It's a rainy October night. Curl up to candlelight, a glass of red wine, and get ready to watch classic and classy horror movies that fit the atmospheric mood.
I'd suggest a candelabra. If you don't want to do candles, use a hurricane lamp or battery-operated candelabra.
Keep up the classiness and sophistication. Put on a robe, some slippers, get a lap blanket. Have a tray of fancy nibbles, maybe some crustless sandwiches cut into triangles with chicken salad or egg salad inside, possibly a charcuterie tray with cured meats, hard cheeses, nuts, and dried fruits. Use the nice napkins for delicate nibbles.
Before you put the movies on, consider the descriptions and what mood they might provoke. Maybe listen to some spooky orchestra music as you prep the room and the food. Tonight, you're in a Halloween mood with a touch of mink.
Stylish. Moody. Atmospheric. Tense. Classy.
Without giving away plots, I'll give atmospheric elements so you know if it's for you or not. I don't want to ruin the plots. And, since Hollywood has tended to be bulimic and regurgitating older movies, I put the original movie's date - don't watch the newer version, cause sloppy seconds ain't your style.
Bram Stoker's Dracula
Sexy. Gorgeous. Victorian Era. Keanu Reeves.
Suspiria (1977)
Ballet dancer. Psychological. Dark. Supernatural. 1970s Italian.
The Haunting (1963)
Haunted ornate mansion. Psychological. Stalking spirits. Madness. No gore.
The Lady in Black
Isolated mansion. Tormented female ghost. Gothic. Dark. Daniel Radcliffe.
Sleepy Hollow
Gothic. Misty. Autumnal. Puritan Era. Johnny Depp.
The Wolf Man (1941)
Dark. Haunting. Lon Chaney, Jr. Woods.
The Changeling
Tragic. Ornate manor home. Haunting. Mystery. George C. Scott.
Brotherhood of the Wolf
European. Cinematic. Tense. Beautiful.
Rebecca (1940)
Alfred Hitchcock. Tortured. Isolated. Romantic.
The Witch
Vulnerable. Puritan. Forest. Cinematic.
The Boy
Mansion. Storms. Doll. Creeping horror.
The Lighthouse
Gritty. Isolated. Dark. Sea.
The Uninvited
Cliffs. Seaside. British. Haunted.
The Phantom of the Opera
Romantic. Stalking. Gorgeous. Exquisite.
If you want to widen your classy attitude toward horror, away from teens slitting throats and screaming monsters, let's take you to a new level -
Victorian Era is the heart of romantic, cinematic, moody, sexy, and classy horror.
Vincent Price - definitely look into all of his films.
Universal Monsters - no one did it better.
British 1970s horror - always gothic and romantic.
Expand into horror books! They are atmospheric, romantic, gothic, and page turning!
Shirley Jackson (The Haunting of Hill House is perhaps the greatest ever and the 1963 movie "The Haunting" parallels it), Barbara Michaels, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, Emily Bronte.
It's the small pleasure that make you feel pampered. Buy a jar of capers. Use them! How about a silk robe? Maybe a cashmere lap blanket. You don't need to have tons of luxuries, just one simple thing that, when you use it, you feel special. Crystal goblets. European linen unbleached linen sheets.
Here's my super pleasure that is also natural, healthy for you skin, and makes you feel and smell classy -
Carolina Castile also makes great scent for women and men. I am not an associate. I simply love this stuff!
They make soaps and shampoos for men, but honestly I love these scents. That there is olive oil and castile soap ensures a truly pure soap.
No screaming. No slashing. No graphic teen deaths. Be that classic horror aficianado. Do it with class. Do it with mood. Do it because it's sexy and romantic.