30 ways to keep yourself spooked for Halloween

Here at The Star, we believe in celebration equity. If Christmas season can start when leaves are still changing color, then we should at least feel dignified celebrating Halloween through the full month of October.

From theater to films, parties, haunted houses, psychics and more, we have everything you need to know to keep yourself spooked for Halloween all month long.

1. Get the “VIP hearse” treatment when you sign up with Indy Grimo for a tour of four of Indy’s best haunted houses including Fright Manor and Nightmare on Edge. Friday/Saturday night is $150 per passenger with a minimum of four and a maximum of six sorry souls. Price includes VIP admission to the haunted houses. Sunday/weekday rates are available, too. For reservations, visit indygrimo.com.

2. The Indianapolis Zoo’s annual ZooBoo this year will feature tigers distributing candy to children. OK, so maybe that’s not true, but the zoo will be filled with family activities and the amazing Elephant Pumpkin Smash.

2-7 p.m. weekends Oct. 2 through Oct. 25, Indianapolis Zoo & White River Gardens, 1200 W. Washington St., $6.95-$8.95, (317) 630-2001 or indianapoliszoo.com.

3. Every city has them, and we have a huge one. Indy Scream Park lights up Anderson every fall with a whole array of gory, gruesome haunted attractions. This year, a Zombie Apocalypse is tearing through the park. Don’t get eaten.

7 p.m. Oct. 2 through Nov. 1, 5211 S. New Columbus Road, Anderson, $20.95-$30.95, (317) 218-9515 orindyscreampark.com .

4. Indy Film Fest’s monthly kids’ series, Cereal Cinema, gets creepy-crawly with “Beetlejuice,” the 1988 Michael Keaton classic. And the morning comes complete with an awesome cereal buffet worth the price of admission alone.

10 a.m. Oct. 3, The Athenaeum, 407 E. Michigan St., $5, (317) 560-4433 orindyfilmfest.org.

5. People love stouts. People love IPAs. People love porters. But for so many faithful beer drinkers, there’s a special place in our hearts for a delicious, spicy, oh-so-seasonal pumpkin ale. And Oct. 3 is the day for those beer lovers to come together and say: “We’re not weird.” It’s the 3rd annual Pumpkin Beerfest at Union Jack Pub.

2 p.m. Oct. 3, Union Jack Pub, 924 Broad Ripple Ave., $5-$40, (317) 257-4343 orunionjackpub.co.

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6. Q Artistry and Theatre on the Square make a deadly team for “Cabaret Poe,” an original musical that’ll have you laughing, shrieking and possibly singing along. Check it out one October night, and remember it forevermore.

8 p.m. Oct. 3-31, Theatre on the Square, Christel DeHaan Main Stage, 627 Massachusetts Ave., $15-$20, (317) 685-8687 ortots.org.

7. Lynyrd Skynyrd is somehow still at it, and you can buy tickets to see them play. Spooky! Still, this is the only place you can yell “Freebird!” and not have people hate you.

8 p.m. Oct. 3, Emens Auditorium, Ball State University, 1800 W. Riverside Ave., Muncie, $43-$83, (765) 285-1539 orticketmaster.com.

8. Stroll the tree-lined, cozy streets of the Cottage Home neighborhood and enjoy food, bands, beer, mead, artists and kids’ activities Oct. 3 at Darkness on Dorman. The historic, close-knit Eastside neighborhood welcomes the public, and it’s a great place to admire Queen Anne and Folk Victorian architecture.

5 to 11 p.m. Oct. 3, 700 block of Dorman Street, free, cottagehome.info.

9. They’re creepy. They’re kooky. They’re altogether ooky. And you can see them perform while downing a full buffet meal. You got it — “The Addams Family” musical is coming to Beef and Boards. Gomez, Morticia, Wednesday and the whole Addams gang will be there.

Opens 8 p.m. Oct. 8, through Nov. 22, Beef and Boards Dinner Theatre, 9301 Michigan Road, $40-$65, (317) 87-9664 orbeefandboards.com.

10. We always knew President Benjamin Harrison had skeletons in his closet. Creep on through the Harrison home this October for Hoosier Haunts, special, spooky performances from Indiana’s most famous ghosts.

