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A guest is seen through a window covered in cheese cloth at Anne-Marie Dezelan's Halloween party at 3215 N. Pennsylvania St. (Rob Goebel for The Star)

Halloween isn't just for kids anymore. Grown-ups are getting into the spirit of the occasion, too, and celebrating the haunted holiday with parties of their own.

According to the National Retail Federation, 85 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds and 70 percent of 24- to 44-year-olds attended Halloween parties last year. That's a lot of witches, pirates and vampires (the top three costume choices for adult revelers).

While costumes weren't required at a recent adults-only Halloween bash thrown by event planner Anne-Marie Dezelan of Annie-O's, hand-delivered invitations specified black attire -- and at least one witch's hat was spotted among guests' varied ensembles. The white-boxed invitations, which also included a colorful plastic spider, set the tone for the spooky soiree that Dezelan threw in early October to show Taste how it's done.

An impressive invitation allows a party-giver to present the theme of an event as well as offer attendees important information. Dezelan noted on the invitation that her recent party was an adults-only event and specified the style of dress -- all black.

"Tell them what to wear," Dezelan said. "People like to know."

Whatever the style, make sure guests have something in common, Dezelan said. She settled on a neighborhood get-together and set about turning the Historic Meridian Park home she shares with husband Marty into a classic haunted house, an effort that wasn't lost on guests.

"It's a blast, and it's good for the neighborhood," said Meridian Park resident Jim Naremore. "This neighborhood really gets into Halloween." Dezelan decorated the front porch with spider webs and fall decor, but brought in local AV specialists Evans Audio Visual to handle the special effects. By party time, spooky lights accented the exterior of the home. Guests walked up through wisps of fog, as stormy sound effects added atmosphere.

Inside, tattered cheesecloth and Spanish moss, as well as skulls, chains and ravens decorated the rooms.

"I eliminated every bit of orange this year, and anything that was cartoonish," Dezelan noted. "I was going for a high-style, sophisticated Halloween."

The dining-room table, decorated with black linens from A Classic Party Rental topped with tattered cheesecloth, continued the theme. Food from MBP Distinctive Catering was labeled with Halloween names such as Bat Wings, Spicy Tarantula Tortes and Spiderchoke Dip.

Dezelan advises hiring a caterer for big events and designating a greeter for the front door. Otherwise, she said, at a party like this recent bash for more than 100, she would have been constantly in the kitchen -- or at the door.

"There's absolutely no time to visit with your guests when you're doing all that," she said.

For smaller events that a host can handle alone, go for easy-to-eat foods served at room temperature.

"I love the Greek direction," she said. "I love the cheese and olive display, the hummus, the tabouli. Cheeses on a cutting board with a cluster of grapes look great."

And always consider vegetarian guests when planning the menu, Dezelan said. "Have one or two dishes that don't have any meat."

As for drinks, Dezelan set up a help-yourself Bloody Mary bar. A bartender served beer, wine and the evening's signature drink, a vodka- and rum-spiked Witches Brew, complete with floating eyeballs. Frozen "hands," created with the help of latex gloves, kept the punch chilled. A dessert bar featured black candy and white chocolate ghost cookies -- an easy treat made from Nutter Butter cookies dipped in melted white bark coating with chocolate chip eyes. A cake labeled "Death by Chocolate" had been stabbed with an oversized carving knife.

"This is typical Anne-Marie," said neighbor Scott Rieger, who has attended other neighborhood get-togethers at the Dezelans'. "Each time she kind of outdoes herself."

Jolene Ketzenberger / Star correspondent