6 Horror Movie & Food Pairings for Halloween
Guest Blog: Joshua Russell
October is the best! It is the mecca month of sports viewing: NHL has started, NFL is in full swing, NBA tips off, and MLB playoffs are upon us.
But October brings something else that everyone gets behind... Halloween! It seems like every year the scary meter gets turned up. Horror movies are enjoying a renaissance, Spirit Stores dominate every abandoned Toys R Us mega-warehouse, and lawn and home decorations seem to get more and more elaborate and inflatable.
A couple of years ago, my son and I stumbled into a beautiful October tradition... horror movie and food pairings. We started simple... "Children of the Corn" and corn on the cob. It just made too much sense.
Now it's time to up the horror movie/food pairing game. I have five pairings you have to try this month along with the recipes. Feel free to add more ideas to the list. The more...the scarier!
MOVIE/FOOD PAIRING #1: THE EXORCIST & SPLIT PEA SOUP
The Exorcist is in my top 3 scariest movies of all time. I saw it for the first time when I was in college and I was not able to sleep that night and could swear I kept seeing Regan in the bed next to me. It is also one of those films that just holds up really well with time. The special effects are great and the movie has some of the most disturbing scenes among all horror movies. What better to pair the Exorcist with than Split Pea Soup (you know, like the projectile vomit coming out of Regan's mouth). Here is a great recipe for it from the "Cozy Cook" called "Mom's Best Ever Split Pea Soup." But... mom is probably going to want to hang out in another room. I think the combination of soup and film might be a little too good!
MOVIE/FOOD PAIRING #2: CHILD'S PLAY & FANCY PB&J
I have literally watched the original Child's Play twice in the last month and a half... my son loves it. Because it's a horror movie but it's not scary. It's campy and fun and come on, Chucky is a horror legend. What better to watch a movie about a little kid whose doll gets possessed by a serial killer and comes to life and tries to kill the boy... than with some fancy PB&J's. Here is a fun recipe by Shape Magazine titled "Fancy PB&J Recipes That Are All Grown Up." There are 12 to choose from but the one that is most appealing to me is the grilled PB&J with bacon, apple and pomegranate. I'm not 100% sold on the fruit additions but have you ever had anything with bacon that didn't instantly make it better? Yeah, I thought so.
MOVIE/FOOD PAIRING #3: LEPRECHAUN & CORNED BEEF/CABBAGE (AND WASH IT DOWN WITH A BOWL OF LUCKY CHARMS)
Who can forget that 1993 masterpiece starring Warwick Davis and featuring Jennifer Aniston in her movie debut. Leprechaun is a classic tale about a vengeful leprechaun who believes a family has stolen his pot of gold. So he hunts them and tries to kill them. There have since been six sequels and a remake. But this one also falls in the Child's Play category... horror but fun and pretty light. So, why not pair this classic Irish tale with some traditional Irish cuisine... Corned Beef and Cabbage AND Lucky Charms cereal, since we all know Lucky Charms is in the Hall of Fame for cereals. Here is a link to a recipe from Taste of Home... ya' wee lass.
MOVIE/FOOD PAIRING #4: HALLOWEEN & PUMPKIN GNOCCHI WITH SAGE BUTTER SAUCE
Is there a more iconic horror movie than Halloween? Or a more epic horror villain than Michael Myers? Sure, you can argue Freddie Kreuger (I would) or Jason from the Friday the 13th films (another good argument). But Michael takes the cake in terms of horror ON Halloween. And since you will be poppin' Kit Kats and Peanut Butter Cups for weeks straight, how about a legit Halloween-inspired entree? Enter Pumpkin Gnocchi courtesy of Pinch of Yum. And while Jamie Lee Curtis is demonstrating how to be the absolute baddest of babysitters, you can enjoy the greatest Halloween movie ever made (and nobody will make fun of you if you happen to get a Pumpkin Spice Latte to keep you warm and cozy afterwards while you bundle up in your blanket and watch for Michael Myers popping out from behind a bush... IN THE DAYTIME).
Recipe Link: https://pinchofyum.com/pumpkin-gnocchi
MOVIE/FOOD PAIRING #5: IT & CORN DOGS/ POPCORN/ HOMEMADE COTTON CANDY
2017 instantly brought one of my favorite horror movies to the theaters...IT Chapter 1, based on Stephen King's 1986 novel. It was sooooo gooooood. The intensity, the acting, the characters and Pennywise. Not only did my son, Ryan, and I LOVE it, but in 4th grade when he was writing a paper on who his hero was, he proudly told me it was... Bill Skarsgard, the actor who played Pennywise. Maybe he'll write me into his next hero paper. But, to be honest, I can't fault him. Skarsgard was so good and the movie was an instant classic. Chapter 2... not so much. But, what better to pair IT the clown with than some traditional circus fare: home made corn dogs and cotton candy with some pop-pop-popcorn (Pennywise impression) on the side. The only thing you would be missing is a funnel cake.
Recipe Link (corn dogs): https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/35149/corn-dogs/
Recipe Link (cotton candy): https://www.today.com/recipes/homemade-cotton-candy-recipe-t117585
BONUS MOVIE/FOOD PAIRING: SILENCE OF THE LAMBS WITH HERBED FAVA BEANS AND PASTA AND OF COURSE...CHIANTI
The famous line by Hannibal Lecter goes like this, "I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti." So now you can watch the movie with some fava beans as well. To this day, Silence of The Lambs is one of the smartest, most engaging and fantastically clever horror/thriller movies ever. Hannibal the Cannibal is incredible. And if he is good enough to eat fava beans, then you are too. A cool recipe from the Food Network is Herbed Fava Beans with Pasta. And of course you need to grab a bottle of Chianti to wash it down. YUM!
Recipe Link: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/herbed-fava-beans-with-pasta-recipe-2042460
So there you have it. Six horror films and six food pairings to enjoy this next week+. So which one(s) are you going to try? What pairings are we missing? Comment below and add to the list. Just because Halloween comes around once a year doesn't mean you can't enjoy horror movies and perfect pairings year round.
About: Josh Russell is a horror movie enthusiast and amateur cook/food preparer
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