How to Host a Halloween Movie Night
With October quickly approaching, there is no better time to plan a Halloween movie night. You can create an unforgettable spooky event for all your guests with many options for movies, decorations and food.
Hosting a scary movie night takes a little preparation. Luckily, you can achieve a memorable event through three easy steps. Consider what you and your guests enjoy most about the holiday and incorporate these elements into your party. Follow along with the tips below to host the ultimate Halloween movie night!
1. Choose a Theme
Every memorable scary movie night has a theme to follow. Whether you establish that theme in the movies you watch, the costumes everyone wears or the decorations you put up, you have unlimited creative freedom to create a spooky space for your guests.
If you throw a Halloween party along with your spooky movie night, encourage your guests to think of their own themes for their costumes. Themes you can choose for your ultimate Halloween movie night include:
- Iconic horror movie characters
- Ghosts, ghouls and other paranormal entities
- Witches
- A haunted house
- A graveyard
- An aesthetic fall theme with pumpkins, gourds and haybales
- Harry Potter
- Murder mystery
- Costume party
You have the option to transform your party space into a creepy lair or a rustic fall-themed area for guests to feel the true ambiance of Halloween. However you decide to decorate, don’t be afraid to go all out. Your guest will admire your efforts and remember a night of fun costume ideas and spooky aesthetics.
2. Put Together the Perfect Scary Movie Selection
No Halloween movie night is complete without at least five to 10 of your favorite scary films.
The most effective method for putting together a stache of movies that all guests will enjoy is to ask each person to pick their favorite Halloween movie. You can work through each selection as the night goes on to ensure every guest has the chance to watch a film they love.
If you are sticking to a consistent theme for your party, you can always choose classic Halloween movies to watch through the night.
If you are in for a scare, slasher films — some of the most famous movies in the horror genre — are perfect to watch during your Halloween party. Slasher movies you can choose for your selection of Halloween films include:
- Halloween (1978)
- Scream (1996)
- Friday the 13th (1980)
- Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
- Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
- Psycho (1960)
- Candyman (1992)
- Hellraiser (1987)
- Saw (2004)
- Child’s Play (1988)
Cult classic horror movies are a favorite among film lovers who enjoy symbolism and iconic characters. Some of the highest-rated cult classics include:
- Silence of the Lambs (1991)
- The Shining (1980)
- The Wicker Man (1973)
- The Craft (1996)
- The Ring (2002)
- Children of the Corn (1984)
- The Leprechaun (2003)
- Evil Dead (1981)
- Suspiria (1977)
- The Exorcist (1973)
- Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)
For fairgrounds & groups of young adults 12+ you can Rent This Horror Film for $375 or Check Out a NEW Unique horror experience www.dreadeddrivein.com
For parties with young children or those who enjoy Halloween movies without the extra scares, comedic holiday movies are the perfect way to engage your guests for hours. There are some instant classics for comedic Halloween movies that you can choose from for endless laughs. A few light-hearted films like these include:
- Halloweentown (1998)
- Hocus Pocus (1993)
- Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
- Edward Scissorhands (1990)
- Ghostbusters (1984)
- Twitches (2005)
- Beetlejuice (1988)
- Harry Potter (2001-2011)
- Gremlins (1984)
After making your selection for the night, you can start setting up the area where your guests can watch each film comfortably. Choose an open space — indoors or outdoors — with an outlet for your inflatable screen to play movies all night long. Ensure each guest has a good view by placing couches, chairs or picnic blankets in an organized manner and providing blankets for a warm night of binge-watching.
Now, you can begin to create delicious treats for you and your guests to snack on during your spooky movie marathon.
3. Craft Halloween Treats
No party is complete without yummy sweets to snack on during your Halloween movie night. Just like you do with your theme, you have the creative freedom to make fun foods that match your decor or the classic spooky aesthetics of the holiday. You can create delicious treats for your guests that don’t even take more than an hour to complete. Consider these five options to make at your party.
- Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Ghouls: This simple snack option is sure to leave your guests satisfied. Dip fresh strawberries in white chocolate to create the sheet of a ghost. Let set for a few minutes, then place three small chocolate chips or M&Ms in a triangle in the chocolate to make the eyes and mouth of the face.
