For diehard horror fans, the true horror experience is about so much more than just queueing up the latest releases on Netflix. It’s about a cultish commitment to the genre, and about enjoying horror movies of all ages and stripes in a certain way.
Obviously, there’s nothing better than sitting at home with a few of your favorite classics ready to go, but every once in a while it’s good to go all out with the ultimate horror movie marathon. In ideal circumstances, this is done at the movies, preferably with a midnight screening, and even better when it’s a double feature.
If you’re lucky enough to have a movie theatre by you offering up events like this, then get yourself some tickets ASAP! Whatever’s at your disposal, here’s how to plan to ultimate horror movie marathon.
Choose Your Location
As mentioned, the ideal location for a horror movie marathon is the movie theater. Ideally, one that’s a little bit of an arthouse venue, but that’s not too important. Extra points for anyone who can catch a horror night at a creepy, somewhat dilapidated movie theater. If that’s not an option, a drive-in movie theater is a second-best place. If you’re opting for a night at home, make sure to stock up on the right snacks, get the lighting right, and take the phone off the hook.
Grab Some Freebies
Horror is best enjoyed when you don’t pay full price. Always try a film app like MoviePass to see if you can cop some major discounts on horror movie features in your area, or use a discount platform like O2 to score some half-price popcorn. Having an optimum experience is all about taking advantages of as many bonuses as possible, and this applies to everything. The bonus market in entertainment is booming, with even the online casino industry going as far as to publish one betting bonus explained in-depth for every possible kind of e-gaming. The point is, whether you’re watching every sequel to Halloween or playing some slots, never pay face value.
Dress Right
You need to look the part for your big movie marathon. At the most basic level, this could mean dressing in all-black, to truly capture the darkness within your soul. You could also crank it up a notch by dressing head to toe in the merch of your chosen horror franchise. Bonus points to whoever can cop the gnarliest vintage merch – the older the movie, the better.
Pick a Subgenre
Consistency is key if you want an immersive horror experience. No point starting off with The Evil Dead only to switch over to Jaws straight after. You want a linear, thematically consistent movie marathon so that the only thing on your mind is zombies, poltergeists, demonically-possessed children, or haunted houses for the entirety of your evening. The laziest way to do this is by watching a franchise from start to finish – but this only works if you have a tolerance for bad sequels, so choose wisely.
The true horror nerd knows that horror movies are the best because they make you feel something. Giving the maximum commitment to a horror movie marathon will induce those feels all the more, so make sure to plan ahead.
