A long history of plagues, battles, death, fires and floods has hung over New Orleans like a shadow for more than 200 years, making it one of America’s most haunted cities. Mix in a huge Anne Rice-inspired vampire subculture, numerous devotees of the black arts and of voodoo queen Marie Laveau, as well as the fact that all of our dead are entombed above ground in large burial vaults, and it is no wonder that Halloween has such an awesome effect on the city. If New Orleans does anything, it does it with great decadence. Here are just a few of the entertaining events happening in or around town this weekend as the city celebrates All Hallow’s Eve.
*What is Halloween, really, without a terrifying trip to a haunted house? Fortunately, New Orleans houses two of the best: The House of Shock and Chinchuba’s Haunted House.
After 12 years, the House of Shock has become one of the most well-known haunted houses in the world. Founded by members of the heavy metal group Pantera, the House of Shock is renowned for its intensity and graphic content and is not for the faint of heart or stomach. The House of Shock is located at 4951 River Rd. Jefferson, La. – just under the Huey P. Long Bridge. Cost of admission is $15 on Friday and Saturday and $10 on Sunday.
With an unparalleled attention to detail, Chinchuba’s Haunted House has provided New Orleans with bone-chilling exhibits of true-life horrors such as the Lafite Chainsaw Massacre and the Blethmoore Estate murders for the past 17 years. The exhibits themselves may border on the macabre, but it’s for a good cause: $8 from every ticket sold supports a school supporting the education of deaf and speech-impaired children. Chinchuba’s is located at 1131 Barataria Blvd., Marrero, La., and admission is $10.
*Another interactive way to spend your Halloween weekend is on a tour. You’ve all seen the brochures, New Orleans is full of them: Swamp Tours, Haunted History Tours, Ghost Tours, Voodoo Tours and the like. But don’t let the sheer volume deter you from taking part in one. The New Orleans Haunted History Ghost Tour explores the secret and more sinister side of the French Quarter. The tour encompasses several haunted sites, including residences and even a haunted bar. Tours depart daily at 2, 4, 6 and 8 p.m. from in front of Rev. Zombie’s Voodoo Shop on 723 St. Peter St. The cost for a tour is $20 per person or $17 for students.
For all the Anne Rice fans out there, there is the New Orleans Vampire Tour, which traces the legends of famous New Orleans vampires, real and fictional, throughout the French Quarter. The tour begins at 8:30 nightly on the steps in front of the St. Louis Cathedral at Jackson Square.
Cost is $18 per person.
*If a tour isn’t quite enough to feed your inner vampire, then you might be interested in the Cirque Du Nuit, a two-day celebration of the local vampire community, sponsored by the Louisiana Vampire Association and the House of Mystic Echoes. This year’s event will take place tonight at 10 p.m. at Tipitina’s in the French Quarter, 233 N. Peters St. Cost of admission is $25 per person. Or you could attend one of New Orleans’ largest vampire balls, the Endless Night Festival. Begun in October of 1998 as an alternative to Ann Rice’s Coven Ball, the Endless Night Festival has since grown into one of the largest gothic events in the country.
The weekend-long event takes place at the Hampton Inn, 226 Carondolet St. Tickets cost $25 in advance or $30 at the door.
A $99 weekend pass is also available.
*If you are looking for something a little more fun and eclectic, try The Transylvanian Electric Company. A live action Rocky Horror performance group, which meets the first and third Saturday of every month,
The Transylvanian Electric Company is staging its first ever Rockytober Fest this weekend. Although there is a regular cast, the Transylvanian Electric Company, like most Rocky Horror revivals, strongly encourage audience participation.
You can catch a performance at Mama Rosa’s Slice of Italy, which is located at 616 North Rampart St. in New Orleans. The show is upstairs in Mama’s Blues. Admission is $5.
*Another kitschy alternative is Ghouls Night Out. A product of the 3 Ring Circus Production Troupe, Ghouls Night Out offers a performance by heavy metal dance troupe the Iron Maidensas. In addition, Ghouls Night Out offers musical performances by Manwitch, Devil’s Right Hand, Buddy Luv Cult and The Spores.
The self-professed “gobblin’ grabbin’ dance party” takes place Saturday at 9 p.m. at The Big Top, 1638 Clio St. Admission is $7.
With all of the events going on in the city, it’s nearly impossible to list every event, but the important thing is to have fun and, most importantly, be safe and live to party another day.
After all, Mardi Gras is only a few short months away.
Chuck Alexander can be reached at [email protected].
