Lovers of schlock-y horror movies rejoice! It’s October, the spookiest month of the year, so why not embrace a new tradition of Halloween movie nights and enjoy Schlocktober!
This post contains affiliate links
Lyndsay, the super creative talent behind Lyndsay Makes, and her husband James are cinephiles. They’ve have taken their love of Halloween movie nights to the next level by decorating their ‘screening room’ (lounge room) especially for Schlocktober.
Lyndsay explains:
“A few years ago, we were talking about our shared appreciation of Halloween, and how it is over far too quickly. So we decided to make the month of October a proper event and take turns picking a horror movie each night in the lead up to October 31st – when we would watch the original “Halloween (1978)” and binge on fun-size chocolate bars.”
“Our only criteria with our family Schlocktober screenings was that they would be more silly and “schlock-y” than intense and gory, so what we watched together would be fun, and I would still be able to sleep afterwards.”
Not into scary movies? Here’s our 25+ Best Family Halloween Movies for Kids & Tweens that won’t scare the pants off you!
“Over the years, James has taken the reins and introduced us to heaps of classic cinema mixed in with the dreadful over-acting and floods of corn-syrup of our typical “Schlocktober” fare.”
Here are some all-time Classic Halloween Movie Suggestions you may enjoy:
- Suspiria (1977)
- The Innocents (1961)
- The Shining (1980)
- A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
- Army of Darkness (1992)
- The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
- Get Out (2017)
- Halloween (1978)
- The Gate (1987)
- Psycho (1960)
- Rear Window (1954)
See Lyndsey and James’s full Schlocktober schedule for 2020 – click here
“This year, I decided to amp things up a bit and create a screening room for our month of Schlocktober. We have been referring to it as “Shlockdown 2020″ as Melbourne is still under COVID-19-related restrictions and to be honest, I think we both needed this extra element of festivity in our lives!”
How to decorate your home for Halloween Movie Nights
1. Embrace a monochrome colour palette
The first step is removing colour from the room to form the basis of a monochrome colour palette. Remove colourful cushions and throws. Covered up artwork with black paper pieced together with masking tape, turn books around drape some white fabric over couches.
2. Scour your home for Halloween themed items to set the scene
Hunt around the house for anything that could read “Halloween” – a faux-concrete urn, old storage crates or some black vases all add to the spooky ambiance.
Clip some branches from your garden and paint them black. Add some real or battery operated candles or twinkle lights.
3. Add some handcrafted touches and some spooky props
Raid the leftover Halloween decorations box from previous years. Add some spider webs, a jack-o-lantern or even a skeleton.
If you prefer crafting your own decorations, make some bats from black paper with this Free Downloadable Halloween Bat Template.
To get the 3D bat wing effect, simply fold some of the wings in order to give them dimension and blu-tac them to the walls.
The finishing touch – a film clapper board listing the movie showing.
“We have been enjoying Schlocktober in this room for a few nights now and it’s so fun. It really adds to the mood and spectacle of it all.”
“Just add a bowl of popcorn and it’s MOVIE TIME! We will definitely be leaving all decorations in place until Halloween night is done and dusted.”
See more of Lyndsay’s creativity over on her Instagram feed @lyndsaymakes
