It’s that time of the year my lovelies — October. That means but one thing, Halloween is right around the corner. And although many/most of us are too old to enjoy the age-old tradition of trick or treating, that doesn’t mean we can’t have some adult-flavored fun on this most glorious of holiday seasons!
With that in mind, I’ve come up with a few ideas for you to rip off so your Halloween is as glorious as the Zombie Kings! I’ll run this as a series…so as to not inundate the jackverse with information. So, what in the hell am I blathering on about? On with the ideas!
Horror Movie Marathan
This is always one of my favorite ways to spend Halloween; and I’ve been doing this very thing for years. But I don’t just pick out random horror films to show. Instead, I choose a particular theme every Halloween. Some of my favorite themes have been:
Remakes: I show the original and then the remake and the audience discusses the differences, what works vs. what doesn’t, and more.
Rubber Suits: This theme is fun in that it hearkens back to the likes of Toho Studios and Godzilla. Sure, it’s more sci-fi, but who doesn’t want the greatest Kaiju of all time around for Halloween?
Universal Monsters: Ah the classics. Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolfman, The Creature from the Black Lagoon; how can you resist those films that first brought the traditional monsters to life?
Death to sex-loving teens: Those naughty, sex-starved teens always seem to be the first to die. Morality play or just good old fashion PR? Either way, there are a ton of good films where the sex-craved teens are the first to meet their untimely demise.
MST3K Frights: One of my all-time favorite television shows was Mystery Science Theatre. Watching the cracking wise from those robots was almost always a gut-splitter. They did plenty of horror for you to marathon-up.
Cartoon Fun: Say you have kids in your family (or grown up kids); why not queue up a horrific helping of cartoons? Not that you need a reason to watch Nightmare Before Christmas or Frankenweenie…but there ya go.
Not only is the choice of film important, but the choice of snack food items. It is an absolute must to pair your snacks with your scares. Think trick or treats with flair. Here’s a great collection of food items inspired by scary films (I especially dig the Pea soup with mint you could serve with The Exorcist.)
In the end, your horror movie marathon must be fun. Do it up big to remind your guests that Halloween can be enjoyed by anyone of any age.