Get ghosted, Vermont: Sink your teeth into these Halloween events certain to scare
October is the month of darkness, and not just because the sun keeps rising later and setting earlier. It is, of course, the month when spooky spirits rise from the murky depths of wherever it is spirits rise from to scare the living bejeebus out of us.
Strangely enough, we as a species seem to enjoy that sort of thing. It’s kind of like our cultural fondness for super-spicy foods, toeing that pleasure-vs.-pain balance beam that so fascinates humans. As Halloween approaches in what’s already a busy month for arts and entertainment offerings, the number of chances to scare yourself silly increases exponentially. Here are some of those opportunities to get frightfully frightened in Vermont between now and the end of the month.
Get ghosted in Burlington
Throughout October, if your organization is called Queen City Ghostwalk, then this must be the time of year for you; the haunted storytellers offer events throughout Burlington including “Ghosts & Legends of Lake Champlain” (7 p.m. Wednesdays), a true-crime tour (7 p.m. Thursdays), “Fright by Flashlight” (6 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays), the “Darkness Falls” tour (7 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays), tours of Lakeview Cemetery (6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 15 and 22) and a “Here for the Boos” storytelling event (7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 18 at Three Needs Tap Room). $18-$30 per event. www.queencityghostwalk.com
Ghouls in Grand Isle
6:30-10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, the Emmons Island Haunted Trail offers what’s billed as “Grand Isle, Vermont’s Most Scariest Secret,” 1 Island Meadows Lane, Grand Isle. www.ihtrail.org
‘Haunting of Hill House’ in Hyde Park
7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 13-Saturday, Oct. 14; 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 15, the Lamoille County Players conclude their run of “The Haunting of Hill House,” Hyde Park Opera House. $15-$20. www.lcplayers.com
Screenings of ‘Candyman,’ ‘Evil Dead’
7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 17, the OkGOREberfest presented by the Green Mountain Gore Society resumes its schedule with a screening of the 1992 film “Candyman,” followed at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31 (Halloween night, of course) with a double feature of the 1987 movie “Evil Dead 2” and 1992’s “Army of Darkness,” Main Street Landing Film House, Burlington. Free; donations accepted. www.facebook.com/greenmtngore/
Nightmare Vermont gets all scary
7-10 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19 and 26; 7-11 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20 and 27; 6-11 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21; 6 p.m.-midnight, Oct. 28, Nightmare Vermont returns with its frightful interactive and immersive events, Champlain Valley Exposition, Essex Junction. $18-$30. www.nightmarevermont.org
Seances on stage
8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19-Saturday, Oct. 21, 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 22, The Middlebury Community Players present the world premiere of Ryan Mangan’s “Second Sight,” which tells the story of Vermont brothers and spiritualists who held renowned seances in the 1870s and 1880s, Town Hall Theater, Middlebury. $18. www.middleburycommunityplayers.org
‘Fireside Frights … Fantastic Food’
7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20-Saturday, Oct. 21, 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 22, the Paramount Theatre and Vermont Actors Repertory Theatre offer “Fireside Frights: An Evening of Scary Stories, Fun and Fantastic Food” with presentations of 10-minute short stories by famous authors and original work from the actors (costumes are welcome), West Rutland Town Hall. $20. www.paramountvt.org
‘Trail of Terror’ in Rutland
3-9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21, a spooky kid-friendly trail from 3-5 p.m. and a “terrifying trail” from 6-9 p.m. make up “Area 802: Face Your Fears Trail of Terror,” an event now in its second year at Pine Hill Park, Rutland. Free. www.comealiveoutside.com/events
Commune with spirits at Rokeby
Saturday, Oct. 21, Friday-Saturday, Oct. 27-28, several productions a day of “Spirits of Rokeby: Spectral Rooms” inspired by Vermont’s spiritualist history take place at the Rokeby Museum, Ferrisburgh. $20-$25. www.rokeby.org
Doctor Gasp calls again at Radio Bean
7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24, New England folk musician Dan Blakeslee, known at this time of year as Doctor Gasp, performs original Halloween-themed songs, Radio Bean, Burlington. $5-$10. www.radiobean.com
A haunting in Milton
6-10 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26-Saturday, Oct. 28, Haunted Milton presents a scary experience known as “Mother Knows Best,” Milton Masonic Lodge. $10. www.hauntedmilton.com
Spend Halloween week with Roost.World
9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26, the Burlington band Roost.World headlines the Burlington Electronic Department’s Halloween party (costumes encouraged) that includes performances by Sister Zo, Luisa Mei and Narrow Shoulders as well as video projections by Indivisual Video and TVC-95, Radio Bean, Burlington. Admission by donation. www.radiobean.com
Wes Anderson meets ‘Westworld’
7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, the Wes World Halloween Ball features music from Liz Cooper, Lily Seabird and Greg Freeman and encourages attendees to wear costumes inspired by Wes Anderson, the sci-fi Western series “Westworld” or some unholy mashup of the two (costumes required), Foam Brewers, Burlington. $30. www.foambrewers.com
Be a cool musician for a night
8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, “Iconic Halloween” asks those attending to dress as their favorite iconic musician from any decade as they listen to music from Embers in Umbra and Chris and Erica, The Venetian Soda Lounge, Burlington. $5. www.venetiansodalounge.com
‘All Hallows’ Eve’ on Halloween night
7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31, the bands Comatose Kids, McAuley Kart, Hand in Pants and Lunch play an “All Hallows’ Eve” show in the Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington. $12 in advance, $15 day of show. www.highergroundmusic.com
A ‘Potted Potter’ parody
7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31, the witchy storyline of “Harry Potter” receives a Halloween-night send-up with “Potted Potter: The Unauthorized Harry Experience – A Parody by Dan (Clarkson) and Jeff (Turner),” the Flynn, Burlington. $35-$65. www.flynnvt.org
Indie-rockers want you to dress up
8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31, the indie-rock band Easy Honey encourages those coming to their Halloween night show (also featuring Cherry Valley and Earthworm) to dress for the occasion, Club Metronome, Burlington. $10-$20. www.liveatnectars.com
Night of the living (Grateful) Dead
8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31, the weekly-in-October Dobbs’ Dead show takes on a Halloween night celebratory theme, fittingly macabre for an act that presents the tunes of a band called the Grateful Dead, Nectar’s, Burlington. $10-$20. www.liveatnectars.com
Contact Brent Hallenbeck at bhallenbeck@freepressmedia.com.
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Vermont Halloween events, from ghost walks to concerts with costumes
