Five Reasons to Leave the House This Weekend

Doggone Halloween Costume Parade / Photo Courtesy of the Downtown Boston Business Improvement District

PUPPYPALOOZA
The Second Annual Doggone Halloween Costume Parade

Celebrate the season by surrounding yourself with Halloween-enthused dogs. Co-sponsored by the MSPCA and Nine Zero Hotel, this costume parade is now in its second year and boasts contests, vendors, and dog- and Halloween-themed music. Last year’s parade featured more than 40 dogs dressed up as tacos, cowboys, police, wizards, and more—along with some owners who dressed up in matching costumes. “The event will only be bigger and furrier this year,” says David Ertischek, communications and social media manager for the Downtown Boston Business Improvement District. Every dog will win a prize, and the grand prize is a free one-night stay at Nine Zero hotel, “during which the winning pooch will be able to enjoy the chic boutique,” says Ertischek.

Free, Friday, October 30, 12–1:30 p.m., Downtown Crossing outside of Macy’s, eventbrite.com.

Nosferatu / Photo Courtesy of Creative Commons

SYMPHONY
Boston Pops and Berklee College of Music Present Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror

Spooktober goes out with a symphonic bang thanks to a collaboration between the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Berklee College of Music. Nosferatu, the chilling horror flick that gripped moviegoers when films were still silent, has been reimagined by a team of eight Berklee students in Sheldon Mirowitz’s “Scoring Silent Films” class. In the past, the classes’ scores have been commissioned by the Coolidge Corner Theatre as part of their “Sounds of Silents” series and made their way around the country playing at various film festivals, but Friday’s performance marks their first collaboration with the BSO. Complete with obscure instruments, classic synthesizers, and a traditional orchestra, F. W. Murnau’s haunting 1922 classic has been eerily reinvented in a way that will remind audiences of a time before vampires sparkled in the sun (sorry, Twilight fans). “I wholly intend to blow minds with our score,” says Mirowitz. “I think it will be the single best way to see one of the greatest films ever made. If I weren’t involved in the project, I’d be the first in line to get tickets.”

$37-$47, Friday, October 30, 8 p.m., Boston Symphony Hall, 301 Massachusetts Ave., bso.org.

Image by Javier González Rodríguez, courtesy of the Peabody Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology

CULTURE
Day of the Dead Celebrations at the Peabody Museum

Forget the bloodcurdling screams and scenes of hapless adventurers running from the undead—late October has another holiday. Deeply rooted in culture and tradition, but sharing Halloween’s ties with the deceased, Dia de los Muertos is a Mexican celebration that honors friends and relatives who have passed away. “The Mexican Day of the Dead is a unique blend of Mesoamerican and Christian rituals,” says Faith Sutter, media and communications specialist at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. Although traditions vary by region, families typically gather at cemeteries to remember their loved ones by decorating graves, telling stories, and praying in support of their spiritual journey. Now, the Peabody Museum is bringing this ritual to Cambridge, along with the cultural customs and folk art that accompany it. “The Family Event features lots of hands-on activities for families to do together,” says Sutter. Among them are crafts like sugar skull decorating and paper marigold folding, tastings of traditional fare like spicy Aztec chocolate and pan de muerto, and performances by both Harvard’s mariachi band and folk dancers, the latter of which features brief audience participation for those wishing to learn some steps. The Friday Evening Celebration will feature Veronica Robles and Her Mariachi. Guests in catrina or calavera costumes—the traditional skeleton attire—can win prizes, and, of course, an altar for the deceased will be on display. Both events showcase the folk art of Olinalá, Guerrero, selected and created by Javier González Rodríguez. The Mexican artist will be available to speak to visitors at both events, but the evening event is ticketed, so be sure to get one before they sell out.

$20 for museum members, $25 for nonmembers for the Evening Celebration on Friday, October 30, 6-9 p.m., regular museum admission for Family Event on Sunday, November 1, 12-4 p.m., Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, 11 Divinity Ave., Cambridge, peabody.harvard.edu.

Photo Courtesy of the Improv Asylum

COMEDY
The Show Against Humanity

The self-described “show for horrible people” will appease even the most ardent fans of its derivative game, Cards Against Humanity. For those unfamiliar (but hopefully not faint of heart): Think a ruder, cruder, more insensitive Apples to Apples, with cards paired to form winning combinations like “an Oedipus complex: kid tested, mother approved.” This family un-friendly show has been running for a little over two years now, and has quickly become one of the Improv Asylum’s most popular. To start, the audience is broken up into two teams. Then, scenes are created based on the best combination of oversize versions of those clever-but-risqué black and white cards. “We originally used the cards that came with the game, and then the expansions, but now we have new cards created every week that range between the topical and the absurd,” says Jeremy Brothers, artistic director of the Improv Asylum. “It, like the card game it’s inspired by, is definitely not for children.”

$15, Friday, October 30, 11:59 p.m., Improv Asylum, 216 Hanover St., improvasylum.com.

Image Courtesy of Somerville Community Access Television

SPOOKY SCENES
Halloween Classic Movie Night

Head to Union Square to catch some of your favorite Halloween flicks, from creepy cartoons to the 1959 horror film House on Haunted Hill. A part of Somerville Community Access Television’s (SCATV) Cinema Somerville series, this first-time Halloween event is free and open to the public. The night begins even before the screenings with some appropriately themed tunes, courtesy of Boston Free Radio DJ Dan Burke. The cartoons, including Popeye the Sailor: Fright to the Finish (1954) and Betty Boop’s Halloween Party (1933), have been deemed “young person friendly,” but SCATV notes that “the series will be inherently scary.” So whether you choose to go in costume or not, be sure to get a good seat, grab some popcorn, and prepare to be spooked on this night of thrilling classics. Space is limited, so RSVP by emailing Erica Jones, the director of membership and outreach for SCATV.

Free, but must RSVP by emailing ejones@scatvsomerville.org, Thursday, October 29, 7 p.m., Somerville Community Access Television, 90 Union Square, Somerville, scatvsomerville.org.