Oh, lovelies. It’s time again to figure out if you want to trick or treat this Halloween. As you ponder the possibilities, we’ve come up with some suggestions of ways to ring in the most costumed holiday of the calendar. This is not comprehensive, but are rather our picks from what’s going down in New York City. There are some pre-game festivities and then a few for Halloween proper. We tend to look for budget-friendly events, although if something is worth the big bucks, we’ve included it. Happy haunting!

HALLOWEEN 2019 PRE-GAME ACTIVITIES

PERFORMANCE: Hitchcock Halloween Party
A celebration of Hollywood’s master of suspense featuring live performances, dancing, deviance, and an open bar. Guests are required to dress in costumes inspired by Hitchcock. Think Norman Bates, Mrs. Danvers, and Jeff Jeffries.
at The McKittrick Hotel, 530 West 27th Street, New York, NY 10001
Friday, October 25, Saturday, October 26 & Thursday, October 31
TICKETS: $120 & up

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PARTY: JunXion Party at the X Roads
JunXion always does Halloween right. They have thrown some epic Halloween shindigs at the Paper Factory in years past. For 2019 the portal to the X Roads opens at 4am on Saturday, October 26 and closes sometime on Sunday. To get in on the debauchery email: info@junxion.nyc.

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FILM: RetroActive – A Disreputable Cinema Halloween
This horror-themed film series features five movies from the 1980s that share the theme of resurrection. With most screening in 35mm, the films include Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II, Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, Re-Animator, Night of the Creeps and Day of the Dead.
Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35 Ave, Astoria, NY 11106
October 26-31, 2019
TICKETS: $15/screening or $40 for the series

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PARTY: Tiki Disco Halloween
Get your groove on at this special Halloween edition of one of Brooklyn’s hottest roving dance parties.
at Good Room, 98 Meserole Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11206
Saturday, October 26, 10pm-4:30am
TICKETS: $15 & up(some tix available at the door)

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PERFORMANCE: Found & Sister Sylvester’s “Doll DNA”
Looking for something unusual this Halloween? This performance event might do the trick. It invites audience members to drink genetically modified cocktails infused with DNA swabbed from dolls currently featured in Mikel Glass’s Found. Found is an immersive art installation which is located across four floors of a townhouse. Guests can explore the installation as well as see human-jellyfish bacteria perform on a petri-dish stage.
Saturday, October 26 & Thursday, October 31 at 9pm
TICKETS: $15

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FILM: ​FEARnyc
Returning for its fourth year, FEARnyc has the honor of being New York City’s biggest horror film festival. The 2019 edition has a real/surreal theme and features more than 60 films and events over the course of eight days. Among the highlights are a shorts program featuring films by David Lynch and Luis Buñuel, Fritz Lang’s classic noir thriller M, and an immersive theatrical experience celebrating Vincent Price’s The Tingler.
at Film Noir Cinema, 122 Meserole Avenue, Brooklyn, NY
Through October 31
TICKETS: $15/screening

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PARTY: Rubulad Presents The Island of Doctor Moreau!
Underground art party impresarios are throwing a pre-Halloween shindig with live music by Funkrust Brass Band, Art Gray Noizz Quintet, Hard Nips, and The YeahTones. Plus, there will be pukey projections, art, drawing and more. Come in costume.
at Rubulad, email: rubulad@outlook.com for address
Saturday, October 26 at 8:30pm
TICKETS: $15 in advance, $20 at the door

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PARTY: Dances of Vice Presents Mask of the Red Death Halloween Ball
Prince Prospero is master of ceremonies at this party that is billed as a single night of exquisite phantasy where flesh will be hooked, suspended, and tied into tangled webs for your delight. Privileged guests will have access to the party’s dungeon. Masks are mandatory until midnight.
at Capitale, 130 Bowery, New York, NY
Saturday, October 26 at 10pm
TICKETS: $59 & up

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ART: Horror, Contemporary Art and Film with Art21
Contemporary art, film and horror combine at this event hosted by Art21 and NeueHouse. The evening includes a screening of short films followed by a conversation with art historian and horror film expert Chad Laird and artist Dan Herschlein, who is the subject of a recent Art21 New York Close Up film.
at NeueHouse Madison Square, 110 East 25th Street, New York, NY 10010
Monday, October 28, Doors at 6:30pm
Free w/RSVP

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FOOD: The Wild Honey Pie Presents A Costume Dinner Party with Oberhofer
Join the Wild Honey Pie for a pre-Halloween three-course meal with drinks and a performance by Oberhofer.
at Esme, 999 Manhattan Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11222
Monday, October 28, 7pm
TICKETS: $50

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Film Series: The Most Scared I’ve Ever Been
This three-night film series serves up scares and special guests. The opening night is a screening of Sam Raimi’s 1981 supernatural horror film The Evil Dead followed by a conversation with Jim Jarmusch. For night two, Slave Play playwright Jeremy O. Harris presents a screening of Kasi Lemmons’s Eve Bayou (1997). The series goes out with a bang on Halloween. Actor couple Zazie Beetz (Atlanta) and David Rysdahl have selected Babak Anvari’s Under the Shadow (2016) to screen. After the film, Little Cinema DJs an audio-visual set.
at Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, New York 11238-6052
Tuesday, October 29-Thursday, October 31, at 7pm
TICKETS: $16

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Alexandre Singh, A Gentle Horror. Installation view, 2019. Metro Pictures, New York.

