Whenever I begin to see the advertisements for the frightening fun that October brings, I can’t get Vincent Price’s voice out of my head…
Darkness falls across the land
The midnight hour is close at hand
Creatures crawl in search of blood
To terrorize your neighborhood
Though I admit that I’ve never been one for spooky thrills. While I’ve enjoyed Halloween costume parties, I’m not a huge fan of haunted houses, and I hate horror movies. But I can definitely admire that kind of fun … from a distance. So it might be a tad biased for me to say (but it’s still true), you really don’t have to look far in the Twin Cities to find ways to have the bejesus scared out of you!
Frightmares at Buck Hill, an elabroate ghost compound of sorts, opens this weekend. This haunted attraction features an assortment of experiences across many buildings, including a haunted factory, hollow, and bed and breakfast. I suppose it only adds to the allure that the Bellharm Lovejoy Asylum mysteriously burned down to the ground in September. The site is now appropriately titled The Inferno, a “gateway to hell.” For less frightening fare, enjoy live indoor music with no cover charge beginning on Friday.
Some other fright nights:
Arboretum’s Ghouls and Goblins in the Garden, October 27 & 28, 2012
While the Frightmares at Buck Hill is more PG-13, the Arboretum’s Halloween event is certainly family friendly. Dress your youngster in an imaginative costume and take part in the many fun activities, including a walking trail, face-painting, a haunted graveyard, a Mad Hatter’s Party, and a cabin in the woods inhabited by a cauldron-stirring witch.
The Twin Cities Horror Festival, October 25-November 3, 2012
For 10 days at the Southern Theater, artists will explore fear through multiple performance disciplines. Most likely, these are not family-friendly frights. Seven groups will present more than 30 performances, each with their unique take on the genres of horror. The festival will feature local theater, storytelling, dance, and music artists. On Halloween night, a costume dance party will be followed by a 10 p.m. showing of Night of the Living Dead, with an original score presented by the Poor Nobodys.
Arboretum Event Poor Nobodys
All of these Halloween events sound like a ton of fun; at least that’s the way they seem from the outside looking in. In fact, I am making a value judgment; for me, these scary offerings would do their job only too well.
