Halloween 2017: Alternative Events Guide

Psycho (live) @ The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, 26 Oct
Experience Alfred Hitchock's classic horror – Psycho – and the Bates Motel like never before with a live screening tonight at Glasgow's Royal Concert Hall accompanied by a live performance of Bernard Herrmann's score by the RSNO. 

Edinburgh Horror Festival @ E-VR, Edinburgh, 27-31 Oct
Do you like to be chased around by bloodthirsty demons and beasts with big scary teeth, but dislike running and the first aid hassle involved with actually being torn limb from limb? Edinburgh Horror Festival have just the thing – a range of VR horror experiences and games at E-VR at Ocean Terminal. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll wave your arms around in terror in an attempt to fight off things that aren't really there.

Halloween at St Mark’s @ St Mark's Church, Edinburgh, 27 Oct
A true Halloween special, this features an 'in-church' screening of John Carpenter's Prince of Darkness and a live set from Edinburgh electronic duo TST: The Southern Tenant, playing an original live synth soundtrack to some brand new footage they've shot of Edinburgh late at night.

Massaoke Halloween Party @ Summerhall, Edinburgh, 27 Oct
What could be more frightening than a mass singalong with all your friends and a bunch of strangers? A mass singalong with all your friends and a bunch of strangers in fancy dress! The karaoke enormo-party returns with a big screen full of lyrics, a live band, and infinite possibility for hilarity/embarassment (delete as applicable).

The Rocky Horror Picture Show @ Brewhemia, Edinburgh, 27 & 28 Oct
The Edinburgh enormo-venue gets in on the Halloween act with a Rocky Horror-inspired weekend of music and entertainment.

MILK Halloween Hip Hop Karaoke @ O2 ABC, Glasgow, 28 Oct
Last year it was pop-punk, and this year MILK's Halloween karaoke is powered by the sounds of hip-hop. Hosted by Kerr Okan of The LaFontaines and featuring a host of guest MCs, be ready to drop it like it's hot and/or lose yourself in the music. It's also one of the few hip-hop events where seeing an imposter in an MF Doom mask would be welcome rather than highly disappointing.

Black Magic Nostalgic @ Wee Red Bar, Edinburgh, 28 Oct 
The Halloween special of everyone's favourite big-wheel-powered club night returns, with fancy dress and fun-packed tunes on the menu. Read our Guest Selector feature with Magic Nostalgic DJ John-Paul Mason to get an idea of what to expect to see on the wheel. Obviously tonight's wheel will feature a special Halloween-themed section too. Thriller anyone?

Rob Kemp: The Elvis Dead @ Monkey Barrel, Edinburgh, 29 Oct
One of the underground hits of this year's Edinburgh Fringe, Rob Kemp's show is a collision of two spectacular forces. There's the plot of Bruce Campbell's chainsaw-wielding classic Evil Dead 2, and the unstoppable power of karaoke classics from across Elvis' back catalogue. We trust you need no further encouragement; ticket link's just here, on you go.

Bad Movies with Great Comedians presents The Happening @ The Comedian Tattoo, Glasgow, 30 Oct
If we're being honest, M. Night Shyamalan's apocalyptic thriller isn't particularly good – at one point, Mark Wahlberg leads a group of survivors in a thrilling chase against some light wind. Joe Heenan & Billy Kirkwood's live commentary should help make the most of the situation as their Bad Movies with Great Comedians night returns. Glasgow-based film fans can get a double helping of chill by hitting GFT the following night for a Halloween screening of creepy-kids-on-tricycles classic The Shining.

An Upside Down Halloween @ Six Degrees North, Edinburgh, 31 Oct
Bringing the curtain down on their Stranger Things-inspired pop-up bar, The Pop Up Geeks present a night that promises to be equal parts classic horror movie marathon and cocktail-fuelled fancy dress party. 

Innis & Gunn Fear Kitchen @ The Beer Kitchen, Glasgow, 31 Oct
Your favourite whisky-casked beer merchants get spooky this Halloween, with the main attraction being their special edition Pumpkin Ale, serving for one night only. Also, kudos on the name – simple, but effective. Based in Edinburgh? Having severe FOMO? Fret not, for their Edinburgh Beer Kitchen is also in on the action.

