It’s a Scream! 2007
In October, the ghost and goblin buildup can get so intense that it’s hard not to jump with every dry leaf snap. Savor the shivers with a collection of the mysterious and otherworldly goings-on around the country.
words by > Catherine Arnold
Salem
True Halloween fans will already know that Salem, 15 miles north of Boston, celebrates this mystical month like no other. The fearsome fun kicks off on October 4 with a Haunted Happenings Grand Parade starting at Shetland Park.
Throughout the month, you can climb aboard one of Salem’s historical fleet of trolleys for a guided tour, including stops at Danvers, where the witchcraft hysteria originally erupted. The truly fearless will also stop off at The House of the Seven Gables (www.7gables.org)—the focus of the town’s eerie events—built in 1668 and the inspiration behind Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel of the same name. There you can catch performances of the Legacy of the Hanging Judge, a play depicting scenes from the infamous Salem witch trials of 1692. Of course, no trip to Salem would be complete without a visit to the nerve-jangling witch museum (www.salemwitchmuseum.com), which presents the history of witchcraft through the ages.
Savannah
Ghost-tour devotees, consider the historic homes and 21 public squares of Savannah—a city that dates back to 1733. The lighthearted Haunted History Tour is a 90-minute walk through Colonial times led by costumed guides, starting at the Colonial Park Cemetery. Cobblestone Tours, $10. (912-604-3007) www.ghostsavannah.com
San Francisco
The San Francisco Ghost Society founder Tommy Netzband leads tours of his Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, focusing on paranormal cases he’s worked on. The walks also offer the chance to learn about parapsychology and ghost hunting. The last stop is a haunted pub where Netzband assures visitors “the spirits are friendly.” Tours on Halloween weekend will include prize giveaways such as Ouija boards. Netzband’s tours aren’t recommended for children under 13. Haunted Haight Walking Tour, $20. (800-838-3006) www.hauntedhaight.com
Baltimore
The waterfront Baltimore neighborhood of Fell’s Point hosts Ghost Tours every Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons. Ghost tales told on the kid-friendly tours include one about retired sea captain Doc, who in life frequented a bar called Duda’s and always played one particular song on the jukebox. After his death in 1980, the bar management removed the polka song—but a few days later it blared out from the jukebox, despite its absence from the list of available tunes. Also on the tour is a visit to a bar called the Horse You Came In On that dates back to the 1700s. It supposedly has a ghost named Edgar, who may or may not be master of suspense Edgar Allan Poe.
On October 27, Fell’s Point also hosts the Haunted Harbor Cruise, an hour-and-a-half-long sail around Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, complete with spooky stories about surrounding neighborhoods and the soldier who still keeps watch over Fort McHenry.
Fell’s Point Ghost Tours, $13.
Haunted Harbor Cruise, $32.
Denver
Find out whether the ghost of “Unsinkable” Molly Brown, of Titanic fame, still roams the hallways of an 1886 Victorian house in Denver’s historic Capitol Hill neighborhood. Brown, the gold-mining millionaire played by Kathy Bates in the 1997 film Titanic, lived in the house with her husband J.J. On October 27, experience Halloween Full Tea. Come dressed in Victorian costume, and enjoy cream tea and Victorian-style Halloween treats.
Alternatively, the Victorian Horrors tours feature period authors such as Edgar Allan Poe and H.G. Wells appearing to tell stories “in person” in the candlelit halls of the Molly Brown House. Halloween Full Tea, October 27, $19. Victorian Horrors tour, October 19, 20, 26 and 27, $16. The Molly Brown House Museum (1340 Pennsylvania St, 303-832-4092) www.mollybrown.org
The Best of the Rest Halloween Events
October 12-21 Los Angeles
If a good, exhilarating fright is your idea of a perfect Halloween, the Screamfest LA 2007 Horror Film Festival may provide the anticipated goose bumps, with a lineup of scary films new and old. (Grauman’s Chinese Mann Theater, Hollywood, LA) www.screamfestla.com
October 31 New York
If you hanker to see paper jack-o’-lanterns or fat-winged airplane puppets dance the streets of Greenwich Village, New York’s Village Halloween Parade is the place for you. Every year, artists construct giant puppets for the parade in their workshops. The theme for the 2007 parade is “Wings of Desire,” which evokes mankind’s evolving journey into the skies. (Sixth Ave between Spring and 21 streets) www.halloween-nyc.com
October 31 Chicago
In Chicago, expect flamboyant, boisterous costumes and great pet get-ups at the North Halsted Street Halloween Parade in Boystown. A post-parade costume contest and entertainment are at Halsted and Roscoe Streets. (www.northalsted.com, 773-883-0500)
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