Halloween is a special time of year when you can freely immerse yourself in the world of horror, creative costumes, and…terrifyingly funideas for spending time. Don't waste this opportunity! Halloween is a great time to meet up with friends and spend the evening in a dark, yet cheerful atmosphere. You don't have to organize a big party or a lavish reception. You can easily make this autumn evening turn into aterrifyingly fungathering, whether with family, friends, or acquaintances. A horror marathon, atmospheric stories by candlelight, or perhaps terrifying board games, or other methods? We present 5 creative ideas on how to feel the magic of Halloween (and the horror!) without much effort.

This won't be an ordinary home movie marathon. For Halloween, it's worth boosting the mood: dim the lights, light a few candles, and transform your living room into an atmospheric horror cinema with spooky decorations. You can organize a marathon of classics: from "The Shining" and "A Nightmare on Elm Street" to modern hits like "IT" or "The Conjuring." However, if you prefer something lighter, choose fun horror movies in the style of "Ghostbusters" or "The Addams Family."

Be sure to take care of the details of this event:

• arrange seats in rows, like seats in a real cinema,
• design and print "scary tickets" for guests,
• prepare popcorn in paper cones or other cinema snacks.

These can be atmospheric snacks straight out of a horror movie, e.g., hot dogs wrapped in pastry resembling severed fingers or jelly brains. To enhance the atmosphere and increase the engagement of movie buffs, you can organize film quizzes during breaks. Questions about iconic scenes, main film roles, or direct quotes from horror movies will introduce an element of competition and liven up the company.

Not every Halloween has to involve watching horror movies. For a Halloween party to be successful, creating the right atmosphere might be enough.You'll need candles and lanterns to create a suitably dark and mysterious atmosphere.

What can't be missing? Scary stories – these can be stories from childhood, urban legends, or "scary stories" you invent yourselves. If you don't like telling stories yourself, reach for horror audiobooks or short stories by famous writers, such as Stephen King or Graham Masterton.

Helpful tip: Play quiet background music with sound effects, such as crackling branches, wind rustling, or footsteps. Even in your living room under a warm blanket, you'll feel like something is lurking just outside the door.

Board games for Halloween are a foolproof way to have fun. There are so many games that there's something engaging for everyone. However, remember that on Halloween, games with a horror theme should reign supreme on the table. To enhance the atmosphere, prepare prizes and penalties: the winner gets candy, and the loser has to drink a disgusting elixir, such as juice with pieces of gummy worms or jelly eyeballs.

Halloween without a costume? That's a mistake! However, you don't have to spend a fortune to look spectacular; all you need is imagination. You can make a ghost costume from a sheet, a witch's image from a black outfit, a hat, and appropriate makeup, and with the help of white face paint and an eyeliner pencil, you can create a zombie effect.

If your friends take costumes very seriously, be sure to organize a contest for the most creative costume. The prize can be sweets, such as the traditional Halloween candy, or a symbolic trophy that you can make yourself, e.g., from a mug, self-adhesive paper, and paint. And if someone arrives without a proper costume, prepare a makeup station for the occasion. Place there:

• face crayons,
• fake blood,
• headbands with horns,
• plastic masks.

This is enough for everyone to feel the Halloween spirit.

A Halloween party, like any other, wouldn't be complete without food. But these can't be ordinary, boring, or standard snacks.Make them as dark as they are delicious!

• You can make "witch's fingers" from hot dogs: almond flakes resemble nails, and ketchup acts as blood.
• You can cut sandwiches from toast bread into coffin shapes.
• You can place gummy eyeballs in red jelly.
• You can decorate mini pizzas with mushroom skulls, as it's easy to cut out eyes, noses, and teeth on them.

If you want to focus on sweets, simply decorate a classic cake, e.g., cheesecake, appropriately. Decorate it with a spiderweb made of liquid chocolate icing, or you can use ready-made sugar decorations in the shape of bats, pumpkins, or skulls. Add colorful drinks (e.g., juices or cocktails), which you can serve in vials or small bottles as elixirs.