Author: Niina Doherty

I approach the month of October with very much the same enthusiasm as most people do Christmas; I start looking for new pumpkin carving ideas in July and picking out what horror films to watch in August. I also have a little gander at my book collection and see what stories I might revisit this year, as well as have look around online for some creepy podcasts and audio plays to entertain myself with while going about my mundane routines. I really try to go all out and make the whole month as all about horror as humanly possible. But what would a great festive season be without great food! For me, it’s almost as important as the horror. Cooking with seasonal ingredients is part of my personal cooking philosophy and something I do practice all year round, but for special occasions like Christmas or indeed Halloween, I always try to find something new and exciting to put on our plates. A problem I have encountered in many years while searching for Halloween recipes is that all you seem to find is silly recipes for children’s parties or just a variety of desserts that have all been flavoured with, you guessed it, pumpkin spice. Not that there’s anything wrong with pumpkin spice, it definitely has its place in this season. I just happen to think that this wonderful time of the year has so much more to offer than mere squash-based desserts. So, with all that in mind, I have collected a list of ten delightful horror films, all to be enjoyed with equally delicious dishes. Like the films, I have tried to keep the recipes varied, so there is little something for everyone (not forgetting the fans of pumpkin spice) and also made sure that everything on this list can easily be cooked in your own home kitchen. So, watch, eat and most of all, enjoy this festive season! Night of the Demons (1988) Let’s kick starts this list with an actual Halloween film. Night of the Demons is one of those films I regularly watch during the month of October. It is just pure, unadulterated fun from start to finish, with some of the best one-liners in horror history. And not only that, among all the 80’s silliness it actually has some pretty decent special effects, as well as plenty of quality scares. Acting is wonderfully cheesy all around and Linnea Quingley and Amelia Kinkade both do amazing roles as the demon temptresses that they turn into. Laughs, scares, a rad 80’s soundtrack; Night of the Demons has all the right elements for a great Halloween romp. Food pairing: Pumpkin donut holes It was clear for me from the very moment I picked this film on my list that the food accompanying it had to be something sweet. While you could easily just fill a bowl with your favourite sweets and have that as your movie snack, I chose something slightly (but only slightly) more sophisticated. These delicious donut holes are so easy to make that even a complete novice baker can make them. All in all, it will only take you about 40 minutes to cook these puppies and the best part is that they are baked rather than fried, so you don’t even have to stress about setting your kitchen on fire! I served mine with a dark chocolate dip and a raspberry coulis, but if you’re feeling more adventurous, why not try one of these teeth melting dip recipes: https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/g3114/best-dessert-dips/ Donut hole recipe from: https://www.livewellbakeoften.com/baked-pumpkin-donut-holes/ The Resurrected (1991) You can’t have Halloween without a bit of Lovecraft. Now, I could have gone with good old classics like From Beyond (1986) or Re-animator (1985), but instead, I opted for a perhaps lesser known and definitely underrated, The Resurrected. This direct to video adaptation of Case of Charles Dexter Ward is often completely passed by when talking about Lovecraft films and I can’t for the life of me figure out why. For me, it is one the best serious Lovecraft adaptations to date. Yes, it’s a little dated and as such slightly cheesy on parts, but the special effects actually still look surprisingly decent today and the whole film captures the dark atmosphere of the classic Lovecraft story surprisingly well. Food pairing: Baja Fish Tacos With a Lovecraft film, there is only one possible food pairing: fish. I admit that when you think of autumn, Baja fish tacos isn’t necessarily the first thing that comes to mind, but these wonderful crispy, crunchy tacos are just the ticket on a rainy, gloomy day when you need a bit a cheering up. Any firm white fish will do the job, as longs as it can withstand deep-frying without falling apart. These tacos are usually served with some type of cabbage slaw and fresh tomato salsa, but no one is going to stop you from putting whatever favourite taco toppings you have in them. I went all the way and even made my tortilla wraps from scratch, but to save some hassle and give yourself more time to focus on some lovely Lovecraft action, store bought ones will do just as well. Recipe from: https://thecozyapron.com/baja-fish-tacos/ Noroi : The Curse (2005) Noroi is truly a gem among the found footage films and something that every fan of the genre should see. It builds up the story in a very subtle yet effective way and can almost pass itself for a real documentary. In fact, if you were to start watching it from the middle without knowing what it was, you could easily be fooled into thinking it was all real (like was the case with a friend of mine who wandered in while I was watching it). Rather than scaring you with big jump scares, Noroi sucks you in with its intriguing storyline, great acting and ever-growing feeling of dread that slowly increases throughout the film, until its final, shocking conclusion. It’s a great watch for any time of the year, but if you want something genuinely creepy this Halloween, Noroi might just be the film for you. Food pairing: Vegetable tempura I love crispy fried things as much as the next girl, but they can sometimes be a bit heavy and leave you feeling sickly afterwards. However, when done right, this should not be the case with vegetable tempura. The batter should be airy as a cloud and give the vegetables a delicate covering, making this a much lighter option than other deep-fried recipes. What’s especially great about this dish is that you can pretty much use whatever vegetables take your fancy, so you can go as seasonal as you like! Add a tangy soy-based dip and you get a lovely balance of flavours, that complement each other and make the whole dish feel fresher. Recipe from: https://www.amuse-your-bouche.com/vegetable-tempura/ Deep Red (1975) I couldn’t imagine writing a list like this and not have at least one Italian horror in the mix. The trouble was; which one? There’s just so many great options that it was nearly impossible to just pick one. While Suspiria might have maybe been a more topical option, in the end, I chose the 1975 classic Deep Red. As Argento films go, it has always been one of my all-time favourites. It’s a great thriller with some of the most iconic kill scenes ever seen on the silver screen. It’s stylized, beautiful and forever captivating piece of giallo cinema. Food pairing: Squash and goat’s cheese bruschetta This seasonal twist on a classic Italian appetizer is a real revelation. The classic mix of sweet butternut squash and tangy goat’s cheese is a match made in heaven and combined with roasted garlic and a drizzling of luxurious sage butter, it is simply irresistible. If, like my husband, you are not a fan of goat’s cheese, feta will do the job just as well. Recipe from: https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/pumpkin-goats-cheese-bruschetta-sage-burnt-butter/67315d0e-7cac-401f-8fe9-6ed521c9cce2 Hell House LLC (2015) The reason for choosing this particular found footage romp was not only its seasonal theme but the fact that I was quite taken back by how much I actually liked it. In the vast sea of similar found footage titles, my expectations were pretty low. For some reason, this particular film had gone completely under my radar and I pretty much picked it by random one night. Despite my hesitations, I was very pleasantly surprised. While Hell House LLC is nothing ground-breaking, it still offers some very decent low budget scares and actually managed to creep me out quite a bit. It’s light, easy seasonal fun. A great choice for when you’re in a mood for something that doesn’t take up too much brain capacity. Food pairing: Cheesy Monkey bread For such a fun, light horror film, I needed to come up with something equally straightforward to compliment it, and this wonderful savoury monkey bread recipe seemed like just the ticket. While the preparation takes a little bit of tinkering, it’s still a relatively easy bake and I promise, all the hassle will be worth it in the end. It’s a dish made for sharing so make sure you have someone with you to enjoy it with (or eat it all yourself. I wouldn’t blame you, it’s very moreish.). These little bread balls are delicious on their own, but if you want to make them extra tasty you could try a tomato or yogurt-based dipping sauce. Either way, they are best served fresh from the oven while the cheese is still melty. Recipe from: https://www.macheesmo.com/cheesy-monkey-bread/ Lake Bodom (2016) Any self-respecting Halloween listing has to have at least one slasher. Again, wanting to avoid the obvious options, I have picked a film from the darkest corners of the north that might have gone unseen by quite a few slasher fans. And it’s a shame too because it’s a damn good one, and I’m not just saying that because it was made in my dear home country. Lake Bodom is genuinely fresh and enjoyable addition to the genre. Yes, it starts with a very classic slasher setting: a group of teenagers going camping by a lake where bloody murders took place a few decades earlier (the murder part is real by the way. You can check the actual story here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Bodom_murders ). But like any great representative of its...