HAUNTED HOUSES
• Auburntown Asylum: Commit yourself to shock treatment at Middle Tennessee's newest horror hospital, located about an hour southeast of Nashville (down a pretty autumn drive) in Auburntown. Admission $20 for the Asylum plus the "Yard Rage" maze. Open Fridays and Saturdays through Nov. 1; 776 E. Poplar Bluff Road, Auburntown, auburntownasylum.net
• Bloody Acres Haunted Woods: "Real woods — real terror!" beckons Gallatin's 14-acre forest of fear, which promises killer clowns and an old mineshaft. Admission $15. Oct. 24 through Nov. 1; 318 Big Station Camp Blvd., Gallatin, 974-8589, bloodyacres.webs.com
• Creepy Hollow Haunted Woods: A haunted barn and hayride, a "Merciless Maze," and "10 terrifying acres of haunted woods crawling with creatures of the night" deliver rural jolts some 30 miles from Nashville in Maury County. Admission $20, hayride $5. Fridays and Saturdays through Nov. 1; 2133 Joe Brown Road, Spring Hill, 931-486-3063, creepyhollowwoods.com
• Dead Land Haunted Woods: There are two roads you can go by on this torturous trail just south of Lebanon on Highway 231 — one route leads to Confederate chills ("The Curse"), while the other rips open the world of the dead ("The Portal")! Admission $15, $30 for both trails plus this year's new attraction "The Maze of Screams." Friday and Saturday through Nov. 1; 7040 Murfreesboro Road, Lebanon, deadlandwoods.com
• Death Row — Sanitarium of Slaughter: The dimly lit old prison facility does the heavy lifting at this long-running haunted attraction. Admission $13, cash only. Friday through Sunday through Nov. 1, also Oct. 29; 418 Harding Industrial Drive, 833-1433, deathrowhauntedhouse.net
• Death Yard Haunted Attraction: Hendersonville — a nice place to visit, a great place to confront three warehouses full of undead Nazi ghouls, cannibal clown butchers, ravenous post-apocalyptic uglies and sultry vampires waiting to drain your veins. Admission $13; Friday through Sunday through Oct. 31; 118 Midtown Court, Hendersonville, deathyardhaunt.com
• Devil's Dungeon: Now in its 15th year, East Nashville's 20,000-square-foot repository of evil threatens "more reality-based scenes of horror" and an upgrade of last year's 3D scenes. Come for the hellish torment, stay for the food trucks. Admission $15. Open Friday through Sunday through Nov. 1; 510 Davidson St., 256-0053, devilsdungeon.net
• Evilution Haunted Woods: Information is scarce on "the newest generation of haunted woods," located roughly halfway between Nashville and Clarksville 30 minutes up I-24. Dare we hope Evilution features intelligent design? Admission $14, with military and first-responder discounts. Open Friday and Saturday through Nov. 1; 7091 Highway 41-A, Pleasant View, evilutionhauntedwoods.com
• Ghouls at Grassmere: Kids need scaring too — one reason the Nashville Zoo's annual Halloween bash draws upwards of 20,000 people every year. Trick-or-treat at some 20 candy stations, gingerly navigate the new vortex optical-illusion field, ride the spooky carousel — and beware the hungry dinosaurs hidden along the hayride route. This is the last weekend, nightly through Oct. 26. Tickets are $15, $12 for members; Nashville Zoo at Grassmere, 377 Nolensville Road, 833-1534, nashvillezoo.org/ghouls-at-grassmere
