October 28-November 3, 2004

mixpicks

Bloodbath and Beyond

by Tami Fertig

Halloween

You can't wear fake blood and go around screaming any old time of year. But this weekend is Halloween, which means it's entirely OK to get into some mischief. While you may have outgrown knocking on strangers' doors and begging for candy, pretending to be another person (or thing—I was once a milk carton) never grows old. Haven't got a costume? Throw on something sharp and call yourself a knife. We've got places to go.

Thrill-seekers should head to the Eastern State Penitentiary's "Terror Behind the Walls" haunted house (pictured). Think walking through the old prison at night will give you a chill? Wait until a ghoul with a giant hatchet surprises you from behind. (Through Sun., Oct. 31, $10-$25, 2124 Fairmount Ave., 215-236-5111.)

Get a little closer to death at Laurel Hill Cemetery during a walking tour of the Victorian burial ground. You'll learn about its history and meet some ghosts who have risen for the occasion to tell their life stories. Come in costume and win a prize. (Fri.-Sat., Oct. 29-30, 7- 9:30 p.m., Sun., Oct. 31, 2-4 p.m., $15, free for children under age 10, 3822 Ridge Ave., 215-228-8200.)

Maybe you're in the mood for something more literary. Edgar Allan Poe has been haunting the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire for quite a few years. Drink wine, explore the Mount Hope mansion and watch performances of his most well-known works. (Fri.-Sun., Oct. 29-Nov. 14, $8.95-$16.95, Mount Hope Estate and Winery, 2684 Lebanon Rd., Manheim, 717-665-7021.)

How about a rare opportunity to transform yourself into a giant onion or bat? Show up in black at 5:30 p.m. to volunteer for Spiral Q Puppet Theater's Dracula Puppet Parade. You'll get to march around Rittenhouse Square wielding puppets as big as cars and scaring little kids. Afterwards, stick around for a shadow puppet performance and spirited reading of Bram Stoker's Dracula. (Sat., Oct. 30, 6 p.m., free, leaves from Rosenbach Museum & Library, 2010 DeLancey Place, 215-732-1600.)

South Street's "Day of the Dead" festival should be pretty wild. The parade will feature altars, dancing skeletons, flame-throwers and freaks. And at its conclusion, Salvador Dali's spirit will rise out of a horse-drawn hearse and perform the "Dance of Death." (Sun., Oct. 31, 3 p.m., South St. between Tenth and Second sts., 215-413-3713.)

Wondering where the decadence will go down? Look no further than Henri David's Halloween Ball, now in its 36th year. Henri will appear in no fewer than three different costumes during the night. Dress to impress for the costume contest and parade. (Sun., Oct. 31, 9 p.m., $20 (for the costumed) or $50, Grand Ballroom, Wyndham Plaza Hotel, 17th and Race sts., 215-732-7711.)

If you're a kid or you know one, here's a heads-up: Costumed tots can collect treats at The Gallery's Spook-tacular Halloween Celebration. That's candy from over 70 stores, and they can't pretend they're not home! It's not Halloween without a cavity. (Sat., Oct. 30, noon-2 p.m., free, The Gallery, Center Court, Ninth and Market sts., 215-625-4962.)