movies set in this era, the games themselves are filled with scandals and deep secrets.

The 1940s Hollywood film noir theme is another very easy theme to dress for. Men just need a suit and a wide-brimmed hat. Women only need a fitted dress and red lips. The look is sleek, glamorous, and achievable with items most guests already own. These stories are full of corrupt detectives, femmes fatales, and the pursuit of money and power. Fans of The Godfather will love this theme.

These are any games that have a modern setting – a tech company, an awards ceremony, a luxury cruise, a dinner party at a wealthy host’s home. These are obviously the easiest themes to dress for as guests can use clothes they aleady own. Guests might simply need to dress smart casual or whatever closest matches the theme. This is one of the best options for office or corporate groups where there are lots of guests, and minimal costume effort and expense shoud be required.

This theme overlaps slightly with the film noir but is more based at country house parties, on cruise ships or in private members’ clubs. These stories are similar to one’s you’d find in Agatha Christie books. These are generally focused on the upper-class in the 1930s.

Halloween-themed murder mystery nights are always fun. They’re most popular in October but can be played at any time of year with the right crowd. These games are usually set in haunted mansions, cursed villages and old castles. There are lots of options for costumes. While stores tend to only put them on display close to Halloween, online stores have them available all year round. Costumes include witches, vampires, werewolves, etc.

These types of cases are getting more popular where guests dress up as fictional celebrities, directors, and agents. It’s glamorous and modern, so many guests will already have something in their closet that could work for this theme. Any black tie clothing works for this theme. Games usually revolve around jealousy, rivalry, and ambition.

Medieval and Tudor themes have some of the best-looking costumes out of any of the options, but they do require a lot of work to make or cost a bit to buy. Costume ideas include cloaks, crowns, gowns, etc. – which could either excite or put off different groups. It works best with guests who enjoy dressing up and perhaps have already taken part in similar themed events. These themes are full of political intrigue and royal court schemes.

This is a very fun theme, but not as widespread popular as many of the others. Costumes include cowboy hats, checked shirts, and a gold star badge. The Western theme is pretty low effort costume-wise. These stories are generally based on the goldrush and all the intrigue that came along with it. Works well with casual groups who want a fun night without a serious atmosphere.

Fantasy themes focus on elves, wizards, dragons, and dark magic. Fans of Lord of Rings, Dungeons and Dragons and Game of Thrones would enjoy this types of party. Costumes can take a lot of effort. While some are available online, the variety is not as big as other themes. This theme works best with groups that explicitly enjoy fantasy and are willing to invest in their costume.

This is one of my favorite themes, but it’s not as loved by everyone. Stories can be based on space stations, other planets or even universes. Costumes include androids, aliens and even Jedis. Costumes are generally bought online or handmade. Stories can be based on popular movies like Star Wars or involve intergalactic conspiracies. Sci-fi themes are great for tech-leaning groups and guests who enjoy science fiction. Kit availability is more limited than more mainstream themes.

This is a bit different from the regular 1920s theme that usually takes place in a speakeasy. These games are usually based in a grand hotel or in an artists’ circle. These often require more expensive decorations to make the space look more sophisticated. Costumes are easy to get a hold of as they’re the same as any other 1920s theme, but there are fewer games in this exact theme.

This is another type of theme that I love that’s not as popular as I’d like. Pirates were a big Halloween costume during the days of Pirates of the Caribbean, so you’ll have no trouble finding something to wear. Games usually revolve around a search for a buried treasure and have a lot of backstabbing and greed in them.

Downtown Abbey parties are popular, but Edwardian / 1910s murder mystery parties don’t seem be as popular for some reason. It might be the additional costume effort to make something that looks era-fitting. There also aren’t as many kits for this era available. However, if you’re a fan of this type of media, you should definitely try out one the murder mystery games.

Ancient Rome and Egypt settings are really exciting in most media, but haven’t made it big in murder mysteries. If you (and your friends) are interested in history, these are some great themes to try out. There aren’t many of them, so keep your expectations in check. Costumes aren’t as widely available, but depending on your theme, you can find some guides online to convert old clothes into something that looks pretty good. Costume ideas include draped togas, golden accessories, and theatrical makeup.