• Hauntanel: Fontanel gets into the Halloween spirit — or more accurately, spirits get into Fontanel via the popular Hauntanel Family-Friendly Hayride and this year's "Side Show" walking haunt of freaks, ghouls and a fun house of horrors. Oct. 24-26. Admission to both hayride and Side Show $25 adults, $15 children; separate attractions $15 adults, $10 kids. 4225 Whites Creek Pike, 724-1600, hauntanel.com
• Millers Thrillers Haunted House: Wanna hear the most awesome innovation in haunted-house history? Three words: zombie paintball hayride! There's also a Haunted Woods, and for pacifists a cozy bonfire, a Zombie Drum Line and other attractions. Admission $15 Haunted Woods, $20 Zombie Paintball, $30 combo. Friday and Saturday through Nov. 1. 1431 Carters Creek Pike, Columbia, millersthrillers.net
• Monster Mountain: The Reign of Rufus, "Butcher of the Bayou," dominates this year's fest of free-range fright out I-65 to Millersville, about 20 minutes north of Nashville. Admission is $17; Friday through Saturday through Nov. 1; 273 McMurtry Road, Millersville, 569-FEAR, monstermountain.net
• Nashville Nightmare: A hellish homecoming at Horror High brings new meaning to "cutting class" at Madison's monster mash of mayhem, "ranked one of the top 31 haunted houses in the nation by Haunted Attraction magazine!" Admission $25 for Horror High plus the "Night Terrors" haunted house, $40 "slash pass" for line preference. Open weekends through Nov. 1; 1016 Madison Square, Madison, 752-5663, nashvillenightmare.com
• Scream Creek Haunted Woods: Every fall, Springfield's Honeysuckle Hill Farm converts part of its vast acreage into corn mazes, pumpkin patches and other Halloween attractions. At night, though, it's not for small children, as the hills have eyes — and this year, a zombie paintball apocalypse! Admission starts at $17.95, $25.95 for all on-site offerings, with bonfires available for $50. Fridays and Saturdays through Nov. 1; 1765 Martins Chapel Church Road, Springfield, 382-7593, screamcreek.com
• Slaughterhouse: The monster-makers behind the annual Full Moon Horror and Tattoo Convention (and a series of locally made splatter shockers) take terror live as the long-running downtown attraction moves to new (grave) digs in Hermitage. Admission $20 Fridays and Saturdays, $15 Sundays, $10 for kids 12 and under, with $5 discount for all military personnel. Oct. 24-26 and Oct. 29-Nov. 1; 3445 Lebanon Pike, Hermitage, fullmoonslaughterhouse.com
EVIL EVENTS
• Let the gorgeous ghouls of Music City Burlesque flash their pumpkins faster than you can jack o'lantern at their seventh annual Boolesque, presented by Fat Bottom Brewery Oct. 25 at Marathon Music Works. Tickets start at $15.
• Can children of the night do hair-whips? You bet they can-can at Live Dancing Girls' special Halloween pole-dance revue, a project of Alethea Austin's pole-dance studio The Chrome Bar. Admission $15 this Friday, Oct. 24, at Exit/In.
• No poles, but plenty of dance this weekend at Cheekwood, where the Cheekwood Harvest festivities will draw crowds wandering among the more than 5,000 chrysanthemums planted just for the season. This weekend's events include a visit from the Nashville Ballet performing Carnival of the Animals. Visit cheekwood.org for admission, hours and a full schedule.
• Rumor says the detached mummified thumb of a Tennessee historical figure will be on display at the Tennessee State Museum's Haunted Museum event. If so, you'll see it — and hear the tale behind it — at this ghost-story celebration full of free performances, stories, refreshments and ghastly sights. Noon-4 p.m. Oct. 25 at Tennessee State Museum, 505 Deaderick St.
