Happy fall, y’all! ‘Tis the season for all things autumn. You know what I’m talking about: cool morning walks to class, hot apple cider, big sweaters, cozy evenings and watching the leaves fall. If there’s a time of year to appreciate all the things about the change of seasons, it’s now. I’m here this week to get you in the spirit as the temperatures (hopefully) start to dip. I know when the weather turns colder, one of my favorite things to do is curl up for a good movie night. So, I’m here today to help you put together the best movie night. The first thing you need to do is figure out the Five W’s: Who, What, When, Where and Why. Let’s break it down.   

First off is “Who;” this is where you need to decide who you are going to invite. Is this movie night a solo mission? Is it a few close friends? Maybe you are inviting some people from one of your classes over? Maybe you are having a movie night for your whole theme house? It’s important to keep in mind who will be showing up to figure out the other logistics. Once you figure this out, you can move to the next W – What.   

Finding your “What” is as important for your watch party as our first step. By this, I mean you need to figure out what you are going to watch. This helps to set if there is a theme to the night and what people should prepare themselves for when they agree to have a movie night. Since the whole point of the watch party is the movie, you need to pick a good movie; the right movie will set the tone for the evening and can help make the rest of the planning easier as well. Since it’s autumn, there are usually three types of movies that people are looking to watch around this time of year: scary, spooky or sweet. My dear readers, you happen to be in luck because I’ve compiled a list of movies that fit into these three categories to help you decide what to watch. So, after you’ve decided what you are going to watch, continue to the next step.  

Choosing the “When” of the movie night is crucial to executing its success. If you choose to have a movie night on Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday, you may run into difficulty in getting everyone to come with campus events like Tuesday Blues, Java or general parties and mixers most likely occurring those nights. I find that if I want to host a movie night, Wednesdays and Fridays have a lot of success, especially if the movie starts at a reasonable time, like 7 or 8 p.m. It is late enough to be dark outside but not so late that people are going to fall asleep during the movie.  

The “Where” is arguably just as important as the “When.” How many people attending will be your biggest concern here. The good news for you, though, is that you determined that at the beginning of this process! Making sure that there is enough room for everyone ensures that you create a comfortable environment, and should you want to have another movie night, people will  

know what to expect. If you live in a theme house, this is a great time to make use of your living room and invite your housemates as well (make sure to be courteous of others with your noise level if this is on a weeknight). If you live in one of the dorms, a projector and a blank sheet work really well for a makeshift large screen in your room. If you feel like not being in a residential building, many of the academic buildings have classrooms available in the evening with TVs and HDMI cables that anyone can use. Found a place? Good. Next step.  

Now it’s time for your “Why.” Everyone has their different reasons for wanting to host a movie night; maybe you are watching for a class or maybe for a nice night with your friends. Remember that at the end of the day, a movie night should be something fun. Fall is an awesome time to have a movie night and enjoy time with whoever you decide to host. So grab a blanket, grab some popcorn, and hit the lights: you’ve got some movies to watch!   

Need some inspiration for something to watch? Here is a list of some fall movies for you to choose from. Enjoy!  

Scary  

“Hereditary”  

“Midsommar”  

“IT”  

“Get Out”  

“The Blair Witch Project” 

“The Conjuring”  

“Nightmare on Elm Street”  

Spooky  

“Coraline”  

“E.T.”  

“Ghostbusters” 

“Beetlejuice”  

“Harry Potter”  

“Hocus Pocus”  

“Halloweentown”  

“Heathers”  

“Nightmare Before Christmas”  

“The Great Pumpkin”   

Sweet  

“Coco” 

“Over the Garden Wall”  

“The Breakfast Club”  

“Dead Poets Society”  

“Good Will Hunting”  

“You’ve Got Mail”  

“If Beale Street Could Talk” 

“When Harry Met Sally”