Scare up some fun with Halloween activities in Metro Vancouver

From balls and plays to traditional pumpkin patches, there’s a whole lot of spookiness going on in Metro Vancouver this October.

Old-fashioned scares can be had at haunted houses like the Dunbar Haunted House, which puts a horrific spin on typical news stories, and Potters House of Horrors, which features a mix of living zombies, creepy creatures, and sickening scenes. If you like fresh air with your spooks and spirits, try Fright Nights at Playland for a selection of six haunted houses, each with its own distinct theme.

Highlights of East Van institution the Parade of Lost Souls Festival include a dance party, the Secret Souls Walk, and a series of workshops on creating puppets, learning the choreography to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”, developing your parade persona, and building and performing with a spirit-deer costume.

If you like your spookiness on the big screen, check out some cinema at The Return of the Buffy Musical, Bloodshots Canada 2012, and Cute to Kill III, as well as screenings of Shaun of the Dead and Juan of the Dead. Theatre aficionados can seek thrills and chills at plays like Itsazoo Productions’ Debts, Seven Tyrants Theatre's Judge Dee & the Chinese Garden Murders, Awkward Stage Productions' Dracula: The Musical?, A Tomb With a View, and the Virtual Stage’s The Zombie Syndrome. On the comedy front, Night of the Laughing Dead presents a night of ghoulish hilarity.

Adults-only fun can be found at Halloween at the Waldorf and Halloween at the Waldorf II, two multi-room nights of music, DJs, dancing, sideshow revues, terrifying attractions, and cash prizes for the best costume. For similarly frightful dance parties, check out the Waldorf Two-Year Anniversary Halloween Bash, Halloween Monster Mash, Where the Wild Beats Are, and Frite Nite Vancouver.

Halloween-themed dancing can be had at Vamp It Up!, while the In the House Festival's House of Forsaken Gods explores the dark side of Greek mythology through aerial circus moves, prop manipulation, theatre, puppetry, physical comedy, and music.

With more child-friendly visions of ghosts and goblins in mind, the Stanley Park Halloween Ghost Train offers up a frightening take on classic fairy tales, while the Burnaby Village Museum’s Haunted Village lets little ones see the latest styles in witches' hats, watch a circus sideshow, and savour tasty toes at the Voodoo Café. If that’s still too scary for your young ones, swing by the Royal Pumpkin Ball, Family Fright at the Fort, Halloween Howl Spook Fest, Great Marpole Trick-or-Treat, West Beach Pumpkin Festival, Halloween Carnival, Pumpkin Carving, or The Great Big Boo! for some fright-free celebrations.

Local pumpkin patches Richmond Country Farms , Laity Pumpkin Patch, and Southlands Heritage Farm offer live entertainment, hayrides, and, of course, a wide selection of pumpkins ready to take home for carving.

Follow the Halloween-loving Jennie Ramstad on Twitter at twitter.com/jennieramstad.