By Jerucifer, Arts & Events Editor

Halloween week has more tricks, treats, and creepy fun than you can shake a broomstick at, and is not for the faint of heart, but perfect for those with the spirit of adventure! So hold onto the seat of your pants, it’s gonna be a spook-tacular ride! Here’s what I’m most excited about for the week of 10/24…

This Week’s Events

Tuesday, 10/24

Drag Me to Hell
10/24 | Alamo Drafthouse Cinema | 2550 Mission St, SF | 9:30 pm | $10

EVEN NICE PEOPLE CAN GO TO HELL.

 

Christine Brown is a loan officer at a bank but is worried about her lot in life. She’s in competition with a competent colleague for an assistant manager position and isn’t too sure about her status with her boyfriend. Worried that her boss will think less of her if she shows weakness, she refuses a time extension on a loan to an old woman, Mrs. Ganush, who now faces foreclosure and the loss of her house. In retaliation, the old woman places a curse on her which, she subsequently learns, will result in her being taken to hell in a few days time. With the help of a psychic, she tries to rid herself of the demon, but faces several hurdles in the attempt.

Golden Bull Benefit Party
10/24-10/25 | The Golden Bull | 412 14th St, Oakland | 7 pm | $10-25 suggested donation

Tuesday lineup – KEPI GHOULIE + FETCH + TESS & THE DETAILS + GABE KATZ + GARRAS SUCIAS + BONSTONES + DJ MACK DAWG42069

Wednesday lineup – KEPI GHOULIE + SOB STORIES + THE GOODS + THE 1981 + MOMMY MOMMY + PLASMA CANVAS + DJ FRANKIE K

Takeoff Tuesday: Loverboy’s Halloween Countdown
10/24 | Valencia Room | 647 Valencia St, SF | 10 pm | $0-200

Got the club going up on a Tuesday! Got yo girl in the cut and she choosy. Hip Hop / Trap / R&B – DJ LUMBI – DJ NIKCUTLASS. Free RSVP Guest List before 11pm!

The Exorcist on 35m!!!
10/24 | Balboa Theater | 3630 Balboa St, SF | 7:30 pm | $12.50-15

SOMETHING ALMOST BEYOND COMPREHENSION IS HAPPENING TO A GIRL ON THIS STREET, IN THIS HOUSE… AND A MAN HAS BEEN SENT FOR AS A LAST RESORT. THIS MAN IS THE EXORCIST.

12-year-old Regan MacNeil begins to adapt an explicit new personality as strange events befall the local area of Georgetown. Her mother becomes torn between science and superstition in a desperate bid to save her daughter, and ultimately turns to her last hope: Father Damien Karras, a troubled priest who is struggling with his own faith.

Wednesday, 10/25

TERRORiums! Special Halloween Edition
10/25 | Workshop | 1310 Haight St, SF | 7 pm | $54

In this class, we’ll teach you how to make tiny desktop gardens from succulents, plants and moss in glass jars (feel free to bring your own too). It’s like your own miniature oasis that can travel with you, and it’s easier to care for than your pet rock. Well, almost.

FOR THIS SPECIAL HALLOWEEN EDITION, WE CREEP THINGS OUT A BIT! We’ll have all kinds of critters, action figures and spooky Halloween toppers. We’ll also have fake blood and all the creepy magic you can imagine making your cute lil terrariums into creepy TERRORIUMS that will DEF make your Halloween party or Halloween fun.

Highway
10/25 | Brick & Mortar Music Hall | 1710 Mission St, SF | 8:30 p, | $18-23

Seattle-raised vocalist Highway is the kind of rapper-producer who understands that well-curated vibes are their own art form. He orbits the same universe as many other somber rap-crooners, but he’s not as emotionally distant. Though he often follows in the same cold-hearted player blueprint as the rest, if you dig deeper, you’ll find that his songs skew disarmingly romantic, tackling missed connections and intense affairs. The duality that Highway represents—a puppy-dog lover roleplaying as a svengali, that eclecticism amplifies his latest album Monochrome, a project as steamy and enveloping as a post-workout sauna session.

