When you think of Halloween, you tend to think of goblins, ghosts, and kids strolling the streets at night in costumes, soliciting candy from neighbors. For horror movie fans, you may think about your favorite thrillers like It, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and the cult classics Halloween and Halloween II.
The great thing about Halloween is that when it comes to dating ideas, there is plenty to choose from. You can go romantic or keep it scary, or both. For example, cuddling up on a hay ride through an apple orchard can be both haunted and romantic.
If parties aren’t your thing, and you’re looking for something different, here are 20 exciting Halloween Date ideas for you and your Boo. However, if your friends nicknamed you Patty Party, I also threw in a couple of those ideas.
Origin of Halloween
The word “Halloween” comes from “All Hallows’ Eve,” which means “hallowed evening.” The origin dates back to Samhain, which was a pagan festival. Several hundred years ago, people dressed as saints and went door-to-door, which is how the idea of Halloween costumes and trick-or-treating began.
What began as an ancient celebration over 2,000 years ago has evolved into a beloved tradition of dressing up in costumes and trekking through neighborhoods in search of the best candy or calling up your best friends for a wild and spooky party. Let’s dive into some fun and exciting Halloween date ideas.
1. Make a Bonfire
Add a little spark to your life with an intimate bonfire for two. First, grab some sticks and roast some s’mores while cuddling under a cozy blanket. Then, scare up a little drama with a few frightening tales.
2. Horror Movie Marathon
This low-key Halloween night favorite keeps you indoors and huddled under the covers with your Hunny. Instead of going to Blockbuster and renting four or five movies as you did years ago, all you have to do these days is sit back and use one of your streaming devices. The endless movie options include:
- Gore (It, Midsommar).
- Classics (Rosemary’s Baby, The Fog).
- Family movies (The Addams Family, Beetlejuice, Goosebumps).
Top 20 Horror Movies for the Family
- Frankenweenie (2012)
- Muppets Haunted Mansion (2021)
- Coraline (2009)
- Spirited Away (2001)
- The Witches (2020)
- Gremlins (1984)
- Paranorman (2012)
- Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
- Beetlejuice (1988)
- Cruella (2021)
- Arachnophobia (1990)
- Labyrinth (1986)
- Corpse Bride (2005)
- Return to Oz (1985)
- Goosebumps (2015)
- Jaws (1975)
- The Secret of NIMH (1982)
- Nightbooks (2021)
- The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)
- The Goonies (1985)
3. Ghost Hunt
If you want to cuddle close to your partner—and if you enjoy thrills, too—go on an old-fashioned ghost hunt. This date doesn’t require much planning aside from checking the listings for a quest in your area. You’ll have an exciting evening exploring the best-haunted regions of the city while learning about their paranormal past.
4. Rent a Cabin in the Woods for the Weekend
No, not the movie, an actual cabin in the woods. A getaway like this is fun and easy to plan. This year’s Halloween falls on a Monday, so rent a place for the weekend for a romantic fall getaway. Additionally, watch a horror classic like Evil Dead or Cabin Fever if you want to throw in a little horror to spice it up a bit.
5. Take a Seasonal Cooking Class
Get into the fall spirit by taking a seasonal cooking class. Check the local listings for one that offers lessons for dishes associated with the season, like pumpkin soup or roasted squash and bacon hash. Yum!
6. Make Your Own Halloween-Themed Goodies
You and your partner can stay home and prepare Halloween sweet treats on your own. All it takes is a quick perusal of Pinterest and a short trip to your grocery, and then you’ll have an exciting evening of fun and festive food. Need a few ideas? Start with these.
- Jack-o-lantern sugar cookies
- Mummy dogs
- Halloween layer cake
- Candy corn cobs
- Ghost-shaped cookies
- Ghost s’mores dip
- Candy corn cupcakes
You can find the recipes for these goodies and more online.
7. Take a Drive
Wait until the sun sets and take a long drive through the countryside with your partner. Check out all the beautiful fall foliage, including the changing colors of the leaves. Bring your own pumpkin spice lattes or stop at a cozy spot and enjoy some warm apple cider. To add to the mood, turn on a spooky podcast and listen to a chilling ghost story as you drive.
8. Pumpkin Carving
After visiting your local pumpkin patch and scooping up the best pumpkins:
- Take them home and carve them up.
- Put on some spooky music, a classic horror flick, or a podcast that features ghost stories, and have a carving fest.
- Make it extra fun and have a contest to see which pumpkin is scarier (Your neighbor can judge).
- Remember to save the seeds for roasting later on.