• Or you can let historical figures tell you their own ghostly deeds at Grave Matters: The Stories Behind the Stones, 7 to 9 p.m. Oct. 25 in Franklin's Rest Haven and City Cemeteries. Tickets $15 for ages 14 and up, $5 for children 7-13, historicfranklin.com
• A chili cook-off, a mechanical bull and a spider-web mountain are among the many attractions at one of the area's most popular family Halloween events, the 31st annual Pumpkinfest, running 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Oct. 25 in historic downtown Franklin. No rioting is expected. historicfranklin.com/pumpkinfest
• Back by popular demand — the last edition drew more than 900 visitors — Flashlight Night lets the wary conduct their own eerie tour of Murfreesboro's Oaklands Historic House Museum after dark from 4 to 8 p.m. Halloween night. Free trick-or-treating for kids on the porch until the candy runs out. Admission $5. 900 N. Maney Ave., Murfreesboro. oaklandsmuseum.org
• The town of Adams, Tenn., at Halloween is like Punxsutawney, Pa., on Groundhog Day — except instead of a furry forecaster, it has a fearsome spellcaster: the legendary Bell Witch. Avoid mirrors, but seek out festivities such as tours of the Bell Witch Cave and Cabin, hayrides and concessions. Combined cave and cabin tours are $18 Oct. 24-26 and Halloween night; cash only after 4 p.m. 430 Keysburg Road, Adams, Tenn., 696-3055. bellwitchcave.com
• "Eat, drink and be scary!" enthuses the Salemtown Halloween Block Party, which shuts down the 1600 block of 5th Avenue North from 6 to 10 p.m. on Halloween for a night of live music, food, family activities, games and other enticements. Better still, admission is free.
• Drink among the damned 7 p.m. Halloween night at the costumed pub crawl Demons on Demonbreun Hill, which commandeers the nightlife strip on Demonbreun and adds a paintball zombie maze (running Oct. 27-Nov. 1) for kicks. A $30 pass gets you both pub and paintball (a scary combination, if you ask us); $12 for paintball only, $20 for the crawl. Return from the dead the next night for the Nightmare on Demonbreun Street, starting 8 p.m. Nov. 1. Participating bars include Tin Roof, South, Two Bits, Dan McGuinness and Dawg House.
• Looking for suds across the river? Get some foamy head at the 11th annual East Nashville Five Points Halloween Pub Crawl, which follows the Fireball Girls on a merry chase through some of the East Side's favorite watering holes. The 21-and-over event is free and runs 7 p.m. to midnight on Halloween.
• Goth meets go-go as Shannon Million and Burlesque of Broadway put the X in hex at Logue's Black Raven Emporium's third annual Witches' Ball, 9 p.m. Halloween night at 2915 Gallatin Road. Tickets are $10; call 562-4710 or check Logue's Facebook page to see if any are left.
• After all these zombie encounters, save a few shots for yourself at the Day of the Dead Tequila Festival 6 p.m. at The Pavilion East, 1006 Fatherland St., co-sponsored by the Scene. Tickets are $30, nashvilletequilafestival.com
FRIGHTENING FILMS
• The movie event you don't want to miss is The Belcourt's all-night 12 Hours of Terror. It starts 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25 with the neo-classic Shaun of the Dead; it ends half a day later after an onslaught of live music, live games, live ghouls, a live summons of evil spirits in the theater, and an absolutely relentless excursion into the farthest, goriest, most terrifying realms of cinematic extremity — including a secret advance screening of one of the best horror movies of recent years. Tickets $18, belcourt.org
• Also playing at The Belcourt: a restored 35mm print of Nicolas Roeg's hair-raising 1973 Daphne Du Maurier adaptation Don't Look Now (Oct. 26-27), with Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie; a spooky second installment of the well-received "Weeknight Rewind" VHS night (Oct. 28); and the annual midnight running of The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Oct. 31-Nov. 1).
