by Jas Keimig
BOOOOO!
Did I scare ya? It's that time of year when every glimpse of the moon, every branch scratching against a window, and every bump in the night takes on an unnerving implication. Halloween is bearing down on us and there's no shortage of ghostly celebrations going down in the South End.
In this guide, we've recommended scary haunted houses and a spooky silent film as well as walking tours of Georgetown's haunted history and a skate night dedicated to The Rocky Horror Picture Show. There's something for everyone!
Did we miss something? Hit us up at Arts@SeattleEmerald.org.
Now through Nov. 4
Georgetown Morgue
5000 Marginal Way S.
A mainstay of Halloween in South Seattle is the Georgetown Morgue. This giant haunted house comes with a frightening backstory. According to their website, a gruesome unsolved murder took place in the building — nine morgue staffers were forced into the crematorium chamber and were incinerated alive, and the perpetrators were never caught. While that tale might be bunk, the building did serve as a funeral home and actual morgue, processing human remains and animal carcasses. And the frights are certainly real. This haunted house is catacomb-style, with different scary creatures, clowns, and demons emerging from the dark to scare the living daylights out of you.
Weekends between Oct. 6—29
Wild Waves Theme & Water Park
36201 Enchanted Pkwy S., Federal Way
Halloween or not, theme parks after dark are scary, and it's that spookiness that Wild Waves Theme & Water Park is leaning into this season. By day, the park is all family fun, but after 6 p.m., Wild Waves transforms into Fright Fest with scary monsters and eerie vibes stoking the atmosphere throughout the grounds. Hop onto Timberhawk: Ride of Prey or the Timber Axe and get whisked through the fog-filled night air. In addition to the rides, there will be a "scare zone" in an abandoned ghost town as well as three PG-13 haunted houses. If that proves to be too scary for you, Wild Waves is also hosting more family-friendly fare like a costume contest and magician pre-6 p.m. Find out more about ticketing on their website.
Oct. 13—Nov. 5
Forest Ledge Mansion
14625 25th Ave. SW, Burien
During the Halloween season, it often feels like the veil between the living and the dead is at its thinnest. The nights seem particularly dark and the air unusually frigid. It's this membrane that Seattle-based immersive theater company Dacha explores in their latest production, The Veil. Running in the historic Forest Ledge Mansion in Burien (once owned by Sean Kinney of Alice in Chains, just FYI), the play centers around a group of amateur spiritualists who accidentally unleash a power beyond their understanding and control. Because the play is immersive and interactive, the audience is a key component in helping the characters who have gone too far come back to reality via seances, spells, binding, and magic rituals. Also important to note: Dacha is always sliding scale with their tickets should money be an issue!
Oct. 28, 1—4pm
S. College St. to Jefferson Park
Along 18th Ave. in Beacon Hill
Come hang out with us this Halloween season at our T'Challaween Community Parade on Oct. 28. This family-friendly 1-mile costume parade will go down on Beacon Hill, starting on South College Street walking down 18th Street to the South Spokane Street entrance to Jefferson Park. You can join at any junction in the parade and there will be "no touch" candy tossers along the way with staff on hand to help guide the paraders along. We encourage everyone who comes to wear a mask and practice social distancing so we can all revel in this Halloween season safely. And if you'd like to volunteer, please fill out a form on our website!
Oct. 28, 9 p.m. till late
Clock-Out Lounge
4864 Beacon Ave. S.
$10 in advance $15 at the door
21+
Don your spookiest — or kookiest — costume and get down to The Clock-Out Lounge this Saturday night for an evening of New Wave, Post Punk, and Goth music from DJ Fishlure! Local drag performers Princess Charming, Strawberry Shartcake, and Ursula Android will be in attendance. There'll be a costume contest too!
Oct. 28, 10 p.m.—1 a.m.
The Beacon Studio
812 Rainier Ave. S.
21+
This party hosted by Indigenize Productions is back for its second Halloween party at The Beacon Studio. This is a 21+ event for Indigenous people, Black people, and People of Color. Grab your tickets at the official Ticketleap page. There is also an option for non-POC folks to donate on the same Ticketleap page.
Oct. 29, 2—5 p.m.
Rainier Beach Community Center
8825 Rainier Avenue S.
This beloved Rainier Beach "trunk-or-treat" event returns this Sunday in the parking lot of Rainier Beach Community Center (not at the Safeway parking lot, where it was held for years). There will be games and activities for the kids; entertainment from the likes of the Double Dutch Divas and the Kutt N Up crew, and more; tables from local government and community orgs; and copious amounts of candy!
Oct. 29, Doors at 7 p.m.
The Clock-Out Lounge
4864 Beacon Ave. S.
21+ $10
Okay, it's not a Halloween event, but it's happening on Halloween weekend! Seattle bands and musicians are coming together this Sunday for a show to raise funds for Palestinian Children's Relief Fund, Medical Aid for Palestinians, and Anera. Performers include: Shaina Shepherd, Jonny G, Byland, Freddie Lee Toyoda, Fine Arts, Bryan John Appleby, Adra Boo, and Arthur James.
Oct. 31, Dr. Caligari at 7p.m. and Spooky Beats at 9 p.m.
The Royal Room
5000 Rainier Ave. S.
The Royal Room is cooking up a double serving of frightening fun for interested audiences on Halloween. The evening kicks off with iconic German silent horror film, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. For the silent film averse, let me tell you, this movie is a thing of wonder. Conrad Veidt's face is haunting as Cesare, a somnambulist who's been manipulated by the crazed Dr. Caligari. And the sets look like paintings with sharp angles and strange shadows. It's a visual and creepy delight that I believe everyone should see at least once, especially with a live score by Wayne Horvitz. After the screening, there will be Spooky Beats, a Halloween Jam featuring RL Heyer on guitar/vocals, rapper Nate B on samples/vocals, TK-Synth on key/vocals, Tarik Abouzied on bass, and Scott Goodwin on drums/vocals.
Jas Keimig is a writer and critic based in Seattle. They previously worked on staff at The Stranger, covering visual art, film, music, and stickers. Their work has also appeared in Crosscut, South Seattle Emerald, i-D, Netflix, and The Ticket. They also co-write Unstreamable for Scarecrow Video, a column and screening series highlighting films you can't find on streaming services. They won a game show once.
📸 Featured Image: Trick-or-treaters at T'Challaween 2021. (Photo: Susan Fried)
Before you move on to the next story …
The South Seattle Emerald™ is brought to you by Rainmakers. Rainmakers give recurring gifts at any amount. With around 1,000 Rainmakers, the Emerald™ is truly community-driven local media. Help us keep BIPOC-led media free and accessible.
If just half of our readers signed up to give $6 a month, we wouldn't have to fundraise for the rest of the year. Small amounts make a difference.
We cannot do this work without you. Become a Rainmaker today!