- Nutter Butter Ghosts: A tasty snack for your guests only needs three simple ingredients. Take a pack of Nutter Butters and dip them entirely in melted white chocolate. Wait for the chocolate to set and draw a face on the surface using black icing to replicate Ghostface from Scream or a typical Halloween ghoul.
- Spider Cupcakes: If you enjoy baking, this Halloween treat is fun to create and even tastier to eat. Start by baking as many chocolate cupcakes as you desire. Top them with white cream cheese icing and place an Oreo in the center of the frosting. Use extra white icing to create two dots on top of the Oreo to replicate eyeballs. Wrap up the decoration process by drawing eight legs draped around the icing with chocolate syrup or black frosting.
- Mummy Brownies: For this easy treat, start by baking your favorite types of brownies in a muffin tin to create round shapes. Place two white M&Ms at the top of the surface to make eyeballs, or go with red or yellow for something spooky. Take some white frosting and drape long stripes along the top of the brownie to replicate the wrappings of a mummy.
- Rice Krispies Witches: Start by spreading green frosting over one side of the rectangle treat for the witch’s skin. Spread brown sprinkles toward the top of the Rice Krispies and on the sides to create the hair. Use a leftover sprinkle for the mouth. White M&Ms can make the eyeballs. Then, stand up the treat and place an Oreo flat on top, then a Hershey Kiss onto that for the pointed hat tip.
With these fun snack options, your guests are sure to leave satisfied with a full stomach and an admiration for your creative side.
Check out FunFlicks® Screen Rentals for Your Movie Night
If you have everything planned for the perfect Halloween movie night, FunFlicks® can bring your film-watching experience to life. With our wide selection of movie screen sizes, you can watch Halloween movies in any indoor or outdoor venue, from backyards to empty lots, whether your guest list has five or 5,000 people.
We also provide audio-rental equipment to make any movie playable for small and large crowds. Projectors, concert-grade sound systems and DVD players are just a few of the services we offer to ensure you can host the most memorable Halloween movie night.
Be sure to check out our Dreaded Drive-In movie festival event for all to enjoy during the spookiest month of the year. Whether you want to attend a Dreaded Drive-In near you or host one yourself, this event is sure to get everyone in the scary season mood.
Get a quote today to start planning for the perfect end to October.
Event Rentals for Your Halloween Movie Night
FunFlicks® Inflatable Movie Screen Rentals
FunFlicks® inflatable movie screens are professional quality at an affordable price. There's a size for everyone, whether you're throwing a massive film festival with thousands in attendance or a small birthday with family at your house. To make sure everything runs smoothly, a local FunFlicks® event technician will arrive at your location on time, set up the screen, oversee the technology, and pack it all away at the end of the screening. Booming high-definition sound, crystal-clear laser projection, and a larger-than-life display are all included when you book an event with us.
Backyard 16'
12'x7' Display
100 Guests
20 Cars
Premiere 21'
16'x9' Display
250 Guests
50 Cars
Blockbuster 26'
20'x12' Display
500 Guests
75 Cars
Elite 32'
26'x15' Display
750 Guests
100 Cars
Epic 40'
30'x17' Display
1500 Guests
150 Cars
Xtreme 50'
40'x22' Display
3000 Guests
250 Cars
FunFlicks® LED Screen Rentals
FunFlicks LED screens are perfect for day or night display in almost any environment. Utilizing electroluminescent technology, our LED screens generate light effectively at any time of day. Each panel is rated IP65, meaning they are both rain and dustproof. Day or night, rain or shine, you get to decide when the magic happens. All of our mobile LED trailers have onboard generators for portable power. Therefore, no power supply is needed. Similar to our inflatable screens, our fleet of LED screens comes in a variety of dimensions for a variety of crowd sizes. Local event technicians across the country are available to bring our LED trailers anywhere for you to enjoy video games, live sports, movies, advertisements, or almost everything else!
8'x5' LED Trailer
75 Guests
15 Cars
12'x7' LED Trailer
100 Guests
20 Cars
15'x8' LED Trailer
250 Guests
50 Cars
17'x10' LED Trailer
500 Guests
75 Cars
23'x13' LED Trailer
750 Guests
100 Cars
FunFlicks customers get 10% Off Movie Licensing through Movie Night Ministries!
Movie Night Ministries is a family-oriented organization whose ultimate goal is to provide excellent, newly released movies directly to communities throughout the United States.
