Randy Shemanski and Eric Scicchitano
That most fun, must spine-chilling, most skin-tingling holiday of them all — Halloween — is back again. It comes around every 365 days or so, and unless you have your pumpkin panties in a bunch, you can’t help but like Oct. 31.
Fans of scary movies and scarier haunted attractions are always giddy with excitement every year, and probably will be for years to come as long as there’s a new Saw movie in theaters. And for all males out there, every Halloween costume created for the female gender has the word “sexy” in front of it — sexy devil, sexy cop, sexy nurse, sexy Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru attendant. OK, so we made that last one up, but we’d like to think there’s more than one way to get sugar with your coffee.
Anyway, we digress. So here’s a look at some Halloween-related events around the 570 this weekend. Dress up, scare your friends and have a good time. Oh, and you can thank us later.
Haunted Hayride & Shockwalk, Dracula’s Forest
What’s Halloween without a trip to a haunted attraction, especially one that scares the crap out of adults, yet is appropriate for the little ones in the family, too?
Dracula’s Forest in Ransom Township just outside Clarks Summit does both well, with the hayride and shockwalk for the older set and the Little Screamers “not so scary” hayride each Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m. for the kiddies.
The Haunted Hayride is just that, so we don’t feel the need to explain that you get into a wagon behind a tractor and get the crap scared out of you. It costs $15 for those 11 and older, and $5 for ages 10 and under. The hayride is open Thursday through Sunday — yes, they’re open Nov. 1 — at 6:30 p.m. and closes at 10 on Thursday and Sunday, and a half hour later on Friday and Saturday.
The Shockwalk is an indoor attraction that consists of four tractor trailers side by side to form a maze of 12 rooms full of frightening experiences. Cost is $7 and the Shockwalk is open during the same hours as the Haunted Hayride.
For more information, visit www.draculasforest.com.
Halloween Costume Ball, Afa Gallery
Dressing up is possibly the most popular way to celebrate Halloween for adults, besides snagging a Reese’s Cup out of your child’s/brother’s/sister’s trick-or-treat bag. The Afa Gallery at 514 Lackawanna Ave. in Scranton is hosting a costume ball from 8 p.m. to midnight. Suggested donation for admission is $10.
The evening will include hors d’oeuvres, dancing and music by DJ PartsNTafts. So come up with your best costume idea (hint: dressing up as Michael Jackson is not an original idea; dressing up as Jackson Pollock is) and head over to Afa for a fun night. Reservations are requested, so call 969-1040.
Anglofunk’s Halloween Party, BAR
You’ll have more than enough alternatives for club hopping Saturday night in Luzerne County, between nightlife goliaths like The Woodlands and Hardware Bar, each of which are holding costume contests, and corner bars putting their own spin on All Hallows’ Eve. One alternative is the monthly Anglofunk party.
Billed as a “night of mayhem,” this month’s Anglofunk features lazers, fog and booze — a trio like no other. DJs Ramses, Dave Sniff, Evil Bee and Rhi the Red are featured, with prizes for best costumes donated by Allure, Panache and A Psychic Unicorn. The event begins at 10 p.m. at BAR, 279 S. River St., Plains. Since Halloween also marks the end of Daylight Savings Time, here’s guessing BAR will give you that extra hour to dance and drink to your heart’s content.
Rock Legends Halloween Show, Eleanor Rigby’s
A smattering of local musicians will descend on the club on Business Route 6 in Jermyn, masquerading as their favorite rock stars on Halloween for a show starting at 6 p.m. Performers will include Dirty Rotten Liars as Smashing Pumpkins, Family Animals as The Talking Heads and Easy Tiger as Bjork, as well as a group of local all-stars as The Beatles. DJ MC will also spin tunes from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m., keeping the party going into the wee morning hours.
Admission is $8 for anyone under 21 and $3 for those 21 and over. Wear a costume and receive $1 off admission. Prizes will be awarded for best costume and sexiest costume (Dunkin’ Donuts coffee sold separately).
Night of the Living Dead, Phoenix Performing Arts Centre
There can’t be a more appropriate theater production for Halloween weekend that Shiny Little Things Productions take on the 1968 George Romero horror classic, Night of the Living Dead. As the undead prowl about for a bite or three of human flesh, a group of people seek shelter in an abandoned house in the woods. Set in 1968, the characters were the inspiration for Michael Jackson’s zombie PSA, Thriller (not really), which teaches everyone to find a better hideout than an abandoned house when being stalked by zombies.
Under the direction of John Schugard, Night of the Living Dead will be performed 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Phoenix Performing Arts Centre, Main Street, Duryea. All tickets are $12. Reservations are strongly recommended. Call 457-3589 for more information. Tickets for Saturday’s “Party with the Zombies” performance are $20 and include a costume BYOB reception with the actors, a tarot reader and DJ after the show. Food and special drinks are included.
Panked!, The Bog
If you’ve ever attended a Panked! dance party, you know how crazy fun they can be. Add Halloween and you’ve got a definite winning combination.
Dr. Pankenstein’s Booty Banquet Dance Party will start at 9 p.m. on Halloween and features music by DJs Conor McGuigan and Brian Langan, so come on out, be ready to shake your booty — costumes that include stripper poles are always welcome — and be ready to celebrate in style. Admission is $5.
Altered Nightmares, Weissport
There’s a pretty good chance you’ve been to the local haunts this month, be it haunted houses, trails or woods. If you haven’t, there are plenty of spots in the area to hit up; check our calendar of events for suggestions.
But if you have been to the local spots, perhaps a trip out-of-town for a fright would be good, and judging by the looks of its Web site, Altered Nightmares in Weissport, just outside Lehighton and near Jim Thorpe, is one of the best haunted options going. Their Web commercial alone is enough to make you cringe before making you want to take the ride to the century-old fear factory complete with elaborate set design — 22 staged rooms, 1,000 feet of twisted halls and a “Human Cage of Terror” to boot — gruesome makeup and costumes and live action performances. Visit www.alterednightmares.com for directions and more information.