6 Masquerade Murder Mystery Party Games

Masks, mystery, and imminent intrigue! This article has everything you need to host a masquerade murder mystery party.

We’ll take you through:

A masquerade murder mystery party is all about building anticipation and intrigue for your guests.

The best way to do that is with a well decorated venue. So, keep reading for our favorite DIY decoration ideas!

9 Masquerade murder mystery party decoration ideas

A great masquerade murder mystery party is all about getting the atmosphere just right—with a magnificently decorated venue! We’ve put together easy DIY décor suggestions to transform your living room into the setting for a moody masquerade!  

The most fundamental decision is your color scheme. This will depend on the game you’re playing, but here are a few great complementary color schemes:

  • Red, white, and black (for a scary, tense, passionate atmosphere).
  • Gold, white, and black (for a decadent, glitzy, luxurious feeling).
  • Purple, green, and gold (for a fun, party, Mardi Gras vibe).
  • Gold, silver, and white (for a high-class affair).
  • All white (for a haunted, abandoned, or super classy ambience).

Keep your color scheme in mind as you browse our favorite mafia murder mystery party decoration ideas:

  1. Candles and candelabras! Never underestimate the incredible amount of ambience candles create! For a classy touch, arrange candelabras around the venue.
  2. Fairy lights. Drape strings of fairy lights from the curtain rails, light fixtures, and around the edges of the room. Set them to twinkle on and off if you can!
  3. Silk and velvet drapes. Cover any out-of-place modern furniture with decadent drapes and velvet throws. Even plain white sheets could work—especially if the setting calls for a disused or abandoned look.
  4. Masks! Hang masks from the walls or create centerpieces from them.
  5. Glassware displays. Fill old glass bottles and vases with glass beads and feathers, or even water dyed with food coloring to resemble strange fluids or magic potions.
  6. Shiny stuff. Sprinkle sequins, cover things in glitter, or wrap objects in shiny foil. The sparkling effect, especially in flickering candlelight or twinkling fairy lights will really add to the sense of intrigue.
  7. Smoke. While you could go all out and get a smoke machine, you could also create a smoky effect for a fraction of the price with a tub full of dry ice. Nothing says mystery like smoke curling around a candelabra!
  8. Gold cutlery! Dine with finery…even if it’s just plastic, seeing a dining table bedecked with golden knives, forks, and plates with really make a powerful impression.
  9. Mask craft table. While your guests wait for everyone else to arrive, you could let them decorate their own masks with feathers, sequins, glitter, and beads—or let them decorate the masks and other items on display around the room!

Consider putting together a playlist of mood music or ambient sounds, too! The atmosphere is stronger and more believable the more senses you can stimulate. So, add the right audio to the mix!

If your game is set in Venice, maybe play a “water lapping against a dock” loop. Or try background music—perhaps the soundtrack from a movie with intrigue and mystery!

Your venue is a feast for the eyes, and your playlist tingles the earbuds—now it’s time to tickle the tastebuds. Read on for our masquerade menu ideas.

18 Masquerade murder mystery menu ideas

A masquerade ball is all about decadence and luxury, perhaps something exotic, perhaps a touch unusual. You want to build on the atmosphere you’ve created with the decorations, color scheme, and background music.

But the menu doesn’t have to be a mystery—try adding some of our suggestions to your masquerade murder mystery party menu!

Appetizers or Finger Foods

  1. Antipasto Board. Display a selection of gourmet cheeses and cold meats and serve with bread sticks, olives, ciabatta slices, and olive oil.
  2. Prosciutto Purses. Sweet cantaloupe melon folded up in prosciutto ham and tied together with chives. Alternatively, try savory grana Padano cheese instead of the sweet melon, and serve with fresh figs or fig jam!
  3. Spanakopita. The classic Greek spinach and cheese pie makes for a delectable finger food.
  4. Samosas. An exotic, spicy, deep-fried triangle of curried mince or vegetables. Serve with a dipping bowl of chutney. Try a cilantro, mango, or mint chutney—or even all three.
  5. Bruschetta. Toasted, sliced baguettes covered in a topping of basil and fresh tomatoes.
  6. Grilled mushrooms. Try stuffing them with garlic butter!

Mains

  1. La Verdura. Roasted bell peppers stuffed with polenta, pesto, and goat cheese. Serve on bed of wild rice, and top with fresh tomato sauce.
  2. Risotto. A mushroom and chicken risotto is a lot of work to prepare, but it’s a taste explosion that’ll have your guests raving about your party!
  3. Kebabs. Any combination will do, but we love lamb, onion, tomato, mushroom, and bell peppers!
  4. Raclette. A raclette grill is perfect for a sit-down murder mystery party meal.  Serve with the classic combination of sides: gherkins, pickled onions, and potatoes. Add more filling options like bacon-wrapped asparagus spears, broccoli, courgetti/zucchini, sliced bell peppers, sausages, and strips of beef or chicken fillet.
  5. Chicken Scallopini. Butterflied, skinless chicken coated in flour and fried till golden brown, then drenched in a sauce—we recommend piccata, marsala, or lemon and thyme.
  6. Mushroom Cobbler. A hearty meal with hints of parsley, tarragon, and bay.