How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds
Step 1: Remove the seeds with a large spoon or an ice cream scooper
Step 2: Wash and dry the seeds
Step 3: Season the seeds (salt, black pepper, garlic butter, paprika, olive oil)
Step 4: Roast the seeds (at 350 degrees F for approximately 10 to 12 minutes, tossing the seeds every 5 or 6 mins to get even browning.
9. Watch a Classic Thriller at a Drive-In
Halloween is the ideal time to see classic scary movies, like The Shining or Jaws, on the big screen. Check out your local listings to see which drive-in thrillers will be showing in your area.
10. Matching PJs
Even though Halloween isn’t considered a romantic day, you can do whatever you like. Coordinate your pajamas with a Halloween theme, spend the evening in your sleeping bags or blanket, and watch a gore-fest of your favorite horror flicks.
Top 20 Horror Films of All Time
- Host
- Extra Ordinary
- The Shining
- The Exorcist
- Carrie (the original)
- Jaws
- It (the remake)
- Cabin in the Woods
- Midsommar
- After Midnight
- La Llorona
- The Blair Witch Project (the original)
- The Ring
- Get Out
- It Follows
- The Babadook
- Pan’s Labyrinth
- Evil Dead (the original)
- The Silence of the Lambs
- Rosemary’s Baby
11. Decorate for the Season
One of the best starts for the Halloween season is decorating. First, set up inside Halloween decorations and then celebrate the change of season with outdoor options like corn wreaths, scarecrows, and other outside fall decorations.
Spooky decoration ideas
- Antique-style candle holders
- Paper ghost entryway
- Orange and black stream lights
- Floral arrangement of fall flowers
- Paper garland jack-o-lanterns
- Pumpkin placemats
12. Make Some Caramel Apples
You remember having these yummy treats as kids, but you haven’t had them since. So spend All Hallows’ Eve making these classic sweet, sticky goodies.
13. Go Trick-or-Treating
Remember how much fun you had trick-or-treating as a kid? Who says adults can’t do it, too? No one, that’s who. So, grab your mask and knock on every door in the neighborhood, even the ones handing out apples and raisins. Besides, you’re wearing a mask. They won’t know who it is anyway. Ha!
14. Visit a Local Corn Maze
For this idea, you can take a romantic stroll through the maze, or some places offer a tractor ride throughout the larger mazes. Make it a couple’s trip, or invite a few of your friends for an ultimate party.
Check out this easy caramel apples recipe below.
15. Zombie Walk
You’ve seen every single episode of The Walking Dead. Well, now it’s time to put that knowledge to good use at your local zombie walk. (Yeah, it’s actually a thing!) Beware because these aren’t the slow-walking Shaun of the Dead zombies. These zombies sprint at a 28 Day Later pace, so make sure to bring your running shoes.
16. Check out ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’
Every year, around the Halloween season, theaters dust off this cult favorite for a one-night engagement. If you haven’t seen it, it’ll be fun to check it out for the first time, especially in a crowded theater. If you have, you can never grow tired of this iconic musical classic, so put on your dancing shoes and get ready to do the Time Warp again!
17. Host a Costume Party
Not everyone is into parties, but if you are, why not gather your friends and have a big Halloween costume party? Plan the evening around games and prizes and serve Halloween-inspired foods and drinks. Set the mood and have a contest where the scariest costume wins. There are endless categories to choose from, but you can create costume categories like:
- Scariest costume
- Funniest costume
- Most realistic costume
- Most inventive costume
- Sexiest costume
- Best animal costume
9 Halloween-Themed Games That are Party Favorites
- Horror movie trivia
- Candy corn toss
- Scavenger hunt
- Bobbing for apples
- Charades, Halloween style
- Murder mystery
- Halloween pinata
- Pumpkin carving contest
- Halloween candy hunt
18. Costume Switch
Make costume wearing a surprise by either making the costume or buying the ensemble for your partner. In other words, he gets to choose what you wear, and you are allowed to choose what he wears. Once you have switched the costume, have fun and go out on a bar crawl or go to a party.
19. Create Your Own Halloween-Themed Cocktails
Who wouldn’t have a good time making their very own Halloween-themed cocktails? First, check around online and narrow the options to three of your and your partner’s favorite drinks. Then, head down to the store and get everything you need to drink for a spooktacular evening. If children are there, look for kid-friendly recipes.
20. Pumpkin Picking
Nothing screams fall more than heading to your local pumpkin patch and picking up a few pumpkins. Some patches have picnic benches, so you can take a break from all that picking and snack on some spiced cookies and sip on hot cinnamon cider.
Halloween is one of the most fun days of the year. Even if you aren’t a Halloween lover (and surprisingly, there are some out there), you and your partner can still find plenty of seasonal date activities to enjoy. Have fun with the season because Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner.
