Happy Monday, Everyone! I hope your weekend was fabulous. Kate here, and today I’m sharing pics from a pre-Halloween gathering I hosted yesterday. My hubby and I invited our friends Gareth and Kristi over for an afternoon screening of the 1985 horror fave Fright Night. Yes, I’m aware that it’s still September. But it’s never too early to start celebrating Halloween. What’s not to love about a holiday that’s free of emotional baggage and promotes dressing in costume and consuming treats? Read on for all the details…
The ingredients for a perfect Halloween movie screening:
good friends + an easy-to-prepare cheese plate + festive napkins + your favorite ’80s Halloween movie
A mysterious moon never hurts. In the montage above we see the opening screen shot from Fright Night. How’s that for a spooky lunar presence?! Not pictured: beverages and LOTS of popcorn.
Let’s talk food. Since shades of red permeate the 106-minute funfest that is Fright Night, I made sure there were dashes of red in my food palette as well. Red grapes. Red cherry preserves to complement the cheese. Red wine would’ve worked as well, although my guests and I preferred white for this event. The key is to walk the line between the classically spooky and the snack food-fabulous. We’re talking ’80s movies here, folks! A marble platter filled with goodies did the trick, especially since the goodies ranged from marcona almonds to chocolate-covered pretzels. And while it’s not pictured, there was plenty of popcorn on hand! Don’t hesitate to play up the junk food factor!
Have you seen Fright Night?! SO much ’80s style! The best scene in the movie doesn’t involve horror–it involves pure schmaltz of the ’80s club variety. Vampire Jerry (Chris Sarandon) casts a sultry spell on our hero’s girlfriend, Amy (Amanda Bearse). With a collection of moves that could easily rival any number from Saturday Night Fever, we see Jerry lure Amy across a crowded dance floor, all the while wearing a gray boat neck sweater. And somehow he empowers her to pull off a hairstyle change mid-dance!
A movie so filled with ’80s style had to be matched by equally stylish party decorations. These Oh Joy! Geometric Paper Napkins designed by blogger Joy Cho for Target are a bargain at $3. Don’t forget the pumpkins! If you’re not feeling like going all-out for Halloween this early in the fall season, purchase a few small white pumpkins (these are called Baby Boos) to set a festive tone. I also love to use marble tiles as part of my entertaining decor. The tiles pictured above are the result of this DIY project. Although I wouldn’t serve food on them, they’re great for setting under serving plates and platters.
Don’t forget to say cheese! Because when you’re screening movies like Fright Night, you really can’t take yourself too seriously! A special thanks to Gareth and Kristi for helping me welcome the Halloween season. It’s nice to have friends who are as Halloween-crazy as I am! For more great ’80s party ideas, check out Mirror80’s Retro Foodie archives, as well as this post on how to put a modern spin on ’80s party decor. Stay tuned for more Mirror80 Halloween posts in the near future…
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