FANCYPANTS: Vampyr
10/25 | Oasis | 298 11th St, SF | 7 pm | $15-40

Come celebrate the sacrilege of Sensuality– FANCYPANTS invites you to the charred ruins of a cathedral, where the Blüdlüst Ball brings together every known faction of vampiric lore: from Hell-bourne succubus to sparkle-Mormon! Awaken your thirst, and partake in immortal pleasures, in an evening that explores exactly what YOU do in the shadows! Drawing its vision from every iconic bloodsucker ever depicted on the silver screen, FANCYPANTS is looking– and lurking– better than ever, mirrors be damned! Velcome (as the locals say), to V is for Vampyr!

PSYCHED! FEST 2023
10/25 | Rickshaw Stop | 155 Fell St, SF | 7 pm | $20-25

PSYCHED! FEST 2023 with: LSD & THE SEARCH FOR GOD – Film School – Lorelle Meets the Obselete – Pink Breath of Heaven – plus DJ Maximum Jacks

Thursday, 10/26

ROYALES – Kings of Horror Halloween Drag Show & Party
10/26 | Mars Bar & Restaurant | 798 Brannan St, SF | 9 pm | $10-15

ROYALES, the ALL-BIPOC DRAG KING SHOW in the Bay is back! Here comes our well-awaited Halloween show with a super star cast!

A Queer Goth Prom & Cabaret
10/26 | Ivy Room | 860 San Pablo Ave, Albany | 8 pm | $10-20

A Queer Goth Prom and Cabaret featuring a musical performance by Chaos Fiction and cabaret/burlesque performances to follow. Get voted King and Queen of the Prom! Take Prom Pictures! Drink the spiked prom punch! Late Night DJs playing your favorite prom songs.

 

A Love Letter to SF: Benefit Costume Ball
10/26 | St Joseph’s Art Society | 1401 Howard St, SF | 7 pm | $150+

Saint Joseph’s Arts Foundation is celebrating our five-year anniversary with a very special tribute to San Francisco: a masquerade ball just in time for Halloween! This one-night-only evening features cocktails + wine from our favorite partners, bites from top chefs + food trucks, performances from Rufus Wainwright, Juanita MORE!, Lucius, and much more! Stay late for special performances, karaoke in the courtyard, and Heart of Gold DJs to help finish out the evening! Costumes inspired by our City by the Bay are encouraged but not required. Come help support our mission to promote the relevancy of art and artists in our daily lives. All proceeds from this event will go directly to support the creative spirit that makes San Francisco what it is.

Kat Robichaud’s Misfit Cabaret Presents The Monster Bash
10/26-10/28 | Alcazar Theatre | 650 Geary St, SF | 8 pm | $35+

Welcome to The Monster Bash, a Hauntingly Glamorous Halloween Cabaret Show! A Dark Camp Cabaret inspired by classic monsters and monster movies with Live Music, Drag, Aerials, Burlesque, and more! Step into a world where darkness and enchantment intertwine, as we present an unforgettable night of spine-chilling entertainment. ‘It’s a dead man’s party, who could ask for more,’ as Oingo Boingo once said. Prepare to be mesmerized by a fusion of music, dance, and theatrical performances, all set in a bewitching atmosphere that will leave you breathless.

Friday, 10/27

Dusk2Dawn w/ Claptone, Torren Foot, + more
10/27 | The Midway | 900 Marin St, SF | 9 pm | $30-99

Dusk2Dawn: Two Stages, mind-blowing production, haunted performers, spooky decor, and much more!

Halloween Costume Party
10/27 | The Ritz | 400 S 1st St, SJ | 8 pm | $12+

Join us for a Halloween Dance Party. We will have a costume contest with cash prizes!

Museum Halloween Party!
10/27 | Domini Hoskins Black History Museum | 890 Jefferson Ave, Redwood City | 6 pm | free with donation of toy or book

Donate a new, unwrapped toy or a new Black Children’s Book for our Black History Museum!

