Can’t-Miss Haunted Happenings

Photo by Esther Ro (COM’15)

This year, Americans are expected to spend a whopping $7.4 billion on Halloween: candy, costumes, and decorations. Confectionary sales alone are expected to top $2.5 billion dollars. The only thing sweeter than all that candy is our list of frightfully fun (and mostly free) haunted happenings taking place on and off campus this weekend. We’ve curated the best creepy and crawly ways to celebrate—everything from spooctacular lectures to macabre festivities. Know of more ways to ring in All Hallows’ Eve? Tell us in the Comment section below.

Thursday, October 30

College Night: MFA after Dark

Ever wonder what lurks in the shadows of the Museum of Fine Arts after dark? Here’s your chance to find out. The Museum of Fine Arts hosts its annual College Night for students from surrounding area schools. The event is free with a valid BU ID. A guided tour of the museum’s most haunting pieces will usher you past eerie displays of ancient Egyptian mummies, the museum’s current exhibit, Goya: Order and Disorder (which includes plenty of unsettling paintings), and more. Attendees will also enjoy complimentary gelato, a Halloween themed photo booth, and live music by Berklee folk-rock band Grey Season. Guests are invited to dress in costume; the museum suggests coming as your favorite artist, painting, or sculpture. That way, “you’ll blend right in!”

College Night: MFA after Dark takes place from 7 to 9:45 p.m. Admission is free with your BU ID. The Museum of Fine Arts is at 465 Huntington Ave. By public transportation, take any inbound Green Line trolley to Arlington Station. From there, switch to a Green Line outbound E trolley and take it five stops to the MFA. You can also take a Green Line trolley to Copley Square and switch there to a #39 bus and take that to the MFA stop.

Edgar Allan Poe Bronze Bust Unveiling

Call it the Year of Edgar Allan Poe. One of the country’s most celebrated mystery writers (The Cask of Amontillado, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Purloined Letter) and the inventor of detective fiction, the native Bostonian is being celebrated all over town this fall. First was the unveiling earlier this month of a life-size statue on the corner of Boylston and Charles Streets. Tonight, you can pay further homage to the writer at the Boston Public Library when sculptor Bryan Moore unveils his bronze bust of Poe, a project funded by contributions from more than 200 donors, including Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin and director Guillermo del Toro. Guests are invited to join Moore and Boston College English Professor Paul Lewis before the unveiling for a discussion of the author’s life and works.

The Edgar Allan Poe Bronze Bust Unveiling takes place in the Abbey Room at the Boston Public Library in Copley Square from 6 to 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. By public transportation, take any inbound Green Line trolley to Copley Square.

Chocolate Tasting and Talk, Trident Booksellers

Halloween is synonymous with chocolate, and tonight you can join author and chocolate educator Eagranie Yuh for a crash course on professional chocolate tasting. Guests will learn five steps to tasting chocolate. Somerville’s TAZA Chocolate will provide plenty of samples. Think you’ve got what it takes to join the ranks of chocolate connoisseurs? Find out tonight. Attendees will have the chance to purchase a signed copy of Yuh’s book, The Chocolate Tasting Kit, to further refine their palettes.

The hour-long free event begins at 7 p.m. at Trident Booksellers and Cafe, 338 Newbury St. By public transportation, take any Green Line trolley to Hynes Convention Center.

Theories of International Politics and Zombies, Porter Square Books

Should the dead rise from their graves and descend upon the living, how would government institutions respond? Daniel Drezner, international politics professor at Tufts University, devotes an entire book, Theories of International Politics and Zombies, to the question. Drezner will lead a short discussion about his work, which applies established geopolitical theories in the context of a hypothetical zombie apocalypse, and will answer any zombie-related questions. It’s an event worth checking out (you know, just in case).

This free event begins at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, Porter Square Shopping Center, Cambridge. By public transportation, take any inbound Green Line trolley to Park Street, transfer to the Red Line outbound toward Alewife, and get off at Porter Square.

2014 Internet Cat Video Film Festival

Feline fanatics rejoice! This live event features some of the internet’s most popular cat videos, carefully curated for what promises to be a purrrr-fectly fabulous evening. You’ll see your favorite whiskered stars—Grumpy Cat, Maru, Lil Bub, and many more—on the big screen. The 70-minute montage of short films, Vine videos, and YouTube classics, is being billed as “the first offline celebration of online cat videos.”

