How To Throw A Monstrous Movie Night At Home For Halloween

One of the most fun activities you can do on Halloween is to watch a scary movie with your friends! Whether you're into suspenseful thrillers, thoughtful murder mysteries or violent slashers, there's a Halloween movie type for everyone to enjoy.

At Spotlight we know the importance of setting the scene when watching scary movies, and we have everything you need to set up the perfect scary movie night this Halloween. Let's go through all the elements you need to put together to create the ultimate spooky movie night, including decorations, lighting, food and some creature comforts.

Set The Scene

It's Halloween - of course you need to decorate! Wherever you'll be watching your scary movie, it's important you have a good amount of Halloween decorations around to build the atmosphere. You may even like to tailor your decorations to the kind of movie you'll be watching.

Here are some decoration themes you could try out:

• Witch theme: Are you watching a witchy movie like The VVitch, Hocus Pocus or The Blair Witch Project? Look for mystical decorations like cauldrons (perhaps filled with homemade green slime!), purple and black candles, some black-cat decor and even a broom propped up against a wall.
• Vampire theme: For vampire movies such as What We Do In The Shadows, Van Helsing or Dracula, consider outfitting your living room like a vampire's mansion! This means lots of opulent fabrics (in traditional red and black, of course), elegant silver goblets and bowls for your food and drink, blood syrup and lots of bat-themed decor!
• Slasher: Gorey and grisly, slasher movies like Scream, Ready Or Not and Halloween are an adrenaline rush for anyone to watch! Dress up your living room with crime scene tape, some fake blood, bones and even some fake body parts if you can find them. Many slasher movie villains wear iconic masks, so hanging them around the space is also a good idea!
• Paranormal: If you're looking for movies that will bring the screams, paranormal films like The Conjuring, The Woman In Black and The Poltergeist are great options to turn to. Intensify the scares by decorating your lounge room with some vintage furniture, old, creepy dolls and mysterious silhouettes covered in white sheets. Pop a few scary paintings on the walls to finish!
• Traditional: If you can't decide on what decorating theme to pick, why not go with a traditional look? This means classic decor like pumpkins and jack o' lanterns, skulls, fake webs and spiders, all scattered across surfaces in your living room.

Fabric or webs can be styled across your television, but make sure none of them are obscuring your vision of the screen.

Make It Moody

The right lighting can really help set the mood you want for your movie night. Whether you want plenty of light to keep the ghoulies at bay or just some gentle flickering candles, Spotlight has the light options you need. These include:

• Candles: Their heavy presence in many scary movies make candles great for lighting and decoration! To make your space more like a horror movie, choose plain white candles and let them burn for a little while before guests come over, so some of the wax melts. You can also choose candles that match your movie theme, like purple for a witch movie or red for a vampire movie. Make sure your candles are situated so their flickering light doesn't make it difficult to see your television.
• String lights: Also known as fairy lights, string lights can add a warm, ambience to any space… but they can also be used in a surprisingly spooky way! Use them inside a jack-o' lantern or under sheets for a consistent, eerie glow that is much less flammable than that of a candle.
• Lamps: Not a fan of the dark when watching Halloween movies? Our range of table lights will ensure no one is scared of the dark during movie night, while also not lighting up the entire space like your main lights would. They're also great for decorating - add webs, fake bugs and other small decor to your lamps to help them fit in with your theme.

Ensure no errant light peeks in from outside by hanging up some blockout curtains - they can also help muffle any noise from your movie session.

Snack Deliciously

Many people love snacking on popcorn, ice cream and lollies when at the movies, so why not extend this tradition to your scary movie night guests? When you're providing the food and drinks yourself, you can even tailor them to suit your scary movie!

• While you should always have water on hand, mixing a few tasty drinks for your movie marathon won't hurt! Fruits like lychees (they look like eyeballs), blood oranges, cherries and blackberries all look suitably eerie in any drink, from a cocktail to a simple glass of red cordial.
• Put a scary twist on classic movie food for your scary movie night. You can colour popcorn by making a mixture of butter, sugar, water, vanilla extract and food colouring. Choose popcorn colours that match your movie, or just go for the traditional Halloween colours of orange, purple and green!
• Look for Halloween-specific lollies from our candy, sweets and confectionery category These tasty lollies come in all sorts of scary shapes, like eyeballs, fangs, bugs, bats and even assorted body parts!

Get Comfy

The last thing to prepare is to ensure you and your guests are comfortable! This means enough seating for everyone - preferably on your couch, or on bean bags if you need more space. Other ways you can ensure your guests are cosy include:

• Provide comfy cushions for your guests to sit on, against, or hold during the scary bits of the movie. Our range of cushions includes inserts and covers, allowing you to create the comfiest cushion for your needs.
• Use blankets and throws to keep your guests cosy. Whether they're spread out over your lap or wrapped around you to create a human burrito, our blankets and throws are delightful to snuggle into!
• Use footstools and ottomans so your guests can put their feet up while watching your scary movie.

Enjoy The Movie!

We hope this blog has inspired you to host the ultimate scary movie night this Halloween! Make sure to browse the full Halloween range at Spotlight online or at your nearest store to find all the supplies you need.

Want more Halloween goodness? Read our blogs on throwing the ultimate Halloween party, decorating with pumpkins and creating a Halloween wreath for your front door.