Halloween décor doesn’t have to mean plastic pumpkins and fake cobwebs. For those who prefer their interiors atmospheric rather than kitsch, the most inspired ideas can be found on screen. Cinema has long conjured beauty from darkness – and some of its most enduring horror and thriller films are also as stylish as they are sinister.

From Kubrick’s geometric corridors to Tim Burton’s surreal suburban dining rooms, here are eight film interiors to inspire a Halloween mood that’s sophisticated, cinematic and spine-tingling in all the right ways. You’ll also find our recommendations for DVDs, books and film-inspired pieces to bring a touch of Halloween horror home.

To mark the season, we’re offering 10% off all Film and Furniture own-brand The Shining cushions and tea towels, and 5% off The Shining rugs throughout October 2025. 
Offer closes Halloween, Friday 31 October, 2025 – find codes below.

1. The Shining (1980)

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Few interiors are as haunting – or as mesmerising – as The Shining‘s Overlook Hotel. Kubrick’s masterpiece of isolation horror remains a design icon thanks to its 1970s geometry, bold colours and dramatic one-point perspective. The infamous Hicks Hexagon carpet is as recognisable as Jack Nicholson’s maniacal grin, while the Gold Room’s shimmering Art Deco glamour whispers luxury with menace.

Get the look:

Our officially licensed Hicks Hexagon Rugs, together with our Room 237 rugs and Gold Room rugs bring the Overlook’s hypnotic patterns to life in pure hand-tufted wool –  available in several sizes.
5% discount available for all orders placed before midnight GMT on Friday 31st October – Use code SHINING5 at checkout.

Add a flash of burnt orange in The Shining cushions or tea towels for instant cinematic atmosphere.
10% discount available until 31st October, 2025. Use code SHINING10 at checkout.

Discover more from The Shining.

2. Psycho (1960)

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Behind Hitchcock’s shower curtain lies a world of visual contrast: the ornate, gothic Bates house looming over the modernist motel. Heavy drapes, carved furniture and taxidermy-filled rooms meet harsh bathroom tiles and strip lighting  – a clash that defines mid-century horror aesthetics.

Get the look:
Mix dark woods with stark whites. Try antique mirrors, a rocking chair, and a touch of monochrome for your own “beautifully unsettling” bathroom. We also love this handmade miniature model based on the Bates House from Psycho (£280, Etsy) and the perfect Halloween party wall-decor has to be this Bates Motel Neon Sign (currently on sale at £140.24 from Etsy).

Discover more from Psycho.

3. American Psycho (2000)

Director: Mary Harron

From one psycho to another: Patrick Bateman’s pristine apartment is pure late-’80s minimalism: white walls, chrome accents, glass tables (the Alanda coffee table by Paolo Piva to be precise) and designer seating that scream perfection, and psychosis. Horror here hides in plain sight.

Get the look:
For a Halloween defined by icy precision, choose glass candleholders, monochrome cushions and leather finishes. Pair minimalism with menace – or go full Bateman with a Barcelona Chair in deep black leather and chrome.

 
Discover more from American Psycho

4. Beetlejuice (1988)

Director: Tim Burton

When the Deetz family redecorate their haunted home, they turn small-town Gothic into postmodern spectacle.

Notable design details from the 1988 film include the dining room – where the film’s famous Day-O (The Banana Boat Song) scene takes place – with its metal chairs with stretched animal-skins (reminiscent of Elizabeth Garouste and Mattia Bonetti’s 1981 Barbarian chair) and the speckled table and surfaces inspired by Ettore Sottsass’ Memphis movement. Lydia’s bedroom boasts moody mauve walls, a green floor, and a vibrant yellow dresser – a vivid contrast to the cobalt blue kitchen and the curvy red bar in the living room. Beetlejuice is a design dream (or nightmare) that celebrates the absurd.

Get the look:
Add drama with bold patterns, playful shapes and unexpected contrasts, or take inspiration from the book Tim Burton Designing Worlds.

5. Suspiria (1977)

Director: Dario Argento

Argento’s original Suspiria drenches horror in colour. The Markos Dance Academy’s interiors pulse with jewel-toned reds, pinks and blues, geometric stained glass and theatrical lighting — an opulent nightmare where every wall seems alive.

Get the look:
Deep reds, aged metallics and tactile textures – think velvet cushions, candlelight and stained glass, including this stunning Suspiria-inspired stained glass panel.

Watch or Gift:
Suspiria 4k Ultra-HD-Restored 

Discover more from Suspiria.

6. Poltergeist (1982)

Director: Tobe Hooper

Suburban calm with a supernatural twist: the Freeling family home in Poltergeist looks like any other comfortable late-1970s Californian dwelling — patterned sofas, oak furniture, and cheerful children’s drawings — until the furniture starts to move of its own accord. The image of chairs stacked neatly on the kitchen table remains one of horror cinema’s most quietly unnerving moments.

Four decades later, that same house in Simi Valley, California, is drawing visitors once again. Fully renovated to echo its on-screen interiors, the so-called Poltergeist House now welcomes overnight guests. Its familiar layout and film-accurate décor make it part movie set, part suburban time capsule — proof that even the most ordinary spaces can become extraordinary when viewed through a cinematic lens.

Get the look:
The chairs stacked in that unforgettable kitchen scene are Thonet Heart Bentwood Chairs — a classic of Viennese design created by August Thonet in the 1800s. Known also as the ‘bistro chair’ or ‘café chair’, this elegant bentwood form features two central back supports that curl inwards to form a heart shape. Its light yet sturdy design made it a favourite of film set decorators and restaurant owners alike, appearing everywhere from Poltergeist to Cabaret – a reminder that good design never dies.

Read:
Dark Places: The Haunted House in Film (book)

Stay:
Book a stay at the real Poltergeist House

7. Nosferatu (1922 & 2024)

Directors: F. W. Murnau / Robert Eggers

The original Nosferatu remains the Gothic blueprint — haunted shadows, bare stone walls, and living space stripped of excess. In Robert Eggers’ 2024 version, those same principles resurface: the interiors feel existential, with each texture and volume serving the mood rather than decoration.

Get the look:
For a Halloween update that whispers rather than shouts, choose décor that echoes the film’s restraint: Swap overhead lights for candle glow or soft amber bulbs. Introduce gothic candleholders or a dark-framed mirror with a patinated surface to transform a modern room into a Gothic moodscape for the season.

Watch:
We’d suggest a Nosferatu double bill this Halloween: Nosferatu (1922) DVD, Nosferatu (2024) in 4K.

Read:
The Design of Nosferatu: The Devil Is in the Details — Part 1 and Part 2.

8. Crimson Peak (2015)

Director: Guillermo del Toro 

Del Toro’s decaying mansion, Allerdale Hall, bleeds beauty: sweeping staircases and lavish furnishings that ooze opulence and rot in equal measure. “Beautiful horror” personified.

Get the look:
Candlelight on velvet, layered drapery, fringed lampshades and gold accents. Decadent, dramatic, and irresistibly eerie.

Read:
Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities (book).

Whether your taste runs to Kubrick’s symmetry, Burton’s surrealism or del Toro’s romantic decay, horror cinema offers endless design inspiration. It’s not about cobwebs — it’s about atmosphere.

Enjoy our collection of film-inspired décor, and don’t forget you can enjoy 10% off The Shining cushions and The Shining tea towels, and 5% off The Shining rugs until 31 October.