Dessert

  1. Chocolate Mousse. Serve in individual ramekins for a touch of class.
  2. Crème Brûlée. A base of warm, rich custard topped with layers of brittle, caramelized sugar…what could be better on a cold winter’s night?
  3. Pear and Apple Crumble. A classic, best served with cream or vanilla ice-cream.
  4. Italian (Baci) Kisses. Bite sized vanilla ice cream balls coated in dark Belgium chocolate. Yummy!
  5. Pistachio Brownies. Chocolate brownies are a simple favorite—but why not treat your guests to an extra pistachio surprise?
  6. Chocolate Fondue. A bubbling chocolate fountain is the height of decadence and the smell of melted chocolate is (ahem) to die for! Serve with fresh strawberries!

Creating the right atmosphere and choosing a mouthwatering menu are two of the three pieces to hosting a perfect masquerade murder mystery party.

The third and final piece is picking the right game for your group.

We’ve made that easy for you—simply choose one of the following.

6 Masquerade murder mystery party games recommendations

Here are our top picks for a masquerade murder mystery, in no particular order.

Please note: We love Murder Mystery Parties. Besides giving advice we also write and sell games. In this article we feature our own games from our company Mysterando. Please check out our game. This is how we help fund this site.

You can’t mask murder! (by Mysterando)

In the Belladonna Hotel, the notorious (yet elegant) drug lord Viktor meets his ex-wife Belinda. Their marriage once brought peace to clashing drug cartels and united their warring families, but after Allessandra’s death the peace (fragile since their divorce) hangs on tenterhooks. The cast includes Belinda and Viktor, his fierce bodyguard Mila, Viktor’s matriarch mum (she always has an opinion!), a lawyer who uses more than legal tactics to get his way, and a famous movie director.

Players: 6-10

Price: From $20.90

Link: https://mysterando.com/product/you-cant-mask-murder/

Mardi Gras, Masks, Murder! (by Playing with Murder)

Marshall Inglewood, Governor of Louisiana, in hosting a masquerade ball at his exquisite New Orleans mansion. During Act 1, the guests mingle and snack. Act 2 kicks off with a blackout—and when the lights come back on, the guests realize somebody’s been murdered! Using the clues they find, the guests must solve the murder.

Players: 9-25. Can be expanded to 16-100+

Price: From $49.95

Link:

playingwithmurder.com/mardi-gras-masks-murder-p-23.html

Murder in Venice (by Shot in the Dark Mysteries)

An eclectic group of strangers are invited to a black and white themed masquerade at a secret spot in Venice. Someone is found murdered in the catacombs under the old building—and the guests are barred from leaving until they find out who the killer is.

Players: 6-18

Price: From $41.99

Link:

shotinthedarkmysteries.com/murder-in-venice-masquerade-murder-mystery-game/

The Bloodwood Masquerade Murder (by My Mystery Party)

In an isolated town where everyone is suspicious of everyone else, the eccentric inhabitants bicker about everything that’s wrong with the local governance. When the mayor hosts a mysterious masquerade ball in Bloodwood Castle, the townsfolk are quick to snap up the limited, exclusive tickets—everyone’s curious why on earth the mayor is putting so much effort into the grand event. You’re going to the ball, but you didn’t buy your ticket…somebody who wants you there put it in your letterbox. Your curiosity gets the better of you, and you start looking for a mask to wear.

Players: 8-18

Price: From $48.95

Link:

mymysteryparty.com/masquerade-murder-mystery/

Masquerade Murder (by Masters of Mystery)

1755, carnival season in Venice. At tonight’s masquerade ball, rich and poor rub shoulders, and everyone could be anyone behind their masks. But someone stands out—a figure dressed in all red. Suddenly a glass smashes and the mysterious figure is found dead.

Players: 4-20

Price: From $24.00

Link:

mastersofmystery.com/products/masquerade-murder-mystery-host-your-own-game-kit

Vampire Ball (by Masters of Mystery)

Note: This isn’t a masquerade setting, but it’s a ball. But it does have vampires! You could very easily make it a masquerade ball by simply adding masks.

It’s time for the annual Blood Ball, hosted by Count Dragula (the “Queen” of New York’s vampire elite). Minutes after midnight, Count Dragula discovers a dead body—and what’s more, it’s been drained dry! Who did this? A party crasher or someone on the guest list? You and the other Blood Ball guests must get to the bottom of it…

Players: 4-20

Price: From $24.00

Link:

mastersofmystery.com/products/halloween-murder-mystery-game-kit-vampire-ball

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Disclaimer: We haven’t played every single one of the games discussed. However, after being murder mystery party fans, players, and hosts for many years, we’ve gathered heaps of helpful advice and tips on how to play. In writing this article, we’ve conducted internet research to put together our top choices. We use affiliate links to Amazon, etc. This is how we help fund the site.