The Internet Cat Video Film Festival will have two showings, at 6:30 and again at 9 p.m. at the Berklee Performance Center, 136 Massachusetts Ave., Boston. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased online. By public transportation, take any Green Line trolley to Hynes Convention Center.

Trick or Treating and Movie Night at Fenway Park

Red Sox fans may have been spooked by the team’s frightful season, but horrors of another kind await them tonight at Fenway Park. For the second year in a row, the ballpark is opening its gates for a free movie night. This year’s film, which will be screened on the main video board in centerfield, is Ghostbusters, starring Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, and Sigourney Weaver. The classic comedy is celebrating its 30th anniversary. There will be a free community event beforehand featuring trick or treating around the warming track.

Trick or Treating at Fenway Park is from 3 to 6 p.m. Gates open at 6 p.m. for the film, which begins at 7:15 p.m., rain or shine. The event is free and open to the public, but spots must be claimed online prior to the event. Claim tickets here.

Friday, October 31

10th Annual Pumpkin Drop

The world’s largest known pumpkin tipped the scales at over 2,032 pounds. While the squashes at this year’s Annual Pumpkin Drop, sponsored by BU’s physics department, won’t be anywhere near that size, they promise to offer collisions of giant proportions as students from the physics department propel pudding-and-paint-filled pumpkins off the roof of the Metcalf Science Center. Now in its 1oth year, the event includes costume, pumpkin carving, and weight-guessing contests (and prizes for the winners), and free food to boot. Stop by and you’ll see why the Pumpkin Drop has become a beloved yearly event at BU.

The Annual Pumpkin Drop begins at 12:30 p.m. in front of the Metcalf Science Center, 590 Commonwealth Ave. Costume and pumpkin-decorating contestants must enter the competitions by 12:15 p.m.

Spooky Halloween Game Night

Head to the GSU Link and see if you have what it takes to survive Spooky Halloween Game Night (okay, it’s actually taking place during daylight hours). Discover the secrets of an ancient cult in Silent Hill, continue the frights with P.T. (a playable teaser for the next installment of Silent Hill), and battle the supernatural in Fatal Frame. Those brave enough to play past sunset can do so in CAS Room 211.

Game night runs from 3:30 to 6 p.m. in the George Sherman Union Link, 775 Commonwealth Ave., and continues later in Room 211 of the College of Arts & Sciences, 725 Commonwealth Ave.

Dracula screening at Coolidge Corner Theatre

What’s Halloween without a scary movie? Not much, so the Coolidge Corner Theatre is screening the 1931 Hollywood horror masterpiece, Dracula. Hear Bela Lugosi say, “I am Dracula,” and feel your skin crawl and your Halloween spine tingle. The Coolidge will screen the classic film tonight and tomorrow. Dracula made a star of Lugosi, but he died impoverished and a drug addict. It is said that he was buried in his Dracula cape.

Dracula screens at 11:59 p.m. at the Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St., Brookline, tonight and again tomorrow, Saturday, November 1, at 11:59 p.m. Tickets are $10.25 and can be ordered online or purchased at the box office. By public transportation, take a Green Line C trolley to Coolidge Corner.

Astronomy after Hours

Looking for a cosmic escape from all those trick or treaters? Head on over to the Museum of Science in Cambridge for Astronomy after Hours, held weekly at the Gilliland Observatory, which sits atop the roof of the museum’s parking garage. You’ll have a chance to view planets, stars, the moon, and other astronomical phenomena on this free celestial tour.

Astronomy after Hours is held from 8:30 to 10 p.m. each Friday, weather permitting, at the Museum of Science, One Science Park, through November 21. Call the museum at 617-589-0267 after 5:50 p.m. to find out if the event is taking place. By public transportation, take any MBTA Green Line inbound trolley to Park Street, transfer to a Green Line E trolley outbound, and get off at Science Park. The museum is across the street from the station.

Bowlloween Boston, Jillian’s Lucky Strike Boston

Boo-gie down at this monster mash, hosted by Boston’s only bowling alley-restaurant-lounge, Jillian’s Lucky Strike. With drink specials, DJs, and dancing continuing well past midnight, it’s guaranteed to be a bewitching good time for the 21+ crowd. Guests are encouraged to dress in costume.

