Seven of the Spookiest Events Happening in Brisbane This Halloween
From to ghost tours to horror movie marathons and magical scavenger hunts, here's where to get your scares (and candy) this Halloween.
Seven of the Spookiest Events Happening in Brisbane This Halloween
From to ghost tours to horror movie marathons and magical scavenger hunts, here's where to get your scares (and candy) this Halloween.
There's something for everyone to get around when it comes to Halloween, whether it's eating nauseating amounts of lollies, flexing your arts and crafts skills and fashioning yourself a costume, or pulling that five-piece (mask included) Batman get-up out of storage and donning it to feel like the superhero you really are.
Trick or treating never really caught on here, but we'll be damned if we won't use the occasion as an excuse for a spooky time. There are plenty of eerie events and halloween themed nights happening around town for you to get amongst. Here's a list of some of the best things going on in Brisbane for Halloween, ranging from the not-so scary (a Dias de los Muertos fiesta) to the truly unsettling (a ghost tour through an abandoned gaol).
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When Halloween rolls around, some folks like to celebrate the occasion in the eeriest way possible. For others, it’s all about balancing scares and frights with some fun. Whichever category you fall into, both creepy and entertaining flicks are on offer as part of Yatala Drive-In‘s end of October program.
Across Friday, October 30–Saturday, October 31, the southeast Queensland spot is putting on a heap of horror films — some new, some recent-ish, some retro. If you’re keen to settle in for the long haul, you can go old school with a double of Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street, or opt to get spooked by The Conjuring and The Conjuring 2. Or, if you’re only in the mood for one, you can pick between Hocus Pocus, the perennial favourite that is The Rocky Horror Picture Show and this year’s new The Craft: Legacy.
Yes, it’s the kind of movie night that calls for gathering the gang and heading down the highway. Tickets will set you back $35 for a carload for one film, and $49 for a double feature.
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It’s safe to say that 2020 has been a strange and surreal year. In fact, as we all know, that’s quite the understatement. Prefer to get your weird and wonderful fix watching the big screen, rather than reading the news? That’s perfectly acceptable — and that’s what Monster Fest is all about.
Returning to Event Cinemas Myer Centre from Thursday, October 29–Sunday, November 8, this fest is all about out-there cinema. In 2020, it’s even taking on an apocalyptic theme. That means that film fans can expect flicks about dystopian scenarios; however, it’ll also be serving up a selection of the latest and greatest genre and horror movies in general.
If you’re only going to add two films to your must-see list, make them Possessor and Synchronic. The former is the latest vivid and engrossing sci-fi/horror mind-bender from Brandon Cronenberg, son of iconic filmmaker David Cronenberg, and it stars Andrea Riseborough (Mandy) and Christopher Abbott (Vox Lux) in a thriller about corporate espionage via mind control. As for the latter, it’s the stellar new movie from The Endless duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorehead, and features Anthony Mackie (Avengers: Endgame) and Jamie Dornan (Fifty Shades of Grey) as paramedics who keep being called out to cases involving a trippy, reality-shifting new drug.
Also on the bill: documentary Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist, which features the legendary director talking about his big horror hit; Occupation: Rainfall, the world-premiering sequel to Australian sci-fi film Occupation; and new 4K restorations of retro favourites Total Recall and Event Horizon.
The list goes on, and this year’s fest comes with a difference: nothing in its program screens against each other, so you can head along to absolutely everything if you’re super keen.
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If you think you’d be up for a hands-on challenge that’s part Sherlock Holmes and part The Boy Who Lived, round up your best sleuthing mates and get ready to put your puzzle-cracking skills to the test. The game maestros at CluedUpp are coming to Brisbane to host their next adventure experience: a self-guided, app-based magical mystery adventure called Witchcraft & Wizardry.
Hitting town on Saturday, October 31, this one sees teams of two–six players escaping into a fantasy world, unleashing their wizarding skills, defeating dark magic and helping to “save the realm” by deciphering clues as the puzzle trail leads them all over the city.
To play, you’ll need access to a smartphone and, of course, a witty team name — and some banging costumes won’t go astray, either. You’ll arrive at the game’s secret start location between 10am–1pm on the day of play, then get stuck into following the clues.
Your team will take championship glory if you’re the fastest to crack the puzzle, though there are more sweet prizes to be won for categories like ‘best fancy dress’ and ‘best K-9’ (yes, it’s also dog friendly).
