- Laura Kuhn
- Jun 28
- 3 min read
🔪 How Murder Became a Party Game (and Why We Love That for Us)

From ancient intrigue to charcuterie-fueled crime scenes—let’s talk about how pretending to kill our friends became everyone’s favorite weekend activity.
It starts with a scream. A thud. Someone gasps. The lights flicker. A guest dramatically collapses onto the floor, clutching a wine glass and whispering, “It was… the butler…”
Cue applause.
Yes, you’ve just witnessed a murder. Not a real one, of course—just the social kind where everyone is dressed in pearls and polyester and someone’s faking a poisoned profiterole. Welcome to the murder mystery party: where homicide is a hobby, and solving it is the entertainment.
But how did we get here? How did murder go from true crime to theme night?
Let’s dissect it.

🏛️ Act I: The Ancient Origins of Drama and Deception
The idea of turning death into a dramatic experience isn’t new. The Greeks were doing it back in 400 BCE, writing tragedies full of betrayal, stabbings, and monologues. Roman gladiator games? Also technically theater, just with more blood and fewer cheese platters.
Humans have always been fascinated by the why and how of death. Add in some juicy characters, a motive or two, and a crowd ready to gasp, and you’ve got murder as performance.
🔍 Act II: The Age of the Whodunnit
By the 19th and early 20th centuries, murder mysteries exploded in popularity thanks to the likes of:
Edgar Allan Poe (goth king of guilt and gore)
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (hello, Holmes)
Agatha Christie (the undisputed queen of quaint carnage)
Murder wasn’t just a plot point anymore—it was an event. People didn’t just want to read about crime. They wanted to solve it.
Thus, the detective was born. And the audience became the investigator.
🎲 Act III: Enter the Parlor Game
Fast-forward to the post-WWII era, when dinner parties were the rage and board games reigned supreme. In 1949, we got Clue—a murder mystery game with weapons, suspects, and rooms that taught kids everywhere how to accuse people with confidence and zero evidence.
Soon after came parlor games and DIY mystery kits, where the line between dinner guest and character blurred completely.
People realized: You don’t have to be an actor to be dramatic. You just need a character bio, a motive, and maybe a fake mustache.

🍷 Act IV: Murder Goes Full Theater (and Adds Cocktails)
By the 1980s, murder mystery dinners became full-on events. Theaters and restaurants staged live whodunnits where audience members could eat, drink, mingle, and eventually scream, “It was YOU, Deborah!”
Today, we’ve leveled up:
Themed costumes
Custom scripts and kits
Interactive apps and Zoom murders
Entire weekends at haunted inns, dedicated to solving fictional murders (yes, really)
It’s no longer just a game—it’s an immersive experience. And we are absolutely obsessed.

❤️ Why We Love It (and Always Will)
Let’s be honest: We love a little drama. We love secrets. We love the thrill of pretending to be someone else for a night.
And let’s face it—murder mystery parties offer:
Guilt-free suspicion
A reason to dress like a 1920s heiress or 1940s mob boss
Cocktail-fueled improv theater
A built-in storyline so no one has to small talk about traffic
Plus, they’re the perfect social recipe:
A little crime
A little comedy
A whole lot of personality clashes
And someone yelling “Objection!” in a Southern accent for no reason
In short, murder mystery parties are the ultimate grown-up playdate, and we’re here for it.
🕯️ Final Scene: Long Live the (Fake) Drama
So the next time you slip on a feathered boa and accuse your date of embezzlement over cheesecake, remember: you’re part of a long, weird, wonderful tradition of turning murder into fun.
And honestly?
We love that for us.