Horror movies often have amazing aesthetics. There are all sorts of horror subgenres out there, from sci-fi horror to fantasy horror to supernatural horror and beyond. In each of these subgenres, you can find plenty of design inspiration if you’re willing to take it. Many horror movies have even sort of developed their own design aesthetic that you can use for amazing inspiration. Look at these horror movies with terrifying basements, then consider the ones that offer the most unique design inspiration.

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

Misery: Rural Minimalism

Misery is almost more of a character study than anything. At the end of the day, the movie is largely about only two individuals: Annie Wilkes and Paul Sheldon. The movie even mostly takes place inside Annie’s Colorado home. This home may be utterly terrifying, but it’s also an interesting idea for design if that’s something you enjoy paying attention to. The minimalist style and homey interior make for a low-key backdrop to watch the horrifying goings-on.

A Quiet Place: Rugged Farming Life

After the world has all but ended due to an invasion by paranormal creatures that hunt based on sound, A Quiet Place offers a depiction of a family trying to survive out in the New York countryside. They live in a farm, in fact, which makes the general interior décor very homey. If you’re looking for a more rural, no-frills look, this might be a great place to get some design inspiration, because the family doesn’t have access to the frills you might use for interior décor.

Parasite: Making the Most of What You Have

The Kim family in Parasite lives in a banjiha, which is a basement apartment. Many people live in these types of apartments; even many American apartment buildings have apartments that rest partially below ground. The movie is a commentary on classism in South Korean society, and that means the Kim family’s basement apartment is not very well-decorated. However, the space is utilized to its fullest extent, which is a good tactic to take into your decorating choices.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Punk Camp

Two things spring to mind when considering the aesthetic of The Rocky Horror Picture Show: punk, which is a subculture the movie had a significant impact on, and camp, which is a subculture the movie intentionally drew from throughout the filming process. When you combine the two, you create a design that’s always over-the-top and always fun to watch. This is a bit much to commit to wholly for an interior decorating style — after all, Dr. Frank-N-Furter lives in a British castle — but it can be fun for some special pieces.

Stranger Things: Retro Sci-Fi

If you’re into the retro aesthetic, you might want to consider Stranger Things. The series is set in the 1980s, although it’s a more paranormal 1980s that gives Stranger Things access to both the sci-fi and horror genres. The amount of science fiction that Stranger Things is able to access means that it utilizes a very distinct aesthetic throughout the TV series as a whole. Especially if you already love retro style, specifically retro style form the 1980s, Stranger Things is a great series to pull from.

Conclusion

Drawing design inspiration from TV and movies might not be something you’ve ever really thought about, but it’s nevertheless something that you can use to great effect. Horror movies are an amazing place to gain design inspiration, even if they’re set in the modern day. Think about how the cinematography of each movie adds or subtracts to the horror, depending on the cinematography features chosen. From there, you may be able to add some of those features to your interior décor and the methods you use to take pictures.