The Well Dressed Table

Halloween Backyard Movie Night

With all that’s going on right now, festivities and trick or treating are being canceled but you can still have a fun and spooky night in the backyard with s’mores and a Halloween movie. Pillows and blankets on the lawn and an extra big “screen” add an extra element of fun for all ages. You can even put together a little candy scavenger hunt in the yard as a trick-or-treating alternative for candy just before it gets dark. For other trick-or-treating alternative ideas, I highly recommend you check out these ideas from TuTu’s Green World.

The Movie

I chose the fun and hilarious movie Hotel Translyvania, perfect for all ages with a great cast of actor voices by Adam Sandler as Dracula, Selena Gomes, and Andy Samberg. There are also two sequels and another on the way. Other ideas are Hocus Pocus, Monsters Inc., Halloween Town, Casper, Muppets or Disney’s Haunted Mansion, Nightmare before Christmas, Corpse Bride, Monster House. If you are looking for movies that are less scary and maybe younger kids you can try Charlie Browns Great Pumpkin, Poohs Heffalump Halloween, and KiKi’s Delivery Service.

Halloween Themed Decorations with Popcorn and Drinks

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I have this plant stand that I generally use as a bar setup when I’m hosting on the patio. This has come in handy for holding the projector and a place to put individually wrapped snacks and drinks as well. I’ll also use it to hold the projector sometimes too. I grabbed a few of my Halloween decorations and placed them throughout for a few spooky touches. The decorations were reused from a previous Halloween Party.

I also pulled up a few strands of battery string lights to light everything up at night. I have these fairy string lights then I also have these larger ball lights that give off a little bit more light. Individual snacks are ideal for kiddos especially right now. When I’m doing an adult-only movie night I usually just put the projector on a few crates lower and keep the plant stand on the patio.

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Backyard Movie Lounging Area

Get Cozy

Bring out the cozy quilts and pillows! Bring out plenty of pillows and blankets if you’re laying on the grass. If you have an air mattress this would also be great or sleeping bags. I also own this double chaise I make cozy for a movie night with pillows and blankets. You could also use lawn chairs. The more the better for a backyard Halloween movie night! I usually set up the kiddos close to the screen and the fire pit area for adults to hang out but can also watch the movie.

Backyard Movie Projector and Screen Set-Up

Projector

If you don’t already have a mini projector I highly recommend one. Not only are they great for themed nights like this Halloween backyard movie night but you can also play them inside on a large wall or even the ceiling. The mini projector I purchased was pretty inexpensive and I’m very happy with the purchase. This one you can play a variety of ways, your phone, USB, SD card, HDMI. You can connect a laptop with an HDMI to a downloaded movie if the wifi is spotty. Since I have Roku already I just used an HDMI to connect an older ROKU and it’s like playing on the TV. This again works since I have WIFI that reaches.

Sound

This projector does play sound in the back, which works with a small group if you put the projector in front of you, but I found it isn’t loud enough if it’s behind you for a larger crowd. I recommend hooking it up to an additional speaker if you have one. I have both a small speaker and an older larger bose I use sometimes. A small portable speaker you can hook up via auxiliary cord is the easiest. Most people already have one to play music in the yard or house and most have a headphone jack for the auxiliary.

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Projector Screen

I luckily have quite a few trees in my backyard for this Halloween movie night that came in handy for the screen. I have simply used an old sheet and cut 3 holes on each side before the hem but bought a larger piece of fabric but you can buy a screen. I then used twine/yarn tied around the trees, or now in eye hooks drilled in the trees. and through the holes to hold up the screen. The hem at the edge of the sheet keeps the fabric from tearing. You could also use small command hooks to hang a sheet on the side of your house or buy a free-standing screen.

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S’mores Intermission with Homemade Marshmallows

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S’mores are awesome but using homemade marshmallows is even better. They are really easy to make and you can color them and make any size you want. I like to use this marshmallow Martha Stewart recipe. For this, I made half the recipe and put in almost the same size dish to mold so they would be thinner.

In my opinion, making a large square marshmallow is too much marshmallow to chocolate ratio and this size works perfectly for s’mores. A whole batch makes A LOT and they only last a few days so I find a half batch is plenty. When roasted I recommend skewering them at an angle so it’s a diamond shape.

However, you are celebrating this year I hope everyone has a happy and safe Halloween. Don’t forget to use recommended guidelines of social distancing and masks, and wash your hands. Happy Halloween!

-Ashley