Alternative Prom Themes

As May approaches, I keep reminding myself that Prom is at hand. My school doesn't start selling tickets until Monday (at the completely reasonable price of $85) and I have yet to acquire something to wear for the occasion. Which reminds me, I also have to get something to wear for Eris's anti-prom/end-of-AP testing party the day before prom too! It would be cataclysmic if I wore the same thing to prom AND anti-prom. I'll discuss what options I have at a later time, for right now, I have more pressing things to discuss.

My friend Daniel and I have been joking about awesome alternative prom themes, given the most imaginative of our school's possible themes is a Victorian/Holmesian theme (the other two are "Arabian Nights" which could be cool if I got to show up as the Ayatollah, but sadly that is not the case, and "Diamonds and Pearls", which is unbelievably tacky.) So we came up with our own themes!

"In The Trenches": Based on World War 1. Students come dressed as Allied or Central Power soldiers or even Red Cross Workers. Think Doughboy helmets and Pickelhauben. Trenches and land mines occupy random sections on the dance floor, posing a possible menace to dancers. Every few seconds, artillery barrages are fired and mustard gas is released. Staff members also dressed as wounded soldiers with missing limbs, screaming bloody murder and writhing on the dance floor. The good thing is, us seniors won't have to worry about forgetting that special night if this is our theme, thanks to the possibility of PTSD! XD

Imagine how awesome it would be to wear a pickelhaube to your prom!


"After The Bombs": Based on post-apocalyptic fiction and cinema. Think Mad Max, The Book of Eli, The Road, 28 Days Later, Planet of the Apes. Dress in NBC suits, gas masks, animal hides, rags. Students are given sepia-tinted sunglasses to accentuate the tone of desolation before entering. Also, inserting the phrase "after the bombs" in every other sentence would contribute to the feeling of a world recovering from devastation. Staff members could dress as cannibalistic mutants or zombies, randomly storming the dance floor and taking unlucky students captive.

If you want to go all out, you could get a sawed-off shotgun to complete your Mad Max costume.


"Rocky Horror Prom": Based on classic horror with nods to The Rocky Horror Show and other homages. Frankenstein, Dracula, the Wolfman, the Mummy, the Invisible Man, the Addams Family, The Munsters. Students could dress in gray suits, capes, toilet paper, platform shoes, wizards or witches robes, lab coats, even though Daniel and I think most of the girls will probably dress like goths/sluts. To rectify this, however, some men might choose to come as sweet transvestites from Transsexual Transylvania. I think it would be funny if somebody came in a hockey mask or strapped in an upright gurney and mask like Hannibal, even if neither quite fit in. At some point, everybody would have to do the Time Warp. No Twilight, please!

Ixnay on the ilight-tway!


"Gone With The Wind": Based on the Antebellum South. Girls could dress as Southern belles or debutantes. Boys could dress as plantation owners, Confederate officers, Klansmen, minstrels, Brer Rabbit/Fox/Bear. Actual black patrons would not be admitted or at least given trouble at the door. A miniature railroad set could be hidden underneath the ballroom. The dance floor could be littered with pictures of Abraham Lincoln and John Brown. Misbehaving students will be thrown in the Briar patch! I really like this one, although I'm not sure the NAACP will approve.

"The Happiest Place on Earth": Based on Disney movies. The cool thing about this theme is how much diversity if offers in way of dressing. That is, dress as your favorite Disney character. I myself would go dress as Judge Doom from Who Framed Roger Rabbit, partly because I like his costume, and partly because he's a relatively obscure villain. Decorations would be very colorful and bright, with a section of the ball room being dark for villains like me. Karaoke to Disney songs is a must.

"Class of 1984": Based on dystopian fiction. Might overlap with "After the Bombs". Think 1984, Brave New World, A Clockwork Orange, V For Vendetta, Brazil, Bioshock, Fahrenheit 451. Jumpsuits, bowler hats and eye markings, Guy Fawkes masks, secret police uniforms. Use a nauseating shade of gray for decorations, as well as dated equipment, like loud speakers instead of amplifiers for the music. Place posters praising the school all over the place, and fake TV screens reminding students they are under surveillance. The DJ can make random announcements also praising the school during or in between songs. For refreshments, provide mushy food and stale water. This theme is the perfect opportunity to play this song!



Please leave feedback when you comment. If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them!