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We’re not against watching our favorite Halloween movies as early as August, but once October hits? It gets a little chilly out, the spooky vibes are high, and we’re cozying up to have a movie night every night we can. While there’s nothing wrong with keeping it classic and just enjoying some popcorn and candy during the film, we think it’s even more fun to lean extra hard into the theme, and instead making some spooky-sweet treats that go perfectly with what’s on screen. Here you’ll find 31 (one for every night of the month!) sips, sweets, and snack pairings for all your favorite films—everything from Hocus Pocus Binx cat cookies to Nightmare Before Christmas fudge to vampire cupcakes (our fave is Interview With The Vampire, but you’ve got tons of vampire movie options). Let us know in the comments below what movies you’re watching this year too!
Dracula: Vampire Cupcakes
These moist chocolate cupcakes are filled with a gooey strawberry jelly “blood” center, topped with a fluffy, marshmallow-y frosting, and decorated to resemble Dracula’s iconic hairline. With a touch of red gel food color and chocolate cookie crumbs, these Halloween treats are sure to impress both the young and the young-at-heart.
Get the Vampire Cupcakes recipe.
Practical Magic: Frozen Margaritas
“Eye of newt, toe of frog, wing of bat, tongue of dog.
Adder’s fork and blind worm’s sting,
Barbados lime is just the thing.
Fragias salt, like a sailors stubble,
Flip the switch, and let the cauldron bubble.”
♪Put the lime in the coconut♪, it’s midnight margaritas time! If you’re short on some of the ahem, special ingredients from the original recipe, we think our frozen margs will work in a pinch. Want even more flavor? Try blending our pumpkin margaritas or our spicy apple cider margaritas next!
Get the Frozen Midnight Margaritas recipe.
Nightmare Before Christmas: Sally Skellington Fudge
A perfect Halloween (or Christmas, depending on which side of the debate you fall on) dessert, this fudge captures the essence of both holidays, just like the movie, The Nightmare Before Christmas. Sally Skellington comes to life in the form of this sweet, chocolatey, rich confection intermingled with multicolor to represent her iconic dress.
Get the Nightmare Before Christmas Fudge recipe.
Friday The 13th: Campfire Mules
For this twist on a Moscow mule, we’ve replaced the vodka with some smoked bourbon or whiskey, added some maple syrup for a touch of autumn magic, kept our lemon juice and ginger beer as our old-time residents, and included an optional roasted marshmallow to garnish. Enjoy beside a roaring campfire… if you dare!
Get the Campfire Mules recipe.
Hocus Pocus: S’mores Pops
You’ll love these even more than the Sanderson Sisters loved their booooook! Pair these with our Hocus Pocus Jell-O shots and our Binx cookies for the perfect spread.
Get the Hocus Pocus-Inspired S’mores Pops recipe.
It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown: Great Bundt-kin
Whether you’re throwing a Halloween bash and need a show-stopping centerpiece dessert, or just really love the Peanuts gang and want your pumpkin patch to be the most sincere, this is the cake for you.
Get the It’s The Great Bundt-kin, Charlie Brown recipe.
Beetlejuice: Color-Changing Margaritas
These color-changing margaritas not only taste incredible, but are stunning. You’ll place prepared ice cubes in glasses, then pour your tequila, triple sec, lime juice, and lemonade over them. Before your eyes, the margaritas will turn into incredible pink and purple margs. Pair with black and white striped straws for a fun homage to the classic spooky film.
Get the Color-Changing Margaritas recipe.
Casper: Ghost S’mores Dip
This s’mores-inspired dip is the perfect dessert to throw together for a last-minute Halloween movie night. It’s a little spooky and a lot sweet, just like everyone’s favorite friendly ghost!
Get the Ghost S’mores Dip recipe.
The Black Cauldron: Black Magic Margaritas
Our classic margaritas get an eerie upgrade for the spooky holiday—your guests won’t know what hit ’em. While it may look complicated, the only extra thing you need for this cocktail is food coloring, which means you can easily make this for any last-minute movie marathon. May we suggest Disney’s strangest film, The Black Cauldron?
Get the Black Magic Margaritas recipe.
