Cross-promotion alert!
October is my favorite month of the year for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is Halloween.
As you may know, I’m sort of big into the haunted and ghost-type stuff, among other thins, so this is my busiest month. As a matter of fact, I’ve spent the last week or so working on Damned Connecticut’s monster-sized list of Halloween events. I suggest you check them all out, but here are
FIVE COOL CONNECTICUT HALLOWEEN EVENTS
(copied and pasted, of course)
1. Doomsday Fair (This is the inaugural year, but this sounds like it should be a terrific event, run by a Renaissance fair group and with lots of zombies!)
October 27 & 28
Riverfront Boathouse, Hartford
Admission: $15
doomsdayfair.com
More info: Spend a day on the banks of the Connecticut River enjoying music, arts, movies, guest authors and writers, vendors, performers and party like its the end of the world as we know it. While you are there, get information about how to better prepare for emergencies and have fun! A zombie horde may invade Hartford, but we still know how to have a good time.
2. Trail of Terror (I’ve been to the trail a few times, and it’s always a great time—they work on it literally year-round, and it shows. I highly recommend paying the extra $10 for the speedpass.)
October 1-30; Friday-Sunday evenings
PNC Park, Wallingford
888.695.0888
Admission: $10; speedpass $20
trailofterror.com
More info: One of the state’s most terrifying outdoor attractions where visitors walk through multiple classic horror sets and past dozens of scary characters.
3. Dark Manor Haunted House (I’ve never been to this one, but I understand it’s one of the better haunted attractions in the state.)
October 5-31; check website for days & times (most weekend nights & last week of October, 6:30 pm – midnight)
25 Main Street, Baltic
860.822.TOMB
Admission: $18
darkmanorproductions.com
More info: “Where Terror Lives in Connecticut”…voted Connecticut’s #1 Haunted House with two haunted attractions in one — The Manor, two floors of special effects and heart-stopping terror, and The Graveyard and Haunted Village, an outdoor attraction with creeps and chainsaw freaks that will have you begging for your life!
4. Witch’s Dungeon Classic Movie Museum (Okay, I warn you this is not the most impressive, nor is it the biggest, attraction, but it’s got wonderful kitschy charm. Cortland Hull runs this in his back yard and has devoted most of the last 46 years to it! I was fortunate enough to visit once during the summer—Cortland showed us rare films on his front lawn, and then gave us the full guided tour.)
September 28 & 30, October 5-7, 12-14, 26-28; 7-10 pm
90 Battle St., Bristol
860.583.8306
Admission: $2
preservehollywood.org
More info: The longest-running tribute (46 years!) to the classic horror films of Vincent Price, Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney, Bela Lugosi and others – accurate life-size figures in 13 scenes based on these vintage chillers. Voice tracks guide you through the 6-minute tour, with special voice recordings by: Vincent Price, June Foray, John Agar and Mark Hamill.
5. Young Frankenstein (in IMAX) (My all-time favorite Halloween movie, in IMAX—how can you go wrong?!)
October 28; 7:45 pm
IMAX Theater, The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, Norwalk
203.852.0700
Admission: $11.50; seniors $10.50; kids $9.50, members receive $1 discount. Reservations strongly suggested.
maritimeaquarium.org/
More info: “It’s alive … it’s alives … IT’S ALLLIVVVEEE!!!” The Mel classic Brooks comedy, released in 1974, stars Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Cloris Leachman, Madeline Kahn and Marty Feldman. It’s rated PG for sexual references,
comic violence and brief language.