It is that time of year again children of the night. The nights are getting longer, the moon is full and all those nasty things that go bump in the night are coming out to play! Of course by that I mean it is time for Halloween, which luckily falls on a Saturday this year! That means you can take longer to get ready and still have all of Sunday to recover... depending on what it is you'll be getting up to of course.
If you're still not sure what there is to do this Halloween, don't worry. We here at Intravenous Magazine have once again accumulated a big list of suggestions to give you a few ideas no matter who... or what you are! If you want to head out and do the monster mash at a club, we have a few ideas. Want to head to the cinema? There's some great looking films out right now. Want to stay in with a good book or DVD? We've got you covered. Want something more family friendly? Yep, we've even taken that into consideration.
So without further ado here are our picks for Halloween 2015...
A Compendium Of Terror...
First off we have some features from our crypt to get you in the mood while you're getting ready to get your costume on and head out to terrorise the town...
- Halloween And Other Rituals
- Dress Up, Dress Down - Everyday is Halloween
- Christopher Lee: The most terrifying roles!
- Obituary: Sir Christopher Lee 1922 – 2015
- Come to Daddy: 5 Things we want to see in the new Hellraiser (and 5 things we don't)
- Video Nasties (NSFW)
- Screams in the silence: Horror films of the silent era (Part 1)
- Screams in the silence: Horror films of the silent era (Part 2)
- For The Love Of Lovecraft...
- Obituary: H.R. Giger 1940 – 2014
- IVM's 50 essential horror films for Halloween
- IVM's All Hallow's Read recommendations
- The bloody shadow of Jack The Ripper
- Hammer Horror Head To Head: Frankenstein Vs Dracula (part 2)
- Hammer Horror Head To Head: Frankenstein Vs Dracula (part 1)
Strange
Frequencies...
If you'd rather set the mood with a little audio, huddled round the wireless listening to tales of terror then why not check out these links to some of the spookiest podcasts on the web...
If you'd rather set the mood with a little audio, huddled round the wireless listening to tales of terror then why not check out these links to some of the spookiest podcasts on the web...
Or why not listen to some vintage radio plays for some old school scares?
Mercury Theater on the Air: Dracula from The Radio Ghost on Vimeo.
Sinister Tomes...
As we say every year, we here at Intravenous Magazine are big supporters of Neil Gaiman's All Hallow's Read project which promotes the giving of scary books as a gift every Halloween. So every year we like to recommend a few scary books that you can pick up to read alone or with friends this Halloween.
As we say every year, we here at Intravenous Magazine are big supporters of Neil Gaiman's All Hallow's Read project which promotes the giving of scary books as a gift every Halloween. So every year we like to recommend a few scary books that you can pick up to read alone or with friends this Halloween.
'Rawblood' – Catriona Ward
In 1910, eleven year old Iris Villarca lives with her father at Rawblood, a lonely house on Dartmoor. Iris and her father are the last of their name. The Villarcas always die young, bloodily. Iris knows it’s because of a congenital disease which means she must be strictly isolated. Papa told her so. Forbidden to speak to other children or the servants, denied her one friend, Iris grows up in solitude. But she reads books. And one sunlit autumn day, beside her mother’s grave, she forces the truth from her father. The disease is biologically impossible. A lie, to cover a darker secret.
In 1910, eleven year old Iris Villarca lives with her father at Rawblood, a lonely house on Dartmoor. Iris and her father are the last of their name. The Villarcas always die young, bloodily. Iris knows it’s because of a congenital disease which means she must be strictly isolated. Papa told her so. Forbidden to speak to other children or the servants, denied her one friend, Iris grows up in solitude. But she reads books. And one sunlit autumn day, beside her mother’s grave, she forces the truth from her father. The disease is biologically impossible. A lie, to cover a darker secret.
'Monster' – C.J. Skuse
At sixteen Nash thought that the fight to become Head Girl of prestigious boarding school Bathory would be the biggest battle she’d face. Until her brother’s disappearance leads to Nash being trapped at the school over Christmas with Bathory’s assorted misfits. As a blizzard rages outside, strange things are afoot in the school’s hallways, and legends of the mysterious Beast of Bathory – a big cat rumoured to room the moors outside the school – run wild. Yet when the girls’ Matron goes missing it’s clear that something altogether darker is to blame – and that they’ll have to stick together if they hope to survive.