• Organist Peter Krasinski takes over the console 8 p.m. Oct. 28 at the Schermerhorn for live accompaniment of the 1925 silent version of The Phantom of the Opera, featuring Lon Chaney in his immortal role. Tickets $17-$39, nashvillesymphony.org
• A DVD double feature of Dario Argento's delirious 1977 horror masterpiece Suspiria ... and Teen Witch? If anybody can pull off this "Witchy Wednesday" bill, it's East Nashville's Fond Object, 1313 McGavock Pike, which follows the pair with a Stag-O-Ween Dance Party in the Gypsy House. Doors open at 6 p.m.; call 499-4498 for more information, fondobjectrecords.com
• Finally, Nashville finally gets to see the new stand-alone space of Robert Slendorn's 75-seat grindhouse screening room Cult Fiction Underground at 1048 E. Trinity Lane. It's scheduled to open Halloween night with a showing of Dan O'Bannon's Return of the Living Dead and an evening of Bella Morte Burlesque. cultfictionunderground.com
MACABRE MUSIC
• DJs Coach and Matt Friction of the recurring '90s-centric Schwing dance parties at East Side haunt No. 308 offer up a Halloween-flavored edition, Schwing-oween, featuring horror movies, drink specials and more. Oct. 24 at 9 p.m.
• The folks behind East Nashville Underground open up their home on the 1600 block of Shelby Avenue for the second annual Pumpkin Ale Patch Party, a seasonal beer tasting and screening of Halloween, plus jams from locals rock 'n' rollers Twiggs, Justin Kalk Orchestra and Churchyard. (See Critic's Pick.) Oct. 24 at 6 p.m.
• Local songstress and devotee of all things macabre, Kim Logan, hosts her second annual House of Hoodoo Halloween Bash at Logue's Black Raven Emporium, featuring burlesque, a trunk show from Goodbuy Girls, "blood red beer" by Little Harpeth Brewing, music from Austin John, Dawna Zahn and The Jag and a cabaret set from Logan herself.
• This special "Spooktacular" edition of Mercy Lounge's 8 off 8th — curated by local punk label Infinity Cat Records — will feature established local rock 'n' rollers like party champs RI¢HIE and power-pop maestro Evan P. Donohue alongside radical up-and-comers like teen punks Jawws, Daddy Issues, Dogs of Oz and more. Oct. 27 at 9 p.m.
• Jack White protégé and former Black Belles frontwoman Olivia Jean celebrates the release of her debut solo record Bathtub Love Killings with an appropriately spooky Devil's Night show at White's Third Man Records. Oct. 30 at 7 p.m.
• You down wit' O.P.P. (Other People's Pumpkins)? Join Naughty by Nature with Ugly Kids Club, Trubz, The Captain Midnight Band, DJ Rage and more at Division Street's massive Midtown Monster Mash. The $25 cover gets you access to the outdoor stage and street party in the Soulshine Pizza district as well as five "haunted bars," promising six stages and 16 participating bars in all until 3 a.m. — along with prizes, costume contests, "1 super scary phone booth" and a ride-home program. Oct. 31 at 6 p.m.
• The Battle for the Bones event to benefit sarcoma awareness and research takes over the entire Mercy/High Watt/Cannery complex on Cannery Row with some of the biggest names in country music: Jake Owen, Gary Allan, Big & Rich, Gloriana and plenty more. Oct. 31 at 8 p.m.
• Break out the faux snakeskin and barbed-wire temporary tattoos for this trash fest: a three-band bill at The Basement featuring '80s hair-metal tribute act Hair to the Throne, Nashville's resident parody cock rockers LazerSnake and White Zombie cover band Welcome to Planet Motherfucker, naturally. Oct. 31 at 9 p.m.
• You probably won't find a more stacked bill at any Halloween party than the one slated to play Silver Point Studios' Monster Bash: Kyle Andrews, The Wans, Turf War, Sol Cat, Tesla Rossa, RI¢HIE, Chrome Pony, Blackfoot Gypsies, Concord America, Phantom Farmer, Kelly Ruth and lots more. Plus a haunted house, a tarot card reading and, of course, a costume contest.
• Known for their wildly successful Keep On Movin' Monday night dance parties, the folks at Electric Western's Monster Mash at The 5 Spot promise party games, costume-contest prizes and a slew of classic rock, soul, funk and blues hits to get all the party monsters mashing. Oct. 31 at 7 p.m.
