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Theaters have always been a hangout for ghosts: stage managers traditionally leave one light onstage (known as “the ghost light”) to keep specters out. Of course, Gotham has plenty of seasonal haunted houses too, including the top-notch “Nightmare” house in downtown Manhattan. But if you want to get in Halloween spirit, there's a stage show to fit your taste. Gore-lovers can sample “The New Guignol” at Brooklyn's Brick, fans of J-Horror can visit PS 122 for “Americana Kamikaze,” and parents can take their kids to “Hansel and Gretel” at the New Vic!
“Americana Kamikaze”
Where: PS 122
150 First Avenue
When: Oct. 24 – Nov. 14
Wed.-Sat. at 7:30 p.m.
Sun. at 5:30 p.m.
Site: TemporaryDistortion.com
J-horror meets avant-garde technodrama to strike fear into your heart! "Temporary Distortion" explores the twilight zone between madness and sanity, dream and reality, time and space, and East and West by using cutting-edge technology to create the ghosts and doppelgangers of nightmare.
“Ghost Light”
Where: 59E59
59 East 59th Street
When: October 14-31
Tues. at 7:30 p.m.
Wed.-Sat. at 8:30 p.m.
Sun. at 3:30 p.m.
URL: 59E59.org
A chilling drama about a couple who sneak away for an afternoon tryst. But when hotel security informs them of their room's history, the couple discover there's a grain of truth behind an urban legend.
“Hansel and Gretel”
Where: New Victory Theater
209 W. 42nd Street
When: Oct. 15 – Nov. 1
Wed. thru Sun. at 7 p.m.
Site: NewVictory.org
This 70-minute kids' show is an imaginative retelling of the classic fairy tale—just eerie enough to thrill kids, and enough activity to keep their attention. Children age 8 and up are invited to follow breadcrumbs through the theater from basement to balcony, as Hansel and Gretel go from home to forest to gingerbread house.
“Haunted House”
Where: The Vortex Theater
164 Eleventh Avenue
When: Oct. 6 – 31
Tues. thru Fri. 7-11 p.m.
Sat. and Sunday, 5-11 p.m.
Site: NYCHalloweenHauntedHouse.com
An experimental theater troupe revisits the classic haunted house. As special enticement, they won't admit anyone under 18—due to extreme sexual content—and they demand you walk (and sometimes crawl) through the house alone. Maybe the scariest part: you must sign a waiver to enter.
“The Legend of Ichabod Crane”
Where: Brooklyn Lyceum
227 4th Avenue, Brooklyn
When: Oct. 17 – 31
Sat. & Sun. at 11 a.m., 1 p.m.
Site: DanielStories.com
This family-friendly chiller for Park Slope children and their parents revisits the classic short story set in upstate New York about a goofball schoolteacher who's freaked out by legends of the Headless Horseman. One actor plays more than a dozen roles in an interactive, musical comedy style.
“Lizzie Borden: The Show”
Where: The Living Theater
21 Clinton Street
When: Sept. 12 – Oct. 19
Thu.-Sat. at 8 p.m.
Fri.-Sat. at 10:30 p.m.
Site: LizzieBordenTheShow.com
The teen axe-murderer is back in a full-on rock musical. Liberal amounts of blood cover the stage of the ironically-named Living Theater as Lizzie's father and step-mother are chopped up, but the mystery of whodunit (Lizzie was acquitted) remains.
“Manson: The Musical”
Where: The Kraine Theater
85 E. 4th Street
When: Oct. 25 – Dec. 5
Sun. 7 p.m.
Site: EndTimesProductions.com
A Chicago cult hit makes its Gotham debut, just in time for autumn's most ghoulish eve. This dark comedy relates the story of aspiring L.A. rocker Charles Manson, whose worship of the Beatles and bizarre experiments with drugs and groupies lead to one of Hollywood's most grisly murders.
“Monster Uprising”
Where: Access Theater
380 Broadway, 4th floor
When: Oct. 29 – Nov. 8
Thu. thru Sat. at 8 p.m.
Sun. at 2 p.m.
Site: FigmentTheatre.com
A trilogy of comedic takes on movie monsters. Dr. Frankenstein tries to reconcile with his wife while avoiding the paws of Godzilla; undead working stiffs compare their rotten jobs on the graveyard shift; an American tourist finds love with a werewolf in a gingerbread house.
“The New Guignol”
Where: The Brick Theater
575 Metropolitan Avenue
When: Oct. 28 – 31 at 8 p.m.
Site: NosediveProductions.com
For Halloween, the Brick recreates an infamously graphic theater style that puts the bloodiest, goriest headlines onstage as realistically as possible. It's a tasteless menu of dark, twisted dramas and sick dark comedies, complete with graphic violence and nudity.
“Nightmare: Vampires”
Where: NoHo Event Center
623 Broadway
When: Sept. 25 – Nov. 7 from 6-10 pm
Site: HauntedHouseNYC.com
“Nightmare” is one of America's premiere haunted houses, centrally located in downtown Gotham. This year's theme: vampires. Take a tour of MoVA—the Museum Of Vampyric Artifacts—but be careful during feeding time! The “museum” is open during daylight hours, but for the full effect, you should go at night (of course!).