At sixteen Nash thought that the fight to become Head Girl of prestigious boarding school Bathory would be the biggest battle she’d face. Until her brother’s disappearance leads to Nash being trapped at the school over Christmas with Bathory’s assorted misfits. As a blizzard rages outside, strange things are afoot in the school’s hallways, and legends of the mysterious Beast of Bathory – a big cat rumoured to room the moors outside the school – run wild. Yet when the girls’ Matron goes missing it’s clear that something altogether darker is to blame – and that they’ll have to stick together if they hope to survive.
'The Darkness On His Bones' – Barbara Hambly
When James Asher is found unconscious in the cemetery of the Church of St. Clare Pieds-Nus with multiple puncture-wounds in his throat and arms, his wife, Lydia, knows of only one person to call: the vampire Don Simon Ysidro. Old friend and old adversary, he is the only one who can help Lydia protect her unconscious, fevered husband from the vampires of Paris.
When James Asher is found unconscious in the cemetery of the Church of St. Clare Pieds-Nus with multiple puncture-wounds in his throat and arms, his wife, Lydia, knows of only one person to call: the vampire Don Simon Ysidro. Old friend and old adversary, he is the only one who can help Lydia protect her unconscious, fevered husband from the vampires of Paris.
'Dark Screams: Volume 5' – Brian Jame Freeman & Richard Chizmar
Mick Garris, J. Kenner, Kealan Patrick Burke, Del James, and Bentley Little pry open a sarcophagus of horror and dread in Dark Screams: Volume Five, from Brian James Freeman and Richard Chizmar of the esteemed Cemetery Dance Publications.
Mick Garris, J. Kenner, Kealan Patrick Burke, Del James, and Bentley Little pry open a sarcophagus of horror and dread in Dark Screams: Volume Five, from Brian James Freeman and Richard Chizmar of the esteemed Cemetery Dance Publications.
'The Damned' – Tarn Richardson
1914. The outbreak of war. In the French city of Arras, a Father is brutally murdered. The Catholic Inquisition - still powerful, but now working in the shadows - sends its most determined and unhinged of Inquisitors, Poldek Tacit to investigate: his mission to protect the Church from those who would seek to undermine it, no matter what the cost.
'A Head Full Of Ghosts' – Paul Tremblay
The lives of the Barretts, a normal suburban New England family, are torn apart when fourteen-year-old Marjorie begins to display signs of acute schizophrenia.To her parents’ despair, the doctors are unable to stop Marjorie’s descent into madness. As their stable home devolves into a house of horrors, they reluctantly turn to a local Catholic priest for help. Father Wanderly suggests an exorcism; he believes the vulnerable teenager is the victim of demonic possession. He also contacts a production company that is eager to document the Barretts’ plight. With John, Marjorie’s father, out of work for more than a year and the medical bills looming, the family agrees to be filmed, and soon find themselves the unwitting stars of The Possession, a hit reality television show. When events in the Barrett household explode in tragedy, the show and the shocking incidents it captures become the stuff of urban legend.
The lives of the Barretts, a normal suburban New England family, are torn apart when fourteen-year-old Marjorie begins to display signs of acute schizophrenia.To her parents’ despair, the doctors are unable to stop Marjorie’s descent into madness. As their stable home devolves into a house of horrors, they reluctantly turn to a local Catholic priest for help. Father Wanderly suggests an exorcism; he believes the vulnerable teenager is the victim of demonic possession. He also contacts a production company that is eager to document the Barretts’ plight. With John, Marjorie’s father, out of work for more than a year and the medical bills looming, the family agrees to be filmed, and soon find themselves the unwitting stars of The Possession, a hit reality television show. When events in the Barrett household explode in tragedy, the show and the shocking incidents it captures become the stuff of urban legend.
'The Fifth House Of the Heart' – Ben Tripp
Asmodeus “Sax” Saxon-Tang, a vainglorious and well-established antiques dealer, has made a fortune over many years by globetrotting for the finest lost objects in the world. Only Sax knows the true secret to his success: at certain points of his life, he’s killed vampires for their priceless hoards of treasure.
But now Sax’s past actions are quite literally coming back to haunt him, and the lives of those he holds most dear are in mortal danger. To counter this unnatural threat, and with the blessing of the Holy Roman Church, a cowardly but cunning Sax must travel across Europe in pursuit of incalculable evil—and immeasurable wealth—with a ragtag team of mercenaries and vampire killers to hunt a terrifying, ageless monster…one who is hunting Sax in turn.
