When you’re considering home décor, horror movies probably aren’t the first thing you think about. However, horror movies actually have a huge variety of décor options, including everything from rustic and rural concepts to over-the-top and flamboyant ones. That means any interior designer can use horror movies as inspiration.

If you really love horror movies and you really love home décor, good news: you can absolutely combine the two and get some top-tier results. Check out these horror movies with terrifying basements, then learn more about the home décor styles you can take from some of them.

Scariest Basements and Crawl Spaces in Movies & TV
Scariest Basements and Crawl Spaces in Movies & TV Created By:  OhioBasementAuthority

1. Childish Chic — Stranger Things

One of the things Stranger Things excels in is the drama that it unveils between its various characters. Interpersonal relationships are a huge part of Stranger Things, possibly even more so than the horror aspect, and that means the décor choices are also one of the more interesting parts of the series.

Something you might want to take note of is the basement, which is where one character, Mike, calls another character, Eleven, every night. He even builds a quasi-pillow fort to sit in while they call each other, which is an interesting design choice that you can take some inspiration from.

2. Rural and Woodsy — Misery

Based on a Stephen King novel, Misery offers a completely different look at interior design, one that’s at once kitschy and extremely cold. The serial killer, whose name is Annie Wilkes, is an ex-nurse, and that nursing sensibility comes through in her choice of design.

Additionally, Anne Wilkes’ home is in the middle of the Colorado mountains. This is in some ways a deliberate choice; it allows her to keep her captive Paul away from the entire world, where no one would be able to find him. Though this story is very dark, the care in the set pieces is definitely something to appreciate.

3. Flamboyantly Camp — The Rocky Horror Picture Show

If you’ve ever watched The Rocky Horror Picture Show, you know how much emphasis it places on camp. Even people without much of an understanding of camp subcultures will describe the movie as “campy” because the adjective has become so widely used. It’s clear that flamboyance and camp are two things this movie doesn’t skimp on.

The flamboyant nature of the movie is apparent in both the costume design and the set décor. Dr. Frank-N-Furter keeps his laboratory in the basement of a British castle, which probably isn’t something you’re going to be able to depict perfectly. However, you can definitely turn up the impact to 11 and create something he would be proud of.

4. Barn Living — A Quiet Place

In A Quiet Place, the world is recovering from an invasion by paranormal creatures who seem almost invincible and hunt by sound. The main family of the movie has to move to a barn in northern New York and live there while they try to avoid these monsters.

Although this would no doubt be a terrifying existence to live, there’s no denying that the characters in A Quiet Place make the most of it. The décor choices are truly incredible. With this kind of rustic, low-tech way of living, you can draw a variety of interesting design concepts out of the movie.

Conclusion

Home décor ideas can come from anywhere, and that includes horror movies. Horror movies don’t all have horrific décor; in fact, many horror movies are set in today’s modern world, which means they draw on décor ideas that you might have seen in other contexts already. If you’re interested in getting some unconventional home décor ideas, consider watching a horror movie and looking at whatever’s in the background.