Top 3 favorite classic horror movies?
Halloween (1978) - Probably one of my favorite movies of all time, period.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
The Shining
Runner Up: Rosemary’s Baby - This is the one I tell people who are scaredy cats to watch. It’s the perfect classic horror and not too scary!
*This list could literally go on and on! You can see my entire list of favorites here:
Top 3 modern horror movies?
Scream - I’ve seen it probably 1,000 times (not even exaggerating), and I will still stop everything I’m doing to watch it if it’s ever on TV. It’s so nostalgic for me. Growing up I would say, “Where ever they shot this movie is where I want to live.. it’s beautiful!” I discovered as an adult they shot it in and around California wine country -Napa/Sonoma/Healdsburg - my literal favorite place on earth and a place we visit yearly. A weird coincidence! Have I ran all over these cities looking for the actual homes and filming locations from the movie? The answer is yes. Am I crazy? The answer is also yes.
Sinister
The Strangers
Runner Up: It Follows - Something about this movie is so 70’s-80’s horror. The way it’s shot and the teen slasher plot just makes it feel like the horror films I grew up watching.
When do you start shopping for Halloween?
September. And I make it a point at least once a week to go walk around different stores’ Halloween sections. I have about triple the amount of Halloween decor as I do Christmas decor.
When do you start decorating?
My goal is always to have everything up the last weekend of September. When October 1 rolls around, the lights come on, and they’re on for 31 days!
Top 3 favorite Halloween movies to watch on Halloween?
Halloween (1, 4, and 5)
Hocus Pocus
Monster Squad
Runner Up: Trilogy of Terror - It’s old, original 1970’s horror and it’s just everything on earth. Watch it! I also love, love Nightmare on Elm Street - the first one and most of the ones following. I watch those all October.
Top 3 favorite Halloween TV episodes?
The Roseanne Halloween episodes - always!
Stranger Things - Season 2 Halloween episode
American Horror Story - Murder House Halloween Episode
Runner Up: IT (1990) - It was a mini series on TV before it was turned into a movie, and as a child I LOVED this story. I’m adding it to TV because it was actually on TV at one point!
Favorite Halloween costume memory from childhood?
There are 2 - One is funny and my actual favorite memory. The other is weird, creepy, and not a good memory.
Scarlett O’Hara from Gone with the Wind - My grandmother made me this unbelievable ball gown and I had my mom spray paint my hair black. It took over a week of washing my hair to get the black out!
Clown - I was a clown twice, and it just so happened both times, I was (almost) too sick to go trick or treating. Weird, huh?
What kind of candy do you give out to trick or treaters?
Candy bars all the way! Snickers, Butterfinger, Kit Kat, Mr. Goodbar. If I can find Dots in a big pack by themselves, I will do those too - only because I LOVED getting Dots in my trick or treat bag as a kid.
What do you like to cook/eat on Halloween?
We have a STRONG ongoing tradition we’ve had for many years on Halloween night. I make a huge pot of chili with a toppings bar and we have friends over to pass out candy, drink beer, and watch scary movies.
Favorite Halloween cocktail?
Anything pumpkin or chai. I will post a few recipes this month.
Best way to get the Halloween atmosphere going in your home?
No matter what I’m doing, I have a Halloween movie on in the background every single day starting October 1. Tres has never understood it or gotten used to it. Still to this day when he comes home from work and I’m working in the kitchen, he’s like, “Really Andrea? Do I really have to come home to a screaming girl being murdered every single day?” Haha! But he does agree to sit down and watch one with me almost every night in October! I also light a lot of fall candles each night, cook a lot of cozy soups and chilis, and of course all the Halloween decor is out! And of course, my favorite thing to do in October is to wake up early on cool mornings and sit outside by the fire drinking my coffee. Our neighborhood is old, so most people have wood burning fireplaces that you can smell coming from chimneys all around!
Gatherings are hosted at our house all month and there’s always a “schedule of events” leading up to the big day. Hay rides, haunted houses, pumpkin carving, spooky wine and pumpkin pairing night, chili scary movie night, Halloween themed dinner parties, the annual LeTard Monster Bash - you name it, we do it!
Where do you buy your Halloween/Fall candles?
Bath and Body Works - they have the best scents for fall and their candles are really strong if you get the right ones!
What store has the best Halloween section?
Each year it varies! I find my consistent favorites to be: Target, At Home, and Michael’s
What are you going to be for Halloween this year?
It’s always a surprise until our Halloween party!
Best Halloween costumes you’ve ever had?
My hands-down favorite was when Tres and I did Beavis and Butt-Head… we pretty much nailed the hell out of it. And funny enough, it was actually the one costume that we didn’t decide on and pull together until the night before Halloween. Mama was disgusted and mortified that I dressed like such an imbecile - haha! My favorite part that night was when I texted her a picture of us and she texted me back, “UGGGHHHHHHHH SOOOOO UGLY!!!!!” She loathed that show when we were growing up and we had to sneak to watch it. So that costume was pretty much her worst nightmare. But our costumes every year are pretty unforgettable! Here’s a list of my favorites:
Best city to celebrate Halloween in?
Salem, Mass. Hands down, you can’t beat it. Everything about that town screams Halloween and IS Halloween the entire month of October. Plus, the trees are all bright orange, yellow, red and there’s a constant fall breeze in the air. It’s truly magical. I feel like I’ve died and gone to Halloween Heaven there. I recommend flying into Boston, doing Boston a few days, then taking the short road trip to Salem (45 minutes). Or you can fly into Portland, Maine (food-lover’s dream) and take a road trip down (1 hour and 45 minutes) with a stop in Provincetown, Cape Cod to break the trip up!
Why do you like Halloween so much?
It’s extremely nostalgic for me. Growing up, fall for my family wasn’t about pumpkin spice and football. When October arrived, it was all about scary movies, creepy masks, and all-things Halloween. My dad had an epic front-yard Halloween decor set up every year - Hay bells, scarecrows with scary masks, ghosts flying in trees, strobe lights. You name it, we made it! And it was all DIY… nothing fancy. Just a bunch of his old flannel shirts and jeans stuffed with hay and some extremely scary mask he found at the dollar store. I always loved that very moment every year when we would help him. Dusk falling, a breeze so cool in the air our hands were like ice, and that smell - the smell of fall. I remember telling my mom as a girl, “I can smell Halloween when it comes.” And she said, “That’s because it’s your favorite.” That stands true today. October is truly my month - I love it more than Christmas and my birthday (which is actually New Year’s Day) combined. I literally wait on Halloween ALL YEAR - starting November 1st of every year!