Jillian’s Lucky Strike Boston is at 145 Ipswich St., Boston. Tickets, $15 each, can be purchased online here. The devilry begins at 9 p.m. and continues until 2 a.m. The event is 21+ only. By public transportation, take a Green Line trolley to Kenmore Square. From there, walk up Brookline Avenue and make a left on Ipswich Street.

Salem Haunted Happenings

Each October, thousands of people travel to Salem, Mass., for Halloween thrills and chills. The city—made famous in part by 17th-century witchcraft trials—welcomes guests to Salem Haunted Happenings, a monthlong series of attractions and events that include walking tours of the historic city, a reenactment of a witchcraft trial, and a 3-D film depicting the real story behind the trials. The celebration includes the Haunted Happenings Carnival, which features ghoulish games, spine-chilling rides, ghost tours, and haunted houses. A hair-raising Halloween Finale Fireworks show over the North River caps off the evening.

On Halloween, the Haunted Happenings Carnival operates on Derby Street from noon to 10 p.m. The Halloween Fireworks Finale is from 10 to 10:30 p.m., best viewed from Washington Street at Bridge Street. A complete guide to all events includes a map of Salem.

Saturday, November 1

BU Men’s Hockey vs. Providence

Show off your scarlet spirit as the undefeated men’s hockey team hosts the Providence Friars in their fifth home game of the season.

The Terriers take on the Providence College Friars at 7 p.m. at Agganis Arena, 925 Commonwealth Ave. Tickets are free for students with a BU Sports Pass, $10 to $25 for faculty, staff, and students without a Sports Pass, and $22 for the general public. Tickets can be purchased online or at the Agganis Arena box office.

Dia de Los Muertos Celebration at Taza Chocolate

For the fourth year in a row, Somerville’s Taza Chocolate is hosting its free Day of the Dead block party. With free chocolate, DJs, live music by Mariachi Veritas de Harvard, face painting, the Danger Booth, and a host of food trucks, the event is a great way to continue the celebrating the holiday. Guests are encouraged to wear costumes for a chance to win a Taza prize pack.

Taza Chocolate’s Dia de Los Muertos celebration takes place from 1 to 6 p.m. Taza Chocolate Factory is at 561 Windsor St., Somerville. By public transportation, take a Green Line trolley to Park Street, transfer to an outbound Red Line train, and get off at Central Square. From there, the factory is a 20-minute walk.

Sunday, November 2

The Maccabeats at Morse Auditorium

Arguably the country’s most prominent Jewish a cappella group, the Maccabeats bring their harmonious melodies to campus in a live performance at Morse Auditorium. You’ll want to get your tickets fast. With over 20 million YouTube hits, the group is sure to sell out this concert. Preceding the event, guests are asked to take part in a bone marrow drive hosted by The Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation.

The Maccabeats concert begins at 5:30 p.m. and runs until 8:30 p.m. at Morse Auditorium, 602 Commonwealth Ave. Tickets are $8 for students in advance, $10 for adults and students at the door, $5 for children, and $25 for a family of four. Tickets can be purchased online here. The bone marrow drive begins at 5:15 p.m.

Bells and Bones Tour of King’s Chapel

Take an eerie, guided tour of the crypt that lies beneath Boston’s historic King’s Chapel, the eternal resting place of more than 100 people. Visitors can also climb to the steeple to see the Paul Revere Bell, the largest (weighing 2,437 pounds) and last bell made by the Revolutionary War icon and famed silversmith prior to his death.

Tours of King’s Chapel are given by request, every hour on the hour, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 1:30 to 5 p.m. on Sundays. Special nighttime Halloween tours run from 4 to 7 p.m. and can be arranged 72 hours in advance by calling 617-523-1749. The guided program is subject to close at any time; call 617-523-1749 to ensure that the church is open. Admission is $5 to tour either the crypt or the bell tower, $8 for both. King’s Chapel is at 58 Tremont St., Boston. By public transportation, take any inbound Green Line trolley to Park Street.

Paula Sokolska can be reached at ps5642@bu.edu.