ART: Alexandre Singh: A Gentle Horror
For his show at Metro Pictures Alexandre Singh transforms the gallery into an abandoned cinema from an imagined dystopic future. Playing in the theater is Singh’s debut short film, The Appointment, a darkly comic thriller of doubling and mistaken identity. The film runs 19 minutes with screenings every 20 minutes starting at 10am.
at Metro Pictures, 519 West 24th Street, New York, NY 10011
On view through November 9, 2019
Free

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HALLOWEEN EVENTS (October 31, 2019)

FILM: Bar Laika presents: Ryan Trecartin, A Family Finds Entertainment
Spend Halloween watching Ryan Trecartin’s campy celebration of queerness. The film chronicles the story of mixed up teenager Skippy and his adventures in “coming out.”
Bar Laika, 224 Greene Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11238
9pm
Free

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MUSIC: New York Night Train’s 14th Annual Haunted Hop Halloween Spooktacular with Make-Up, Quintron & Miss Pussycat, Protex & More
Jonathan Toubin’s annual Halloween bash is back at Knockdown Center with three stages going. The main stage features a headlining performance by legendary gospel post-punk band The Make-Up. The Room Full of Mirrors finds local bands impersonating bands such as T-Rex, The Stooges and the Sex Pistols. And, Cobweb Cabaret plays host to puppet shows, readings and other fun performance-type stuff. Best to come in costume because at 1am there’s a contest and one winner will walk off with $500.
at Knockdown Center, 52-19 Flushing Ave, Queens, New York 11378
Doors at 7pm
TICKETS: $25 in advance/$30 day of show

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FILM: Carrie (1976)
Brian De Palma’s chilling adaptation of Stephen King’s debut novel screens at Metrograph this Halloween. The teen revenge thriller features Sissy Spacek in the title role with a supporting cast of John Travolta, Piper Laurie and Amy Irving.
at Metrograph, 7 Ludlow Street, New York NY 10002
2:45pm, 9:15pm and 11:30pm
TICKETS: $15

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MUSIC: The Year of the Diamond Dogs
This raucous Halloween affair pays tribute to four glam-rock icons: Bowie, Roxy Music, Alice Cooper and Iggy Pop. The evening culminates with Michael T and the Vanities playing a Diamond Dogs revue to commemorate the album’s 45th anniversary. Plus, there will be DJ sets by Twig the Wonderkid & Kool Thing Hayden Brereton. Michael T’s parties are notorious.
at Arlene’s Grocery, 95 Stanton St., New York, New York 10002
8pm
TICKETS: $25 for two/$15 for one

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FILM: John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978)
Nitehawk Prospect Park celebrates all hallow’s eve with a screening of a newly restored and remastered digital print of John Carpenter’s classic. The film finds masked insane asylum-escapee Michael Myers terrorizing young babysitters.
at Nitehawk Prospect Park, 188 Prospect Park West Brooklyn, NY 11215
7:45pm
TICKETS: $15

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PARTY: Susanne Barstch presents BOOM! Halloween w/ Maurice Fulton
House music maestro Maurice Fulton djs this Halloween soiree with an amazing view. New York nightlife icon Susanne Barstch hosts.
at Le Bain at The Standard, High Line, 444 W 13th street, New York, New York 10014
10pm
Free w/RSVP (arrive early for entry, RSVP does not guarantee admission)

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PARTY: Noisey Nights Halloween Party
Presented by The Bosco & Midnight Commercial, this Noisey Nights Halloween extravaganza features live sets by Ho99o9 and Anika and DJ sets by Yellowtech and Marco Weibel (from Darker Than Wax).
at Villain, 307 Kent Ave in Brooklyn, NY
8pm
Free w/RSVP

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FILM + PARTY: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari Live Score & Party
National Sawdust and Caravan Gitane are teaming up to present a “classic” Halloween soiree. The evening begins with a screening a 4K restoration of the visually stunning 1920 silent horror film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari accompanied by a live score. After the film a party ensues with a live concert by VANDANA, a performance by Coen Aerst, a mystery guest DJ and visuals inspired by the film.
at National Sawdust, 80 North 6th, Brooklyn, NY 11249
8pm screening, 10pm party
$25 in advance/$30 day of

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PARTY: Halloween at the Whitney
Have you been thinking about joining the Whitney? Their Halloween festivities might be the thing to push you over the edge. If you purchase two tickets to their surreal pop circus-themed Halloween bash, you’ll get a one year individual membership. The after-hours affair includes dancing, art making, after-hours gallery access, performances by House of Yes, and a cash bar. Artful costumes are encouraged.
at Whitney Museum of American Art, 99 Gansevoort Street, New York, NY 10014
7:30pm-10pm
TICKETS: $45

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PARTY: I Remember Halloween with Becka Diamond
New kid on the Williamsburg block, JJ’s Hideway, is teaming up with Nothing Changes this Halloween for a misfits dance party with Becka Diamond as the evening’s selector. While the music at this party might tend towards the dark, the bar’s light-up dance floor and old-school drinks pair well with people dressed as Tony Manero, the Bee Gees or ABBA. Bonus, if you wear corpse paint to the party, you’ll score a free spooky shot.
at JJ’s Hideaway, 97 North 10th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11249
10pm-4am
Free

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PARTY: Fleetmac Wood Presents: Sea of Love
Spend Halloween swaying to Fleetwood Mac remixes and edits at this sea-themed party. Dress to the martime, think aquatic elegance or submerged splendor. The party is billed as being plastic-free, not sure if that includes costumes. Proceeds go to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
at (Le) Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker Street, New York, NY 10012
9pm doors
TICKETS: $15/$22/$26