Halloween (or All Hallows Eve) is your annual chance to don a scary costume, watch a frightening film with a crowd or pluck up the courage to visit a haunted house or graveyard.
If you want some terror tips, we’ve already put together the most haunted places in London.
But we all know the devil is in the detail, so here is our gruesome guide to all the ghoulish goings on in London for Halloween.
Film fright nights
Film frights at Chills in the Chapel (c) Eva Turrell
Chills in the Chapel 2016 is an annual Halloween film night, where you get to watch a movie and attend a fancy dress party at the same time.
Clips of cult horror director Lucio Fulci’s films including, Saturday Night in the City of the Dead, will be accompanied by Fabio Frizzi, the composer for many of the films, who will oversee live orchestrations of his scores.
Money raised goes to the Union Chapel restoration and development fund.
More info: Saturday, October 29 – Book tickets for Saturday
The Soundtracks team are tackling the films of Tim Burton this Halloween, with a special The Nightmare at Sound Tracks event in Chalk Farm.
Expect the usual mix of fancy dress and cult film music to get the party started.
Here’s a list of the best independent cinemas in London, so you can check out what spooky screenings are happening across the Halloween weekend.
Freaky festivals
You don’t have to wait until October 31st for your frights, thanks to the London Horror Festival – who are putting on a three-week programme of events and shows in their new home, The Old Red Lion Theatre in Islington – starting on October 10.
More info: Book tickets
Luke Jermay at the London Horror Festival
Macabre museums
The Museums at Night series returns over the Halloween weekend, with a series of late night openings across scores of London museums – starting on Thursday, October 27
Barts Pathology Museum has lots of sinister things going on, including Delicious Decay: The Edible Body Farm – try skeleton shortbread and sherbet “cremains”.
Be a night rider
Scares and laughs (c)-The-Ghost-Bus-Tours
The London Ghost Bus Tour is a theatrical sightseeing tour onboard a classic 1960s Routemaster bus. Your Halloween hosts will show you the darker side of London as well as presenting a piece of comedy horror theatre to send shivers down the spine.
Starting around the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey before heading over to St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Tower of London, you’ll see the city’s sites of murder, torture and execution from your seat – as well as learning more about the ghosts of London.
We’ve also currently got a London Ghost Bus tour for two on offer.
Or how about a ghost walk
London has a variety of walking tours, from following in the footsteps of serial killer, Jack the Ripper, to learning more about haunted tube stations, pubs and houses.
Smithfield Watch Tower on Giltspur Street – part of the Sinister Smithfields tour
The Sinister Smithfield Halloween Family Friendly Walk sees stories of body snatchers and ghosts, as well as taking you on a tour of some of London’s execution sites. It’s best to book in advance with Guided Walks in London.
Try the Royal maritime Greenwich ghost walk tour, where you can find our more about this historic World Heritage Site and it’s hellship and spurned sailors.
Greenwich Ghost Tour (c) Lantern Ghost Tours
Lantern Ghost Tours have several options to give yourself a good scare this Halloween. They’ve got a Haunted London pub tour on Wednesday, October 26 – and for details on how to book these, including a special Jack the Ripper tour, see their spooky programme.
Visit a sinister stately home
Hampton Court Palace Ghost Tours.Haunted Gallery
If the idea of Family Ghost Tours doesn’t strike terror into your heart, then book on Monday, October 31 to go round
Their ghosts tend to have a regal flavour as well, and they’ll take you behind the scenes of Henry VIII famous royal residence.
The Tower of London is supposed to have several ghosts haunting its ramparts, including a bear, so be aware of its gruesome past while visiting the new Battle of Agincourt exhibition in the White Tower.
Kensington Palace eerie evening tours
Step into the shadows of a lamplight tour of Kensington Palace this Halloween, with death, disease and royal heartbreak on the spooky agenda. Find our how William III came a cropper on his horse or perhaps you might hear the sounds of Princess Sophia’s spinning wheel more than 200 years after she used it.
The tour is on October 31 – book your Eerie Evening tour.
Ham House claims to be one of the most haunted homes in Britain, so be prepared for a few scares on one of their nightly family ghost tours.
They also have plenty of half-term fun for the kids including a spooky garden trail and story time.
More details: Ham House website
You can also try your hand at pumpkin carving at Eltham Palace this Halloween.
Practise your running
Trick or Treat Run (c) Human Race
Being able to run really fast will definitely come in handy should a zombie apocalypse take place over the Halloween weekend.
So get in training now and show off your fleeing for your life skills by taking part in the Trick or Treat Run in Richmond Park .
This ghoulish course, organised aptly by the Human Race, has distances of 2k, 5k and 10k, and you can run by yourself or with your family and friends (it’s designed for runners of all abilities).
Fancy dress is positively encouraged and there will be plenty of spooky surprises along the route, so keep an eye out for skeletons as well as zombies.
More info: Sunday, October 30
Register here
See a spooky show
Many of London’s historic theatres, like the Theatre Royal Drury Lane and the Theatre Royal Haymarket, purport to have plenty of spectres and spooks from performances past still hanging around.
Therefore it is no surprise that the West End has plenty of spine-chillers to keep you entertained over the Halloween period.
Gothic horror, The Woman In Black, sees solicitor Arthur Kipps haunted by a ghostly figure – or is it all in his mind.
Phantom of the Opera has been a firm fixture of the theatre scene for the last 28 years, and this macabre musical is a dark tale of love and obsession.
While Michael Jackson’s video for Thriller became a worldwide session in 1983, thanks to its complex choreography and cutting-edge costumes and make-up, the stage version, Thriller Live, keeps this legacy going with a stunning performance of the hit track.
Finally the witches of Wicked, the exciting prequel to the Wizard of Oz, have plenty of potent songs brewing to make this a magical Halloween treat – they’re also celebrating their tenth birthday over Halloween.
Essential weekend links
Find more inspiration for things to do in London here – featuring up to the minute events
For all the latest news and travel information, visit the Transport for London website.
If you’re planning on spending more than a day in London, then we have plenty of London hotels for you to try. We can’t guarantee they’ll be haunted.
And finally, remember to check out the weather forecast.
The post Pumpkins, Parties And The Paranormal: Halloween Events In London 2016 appeared first on lastminute.com Blog.
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