'Little Girls' – Ronald Malfi
When Laurie was a little girl, she was forbidden to enter the room at the top of the stairs. It was one of many rules imposed by her cold, distant father. Now, in a final act of desperation, her father has exorcised his demons. But when Laurie returns to claim the estate with her husband and ten-year-old daughter, it’s as if the past refuses to die. She feels it lurking in the broken moldings, sees it staring from an empty picture frame, hears it laughing in the moldy greenhouse deep in the woods…
'Troll Hunters' – Guillermo del Toro &Daneil Kraus
Jim Sturges is your typical teen in suburban San Bernardino-one with an embarrassingly overprotective dad, a best friend named "Tubby" who shares his hatred of all things torturous (like gym class), and a crush on a girl who doesn't know he exists. But everything changes for Jim when a 45-year old mystery resurfaces, threatening the lives of everyone in his seemingly sleepy town. Soon Jim has to team up with a band of unlikely (and some un-human) heroes to battle the monsters he never knew existed.
'The Silence' – Tim Lebbon
In the darkness of a vast cave system, cut off from the world for millennia, blind creatures hunt by sound. Then there is light, there are voices, and they feed... Swarming from their prison, they multiply and thrive. To scream, even to whisper, is to summon death.
Deaf for many years, Ally knows how to live in silence. Now, it is her family's only chance of survival. To leave their home, to shun others, to find a remote haven where they can sit out the plague. But will it ever end? And what kind of world will be left?
Evil Visions...
We've already given you a definitive run-down of our 50 favourite horror films of all time. But there are plenty more new cuts on offer on DVD and in the cinema this year. If you're the kind of person whou would spend Halloween under a blanket watching a scary film, here are some new ones worth checking out.
Jim Sturges is your typical teen in suburban San Bernardino-one with an embarrassingly overprotective dad, a best friend named "Tubby" who shares his hatred of all things torturous (like gym class), and a crush on a girl who doesn't know he exists. But everything changes for Jim when a 45-year old mystery resurfaces, threatening the lives of everyone in his seemingly sleepy town. Soon Jim has to team up with a band of unlikely (and some un-human) heroes to battle the monsters he never knew existed.
'The Silence' – Tim Lebbon
In the darkness of a vast cave system, cut off from the world for millennia, blind creatures hunt by sound. Then there is light, there are voices, and they feed... Swarming from their prison, they multiply and thrive. To scream, even to whisper, is to summon death.
Deaf for many years, Ally knows how to live in silence. Now, it is her family's only chance of survival. To leave their home, to shun others, to find a remote haven where they can sit out the plague. But will it ever end? And what kind of world will be left?
Evil Visions...
We've already given you a definitive run-down of our 50 favourite horror films of all time. But there are plenty more new cuts on offer on DVD and in the cinema this year. If you're the kind of person whou would spend Halloween under a blanket watching a scary film, here are some new ones worth checking out.
Crimson Peak
Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Goosebumps
Starring: Jack Black, Dylan Minnette, Odeya Rush
Director: Rob Letterman
Starring: Jack Black, Dylan Minnette, Odeya Rush
Director: Rob Letterman
The Visit
Starring: Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould, Deanna Dunagan
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Starring: Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould, Deanna Dunagan
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Scouts Guide to the
Zombie Apocalypse
Starring: Tye Sheridan, Logan Miller, Joey Morgan
Director: Christopher Landon
Starring: Tye Sheridan, Logan Miller, Joey Morgan
Director: Christopher Landon
Insidious: Chapter 3
Starring: Dermot Mulroney, Stefanie Scott, Angus Sampson
Director: Leigh Whannell
Starring: Dermot Mulroney, Stefanie Scott, Angus Sampson
Director: Leigh Whannell
The Witch
Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie
Director: Robert Eggers
Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie
Director: Robert Eggers
Maggie
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Abigail Breslin, Joely Richardson
Director: Henry Hobson
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Abigail Breslin, Joely Richardson
Director: Henry Hobson
Tale Of Halloween
Starring: Booboo Stewart, Ben Woolf, Cerina Vincent
Director: Various
Starring: Booboo Stewart, Ben Woolf, Cerina Vincent
Director: Various
Poltergeist
Starring: Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie DeWitt, Kennedi Clements
Director: Gil Kenan
Starring: Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie DeWitt, Kennedi Clements
Director: Gil Kenan
Paranormal Activity:
The Ghost Dimension
Starring: Chris J. Murray, Brit Shaw, Ivy George
Director: Gregory Plotkin
Starring: Chris J. Murray, Brit Shaw, Ivy George
Director: Gregory Plotkin
Black Masses...
