Murder Mystery Parties — Everything You Need to Know

What exactly is a murder mystery party?

A murder mystery party is a social get-together, often over dinner. Someone has been murdered and the guests have to figure out whodunnit.

You generally get a mix of suspects and detectives. Each suspect has their own backstory, secrets and motives which they reveal under questioning. The detectives are given clues, information and evidence to help them along with the sleuthing.

But here’s the thing:

There isn’t one type of murder mystery party. They come in a whole multitude of formats, from DIY dinner parties to luxury weekends with several murders and the occasional bust-up between the suspects.

We shan’t attempt to list every type of event because you’d be here all day. So, to keep things simple, we’ve broken them down into the most popular.

Here goes.

The different types of murder mystery events

Broadly speaking, the most popular murder mystery events fall into 4 categories:

• DIY home kits — You buy a boxed kit and host the party at home. Every guest plays a character, often a suspect, and the host usually acts as the detective. The game moves you through the action round by round, until the murderer is finally unmasked.
• Actor-led dinner performances — Professional actors perform a staged murder mystery play while you eat dinner, watch out for clues and guess whodunnit. It’s less interactive than other formats — although sometimes, the actors stay in character afterwards and you can ask them questions before deciding who’s the murderer.
• Murder mystery weekends — These weekends are full-on immersive sleuthing. They’re often at country house hotels, with a cast of professional actors playing the suspects. You piece together the clues during a continuous storyline which unfolds gradually over the weekend.
• Highly interactive, suspect-led parties — A professional actor is the detective, and the guests themselves get a chance to play the suspects. Before the event, each volunteer suspect receives a character bio and information to divulge while the detective quizzes them during dinner. Everyone else is an assistant detective and has to work out the murderer’s identity.

(In case you’re wondering, our parties are the interactive, suspect-led type of events. They’re the best kind, although we’re biased. Obviously).

The classic murder mystery setting

Not every murder mystery party is set in the 1920s or 30s. However, lots of them are — and the guests tend to dress up accordingly. At most murder mystery dos, there are more waistcoats and feather boas than you can shake a stick at.

Why the 1920s and 30s?

It was a great era for whodunnits. Jane Marple, Hercule Poirot, Lord Peter Wimsy and Father Brown were all busy solving dastardly crimes around this time. And, thanks to Basil Rathbone in a deerstalker, Sherlock Holmes had leapt off the page and onto the screen.

As for the classic murder mystery plots, they’re great for a party. The suspects are often trapped together by circumstance — usually a thunderstorm and power cut to keep things appropriately cloak-and-dagger.

Also, it was the age of illicit affairs and shady deals so all the characters have secrets to hide, and several good reasons to bump off the murder victim.

The suspects

Some people love playing the part of suspects. They get fully into character with the enthusiasm of a method actor. Others hate the idea. They’d rather jump into a shark-infested pond than do any form of acting.

As a party guest, you don’t have to be a suspect. You can still join the action as a detective. In fact, even as a suspect, acting isn’t compulsory. You’re given various bits of information, and you can casually read them out without the need for performance skills.

The murderer

Now, here’s a question we’re asked all the time. As a suspect, will you know that you’re the murderer?

The answer is, it depends. With some events, you know from the start that you’re the killer. This has its advantages. It’s a chance to be devilishly devious, throw accusations around like confetti and laugh while the other guests struggle to work it all out.

On the other hand… How’s your poker face? Unless you’re good at thinking on your feet and being a bit sneaky, it’s easy to give the game away.

At other events, you’re not told. It’s only as the evidence is gradually revealed that you realise everything is stacking up against you. Is the murderer actually you? Or, hold on! Is someone trying to frame you?

There are pros and cons to each approach. Some people prefer to know, others find it more fun when they don’t.

So, that’s it. Everything you need to know about murder mystery parties (apart from who did it). If you’re near London or Manchester this Christmas, and fancy some sleuthing, check out our Sherlock Holmes Murder Mystery Christmas parties in London… and Sherlock Holmes Murder Mystery Christmas parties in Manchester.