When you think of “interior decorating inspiration,” chances are you don’t think about horror movies. The popular conception of horror movies is that they’re dim and dark, full of blood and gore. The thing is, even in the movies that are full of blood and gore, someone still has to design the backdrops against which these movies take place. Take a look at this list of horror movies with terrifying basements and look a bit deeper into some of the ones that manage to have their own home décor flair.

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

Misery: Rural colorado charm

In this award-winning movie based on a Stephen King novel, Annie Wilkes takes the concept of a “stalker fan” to a whole new level as she imprisons and tortures a writer that she’s a big fan of. However, if you take a look at the backgrounds in the movie, you’ll note that a lot of care went into them, as every element of the movie is a choice.

In fact, the simplistic charm of the home was intentional; the design should provoke the image of Annie Wilkes’ past, which includes the fact that she was once an austere nurse. You may be able to take some inspiration from this simple but charming background.

The evil dead: Cabin in the tennessee woods

The entirety of The Evil Dead takes place in a rural cabin in the woods in Tennessee. Filming was truly brutal; because the movie had such a tiny budget, actors had to do long shoots back to back, and many of them retold real-life horror stories that happened on the set. As an added creepy twist, the cabin ended up burning down after the filming concluded.

This cabin, however, has its own sense of charm. When you watch the movie, consider the backgrounds as well as the storyline. Especially if you choose to watch more of these movies, like the significantly more tongue-in-cheek sequel, you may pick up on elements in the background that can inform your own interior decoration choices.

The rocky horror picture show: Campy excess

If you know The Rocky Horror Picture Show for anything, you more than likely know it for the way in which it popularized the concept of camp. The movie, which drew on the writer’s own experiences with androgyny and gender-bending, takes every available opportunity to do things as much as possible, making it extremely over-the-top and almost “silly.”

This comes through in every facet of the movie, not the least of which is the set design. Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s laboratory is in the basement of a British castle, which is about as over-the-top as you can get. If you find yourself drawn to this style of innovation, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is definitely one of the things to utilize for inspiration.

A quiet place: Upstate new york barn life

The plot of A Quiet Place revolves around the idea that humanity is recovering from an invasion by murderous paranormal beings that seem nearly invincible and hunt using their impeccable sense of hearing. To get away from these paranormal beings, the main family in the movie moves to a barn in upstate New York.

This style of living, where these individuals stay away from anyone else and have to stick to mostly pre-industrial lifestyles, is something that definitely evokes its own aesthetic. Although most people wouldn’t want to be in this situation, there’s no denying that the aesthetic of the whole thing is very interesting. Take some inspiration from it next time you want to create a new look in your non-apocalyptic home.

Conclusion

As you can see, you shouldn’t count any genre out when it comes to decorating inspiration. Even horror movies, which you may think of as being too “dark” for your decorating tastes, can be a great source of inspiration for anyone’s interior decorating choices. The next time you watch a horror movie, take a look at the background and see whether something catches your eye for your next decoration choice.