If you're a party animal who relishes the chance to get out on the town every Halloween, but haven't made up your mind as to where to spend your night yet, we've got some club nights across the UK to recommend.
If you're a party animal who relishes the chance to get out on the town every Halloween, but haven't made up your mind as to where to spend your night yet, we've got some club nights across the UK to recommend.
Slimelight, London –
Klub Wicked: 31st October
Fulford Arms, York – Rock n Roll Zombeach Party: 31st October
Corporation, Sheffield – Satellite 'Hellraiser': 31st October
Academy, Glasgow – Club Noir Halloween Masked Ball: 31st October
Pit and Pendulum, Nottingham – Coven Nun Of A Bitch: 31st October
Grand Hall Camden, London – Belle Epoque Halloween Circus: 31st October
Coronet, London: Torture Garden Halloween Ball 2: 31st October
Whitby – Goth Weekend: 28th October - 1st November
Eddies, Brimingham: Halloween at Eddies: 31st October
The Candlelight Club, London – Halloween Ball: 31st October
Fulford Arms, York – Rock n Roll Zombeach Party: 31st October
Corporation, Sheffield – Satellite 'Hellraiser': 31st October
Academy, Glasgow – Club Noir Halloween Masked Ball: 31st October
Pit and Pendulum, Nottingham – Coven Nun Of A Bitch: 31st October
Grand Hall Camden, London – Belle Epoque Halloween Circus: 31st October
Coronet, London: Torture Garden Halloween Ball 2: 31st October
Whitby – Goth Weekend: 28th October - 1st November
Eddies, Brimingham: Halloween at Eddies: 31st October
The Candlelight Club, London – Halloween Ball: 31st October
Best Of The
Rest...
If you've got kids, or fancy doing something a little different this year, why not check out these fun activities across the UK.
If you've got kids, or fancy doing something a little different this year, why not check out these fun activities across the UK.
Pinup Nightmare
Halloween Special
Lola Lo, Manchester, Thursday 29th October
Lola Lo, Manchester, Thursday 29th October
Tulley's Parks
Spooktober Fest / Schocktober Fest / The Howl
Tulley's Parks, Crawley/Leighton Buzzard, Multiple dates
Nightwatchers
Tower of London, London, 28th October - 7th November
Tulley's Parks, Crawley/Leighton Buzzard, Multiple dates
Nightwatchers
Tower of London, London, 28th October - 7th November
All Hallow's Eve All Nighter
Regent St Cinema, Marleybone, 31st October
Halloween Ghost Hunt
Oxford Castle, Oxford, 31st October & 1st November
The Home of
Halloween
York Dungeon, York, 17th - 31st October
Illuminated Abbey
Whitby Abbey, Whitby, 28th - 31st October
Icky, Yucky, Sticky Stuff!
Eureka!, Halifax, 24th October - 1st November
Quarantine: Zombie Fright Night
Thackray Medical Museum, Leeds, 31st October
The Annual Pumpkin Festival
Canon Hall Farm, South Yorkshire, 24th - 31st October
That is just a little taste of some of the great and ghastly goings on that can be found up and down the country this week, but there are many more. So please consult your local papers, event guides, Facebook and anywhere else that may advertise events and support them. However if you're not feeling socially inclined this year, you can always check out the various podcasts, films and books that we have recommended. But no matter how you choose to spend your night, we here at Intravenous Magazine would like to wish you a very happy Halloween.
York Dungeon, York, 17th - 31st October
Illuminated Abbey
Whitby Abbey, Whitby, 28th - 31st October
Icky, Yucky, Sticky Stuff!
Eureka!, Halifax, 24th October - 1st November
Quarantine: Zombie Fright Night
Thackray Medical Museum, Leeds, 31st October
The Annual Pumpkin Festival
Canon Hall Farm, South Yorkshire, 24th - 31st October
That is just a little taste of some of the great and ghastly goings on that can be found up and down the country this week, but there are many more. So please consult your local papers, event guides, Facebook and anywhere else that may advertise events and support them. However if you're not feeling socially inclined this year, you can always check out the various podcasts, films and books that we have recommended. But no matter how you choose to spend your night, we here at Intravenous Magazine would like to wish you a very happy Halloween.