Get ready for goblins of fun and a Halloween with Historic Impact! Join us at the Domini Hoskins Black History Museum & Learning Center’s Halloween Party with NFL Alumni Players, Games, Fun Food, Entertainment and a Free Raffle! This event brings together people from all communities and supports the Domini Hoskins Black History Museum and Learning Center’s Toy Drive. Children and adults will be amazed at the incredible artifacts as they celebrate a meaningful Halloween at the museum. This fun-filled Halloween Party, hosted by Executive Director & Founder Carolyn Hoskins, will be held at 890 Jefferson Avenue for the first time. This is the inaugural event at the museum and learning center’s new permanent location. It represents a dream come true! For more than 20 years, it has been a traveling museum of African American history.

Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin Performs the Live Score to ‘Demons’
10/27 | The Castro Theatre | 429 Castro St, SF | 7 pm | $29.50-69.50

Composer Claudio Simonetti has written and recorded some of the most influential scores and soundtracks in horror, including Suspiria, Dawn of the Dead, Deep Red / Profondo Rosso,Tenebre, and many others, with his seminal work still informing the genre to this day. This year, Simonetti’s Goblin celebrates Dario Argento’s 1985 classic, Demons, with a live performance of the score set to a screening of the movie. Following the finale of the film, the collective will return after a brief intermission to deliver an additional performance of quintessential Goblin material and “best of” songs and scores set to their cinematic counterparts.”

Gems! The Bay’s Best Throwback Party: Hyphy Halloween!
10/27 | Crybaby | 1928 Telegraph Ave, Oakland | 9 pm | $10 

Gems! The Bay’s Best Throwback Party HYPHY HALLOWEEN EDITION w/ Whatsupalbert and special guests!

This month, we present our HALLOWEEN EDITION! Come with your best costume to enter our costume contest!

Riot Halloween
10/27 | Pure Nightclub | 146 S Murphy Ave, Sunnyvale | 9:30 pm | $23

Playboi | Baywav | Midas | Kemist | Marcel Anthony – Top 40 | Hip Hop | EDM

Guestlist is Free before 10:30 pm. Halloween Costumes are highly recommended.

Spooky Halloween Dinner
10/27-10/31 | Canela Bistro & Wine Bar | 2272 Market St, SF | 5 pm-close | $66.60/person

Beware…of a good time that is! Let us scare up some of our favorites for a scary good time this Halloween weekend at Canela. Runs 10/27-10/31, closed Monday, 10/30. Spooky beverages & vegetarian substitutions available.

Saturday, 10/28

Ghost Palace Halloween Party
10/28 | Palace of Fine Arts | 3301 Lyon St, SF | 9 pm | $65-85

ELECTROLUXX, HUSHconcerts & Non Plus Ultra are teaming up to bring you the biggest Halloween party in San Francisco! Expect multiple stages packed with DJs, dance and drag performances, along with immersive & interactive exhibitions that thrill every sense. Explore the black-light space, multiple silent disco stages, cuddle puddle, face painting, live art, lasers, food trucks, and more.

WHY 2K: Halloween Throwback Night
10/28 | DNA Lounge 375 11th St, SF | 9 pm | $15-30

Step into a time machine and journey back to the electrifying eras of the ’90s and 2000s with our Throwback Dance Party! Get ready to unleash your inner nostalgia and groove to the beats that defined a generation. The dance floor is pulsating with the sounds of iconic tracks from Britney Spears, NSYNC, Spice Girls, and MC Hammer and more. Our DJs will transport you to a world where flip phones and Tamagotchis were all the rage, and the Macarena was the dance craze sweeping the nation. Whether you were a ’90s kid or a 2000s teen, this dance party promises to ignite your memories and keep you grooving all night long! Grab your friends, dust off your Discman, and prepare to dance your heart out as we take you on a musical journey through the greatest hits of two unforgettable decades.

23rd Annual Halloween Hoopla
10/28 | Yerba Buena Gardens | 750 Howard St, SF | 12 pm | free

The 23rd annual Halloween Hoopla returns with spectacular performances and activities for kids under 10 and their adults! The Hoopla grand finale is the popular Halloween Costume Parade with live music – all kids are welcome to join in their best Halloween looks.

Mission Delirium, Bicicletas Por La Paz, Shane Zal-Diva
10/28 | The New Parish | 1743 San Pablo Ave, Oakland | 9 pm | $15-20

Mission Delirium presents, “The Cult of Amduscias Halloween Party.” Join us. WE WILL SUMMON THEM.