6 p.m. Oct. 9-10 and 16-17, 2 p.m. Oct. 18, Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site, 1230 N. Delaware St., $14.50-$17.50, (317) 631-1888 orpresidentbenjaminharrison.org.

11. Conner Prairie’s Headless Horseman will, in fact, feature a headless horseman riding around and haunting visitors. But aside from that poor sap, the only thing scary about the event is how many cool things they have going on: hayrides, caramel apples, warm cider, magic shows and the Legend of Sleepy Hollow marionette show.

Dusk Oct. 9-11, 15-18 and 22-25, Conner Prairie Interactive History Park, 13400 Allisonville Road, Fishers, $10-$16, (317) 776-6000 orconnerprairie.org.

12. If there’s anybody in Indy who can tell a great ghost story, they’re bound to be part of Storytelling Arts of Indiana. Pack a picnic for an evening of Ghost Stories at Crown Hill Cemetery and leave the younger kids at home.

6:30 p.m. Oct. 10, Crown Hill Cemetery, 3400 Boulevard Place, $20-$35,(317) 232-1882 orstorrytellingarts.org.

13. When you have kids, the problem with haunted houses can be that they’re just so, well, scary. The Children’s Museum’s Pirate’s Revenge Haunted House promises to scare your kids just enough, with three levels of spooky: Lights-On, Defender Direct Frightening and EMC2 Xtreme Scream.

Opens 10 a.m. Oct. 10, through Oct. 31, The Children’s Museum, 3000 N. Meridian St., $8-$12, (317) 334-4000 orchildrensmuseum.org.

14. Get a zombie facelift from a makeup artist and a free reading from an intuitive medium at Brains & Beer Oct. 11 at Thr3e Wise Men Brewing Co. And, join other undead-heads for the Season 6 premiere of “The Walking Dead.” Prizes will be given for best adult and kid costumes.

6 to 11 p.m. Oct. 11, Thr3e Wise Men Brewing Co., 1021 Broad Ripple Ave., $10 suggested donation to Partners in Housing, facebook.com/partnersinhousing.

15. Film historian and preservationist Eric Grayson will dive into the macabre with this month’s installment of the Garfield Park Arts Center’s Vintage Movie Night with “Frankenstein.” The 1931 classic is still creepy 84 Halloweens later.

8 p.m. Oct. 17, The Garfield Park Arts Center, 2432 Conservatory Drive, $5, (317) 327-7135 orgpacarts.org.

16. Your dance moves may scare off potential suitors at the club, but you’ll be among the friendly (and undead) when Here Come the Mummies hit the stage at The Vogue. This ancient Egyptian funk band always rocks the house, or pyramid, as it were.

8 p.m. Oct. 23, The Vogue, 6259 N. College Ave., $27.50-$30, (317) 259-7029 orthevogue.com.

17. Ah, heavy metal. Where music and mayhem blissfully intersect and cause parents to fear for the sanity and spiritual health of their kids. And few bands strike quite an evil chord as The Black Dahlia Murder, an act that sounds like the inside of Charlie Manson’s nightmares.

7 p.m. Oct. 23, Emerson Theater, 4630 E. 10th St., $15-$18, (317) 357-0239 oremersontheater.com.

18. It’s a tradition as old as time: come Halloween each year, we just love to carve funny faces into large squash. Whether you picked your pumpkin from Waterman’s Family Farm, Tuttle Orchards, Adrian Orchards or carefully grew your own in your backyard, carving the perfect Jack-O-Lantern is your Halloween rite of passage.

Waterman’s Family Farm, 7010 E. Raymond St., (317) 356-6995. Tuttle Orchards, 5717 N. 300 West, Greenfield, (317) 326-2278. Adrian Orchards, 500 W. Epler Ave., (317) 784-0550.

19. Just about every Halloween activity imaginable will go down at the 69th Historic Irvington Halloween Festival — from an offbeat scholarship pageant where the women compete in a costume category to a zombie bike ride and all-day street party. They even throw in a 5-mile run to burn some calories just before gorging on pumpkin pie.

Oct. 24-31, Irvington, irvingtonhalloween.com.