Arachnophobia: Spider Taco Ring
“Eight legs, two fangs and an attitude.” The original tagline for Arachnophobia could just as easily be about this adorable spider. If you love crescent rolls and are as obsessed with tacos as we are, this Halloween-inspired appetizer is calling your name. Created to playfully represent a spider with crescent roll legs and a crescent roll ring body stuffed with a beefy taco-spiced filling, it’s equal parts cute, creepy, and downright tasty.
Get the Spider Taco Ring recipe.
Nightmare On Elm Street: Espresso Mocha Crunch Mocktail
Everyone is espresso martini-crazed these days, but you don’t need to drink alcohol to avoid falling asleep and being murdered by Freddy Krueger. This coffee-filled mocktail packs a punch with an espresso base, creamy top, and tons of Oreo crunch with none of the alcohol. For the caffeine-adverse (look, this movie came out in 1984, which makes its original fans 35+—we’ve got early bedtimes!), this drink is still a go, as it can also be enjoyed with decaf espresso, if desired.
Get the Espresso Mocha Crunch Mocktail recipe.
Elvira: Mistress Of The Dark: Adraka Kozorol
Looking for a home-cooked meal to cook to impress your local small town theater operator, but don’t have any edrazeba in your pantry? May we recommend not accidentally using your mom’s old spellbook as a cookbook, and making this totally safe, definitely-won’t-turn-into-a-monster-or-a-love-spell creamy, crunchy, crowd-pleasing casserole instead. Feel free to crumble on some chips before serving (it worked for Elvira!).
Get the Adraka Kozorol Hamburger Casserole recipe.
Halloweentown: Witches Brew Lemonade
Marnie’s right, Halloween is cool, and these spooky cocktails are just the thing to make for your Halloweentown movie marathon. To get their eerie glow, we layered sparkling lemonade with Blue Curaçao and purple gin for a chilling effect. The results are just as refreshing and delicious as they are gorgeous to look at.
Get the Witches Brew Lemonade recipe.
Edward Scissorhands: Ambrosia Salad
We uh, noticed you have not tasted the ambrosia salad that we made especially for you? Allow us, here’s a BIG spoonful. Put this out for your Edward Scissorhands watch party to show all your guests the most hospitality.
Get the Ambrosia Salad recipe.
Ghost: Ghost Purse Ravioli
Looking for something delicious that’s only a little bit spooky this Halloween? Try these adorable raviolis filled with ricotta, Parmesan, and finely chopped pear, paired with watching everyone’s favorite maybe-too friendly ghost, Patrick Swayze. We made these from wonton wrappers, rather than pasta dough, to make them scary easy on you too. If you’ve got a boo who can wrap his hands around you while you make them, we’re not stopping you! 😉 You’re welcOoOme.
Get the Ghost Purse Ravioli recipe.
Harry Potter: Pumpkin Juice
In the Harry Potter books, pumpkin juice is traditionally served over ice for a refreshing drink that screams fall; however, you could also warm this up in a mug for something more cozy. Try it with some bourbon for the most Halloween-y hot toddy.
Get the Pumpkin Juice recipe.
Children Of The Corn: Loaded Cheesy Corn Bites
What happens when you cross a corn muffin with a loaded baked potato—and then miniaturize it?! Bite-sized bliss. Packed with cheese, bacon, and three types of corn, these loaded cheesy corn bites will be the first app gone at your watch party.
Get the Loaded Cheesy Corn Bites recipe.
Hocus Pocus: Binx Cookies
These chocolate cookies are simple, chewy, and slightly crispy. Black cocoa powder is what makes them their dark rich color, perfect to represent our favorite black cat. Pair these with our Hocus Pocus Jell-O shots and our Hocus Pocus s’mores pops for the perfect spooky spread.
Get the Hocus Pocus Binx Cookies recipe.
The Halloween Tree: Pumpkin Cheese Ball
Anyone else traumatized by the The Halloween Tree as a kid? Just us? From what we can remember, a man named Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud (okay, we did Google that) steals a kid’s soul, puts it into a pumpkin (??), and says he’ll only give it back if the kid’s friends learn the true meaning of Halloween. Though we’re pretty sure a rewatch wouldn’t be quite as creepy as we remember (is this actually an educational film?), we might just keep it safe and make this pumpkin cheese ball instead of rewatching.
