It’s spooky season, and no, I’m not referring to midterms that are just around the corner.
You see, spooky season is nearing its fantastic conclusion. Also known as the month of Halloween (or by some as October), this time of candy, ghosts, carved pumpkins and trickery only lasts a month. Midterms, according to Hopkins standards, last forever.
Here are some events that’ll terrify you just as much — if not more — than your midterms will.
Haunted houses
A staple of the Halloween season, the haunted house is the perfect way to get scared for the night. Plenty of Baltimore locations (along with Hopkins groups) host their own haunted houses throughout the month of October.
Need an experience that’s been verified as sufficiently scary? The Nevermore Haunt has been featured in The Baltimore Sun and on ABC as a top-notch location for frights. Nevermore draws on Baltimore’s own spooky history in creating the attraction. A new feature, Isaac’s Maleficent Sideshow, has also been introduced this year. Grab food and watch the freakshow before or after going through the actual house.
If you’re searching for a scary time with a student discount, check out the MICA Haunted House. The house has a Meet the Neighbors theme, a reminder that suburbia has its own unique terrors. The event is entirely student-run.
Festivals
Looking for a combo dance party/lantern festival/cute kids costume contest? Luckily, the Great Halloween Lantern Parade & Festival is being held this Saturday! Stop by Patterson Park in the afternoon or evening for a community-wide Halloween celebration.
If Oct. 31, the actual day of Halloween, is when you’re ready to celebrate, hit up Hampden HalloweenFest. If you enter the costume contest, you’ll become a part of Baltimore history: Hampden’s been hosting the contest for over 50 years.
Bar crawls and parties
If you’re over 21, consider joining thousands of other Baltimoreans at the Baltimore Halloween Crawl on Saturday. Located in Fell’s Point, the bar crawl features access to 10 bars and $4 “Haunted Shots.” Another bar crawl option: the Federal Hill-O-Ween 10th Anniversary. Costumes aren’t required at either event, but they’re always recommended.
If you’re a fan of American Horror Story, be sure to head to Halloween ‘18: Baltimore Horror Story. Hosted at Power Plant Live!, the party will feature 11 bars and nightclubs, with each one spoofing an aspect from the show. There’s a costume contest, too, so be prepared.
Miscellaneous spooks
If there isn’t enough creepy poetry in your life, check out The Elk Room on Friday. Baltimore’s favorite gothic writer, Edgar Allan Poe, will be there! Not really, but famed impersonator David Keltz will be a good enough stand-in for the real thing. He’ll be doing a dramatic reading of “The Raven,” and last year it was standing room only, so be sure to get there on time.
If it’s been a while since you argued about whether Frankenstein is the monster or the man, reignite the discussion on Halloween! The Parkway Theatre is hosting Media and Monsters: Two Centuries of Frankenstein on Oct. 31. Watch The Bride of Frankenstein and Young Frankenstein for free! Stick around for the panel discussion after if you can’t get enough of the monster.
Less frightful, but still on theme
Not into being freaked out, but still want to be a part of the season of pumpkins and costumes? That’s perfectly reasonable, and there’s still plenty to go out and do!
If you’re looking to give Bike Party a try, their Halloween Ride is the perfect time to start. The monthly event brings together biking enthusiasts to ride a few miles through neighborhoods familiar and new. The October version is the perfect opportunity to work off the candy calories from trick-or-treating (don’t worry, you’re not too old to fulfill that Halloween tradition).
A garden is probably not in your top few guesses of a Halloween-themed location, but the Rawlings Conservatory & Botanical Gardens has an exhibit that’s celebrating the season. Check out their Carnivorous Plant Display. It features pitcher plants, which trap, kill and digest insects. Who knew that plants embrace the Halloween spirit, too?
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