Boo! October’s here, and that means spooky season has arrived yet again.
Having trick-or-treating as a tradition, you might think Halloween can only be fun when you walk out of your house, with a costume on and some candy in hand. Well, it doesn’t necessarily have to be like that. For those of you who feel too old for a classic candy hunt, or simply don’t feel like celebrating outside, here are some activities to bring Halloween back home.
- Go on a Halloween Movie Marathon
The best way to get into the Halloween spirit is to watch movies that give you goosebumps. In three different categories, the Butter Team has listed out recommendations that we enjoy and think are worth a try. Obviously, they are not horror movies; most of them are works that send out just a little spooky vibes instead of scaring you off your bed, but surely that effect would be enough for people who love the holiday but don’t even dare to walk into a haunted house.
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The Classics - for the ones who always have that nostalgic feeling
- Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
- The Shining (1980)
- The Adams Family (1991)
- Hocus Pocus (1993)
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The New Fears - for the ones who like to explore and try out new things
- Orphan (2009)
- Carrie (2013) - An adaptation of a Stephen King novel, there are older versions to choose from: one released in 1976, and another in 2002.
- Get Out (2017)
- Us (2019)
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The Animates - for the families and the ones who love cartoons
- The Night Before Christmas (1993)
- Casper (1995)
- Corpse Bride (2005)
- Coraline (2009)
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Do Halloween Costume Photoshoots
Oh our Halloween enthusiast fellows, don’t we all just LOVE dressing up? Wearing costumes has never been just for children, and even if you’re not planning on stepping out of your place, taking photoshoots is a great way to capture your unique look, whether you choose to be Barbie, Britney, or Chucky.
Put up some simple decorations at home (maybe some fake spider web, candles, or a carved pumpkin), turn down the lights, and pose for the camera!
- Host a Halloween Game Night
If you plan on inviting friends over for a little Halloween party, then games are a must. The point of playing games is to have interactions with everyone at the party, to create memories together, and to scare or be scared by one another (got to put on your best brave face!). So here are some games that are both easy to prepare and appropriate for the occasion.
- Halloween Forehead Detective
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Murder Mystery Party Game
How to: Everyone becomes a character in a story, and the innocent need to find out which character is the murderer. It might be a little complicated to write the script out by yourself; luckily there are free ones online, so you’ll surely find something you would be satisfied with.
To make it even more fun and spread the holiday feel, prepare costumes for each character and ask people to change into the one they get!
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Host a Wine and Candy Tasting Party
Adult parties usually have alcohol, and just because you are all in costume doesn’t mean a Halloween party cannot get sophisticated and fancy. Here are some wine-candy pairs for you to try out. Don’t worry if you can’t find some of the sweets listed here in Taiwan. It’s easy to swap out the snacks with local finds of similar tastes. Let your creativity run wild!
- Make Halloween-themed Food
Whether you’re good at cooking or not, a holiday is a time for people to have fun together in the kitchen. Well, it’s not Thanksgiving, so we recommend making snacks because it’s easier and perfect for parties.
- Cocktails
Halloween cocktails would not be seen often any other time, so it would feel fresh to give some of these recipes a try.
- S’mores
A classic snack for the fall season. All you need is some chocolate bars, broiled marshmallows, and crackers; once you pile up the ingredients like sandwiches, press gently, and wait for a few seconds for the chocolate to melt down a little, these s’mores are all set to serve.
- Frozen Peanut Butter & Chocolate Banana Pop
You might say October in Taiwan doesn’t always feel so autumny. Yes, so here is a recipe for a frozen pop for you to enjoy on a warm holiday.
As you know, all of us at Butter have great enthusiasm for celebrating holidays, and with no exceptions, we are also hosting a Halloween party at our studio this year; though simple and small, it’ll rock for sure. We encourage you to also throw a small party at home, to enjoy life during the annual scaring season, and maybe even try out some of these listed activities if you’re interested. Good luck with the preparation, and let’s get the celebration started!
(cover image from Hocus Pocus via refinary29.com)
