It doesn’t take much for anyone to realize that my favorite time of year is the Halloween Season. There’s so much about this holiday that makes me smile: an excuse to dress in costumes, the delish fall flavors (yes, I’m a basic pumpkin spice bitch), and the abundance of horror movies to choose from! As a Halloween connoisseur I thought I’d share my favorite ways to celebrate All Hallow’s Eve, including the badass NYC events you won’t want to miss. Enjoy!

What to watch:

Fangoria has always been my go-to for horror movie knowledge and this year they did not disappoint with their 31 for 31 horror movie list. As someone who has watched their fair share of horror, I found this list especially entertaining as it includes both old-school favorites and some hair-raising new treats! You can follow me on Instragram as I go down the list (or try to keep up) for the entire month of October. If you’re like me and don’t own a cable box, fear not! Most of the movies on the list can be found on Hulu or Netflix. Fangoria suggests replacing some movies with the remake (which I would beg you not to do unless you can’t find the original) or you can do what I did and replace it with a movie you have never watched before.

Though Fangoria’s list of films can satisfy your creepy side for 31 days, here’s my top 5 Halloween favorites (not all necessarily “horror”):

1. Carrie
2. Beetlejuice (Betelgeuse)
3. The Nightmare Before Christmas (it’s not just for the holidays!)
4. Tales of Halloween
5. Practical Magic

What to listen to:

As a moshing metal-head/punk/goth-kid mutt, the Season of the Undead also brings some of my favorite musicians to town! We’ll get to those details in the “What to do” section. For now, here’s a list of bands, soundtracks, and other beats from the grave that will get you in the Halloween spirit:

1. The Misfits – duh! The greatest punk band of all time draws inspiration for their lyrics from classic and cult favorite horror films.
2. The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack – Don’t blame me when you can’t stop humming “What’s this? What’s this?“.
3. Bobby Pickett’s “Monster Mash“ – The all time classic monster jam.
4. John Carpenter soundtracks – I recommend Halloween. You’ll feel like you’re living IN your favorite slasher flick.
5. Nightmare Revisited (The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack covered by various artists) – Because we all need that friendly reminder from Marilyn Manson that “This is Halloween“.

Thanks to the new fangled interwebs, the dying out of old school radio, and the need for knowledge at your fingertips, Podcasts are ALL OVER! Here are just a few on the spooky side that will be a treat for your ears this Halloween season:

1. Beyond the Darkness: Covering everything paranormal from alien sightings to the famous 27 Club phenomenon, this podcast will have you questioning everything in life.. and the afterlife.
2. Lore: From the book and television series of the same name, Lore is sure to make your skin crawl. Focusing on true-life scary stories, Lore “examines a new dark historical tale in a modern campfire experience”. Just make sure you left a night-light on!
3. Welcome to Night Vale:  This podcast taps into your imagination as you tune in to updates, weather, news and from the small spooky desert town of Night Vale. Listen to announcements from the Sheriff’s Secret Police and get clued into all the paranormal activity. Find out just what really is happening in Night Vale.
4. Bloody Date Night: Listen as Liz & Josh who are dating in real life, explore Josh’s love of horror films together. The catch? Liz hates them… or will she find something else she loves about Josh? It’s horror film buff vs. a horror film novice. Here’s hoping gore and guts keeps these two together!

What to do: 

Last but not least, let’s get ready to partayyyyy! Pull on that costume you’ve been working on the past six months and head out to these amazingly horrifying and scream-worthy NYC events. From family-friendly to downright bloody, there’s something for everyone to enjoy this October. As always, be sure to check the Schedule of Sin for newly added events: 

• 10/16 – Nosferatu With Live Score by Alamo Drafthouse: Watch the first vampire flick with an incredible live score by The Invincible Czars incorporating violin, glockenspiel, organ, flute, bass clarinet, vocals, music box, loops, electric guitar, bass, singing bowl, tambourine and other hand percussion.
• 10/27 – BP² Presents Bump in the Night: Show off your DIY costume and dancing skills at The Brown Note in Brooklyn. With too many DJs to count, I hope your costume includes sneakers!
• 10/28 – Lucky 13 Saloon Halloween Bash: One of my favorite year-long haunts is celebrating the devil’s day the best way they know how – with METALLLLL m/. Grab a beer, a pizza, and don’t forget your singles for those sexy satanic babes on and behind the bar.
• 10/28 – The New York Hall of Science, Dead or Alive: Special Effects and more: Meet special effects, artists, and technologists, while participating in hands-on activities and exploring the science of creepy. Also includes: the Maniac Pumpkin Carvers, costume creation workshops , the NYSCI Slime Bar, DIY Prosthetic Wounds,  DIY Fake Blood,  Light Painting, Pumpkin Chucking, Halloween Phases of Matter Demonstrations , and so much more!!!
• 10/31 – GWAR’s The Blood of Gods Tour Halloween Show (w/ Ghoul and Doyle)*:  Is getting drenched with blood while watching monsters and monster/aliens take over Irving Plaza your thing? Me too! I can think of no better way to spend my Halloween.
• 10/26 – 10/29 – Night of 1,000 Jack O’Lanterns NYC *: Debuting this year at Governor’s Island, the Old Westbury favorite RISE of the Jackolanterns is bringing the fun to NYC.

* Sin Dee will be in attendance. Buy her a beer! 

That’s all for now sweet sinners. Pagan cuties, be on the lookout for a special Samhain celebration posting next week. Enjoy the season!