Get the Pumpkin Cheese Ball recipe.
Ghostbusters: Ghost Cookies
♪Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters♪ COOKIES! We know, we know, these are almost too cute—feel free to use some green food coloring to turn some into Slimers.
Get the Ghost Cookies recipe.
Little Shop Of Horrors: Succulent Cupcakes
These pretty cupcakes look so intricate, but they’re actually beyond easy to make. Once you master the technique, turn it into a colorful garden worthy of Mushnik’s Flower Shop (pre-Audrey II).
Get the Succulent Cupcakes recipe.
The Witches: Witch Finger Cookies
The first way to recognize a witch when you see one? She’ll be wearing gloves to hide her “thin curvy claws, like a cat”. Whether you’re watching the 1990s classic or are going for the 2020 remake, these scary cookies are the perfect snack.
Get the Witch Finger Cookies recipe.
Monster Squad: Monster Cookies
The origin of the name “monster” cookies isn’t clear, but it may refer to the fact that they’re like Frankenstein’s monster—made up of a combination of the parts of many other cookies, like oatmeal cookies or M&M cookie bars. You can really throw anything into the dough.
Get the Monster Cookies recipe
Night Of The Living Dead: Zombie Brain Cupcakes
Though the original 1968 film referred to the monsters as “ghouls”, Night Of The Living Dead is credited for being a major touchstone in the zombie horror movie genre. Its low-budget and ahead-of-its-time casting choices have turned it into a cult classic. We’re paying homage to the original (or its many remakes!) with these fun cupcakes—go with green frosting like we did, or dye it grey to keep with the OG film’s original black & white.
Get the Zombie Brain Cupcakes recipe.
The Mummy: Mummy Hot Dogs
Okay so we know these crescent dough-wrapped hot dogs really have absolutely nothing to do with the 1999 film The Mummy, but they’re so cute we’re including them anyway. We think Brendan Frasier would approve.
Get the Mummy Hot Dogs recipe.
The Fly: Black Widow Cocktail
As we start to enter spooky season, our black widow Halloween cocktail checks ALL the boxes: dark, mysterious, delicious, and dare we say, hot? A little like Jeff Goldblum before he really starts turning into The Fly. Adorn these with little plastic flies instead of spiders for the full effect.
Get the Black Widow Cocktail recipe.
Ginger Snaps: Gingersnap Cookies
Werewolves don’t always get the Hollywood treatment they deserve, so we’re glad one of the only movies out there featuring them is SO good. The practical gore, the 90s/2000s soundtrack, the relationship between the two leads… it’s spicy-sweet horror perfection (just like these cookies!).
Get the Gingersnap Cookies recipe.
Interview With The Vampire: Vampire Poke Cake
This soft, rich, buttermilk almond cake is infused with a tart cherry sauce (“blood”!) and topped off with a light, fluffy whipped cream for a dessert that’s equally tasty and scary. Whether you’re watching the 90s film or are binging the AMC show, this poke cake is a must-make.
Get the Vampire Poke Cake recipe.
Coco: Day Of The Dead Cookies
These colorfully decorated sugar cookies reminiscent of traditional sugar skulls are almost too pretty to eat. Use your favorite colors and decorate each skull to your own desire—these are like snowflakes, with each face different from the next.
Get the Day Of The Dead Cookies recipe.
Haunted Mansion: Dirt Cake
♪ As the moon climbs high o’er a dead oak tree
Spooks arrive for the midnight spree
Creepy creeps with eerie eyes
Start to shriek and harmonize
Grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize ♪
We’ll say it: the Eddie Murphy Haunted Mansion movie is a bonafide modern classic, and the 2023 LaKeith Stanfield version, though also good, just can’t compare. Why? Because it’s missing the Grim Grinning Ghosts! If you’re finally getting around to streaming it this spooky season, make your own version of the graveyard, starting with our easy dirt cake.
Get the Dirt Cake recipe.
Young Frankenstein: Frankenstein Pretzels
These are the cutest monster treats for Halloween. Help kids assemble them, and let them go wild with the decorating. We bet they’ll come up with some super-scary (or funny, just like the Mel Brooks film) takes.
Get the Frankenstein Pretzels recipe.
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