Sure, going to a party is always a good option, but with Halloween being on a Sunday this year, you probably will have done that before the actual day. Therefore, if you are staying home, here is a good combination of how to get into the mood of the evening:
Drink: Sangria. This had its origins in Portugal and is served in different forms through the Mediterranean. While it is a summer drink, "sangria" literally translates to "bloodletting," and is therefore appropriate for Halloween. A basic recipe:
- A bottle of red wine. (A Rioja would go with the movie suggestion further down.)
- A shot of brandy. (Don't waste the good stuff here. A VS grade Armagnac or Cognac will do.)
- An orange or two cut into wedges.
- A lemon or two cut into wedges.
- Optionally any fruit you may have at hand.
- Two table spoons of sugar.
- Two cups club soda.
Mix the wine, brandy and the juice from the wedges together, and toss the wedges into the mixture with the sugar. Stir. Put in the fridge and let it chill and settle for a day or so. Mix in club soda just before serving.
Food: Traditionally the sangria is kind of a punch, served with finger food, often just meats and cheeses. Therefore, head down to Sante and pick up some duck prosciutto. Then head over to Saunders and see if they have Cowgirl Creamery's Devil's Gulch, a spicy "winter cheese." This way you get something salty and spicy to go with the sweet sangria. Finish it up with a lollipop. Why? It's all in "who loves ya, baby."
Movie: It's technically an Italian movie, but it's set in Spain, Mario Bava's 1972 "lost" classic, Lisa and the Devil. A surreal movie, it follows Lisa, trapped in a house where the butler might be the devil. Dead people keep popping up, sometimes as real life human beings, other times as lifesize dolls, all while Telly Savalas hams it up with his trademark sucker always on display. (This before he made the sucker famous in Kojak. See the quote above? Get it? It's a Kojak quote, damnit. I'm very clever.) At the same time, the house's visitors are being killed, possibly to be transported to hell. Or maybe Lisa is just insane, imagining everything. Or possibly something completely different; it's a very vague movie.
The soft lighting, the dialogue which often seems just out of hearing distance, and the sheer oddity of the film makes it a must Halloween viewing.