Tickets are just $66 per team.
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Yes, 2020 has felt like the longest year ever. But October and November are almost here, which means that it’s almost Halloween and Dias de los Muertos time. So, at El Camino Cantina’s Queensland locations, it’s marking the occasion with a Day of the Dead and Halloween Fiesta.
From Tuesday, October 20–Saturday, November 7, El Camino’s Bowen Hills, Chermside, Sunshine Coast and Robina eateries will be getting in the celebratory mood in a number of ways. The tastiest: a two-hour food and drink package, which’ll see you eat your way through tortilla chips and salsa, buffalo wings with blue cheese mayo and guacamole, chargrilled chicken fajitas, and churros with chocolate and caramel sauce. Costing $89 per person, it also includes margaritas both frozen and on the rocks, plus house beer and wine, and soft drinks. And, you’ll get a gift bag, too.
If you’re more interested in inventive margarita flavours, a heap of new varieties will be on offer — in 15-ounce glasses for $20 and in 24-ounce glasses for $24. Sip your way through Devil Chilli (watermelon, chilli and chilli salt), Walking Dead (passionfruit), Ghost Drop (blueberry) and Poison Apple (sour apple) types at all stores, or grab a tasting paddle of four for $30.
Also, depending on the day of the week, there’ll be something else on the bill as well — new taco flavours on Tuesdays, super-spicy buffalo wings with limited-edition habanero and teriyaki sauces on Wednesdays, and $20 fajita and marg combos on Thursdays, for instance.
On Saturdays at Bowen Hills and Sunshine Plaza, DJs will also spin tunes — including on Saturday, October 31, when you’re encouraged to dress up, obviously.
Images: Michael Gribbin.
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When you’re a bar that nods to all things spooky in your name, and you boast more than a couple of monster-themed pinball and arcade machines, then you’re going to like the end of October. Netherworld does, of course. Indeed, the Valley pub celebrates Halloween in the expected style each and every year.
So, what’s on the agenda? Reflecting the kind of year 2020 has served up, Netherworld is hosting an ongoing Halloween party. Some of us want to mark the occasion on the actual date, and some of us want to have some themed fun across the whole week or so leading up to it. Here, you can do both.
Up until and including Saturday, October 31, you can pick your time to drop by and get into the spooky spirit. Get dressed up, and you’ll receive a limited-edition enamel pin to go with your costume, too. Then, you can simply hang out, drink, hit up the horror-themed pinball tables, check out the carved pumpkins and eat food to suit the occasion.
Beverage-wise, plenty of cocktails will be on offer — and, if you’d like to feel as if you’re trick-or-treating, they’ll be candy flavoured.
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Do you like being terrified and entertained at the same time? Is indulging in all things spooky and scary your idea of fun? Halloween only comes around once a year, so The Brightside is making the most of it. If you’re itching for a frightening fix and some live tunes, it has you covered.
Nightmare on Warner Street combines two things: an excuse to get dressed up in whatever costume you feel sums up Halloween 2020, and music by The Cutaways, Ringpull, Copius and Ghost College. Actually, there’s a third part of that equation, with the Chevron Showgirls busting out their burlesque moves as well.
This petrifying party is taking place in The Brightside’s outdoor area, and it does have a capacity limit of 100 — so if you’re keen, you’d best grab a ticket faster than a trick-or-treater sticking their hand inside a candy jar.
Donning a costume isn’t just a suggestion, either, with prizes on offer — and lucky door prizes as well.
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First, the bad news. If you’re a yoga lover and you’d like to bend and stretch in a former prison, a Halloween session offering just that has sold out already for this year. But, if you’re feeling less flexible — physically, at least — you can still hear creepy stories and wander through Boggo Road Gaol’s unsettling history as part of a Ghosts & Gallows tour.
They take place regularly, although if you’re looking for some real-life bumps and jumps, now is the perfect time to take a mosey. Spots are still available for Wednesday, October 28, Thursday, October 29 and Sunday, November 1, when you can spend two hours in a place that’s supposedly haunted — and test out whether you’re just brave when you’re watching horror movies, or in real life.
Tickets cost $45 each, and you’ll receive a book about Boggo Road’s ghostly history as part of the price. You will need to come prepared, however — with every attendee required to bring their own torch.
Top image: Kgbo via Wikimedia Commons.
Top image: Netherworld by Cole Bennetts
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