Spelling it out

NORTH WEST

Catch a scary movie at the Alhambra, Penrith, showing the all-new Halloween (29-30 Oct) and John Carpenter’s The Fog (31 Oct) while over at the Rheged Centre there’s the original, John Carpenter’s Halloween (31 Oct). Wes Craven’s A Nightmare On Elm Street (31 Oct) is at the Regent Cinema in Blackpool and The Evil Dead is at the Dukes Cinema, Lancaster (31 Oct).

In Sefton Palm House, Liverpool there’s three nights of frightful films for families – Hocus Pocus, Mommie Dearest and Gremlins – and grown ups – Rocky Horror Picture Show, Dracula (1992), and A Nightmare On Elm Street (29-31 Oct). Or for a 3D experience head to Blackburn’s Scare Kingdom Scream Park (until 4 Nov) or Liverpool’s St George’s Hall for the Chamber of Horrors: Gallows Eve promenade performance (until 31 Oct).

Family-friendly spooky fun can be had in Windermere at the Brockhole Halloween Experience (until 31 Oct), which has a haunted forest, a marquee of monsters, zombie archery, a pumpkin trail, ghost stories, witch crafts and more. And nearby at Ambleside’s Wray Castle there’s the Clockwork Moth Shadow Play and Puppetry Display (31 Oct) – a show of light play, storytelling and puppetry.

At Brockholes in Preston there’s a Halloween Xplorer Challenge with British orienteering, pumpkin carving and more (until 4 Nov), at Cedar Farm in Mawdesley there’s a pumpkin trail (until 2 Nov), at Samlesbury Hall there’s witchey spells and pumpkin hunts (until 31 Oct), and in Pendle, of course, there’s spooky witch trails and more.

Apple Jack’s Farm in Warrington hosts its annual Spooky World (until 3 Nov). For families by day and adults by night, there’s five spooky mazes populated by scary actors. At Northwich’s Stockley Farm a witch will be taking residence, and there’ll be pumpkin carving, fancy dress competitions and more (until 31 Oct). Blakemere Village is hosting a Zombie Pirate Treasure Trial (until 4 Nov), while the Crocky Trail near Chester presents its Crocky Horror Show (until 31 Oct).

Board the East Lancs Railway at Bury for some Steam Powered Screams. Travelling to Rawtenstall and back travellers will be joined by a host of haunters (until 31 Oct).

In Manchester’s St Ann’s Square the Royal Exchange presents Séance, a theatrical experience in a shipping container (until 31 Oct).

Pumpkin picking: Walby Farm Park, Carlisle; Windmill Animal Farm, Ormskirk; Kenyon Hall Farm, Warrington; Church View Farm, Lydiate.

Trick or treat: Headless Close, Grange-over-Sands; Black Skull House Lane, Appley Bridge; Elm Street, Middleton.

YORKSHIRE

Adults and brave kids over 12 are in for a real fright at Yorkshire Scare Grounds Scream Park in Wakefield (until 3 Nov). Live actors roam torture rooms, a colonised village, a haunted hotel and more. York Maze meanwhile hosts Hallowscream (until 3 Nov), for age 14 and over, with five haunted houses. Children are welcome at York Maze by day (until 4 Nov) where there’ll be pumpkin carving competitions, a haunted maze treasure hunt, a witches grotto and ghostly rides.

York Dungeon goes all out for Halloween with shows, adult-only openings, tours and ghostly river cruises (until 31 Oct). Thorp Perrow in Bedale opens its Halloween Trail (until 4 Nov), Cannon Hall Farm has a Pumpkin Festival (until 31 Oct), Sledmere House in Driffield has a pumpkin hunt and a Black Cat Trail (until 4 Nov), and Stockeld Park in North Yorkshire has a host of Halloween activities, including a spell school and a spider hunt in the giant maze. There’s fright nights for grown ups too (until 31 Oct).

Lightwater Valley hosts its Frightwater events, with family fun, including trick or treating and character meet and greets, by day, as well as frights for over 12s at night (until 31 Oct). Ghoul School, Dr Frankenstein’s Science Lab, potion mixing, werewolf survival skills and a spooky disco are just some of the events taking place at Eureka in Halifax (until 4 Nov).

Castle Howard hosts a Zombies vs Pirates Halloween, the RSPB at Old Moor near Barnsley has a Wild Things trail, and Burton Agness Hall a Spooky Woodland Trail (all until 4 Nov).

Burton Constable in East Yorkshire hosts Halloween Thrills & Spills with a spooky bat trail, pumpkin trail, creepy crafts, freaky face painting, spooky storytelling, fancy dress competitions and more (until 4 Nov).

Whitby Abbey has Halloween activities for kids and provides an atmospheric backdrop for a walk through the ruins in the goth capital of Britain (until 4 Nov).

In Sheffield the Tropical Butterfly House, Wildlife and Falconry Centre has a haunted house, ghoulish tractor rides through the freaky forest, pumpkin carving and a fancy dress competition by day and grown-up frights by night (until 4 Nov).

Brodsworth Hall in Doncaster hosts candlelit ghost tours (until 4 Nov) while Kirklees Light Railway becomes a Ghost Train (until 4 Nov).

Pumpkin picking: Thornton Hall Park, Skipton; Cannon Hall Farm, Barnsley; Farmer Copleys, Pontefract; Birchfield Farm, Harrogate.

Trick or treat: Howl Gate, York; All Hallows Road, Walkington; Cemetery Road, Sheffield; Hell Lane, Wakefield.