Celebrating our 10-year anniversary and release of our new album, “Noise Complaint.” Mission Delirium is a love letter to your feet from the dance floor, an invitation to revel in pounding drums and face-melting brass. Let your hair down, get delirious and shake your ass.

Delicious Halloween
10/28 | Le Petit Paris 75 | 515 Broadway, SF | 10 pm | free

We are bringing our showcase event Delicious to one of our favorite venues in San Francisco – Le Petit Paris 75 in the heart of beautiful and historic North Beach. We will be bringing the best in house, tech, and club hits. Plus, you have every excuse to dress up in costume since it is Halloween weekend! Ask the bartenders about the drink special. It will be quite delicious!

Torture Garden San Francisco
10/28 | The Regency Ballroom | 1290 Sutter St, SF | 9 pm | $90-140

Torture Garden, the world’s largest international fetish club is going to San Francisco. Following our several sold out landmark events that changed the fetish experience in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, now we’re heading to San Francisco, at the historic venue, the Regency Ballroom for Halloween Weekend. Join us and celebrate Samhain and experience the most infamous performers from around the world, as well as international DJ’s, BDSM play space/dungeon, multi-level entertainment, roaming side show performances, aerial, pole dancers and tantalizing entertainment.

Sunday, 10/29

Night of 1,000 Hedwigs
10/29 | Ivy Room | 860 San Pablo Ave, Albany | 8 pm | $12-15

Special Halloween show, “Night Of 1,000 Hedwigs-The Music of Hedwig And The Angry Inch” All the glamor and punk rock of Hedwig And The Angry Inch performed by “Hedwigs” Cindy Emch (Secret Emchy Society), Margaret Belton, Christina Michelle (The Seagulls, The Minks, Chick Jagger) Sandra Mello, Lara Hoffman (eggcorn) and other special guests!⁠ The Angry Inch is Brian Mello, Joe Shaughnessy, Peter Craft, Nancy Cho and Marco Baroz.⁠

Halloween Dia De Los Muertos Family Fun Fest
10/29 | Jack London Square, Oakland | 1-3 pm | free

Jack London Square is a hosting a FREE Halloween Dia de los Muertos Fun Fest event located in the plaza near Plank. This event will include chalk artists, mariachis, crafts, costume contest and Mexican Folklorico dancers. This event is FREE and is open to the public.

Castro Family Halloween Block Party
10/29 | The Castro, SF | 11 am-5 pm | free

The arts are alive! Castro Family Halloween Block Party & Costume Contests – Celebrate magic & creativity! A spooktacular extravaganza transforms at Noe Street between Market & Beaver. A frightfully fun haven for kids of all ages with costume contests for Children, Pets AND Adults! Are you a little pumpkin or a seasoned witch?

 

Halloween w/ Forever Obscure
10/29 | El Chato | 2301 Bryant St, SF | 4-8 pm | free

Join us Halloween Sunday live from your favorite Mission wine bar as Forever Obscure takes to the decks to bring you spooky italo, new wave, acid house, and the best dark 80s jams. Costumes encouraged!

37th Annual Day of the Dead Celebration: Concierto del Dia de Muertos
10/29 | Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts | 2868 Mission St, SF | 2-4 pm | free

“Día de los Muertos” is the celebration of life and death. “The celebration allows us to reflect on the cycle of life and death. Giving thanks and celebrating the memory of our loved ones, keeping them alive in our hearts through colorful “ofrendas” that highlight the beauty and rich traditions of Latin America,” says Dr. Martina Ayala, MCCLA Executive Director. “It is in our remembrance of the loved ones, that we reunite with the ancestors and they live forever in our hearts and minds.”

MCCLA brings together local artists, fashion designers, musicians, poets, chefs, organizations, businesses, and most importantly local families to celebrate this beautiful tradition that blends Mesoamerican rituals, and the colonial influences reflected in the spirituality and living art traditions that are present in Latin America.

Halloween Special W/ Dark Dazey + Loco Tranquilo + Secret Secret
10/29 | El Rio | 3158 Mission St, SF | 8 pm | $15

**Halloween Special – Costumes Encouraged**

DARK DAZEY – Genre bending psychedelic rock from Los Angeles, California.

