It was going to be the greatest party ever.

A few years ago, some friends and I decided to hold a Halloween party. Not just any Halloween party, but the party to end all parties. It wasn’t going to be scary. It was going to be a clever, sort of old-fashioned good-time party for adults, but one that kids could attend if no one could find a babysitter.

At that time, my friends were renting the bottom half of a huge three-story house in a rather dark neighborhood. The house itself was the perfect backdrop for any spooky event, much less one involving Halloween.