20. Sometimes ghosts find you. And sometimes you go out looking for the ghosts. Historic Indiana Ghost Walks shows you the most ghost-happy spots in town, and their Downtown Indy walk stops at the favorite haunts of those souls stickin’ around long past their expiration date. Check online for a full list of ghost walks.

7 p.m. Oct. 30, Downtown Indianapolis, $13-$18 by reservation only,unseenpress.com.

21. Sometimes silence is scarier than any scream. Indiana Landmarks is hoping you’ll agree with its Frightful: A Silent Halloween Oct. 30. They’ll screen the 1925 Lon Chaney silent classic “The Phantom of the Opera” in their Grand Hall, complete with a live organ accompaniment and special lighting.

6:45 p.m. Oct. 30, Indiana Landmarks Center, 1201 Central Ave., $10-$12, (317) 639-4534 orindianalandmarks.org.

22. Get back to Halloween’s roots with a good old-fashioned Pagan festival! Hallows at Midian is a three-day fest celebrating the sacred and the scary, with pumpkin carving, a séance, bonfires, the litany of the Dead, psychic readings and more.

Oct. 30-Nov. 1, 4093 Boone Hollow Road, Springville, $50,campmidian.com.

23. The days of swinging by the video rental store may be behind us, but your friend and mine, Netflix, has us covered in October. Newly added picks include “The Walking Dead: Season 5,” “R.L. Stines Monsterville: Cabinet of Souls,” “Sleepy Hollow” and, if you’re in for a more ‘drugs-are-scary’ spook, “Keith Richards: Under the Influence.”

24. It’s free. It’s for your family. It’s in Forest Park. Everything about Noblesville’s Family Community Halloween Party sounds great. Expect games, stories around a bonfire and a no-scare hayride. Count us in.

6:30-8:30 p.m. Oct. 30, Forest Park, 701 Cicero Road, free, (317) 776-6350 orcityofnoblesville.org.

25. Karaoke lets you be someone else, even if for just the three minutes of your favorite song. But add some dark and loud punk rock, costumes and a few drinks and you’ve got a whole new mess entirely. Welcome to Punk Rock Karaoke’s Misfits Halloween Party. Don’t expect to sing Taylor Swift at this one.

9 p.m. Oct. 30, The Hi-Fi, 1043 Virginia Ave. Suite 4, $8-$10, (317) 493-1209 orhifiindy.com.

26. Dress “masquerade chic” for Haunted Hilbert, a night of “mystery, masks, music, mixed drinks and munchies” presented by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Q Artistry (of “Cabaret Poe” fame) and DJs Slater Hogan and John Larner will provide entertainment. Proceeds benefit ISO’s education programs.

7 p.m. Oct. 30, Hilbert Circle Theatre, 45 Monument Circle, $75 and up, indianapolissymphony.org/event-detail/haunted-hilbert.

27. Kids can give their costumes a test run and trick-or-treat during the Mass Ave Monster Mash Oct. 30. Businesses along the popular stretch of shops and restaurants will be handing out treats.

4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 30, Massachusetts Avenue, downtownindy.org./events/2474/mass-ave-monster-mash/

28. With partner Nopal Cultural, Eiteljorg Museum is celebrating Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) by offering free admission and tons of goodies — see traditional cut paper decorations hung for Hispanic celebrations, watch performances, explore altars and create your own art.

11 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 31, Eiteljorg Museum, 500 W. Washington St., free, (317) 636-9378 oreiteljorg.org.

29. Horror flicks may hog the attention every Halloween, but the true October darling is the 1975 cult classic “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” with significantly more singing than screaming. Come in costume to this Midnight Picture Show and expect a good ol’ virgin sacrifice before the film.

11 p.m. Oct. 31, Irving Theater, 5505 E. Washington St., $6, (317) 356-3355 orattheirving.com.

30. Right after ‘hippies,’ 80’s hair metal stars have got to be the most popular rocker costume come Halloween time. The look is pure kitsch: tight pants, dude makeup, blond hair held vertical with ozone-destroying hairspray. Celebrate right with the Vogue’s Hairbangers Ball — '80s metal hits all night long.

9 p.m. Oct. 31,The Vogue, 6259 N. College Ave., $15, (317) 259-7029 orthevogue.com.

— Amanda Kingsbury contributed to this report.