I love creating the perfect creepy vibes for a good spooky reading session. There’s nothing better than getting the chills, thrills, and freaking yourself out while curled up with a good horror or thriller. Earlier this month when I read We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer I created all the creepy vibes and let me tell you I spooked myself so bad I was looking over my shoulder the rest of the day! So, if you’re like me and enjoy creating atmospheric vibes to coincide with your reading sessions then I’m going to share how to create all the creepy feels for your next spooky reading session.
How To Create A Creepy Atmosphere for A Spooky Reading Session
Get the Lighting Right
The first step in creating creepy, eerie vibes is to adjust the lighting to fit the mood. When trying to create creepy vibes I find low, dim lighting to be ideal. Additionally, if you have LED lights that can change colors you may decide to set the color to fit the Halloween theme. Great color options would be orange, red, or purple.
Try A Little Aromatherapy with Seasonal Scents
Another great way to create a spooky atmosphere is to use scented candles or an aromatherapy diffuser to fill the air with holiday-appropriate scents. If choosing scented candles gravitate towards scents such as pumpkin spice, salted caramel, cinnamon, or apple. This candle trio from Amazon would be ideal for infusing your space with the scents of the Halloween season. If essential oils are more of your thing you may find this Autumn essential oil set to be the perfect choice.
Don’t Forget to Choose Spooky Snacks
Your spooky reading session wouldn’t be complete without fun, tasty seasonal snacks. I find popcorn to be the perfect spooky snack to munch on while reading. Also, a charcuterie board filled with various meats and cheeses is a terrific reading snack. Additionally, treats such as candy corn, chocolate-covered almonds, Reese’s Pieces, and Reese’s peanut butter cups fit the Halloween theme. You can also bake Halloween-themed cookies in the shapes of ghosts, pumpkins, and bats and decorate them with colored frosting.
Cuddle Up with A Nice Beverage
Coffee and tea go hand in hand with spooky reading. Drinking a warm cup of coffee or tea is a delicious way to set the creepy vibes. Other beverage options are wine especially if you’re snacking on a charcuterie board. Or, if you want to go all out on the cozy and creepy vibes sip on a hot chocolate.
Add in Some Essential Cozy Elements
Sitting down for a spooky reading session requires you to be as comfortable as possible. So, opt to wear comfortable loungewear and cozy socks. Bonus points if they’re Halloween-themed. Also, a cuddly throw blanket and pillow will add to the cozy comfy vibes so you can read for longer periods.
Vibe Out to Spooky Music
Listening to Halloween-themed music is a great way to create a cinematic reading experience and is guaranteed to freak you out. My favorite playlist is on Spotify and it’s an instrumental Horror-themed playlist featuring scary musical scores. And let me tell you it definitely sets a creepy vibe. Another terrific option is to try out the musical ambiance videos featured on YouTube they have a variety of Halloween-themed ones that include an eerie background alongside creepy music.
Spooky Book to Read
Most importantly you can’t forget to include a spooky scary read to complete your reading session. Here are some of my favorites.
We Used To Live Here by Marcus Kliewer
Synopsis
As a young, queer couple who flip houses, Charlie and Eve can’t believe the killer deal they’ve just gotten on an old house in a picturesque neighborhood. As they’re working in the house one day, there’s a knock on the door. A man stands there with his family, claiming to have lived there years before and asking if it would be alright if he showed his kids around. People pleaser to a fault, Eve lets them in.
As soon as the strangers enter their home, uncanny and inexplicable things start happening, including the family’s youngest child going missing and a ghostly presence materializing in the basement. Even more weird, the family can’t seem to take the hint that their visit should be over. And when Charlie suddenly vanishes, Eve slowly loses her grip on reality. Something is terribly wrong with the house and with the visiting family—or is Eve just imagining things?
Cell By Stephen King
Synopsis
Where were you on October 1st at 3:03 pm?
Graphic artist Clay Riddell was in the heart of Boston on that brilliant autumn afternoon when hell was unleashed before his eyes. Without warning, carnage and chaos reigned. Ordinary people fell victim to the basest, most animalistic destruction.
And the apocalypse began with the ring of a cell phone…
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Synopsis
When Jonathan Harker visits Transylvania to help Count Dracula with the purchase of a London house, he makes a series of horrific discoveries about his client. Soon afterwards, various bizarre incidents unfold in England: an apparently unmanned ship is wrecked off the coast of Whitby; a young woman discovers strange puncture marks on her neck; and the inmate of a lunatic asylum raves about the ‘Master’ and his imminent arrival.
Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak
Synopsis
Mallory Quinn is fresh out of rehab when she takes a job as a babysitter for Ted and Caroline Maxwell. She is to look after their five-year-old son, Teddy.
Mallory immediately loves it. She has her own living space, goes out for nightly runs, and has the stability she craves. And she sincerely bonds with Teddy, a sweet, shy boy who is never without his sketchbook and pencil. His drawings are the usual fare: trees, rabbits, balloons. But one day, he draws something different: a man in a forest, dragging a woman’s lifeless body.
Then, Teddy’s artwork becomes increasingly sinister, and his stick figures quickly evolve into lifelike sketches well beyond the ability of any five-year-old. Mallory begins to wonder if these are glimpses of a long-unsolved murder, perhaps relayed by a supernatural force.
Knowing just how crazy it all sounds, Mallory nevertheless sets out to decipher the images and save Teddy before it’s too late.
The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager
Synopsis
Casey Fletcher, a recently widowed actress trying to escape a streak of bad press, has retreated to the peace and quiet of her family’s lake house in Vermont. Armed with a pair of binoculars and several bottles of liquor, she passes the time watching Tom and Katherine Royce, the glamorous couple who live in the house across the lake. They make for good viewing—a tech innovator, Tom is rich; and a former model, Katherine is gorgeous.
One day on the lake, Casey saves Katherine from drowning, and the two strike up a budding friendship. But the more they get to know each other—and the longer Casey watches—it becomes clear that Katherine and Tom’s marriage is not as perfect and placid as it appears. When Katherine suddenly vanishes, Casey becomes consumed with finding out what happened to her. In the process, she uncovers eerie, darker truths that turn a tale of voyeurism and suspicion into a story of guilt, obsession and how looks can be very deceiving.
Make It An Event
You don’t have to keep the spooky vibes all to yourself. Invite your close reading buddies over for a cozy spooky reading session where you all get to appreciate the vibes together. Make sure to include fun trivia and spooky-themed games to make it super fun.
However, if you decide to create the vibes for your next spooky reading session remember to have fun with it. Reading is a fun experience
*Links included in this post are not affiliate links but are solely to provide suggestions on how you can create a spooky reading atmosphere
