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The Courier Life Fright Night Bureau
Brooklyn Daily
Get ready, Spook-lyn!
Halloween is a week away, but the celebrations are already haunting the borough. Frightened by all the choice? No need to get spooked — our crack team of All Hallow’s Eve experts have hand-picked the most hair-raising happenings in the ’hoods from now until the big day.
The walking dead
Andrea James, author of “Boroughs of the Dead: New York City Ghost Stories,” is leading a series of “haunted” walking tours through Brooklyn Heights. Stops on the creepy crawl include the former home of horror writer H.P. Lovecraft, and the Montague Street entrance to the Promenade, where the ghost of an old sea captain is sometimes supposedly seen. Read our full story here.
[140 Court St. between Atlantic Avenue and Pacific Street in Cobble Hill, www.boroughsofthedead.com]. Oct. 24 at 7 pm and 9 pm, Oct. 25 at 3 pm and 7 pm, Oct. 31 at 7 pm and 9 pm. $25 ($20 advance).
Woooo-f
Dressing dogs in clothes is an everyday event in Brooklyn, but at the Annual Great Pupkin Dog Costume Contest, your fancy-dressed canine can also win prizes.
Fort Greene Park, Prison Ship Martyrs Monument [Myrtle Avenue and Washington Park in Fort Greene, www.nycgovparks.org]. Oct. 25 at noon. Free.
G-argh-den party
This year’s Ghouls and Gourds at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden will include live music and circus performers, bug- and vegetable-themed activities, authors reading (mildly) spooky kids books, and, of course, the annual costume parade.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Cherry Esplanade [Near Washington Avenue and President Street in Prospect Park, (718) 623–7200, www.bbg.org]. Oct. 25 at noon–5:30 pm. $15 adults, $10 kids over 12, free for kids under 12.
Beastly!
Kids can watch animals play with pumpkins (do animals actually eat pumpkins? Who cares? It is adorable), go on a spooky scavenger hunt, explore a creepy barn, and do Halloween-themed games and crafts at the annual Boo at the Zoo weekend.
Prospect Park Zoo [450 Flatbush Ave. in Prospect Park, (718) 399–7339, www.prospectparkzoo.com]. Oct. 25–26 at noon–5:30 pm. $8 adults, $5 kids.
Ghoul school
There is more to Halloween than candy corn and sexy nurse costumes. Get an ed-boo-cation in this history of the holiday with an illustrated lecture titled “Halloween: The Curious Story of America’s Most Horrible Holiday” by Halloween scholar Lesley Bannatyne.
Morbid Anatomy Museum [424 A Third Ave. at Seventh Street in Gowanus, www.morbidanatomymuseum.org). Oct. 26 at 8 pm. $8.
Ghost stories
Bring some covers to hide under for the Halloween edition of Freddy’s Bar’s “So What Happened Was” storytelling series. Four storytellers and one brave audience member will share their most terrifying tales.
Freddy’s Bar [627 Fifth Ave. between 17th and 18th streets in Park Slope, (718) 768–0131, www.freddysbar.com]. Oct. 26 at 7 pm. Free.
School of shock
The Brooklyn Music School in Fort Greene is turning its century-old schoolhouse building into a musical haunted house for one night. Teachers and a handful of a senior students will perform as zombie musicians — including the Headless Chordsmen, ZomBeethoven, and Hellvis. Read our full story here.
The Brooklyn Music School [126 Saint Felix St. between Lafayette Avenue and Hanson Place in Fort Greene, (718) 638–5660, www.brooklynmusicschool.org]. $5. Oct. 26 at 2–4 pm.
Creep-aret
Equal parts haunting and raucous, long-running British Brechtian punk cabaret trio the Tiger Lillies is a highly appropriate soundtrack for a weekend of tricks and treats.
St. Ann’s Warehouse [38 Water St. between Dock and Main streets in Dumbo (718) 834–8794, www.stannswarehouse.org]. Oct. 30–Nov. 1 at 8 pm. $30–$55.
#Halloween
Wow. So party. Such theme. Dress up as your favorite internet meme — we predict a lot of “apparently” kids and ice-bucket challenges this year — for the annual HallowMeme Costume Party, and win all of the prizes.