XFRMR @ Tramway, Glasgow, 1 Nov
SCIENCE! Robbie Thomson's Tesla coil-powered sound art is the stuff that Hammer Horror fans' dreams are made of. A mixture of cosmically ethereal and overwhelmingly punishing sounds and dancefloor-pleasing bleeps and bloops await – an ideal post-Halloween evening. 

Live music in Glasgow and Edinburgh on Halloween

Our Ladies of Sorrow @ Safari Lounge, Edinburgh, 27 Oct
Eagleowl's annual outing as their "psych-prog alter ego", expect driving psych tunes backed with visuals drawn from classic horror and giallo cinema. Here's OLOS ringleader Bart Owl's playlist from this time last year to whet your appetite.

The Ninth Wave @ Secret Location, Glasgow, 27 Oct 
The gothic noise-pop upstarts launch their Reformation EP with a show at a secret location somewhere in Glasgow. Will it be terrifying? Possibly. Will it be loads of fun? Definitely. 

Godspeed You! Black Emperor @ O2 ABC, Glasgow, 27 Oct
If there were ever a band whose sound, name and general vibe scream 'dread and terror', it's GY!BE. Catch the Canadian collective at the ABC for some extended pre-Hallow's Eve slices of ominous but strangely beautiful post-rock. 

Ghostpoet @ Stereo, Glasgow, 28 Oct
Obaro Ejimiwe, aka Ghostpoet, has been a reliable voice of anxiety throughout his career, and his documenting of issues from consumerism to warfare is at its strongest on new album Dark Days & Canapés. Plus, the word 'ghost' is right there in his name. 

Zola Jesus @ Saint Luke's, Glasgow, 31 Oct
Nika Roza Danilova, better known by her stage name Zola Jesus, released her fifth studio album Okovi last month. Tackling life and death at its core – during the album’s writing process, Danilova was struck by lightning – it’s no wonder the album feels like her most personal yet. If the standard Halloween party isn’t for you, the ethereal soundscapes and beats of Zola Jesus would be the perfect alternative.

Halloween club nights across Scotland

Betamax Halloween @ Henry's Cellar Bar, Edinburgh, 27 Oct
Have yourself a post-punk and new wave Halloween with Betamax, the night from the people who brought you Studio 24 institution FAST. Plus, £1.50 off your entry price if you turn up in a "spooky costume".

Maximum Pressure Halloween 2017 @ SWG3, Glasgow, 27 Oct
Slam's new and improved party series, Maximum Pressure, kicks off with a seven-hour Halloween special. The massive line-up features the Slam duo themselves, plus Richie Hawtin, Rødhåd, Jasper James, IDA, a live set from DeepChord, and a four-hour set from Laurent Garnier.

Date Night Halloween @ Nice N Sleazy, Glasgow, 27 Oct
Hip-hop classics, 80s remixes and unadulterated pop are the order of the day at new Sleazy's club Date Night, so prepare for all of that alongside some suitably spooky additions and lots of people dressed as skeletons.  

Let It Bleed: Halloween @ Unit 51, Aberdeen, 28 Oct 
Up in Aberdeen, Let It Bleed throw a Halloween special featuring Icarus, Theo Kottis, IDA, Rondevu and more. Get spooky and steamin'.

Spook Club @ Reading Rooms, Dundee, 28 Oct
The Halloween alter-ego of the Rooms' long-running Book Club night, residents Is Kill & Marc JD promise an evening of "Haunted House" and "Sex Dungeon Techno". Last year's Spook Club set can be found in full on Soundcloud, but for the full experience you'll need to be there.

Denis Sulta’s Spooktacular Halloween @ Various Venues, Edinburgh, 31 Oct
Capping off October’s Halloween parties is this mammoth 12 hour event curated by Denis Sulta and featuring Chaos in the CBD, Kornel Kovacs, Dixon Avenue Basement Jams and Big Miz (with further acts TBA). The fun will take place at The Old Haunted Leith Theatre by day, before continuing into the wee hours at The Liquid Room.