31 Days of Halloween - Day 25: How to Host a Horror Marathon for Halloween

A favorite past time is watching horror movies with friends. There's nothing more fun than getting a group of your crazies buds together with some snacks and sit them down for a fright-filled evening. That's one thing I miss about my college friends: they were always down for a marathon night.

For those of you that aren't horror aficionados, you may be a bit clueless on how to host a horror marathon successfully. The most important thing to a good horror marathon is to make sure you have a selection of horror movies that are actually decent. No Slumber Party Slaughterhouse 5 shit. Your guests will want a variety of horror films to choose from that don't suck ass.

If you don't want to deal with your friends arguing over the variety of films and which ones to watch, you could always set a theme. Let's say your theme is zombies. You could do a zombie film that is terrifying, one that's funny, and one that's dark and cerebral. For example, if I hosted a zombie movie night, I'd show the original Night of the Living Dead (of course), Shaun of the Dead (for laughs), and Les Revenants a.k.a. They Came Back (it's a French zombie film.) Perfect films for this theme and I'd save Shaun of the Dead for the end.

Another equally important element of hosting a successful horror marathon night is inviting friends that actually LIKE horror movies. Don't invite punk asses that are afraid of gore or detest the horror genre. Why would you want anyone like that at your marathon night? Seriously?!

Let's not forget food and drinks. If you're of age and alcoholically inclined, don't forget the beer, wine, hard cider, or liquor. Snacks and booze makes any film more enjoyable (except for Meet the Spartans.)

Finally, don't stress about making the marathon a success. Keep it informal and lighthearted. The point of your friends being there, aside from watching films, is to have fun. So don't get bogged down in rules and timetables for the films. Chill out, sit back, and enjoy your time with your buds.