The Bell House [149 Seventh St. between Second and Third streets in Gowanus, (718) 643–6510, www.hallowme.me]. Oct. 30 at 8:30 pm. Free, but RSVP required.
Spooky sounds
Videology cranks up the volume and the creepiness on two vintage scary silent films. On Oct. 30, synthesizer player Dorian Wallace will perform a live, original score to 1920’s “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,” and on Oct. 31, chamber music group Tenth Intervention will provide the score for 1922 German vampire classic “Nosferatu.”
Videology [308 Bedford Ave. between South First and South Second streets in Williamsburg, (718) 782–3468, www.videology.info]. Oct. at 10 pm, Oct. 31 at 7 pm. Free.
Boo-grass
Barefoot and Bankside, Dancegrass, Seth Kessel and the Two Cent Band, and the Melody Allegra Band bring the banjo to the Rotten Apple Roots and Bluegrass Halloween concert.
Union Hall [702 Union St. near Fifth Avenue in Park Slope, (718) 638–4400, www.unionhallny.com]. Oct. 31 at 8 pm. $12.
Argh-clays!
If the concession prices at Barclays Center aren’t scary enough, the Boo! dance party — featuring Knife Party, DJ Snake, Tommy Trash, Tchami, Milo and Otis, and Craze — should do the trick.
Barclays Center [620 Atlantic Ave. at Pacific Street in Prospect Heights, (917) 618–6100, www.barclayscenter.com]. Oct. 31 at 7 pm. $29.50–$85.
Scary movies
Stay up all night at Nitehawk Cinema for its “A Nite to Dismember” midnight movie marathon. Catch “Evil Dead II,” “The Bride of Frankenstein,” “Friday the 13th Part 2,” “Dracula: Prince of Darkness,” and “Return of the Living Dead,” plus giveaways, trivia, and a costume contest.
Nitehawk Cinema [136 Metropolitan Ave. near Berry Street in Williamsburg, (718) 384–3980, www.nitehawkcinema.com]. Oct. 31 at noon. $50.
Monster bash
The annual Zombie Prom is lurching into Littlefield this year with a neighborhood-appropriate “toxic zombies” theme. The hoards will be entertained by a photo-booth and live music from bands including the Hollows and Sylvana Joyce and the Moment, and the corpses that come in the best costumes will be crowned prom king and queen.
Littlefield (622 Degraw St. between Third and Fourth avenues in Gowanus, www.littlefieldnyc.com). Oct. 31 at 8:30 pm. $15–$20.
S-Carrie
These are godless times. Get your red dress on (“It’s pink, Mama!”) and head to Mary’s Bar, which will be decked out like the prom theme from “Carrie” for Halloween. The costume contest winners will drink free all night.
Mary’s Bar [708 Fifth Ave. at 22nd Street in Park Slope, (718) 499–2175, www.facebook.com/marysbarbrooklyn]. Oct. 31 at 9 pm. Free.
Horr-oar
Canoeing in the dark — what could possibly go wrong? Find out by taking one of the North Brooklyn Boat Club’s nighttime Haunted Canoe Tours from Greenpoint to Dutch Kills.
Broadway Stages Boatyard [437 McGuinness Blvd. between Ash Street and Newtown Creek in Greenpoint, www.facebook.com/northbrooklynboatclub]. Oct. 31 at 8–11:45 pm. $25 adults, $15 kids 6–12.
Monsters of rock
At Silent Barn’s annual Halloween celebration, it is the bands that come in costume — Dear Leader will come as the Neptunes; Delicate Steve will do the Red Hot Chili Peppers;? Heeney will take on Weezer; Banned Books will attempt the Pixies; ?Max Almario (Celestial Shore), Mike Sheffield (Heaven’s Gate), and Kegan Zema (Journalism) will dress as Blink-182; and Adveata will channel Hole.
Silent Barn [603 Bushwick Ave. between Melrose and Jefferson streets in Bushwick, www.silentbarn.org). Oct. 31 at 9 pm. $10 with costume, $12 without.