• The recently reborn Sutler hosts a happenin' pair of soul artists — Charles "Wigg" Walker and Magnolia Sons — for the Sell Your Soul dance party and costume contest, with some pretty impressive prizes: two round-trip Southwest tickets, a five-course tasting dinner for four and a $75 gift card. Oct. 31 at 9 p.m.
• Featuring a costume contest, a photo booth and a batch of Music City's finest trad-country-informed up-and-comers — Cale Tyson, Johnny Appleseed, Pete Lindberg, Luke Bell and more — the Honky-Tonk Halloween hootenanny at Tin Dog Tavern (1401 Fourth Ave. S.) is the best option for real-deal country fans who'd rather not venture down to Lower Broad. Oct. 31 at 8 p.m.
• The 5 Spot's recurring LGBT-friendly soirée, Queer Dance Party, moves up the road to FooBar and FooBar Too for a Halloween installment where "costumes, queeraoke and dancing" will be highly encouraged. Oct. 31 at 9 p.m.
• The folks at art-and-artisan collective Fort Houston move around the corner to the warehouse space at 610 Merritt Ave. for a rock 'n' roll party featuring hardcore punks Slammers, psych rockers Ranch Ghost and garage punks Beef Oven, a photo booth and likely the punkest scene of the night. Oct. 31 at 7 p.m.
• Featuring bands like Too Fat for Love (covering Mötley Crüe), Appetite for Dysfunction (covering Guns N' Roses) and DJ Tyrannosaurus Copter, the 10th annual Springwater Zombie Prom (seriously, 10th!) will be the other punkest scene of the night. Oct. 31 at 9 p.m.
• West Virginia's wild, wonderful folk anti-hero Jesco "The Dancing Outlaw" White brings his potential train wreck of a live performance to The End, where he'll be joined by Matt Reno and others. Scary, all right. Oct. 31 at 9 p.m.
• The recently opened and least touristy hang on Lower Broad, Acme Feed and Seed, hosts what is likely the only four-story Halloween party going on downtown: the Acme Haunted House Party. On the first floor, radical instrumentalists Steelism; on the second floor, a social lounge; on the third floor, house band Music City Toppers; and on the roof, the Monster Mash Dance Party. Oct. 31 at 7 p.m.
• Rock 'n' rollers turned dance-party DJs Sparkle City return for a Halloween bash at The Stone Fox featuring "deadly disco hits" and a costume contest with a cash prize. And shots. Always shots. Oct. 31 at 9 p.m.
• Who needs to nurse your Halloween hangover when you can keep the party going with '90s cover outfit My So-Called Band at Mercy Lounge, not to mention live-band "Skaryoke" next door at The High Watt? Nov. 1 at 9 p.m.
TERRIFYING THEATER
• Nashville Rep's must-see production of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's Sweeney Todd has lost none of its edge (or its box-office potency) the second time around; it continues through Nov. 1 with Matthew Carlton as the barbarous barber and Martha Wilkinson as his cannibal-chef comrade in crime. Tickets $25-$75. Tuesdays through Saturdays through Nov. 1 at TPAC's Johnson Theater. nashvillerep.org
• There are no small parts in Olde Worlde Theatre Company's Halloween attraction FrankenStein (And Family), designed by founder Richard Stein for young audiences who love scary stories and monsters but don't want to shiver under the sheets at bedtime. Admission $8. Runs 10 a.m. Saturdays through Nov. 8 at The Belcourt, oldeworldetheatre.com
• "We're overfed and inbred/ Love gossip and our white bread," say the Piddles, a nightmare cross between the Addams Family and the Clampetts and the heroes of Mel O'Drama Theater's touring murder-mystery dinner show Piddle Me This, written by Lynda Drewry and directed by Becca Cummins. It's playing a number of venues across town, including Oct. 30 at Bella Napoli in Edgehill and Halloween night at Dave & Buster's in Opry Mills. See melodramatheater.org for show times, venues and more details.
Email arts@nashvillescene.com.
