Spooky date nights at home

Spooky date nights at home

Spooky season is here, and for me, that means all things autumn all month long. But I also don’t want to constantly be shelling out money for movie tickets and pumpkin patches. So here are some autumnal, spooky date nights you can do at home! These can be activities you do with your partner, roommates, or friends, and I’ve tried to include options that work for horror lovers as well as scaredy cats.

Movie night

I know, a movie night isn’t exactly out of the norm, but you can make it really special! I like to create a floor nest with blankets and pillows, grab a bunch of movie theater snacks, and watch a horror movie with all the lights off for a special spooky movie night. Bonus points if you light candles or watch when it’s rainy outside!

Here are some movie suggestions:

• I Saw The TV Glow (2024) available to rent on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and Youtube
• Hereditary (2018) available on Hulu, Amazon Prime, Youtube, and Apple TV
• Over the Garden Wall (2014) this isn’t a movie, or horror, but this spooky, autumnal animated mini series is so cute and is available to watch on Amazon Prime and Hulu

Haunted book club

I’m a big reader, and during October there’s nothing I love more than cozying up with a spooky book and some snacks. Even better if I’m cozying up with a friend or my partner with the same book, which we can discuss later. Make a simmer pot with apples and cinnamon, or even better, make a batch of spiced cider, light some candles, and curl up with one of these excellent reads:

• She is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran. A sapphic YA horror following a Vietnamese-American girl staying for the summer in a haunted B&B in Vietnam.
• Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay. An adult horror novel following, in three timelines, the only surviving cast or crew movie of a cursed cult classic horror movie.
• Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror, edited by Jordan Peele. These short stories are written by some of the best Black sci-fi, fantasy, and horror writers of our lifetime and will absolutely keep you up at night.
• The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones. This adult indigenous horror novel has a twist part way through that you will NOT see coming and that you’ll think about for years to come.

Pumpkin spice taste test

Regardless of if you live for pumpkin spice season or find the ubiquity of the flavor as spooky as Halloween itself, this is a fun activity: go to your local Trader Joe’s or another grocery store and see how many pumpkin spice snacks you can find. Then bring them home and have a taste test with your roommates or partner. To go the extra mile, you can even create score cards to see how each snack (or beverage) rates.

Try out a spooky game

Regardless of if it’s a horror video game, a board game, or even an ouija board (if you’re brave enough!) a themed game night is a great way to have a cozy date night. Try this Nightmare on Bourbon Street cocktail if that’s your jam, make some sweet and salty kettle corn, and get cozy for a game night. I recommend Trivia Murder Party, which can be played in person or remotely using your phone.

Prepare something seasonal   

Gourmet caramel apples, anyone? Pumpkin pie? How about a Halloween char-boo-teruie board for something savory? Put on some Stevie Nicks, roll up your sleeves, and prepare a delicious, seasonal treat you haven’t made before. This can be paired with many of the other activities; how do Halloween ghost cookies and pumpkin spice chai sound while you watch your favorite classic horror movie?

Do you think you’ll try any of these spooky date nights at home?