It’s no secret that I adore Halloween. It’s always been one of my favourite holidays, and thanks to having a mom who was really great at sewing, my Halloween costumes were always amazing. (You can see the killer Dorothy from ‘The Wizard of Oz’ dress that she made me when I was tiny in this post.) So needless to say, I’m excited.
I’ve also always been a huge horror movie aficionado, and I love watching them throughout the year, but particularly in the autumn.
There are a few elements that you’ll need to get right to have the perfect horror movie viewing session.
Pick out the movies ahead of time.
If you’re anything like me, there’s a tendency to just wing it and decide what you’re watching on a whim. For me that usually leads to a minimum of 45 minutes umming and ahhing and pointless scrolling over what to actually watch. Check out what you have available to you and make your list ahead of time. If you’re watching more than one film, I also recommend having your viewing preference worked out. I’d ease my way in, then watch something truly scary, and then perhaps end on a lighter note so I’m not absolutely terrified before bed time.
If you want any film suggestions, I put together a Halloween film list a few years ago with something on it for everyone, in a range of not-scary to terrifying.
Be comfortable.
If you’re inviting friends over to watch films with you, I fully encourage you to let them know that you plan on being supremely comfortable and that they should dress accordingly. Are we truly friends if you haven’t seen me change into pyjamas halfway through the evening? If anyone has any themed pyjamas or weird but hilarious animal onesies, I’d fully encourage them to be worn during the horror movie session.
I’m wearing my Harry Potter pyjamas from Studio. I love them because not only are they comfortable, but as far as pyjamas go, they are reasonably presentable as well. Plus Harry Potter always seems very autumnal/wintery to me so they are perfectly themed for snuggling up and watching scary movies. I’m also wearing these supremely cosy slippers because ditto the above. Your feet also need to be cosy. In general, we are a “no shoes” house, even if that makes us seem like knobs, so slippers or warm socks are a must.
Have a strong snack game.
There are some film purests (like Sam) who get so into the experience of movie watching that they don’t like to snack whist they watch. I think these people are fools. You can get sucked into that world whilst still nomming on something delicious. In fact, it’s better that way.
I’m pretty conventional and think that popcorn is the supreme movie watching snack. Sam and I don’t own a microwave and never have during all our time living together, and I find the ritual of making popcorn over the hob very comforting, relaxing and nostalgic. It reminds me of the excitement of popping Jiffy Pop as a kid.
To wash down all that salty popcorn, you need to have some beverages chilling so I recommend Harvest Time’s Pumpkin Ale for obvious seasonal appropriate banter or just some fizzy drinks.
Whilst I’m the popcorn fiend, Sam will never say no to a chocolate, so I’ve hunted down some Halloween themed Cadbury’s for him. The Cadbury Halloween chocolate set from Studio is a spin on the classic creme egg but with a spooky twist.
And that’s really all you need! Do you have a favourite film to watch at this time of year?
Pssst….! If you noticed my fabulous blanket and cushions they are actually from Studio as well, and originally featured in last month’s post.
Studio is offering free shipping for first time customers. Just enter “089” as your offer code!
Next month’s theme is Christmas, so as you can imagine: I can’t wait! Plus it’s the last post in my Studio Collaboration!
If you enjoyed this month’s post, you might also like:
An Introduction to Studio (June)
Studio: The Great Outdoors (July)
Studio: Back to Work (August)
Preparing for cooler weather (September)
***This post is in collaboration with Studio, but all thoughts and opinions are forever my own.***
