Celebrate Halloween this year like it’s 1950. Find music, recipes, costumes, and more to help you have the perfect 1950s Halloween party or other celebration.
Halloween has a very long history but Halloween as we celebrate has a much more recent history. First I need to note this is from a United States lens, every country has a bit different history of Halloween, though there is overlap.
The 1920s and 1930s is when Halloween became a secular holiday celebrated more like we celebrate today. There were often parades and Halloween parties. Sadly, for a while there was a lot of vandalism associated with Halloween.
Thankfully the 1950s saw a lot less vandalism and it started to become a Halloween more geared to kids. This was likely due in part because of the baby boom of the 1950s.
The 1920s through 1950s saw trick-or-treating becoming popular, though during WWII sugar was rationed so it looked a lot different during that time.
While Halloween in the 1950s didn’t look that much different than it did today there were still some subtle differences. If you want to have a retro Halloween celebration I’ve read through vintage magazines and other resources to find everything you need to know.
Celebrating a 1950s Halloween
There are many elements for the perfect Halloween celebration. I’ve pulled together resources from the 1950s to cover each of these elements to help you have a fun retro Halloween.
1950s Halloween Recipes
I’m still working on testing some vintage Halloween recipes, but I’ve also found some good ones online that you can try out this year. Just be sure you are signed up for my emails if you want to know when more are posted on here.
- You’ll find some delicious vintage Halloween recipes here on the site.
- Check out a real 1951 Halloween Party Menu.
- Chronically Vintage shared some vintage Halloween cookbook pages with fun Halloween recipes like cheese pumpkins and pumpkin ice cream.
- Emily Retro shared pages from multiple vintage Halloween cookbooks as well.
If you see a vintage Halloween recipe you want to try but want it tested and written in a modern way, let me know. I’m always looking for vintage recipes to test.
1950s Halloween Costumes
Costumes were popular for kids in the 1950s, but they were generally homemade. Ghosts, witches, cats, vampires, and other very traditional Halloween costumes. Cowboys, nurses, baseball players, princesses, and less spooky costumes were also seen around neighborhoods.
It was during the 1950s that mass-produced costumes started to become more readily available. They generally came with a simple outfit and a mask. Popular options included Superman, clowns, Frankenstein’s monster, cowboys, and other popular movie and comic characters and classics.
For your retro Halloween celebration, making your own costume can be a fun challenge. If you are having a party, you could make a contest out of it.
In addition to Halloween costumes, you can find some really fun vintage-inspired Halloween dresses to wear to a party.
1950s Halloween Decorations
Halloween decorations were also often homemade in the 1950s. Homemaking magazines showed fun crafts you could do to add some spooky vibes to your home. And of course, carving pumpkins has been a fun Halloween tradition for generations. They were generally used for parties and not for general holiday decorating as it is popular now.
I’ve not found any evidence of people doing much decorating for Halloween outside of parties. There are always outliers, but the trend of general Halloween decorating is something that is more modern. Even as a kid, I don’t remember many decorating their homes outside of maybe a wreath and some pumpkins, unless it was for a party or Trick or Treat night.
You can find vintage and vintage-inspired Halloween decorations still available. You can go with the more vintage take and just use them for a party, or, like me, you can deck your home out for the whole season.
1950s Halloween Movies
The 1950s were a popular time for horror movies and monster movies. The era brought us classics like Godzilla, House on Haunted Hill, The Mummy, The Blob, and many others.
I’ve put together a list of some of the top 1950s Halloween movies and where you can stream them. You can have one on in the background at a Halloween party or have a retro Halloween movie night.
1950s Halloween Music
The 1950s brought us a lot of fun, spooky songs for Halloween. many you will still find on Halloween playlists. These are some to add to your Halloween party playlist.
- “I Put a Spell on You” – Screamin’ Jay Hawkins (1956)
- “The Purple People Eater” – Sheb Wooley (1958)
- “Witch Doctor” – David Seville (1958)
- “Love Potion No. 9” – The Clovers (1959)
- “Dinner with Drac” – John Zacherle (1958)
- “Rockin’ in the Graveyard” – Jackie Morningstar (1959)
- “Zombie Jamboree” – The Charmer (1953)
- “The Flying Saucer” – Buchanan and Goodman (1956)
There are also many Halloween songs from around the 1950s with the same vibe that you can play at your retro Halloween party.
Once you pick out some fun vintage Halloween recipes, movies, music, costumes, and decorations, you will be ready to go for your 1950s Halloween.
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