Monday, 10/30

Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde
10/30 | SF Jazz Center | 201 Franklin St, SF | 8 pm | $25-35

The sacred space of Grace Cathedral will transform into a grand movie palace for a special Halloween screening of John S. Robertson’s 1920 adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson novella of a doctor wrestling with split identities, starring John Barrymore and featuring a live score performed on Grace’s famous pipe organ by renowned organist and composer Dorothy Papadakos.

Night of the Creeps
10/30 | Alamo Drafthouse Cinema | 2550 Mission St, SF | 7 pm | $19.75

This movie is why fun was invented. In 1959, extraterrestrials land on Earth. Thirty years later, cool college nerds Chris, Cindy, and J.C. battle for the fate of the planet against alien slugs, axe-slinging zombies, and a dude-bro named Bradster. Written and directed by Fred Dekker (THE MONSTER SQUAD), NIGHT OF THE CREEPS is a joyous celebration of David Cronenberg-styled body horror, George Romero-inspired zombie action, and high camp. It’s non-stop satisfaction. Especially when detective Tom Atkins (HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH) unleashes his iconic catchphrase: “THRILL ME!”

Death Guild HALLOWEEN
10/30 | DNA Lounge | 375 11th St, SF | 9:30 pm | $8-10

Cash prizes! Midnight costume contest! gothic. industrial. synthpop.

Gallery 3630 Presents: The Neon Demon
10/30 | Balboa Theater | 3630 Balboa St, SF | 7:30 pm | $12.50-15

BEAUTY IS VICIOUS.

When aspiring model Jesse moves to Los Angeles, her youth and vitality are devoured by a group of beauty-obsessed women who will take any means necessary to get what she has.

Bonus: Halloween Events!

Tuesday, 10/31

All Hallow’s Eve
10/31 | DNA Lounge | 375 11th St, SF | 9 pm | $20-35

If there was ever a holiday created just for DNA Lounge that holiday is Halloween, and this is our twenty-second spoooooky year throwing this party! We’re bringing you a super-sized Halloween madhouse in all four rooms!

Join us at this can’t-miss, annual event for bewitching burlesque, and ambient ghostly acrobats and skillful circus syrens performing all night to the top DJs in Halloweentown!

Dark Hallow: Circus Variety Show & Immersive Experience
10/31 | Continental Club | 1658 12th St, Oakland | 7 pm | $35+

Inaugural meet of Vampires, Werewolves, & Slayers as an interactive circus variety show & party on Halloween night at a “safe ground”. Stepping into the Continental Club, guests will be greeted with fire manipulators & roaming creatures of the night. The Night Market features vendors selected specially to enhance the Halloween Night. The main Variety Show features aerial acrobatic performances by our in house troupe, The Dragonettes, as well as performers from DAM Circus, Ruckus & Rumpus Revival, Scream Queens Gorelesque, Sui Generis Magicka, & Misfit Cabaret. Stay after the show to enjoy a full After Party with themed dance music, ambient performances, and a costume contest. Guests dressed as vampires, werewolves & slayers will be able to engage with the artists throughout the night.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show
10/31 | The UC Theatre | 2036 University Ave, Berkeley | 8 pm | $16.50-26.50

Relive this cult classic on screen, complete with the Bay Area’s premier live cast, Barely Legal! Sweethearts Janet and Brad stumble upon the flirtatious mad scientist, Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s, bizarre abode during his annual Transylvanian science convention. Audience participation is expected! Burlesque show included!

Dead Souls, Octavian Winters
10/31 | Bottom of the Hill | 1233 17th St, SF | 8 pm | $13

Dead Souls [co-headlining] – Joy Division cover band (members of Cool Ghouls), postpunk

Octavian Winters [co-headlining] – (members of Specimen, Thrill Of The Pull), Atmospheric Darkwave

Rad Upcoming Events 

11/3 | First Unitarian Universalist Center | An Evening With Lyla June
11/4 | Victory Hall & Parlor | Jungle and Drum & Bass Party
11/5 | The Midway | Nora En Pure Presents Purified
11/12 | DNA Lounge | Hubba Hubba Revue: Fairy Tales

Don’t forget to check out our Big Bad List of Rad Ongoing Events right here!