A frightfully fun Halloween

Do you or your children enjoy Halloween? The celebration is now so popular in Spain that many adults and kids celebrate it every year. Perhaps not by going trick-or-treating, but by throwing a fancy dress party or having a horror film night. Is that you?

What's more, Halloween decorations with pumpkins and all sorts of spooky touches are also a big hit on social media. If you fancy making some with your children, here are a few suggestions.

Easy Halloween decorations to make as a family

Decorating real pumpkins with frightening faces is a classic that all kids love, and it helps them express their creativity and their fears.

All you need is a few large pumpkins: cut a hole in the top and start scooping them out with an ice cream scoop or a tablespoon. Once the pumpkin is hollowed out, ideally the little ones should decide what kind of eyes, nose and mouth they want to carve. You can find some examples online or create your own.

To finish and achieve a ghostly effect, place a candle inside each pumpkin. That way you'll create the classic lantern placed at the front door, known in English as a Jack O'Lantern.

Other ways of creating personalised pumpkin decorations can delight adults too. If you paint some small pumpkins white, pastel or nude, for example, you'll have a perfect autumn centrepiece for the table.

Little ones will also enjoy making garlands with ghosts, bats, witches or Halloween pumpkins to hang around the house or in their room.

Crochet pumpkins are also in fashion, and you can find tutorials for them on Instagram. Mind you, this one is a job for more experienced hands.

Plans for Halloween night

If you like horror films and so do your family and friends, organise a special film night. Agree together on which films to watch, especially bearing in mind whether the audience includes children or just adults.

Many horror fans like to organise a double bill that combines a classic of the genre with a more recent film.

Almost every streaming platform releases a horror film in October to cash in on the Halloween buzz. Take a look!

Don't forget to create the perfect atmosphere, not just with typical decorations for the occasion but also with candles, candelabras or lanterns placed all around the room. A must!

For snacks, you can bake biscuits in fun shapes: spiders, bats, ghosts, skulls or mummies. Whatever you can think of! With puff pastry it's easy to make little mummies filled with sausages or ham as a savoury nibble. Carrot sticks can become zombie fingers for dipping in guacamole or hummus, and a few grapes can fill a bowl with monstrous eyeballs. Look at all the ideas you can find online or create your own Halloween snacks!

Horror films for all ages

It's a celebration that invites us to let our creativity run wild and have fun, whether or not we like scary films or stories. And kids love it!

If you're having a film night with the little ones, there are gentler films aimed at them, such as Hocus Pocus, The Haunted Mansion, The Witches, Ghostbusters or The Addams Family.

For animation, there's the Hotel Transylvania saga or ParaNorman.

If there isn't room for everyone on the living room sofa, spread some cushions on the floor or on the rug to keep cosy, and hand out blankets or duvets to everyone. You'll have something to hide your faces behind at the scariest moments!