Wicked fun: Low-cost picks for Halloweekend

BEST FOR: SPOOKY SCENESTERS
Gotta be a part of the freshest Halloween scene? These spots are going all-out for their very first Oct. 31 in business.

9th Annual Black i Ball
Roof, 201 N. State St. 312-239-9501
This longtime roaming bash lands at downtown's latest rooftop lounge. Dress as your fave film star or movie character to vie for a $1,000 cash prize at midnight. DJ Matty Harris spins. No cover. 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Saturday.

All Hail Halloween
Simone's Bar, 960 W. 18th St. 312-666-8601
Bob for apples, spin a spooky drink wheel and revel in other kitschy fun while DJ Ian Frost spins some monstrous mash-ups. No cover.
9 p.m.-3 a.m. Saturday.    

The Canary Murder Case
The Red Canary, 695 N. Milwaukee Ave. 312-846-1475
This antique-chic lounge's party is inspired by the 1929 movie of the same name. Head out to the heated patio (weather permitting) or get grooving inside to beats by DJ Merk 1. No cover. 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Saturday.

Twilight at Market
Market, 1113 W. Randolph St. 312-929-4787
Make your way through the enclosed beer garden-turned-haunted house, help yourself to the $6 bloody mary bar and wait your turn for bloodcurdling body painting by Mario Ink. Show off your costume for a chance to win $1,500 in giveaways, including "Twilight" gear autographed by Robert Pattinson. No cover. 7 p.m.-3 a.m. Saturday.

BEST FOR: MOVERS & SHAKERS
Not content to park it on a bar stool and costume-watch? These bashes will keep you on the move.

Eve of the Eve Pub Crawl
Haunt six Lakeview hangs, starting at Frasca (3358 N. Paulina St.). Each spot stages a $100 costume contest, from sexiest at the Shire (8 p.m.) to best costume at the Pony (11 p.m.). Includes $5 Jameson shots and drinks. No cover. 6 p.m.-3 a.m. Friday.

Critical Mass
Daley Plaza, 50 W. Washington St.
The October installment of this monthly bike ride taking over the streets always draws wacky costumes, from a cast of Alice in Wonderland characters to a bride and groom on a bicycle built for two. Free. 5:30 p.m. Friday. Info: chicagocriticalmass.org

Halloween at Roscoe's
Roscoe's, 3356 N. Halsted St. 773-281-3355
Party along the North Halsted Halloween Parade route and you're sure to be swept up by churning crowds moving from bar to bar, from recently reopened Scarlet to Sidetrack, where the parade is broadcast live on a projector screen. Start at Roscoe's for $6 Bacardi bombs and a 10 p.m. costume contest ($1,500 split among three winners) hosted by the drag-tastic Frida Lay. No cover before 9 p.m.; $5 after. 1 p.m.-3 a.m. Saturday.     

BEST FOR: HORROR FILM FREAKS
Get your fill of frightful footage at these fetes.

Halloween 2009
LaSalle Power Co., 500 N. La Salle St. 312-661-1122
Watch black-and-white horror classics on the main-floor video wall or groove to DJ Andres' beats on the second floor. On the top-floor stage, Tanglewood and South of 80 rock out (9 p.m.-midnight). $3 domestic bottles all night. No cover. 9 p.m.-3 a.m. Saturday.

Flick or Treat
Angels & Kings, 710 N. Clark St. 312-482-8600
DJ White Shadow spins while scary movies screen on TVs around the bar. A late-night costume contest (2 a.m.) awards tickets to screenings for "Transylmania" or "The House of the Devil." No cover. 9 p.m.-5 a.m. Saturday.

BEST FOR: COSTUME PROCRASTINATORS
Let these themed shindigs be your last-minute inspiration to whip up a 15-minute get-up.

True Blood Friday
NV Penthouse Lounge, 116 W. Hubbard St. 312-329-9960
Grab some plastic fangs and suck down $7 True Blood cocktails (vodka-spiked blood orange and cranberry juices) at this vampy bash featuring dancers and staff made over as vampires. No cover before 10:30 p.m. After 10:30 p.m., cover is $10 with RSVP to events@nvpenthouselounge.com before 8 p.m. 10 p.m.-2 a.m. Friday.

Dress for the Job You Wanted, Not the Job You Have
Hub 51, 51 W. Hubbard St. 312-828-0051
The name's unwieldy, but the idea's simple: Dress up as what you wanted to be when you grew up. DJ Sky Nellor spins in basement lounge Sub 51 (table reservations only). No cover. 9 p.m.-3 a.m. Saturday.

Dead Celebrity Halloween
LuxLounge, 18 E. Bellevue Pl. (upstairs inside Luxbar) 312-642-3400
Paste on a beard and go as Billy Mays or don a vintage dress and go as Jackie O for a chance to snag a $500 gift card at midnight. Feed your sweet tooth with Halloween candy and $7 pumpkin and candy apple martinis. No cover. 10 p.m.-3 a.m. Saturday.


Dare to be scared

By Stephanie Lulay
RedEye

Kirsten Pfeiffer was always afraid of haunted houses--but now she's hooked.

"It's the rush of that moment--the rush is ridiculous," said Pfeiffer, from Oak Park. "That's what compels me to do it again."

Pfeiffer says she tries to go to at least five or six haunted houses every year, has worked in one as a witch and does zombie makeup for fun. She counts herself among a number of fear junkies, or people who love scaring themselves and call Halloween their favorite season of the year.

"There are a lot of people out there like this. There is a community springing up," said Chad Savage, a local horror sketch artist and painter who runs chicagohorror.com, which rounds up horror-focused news and events in Chicago. This year, Savage said 700 people showed up for the second annual Chicago Zombie March, where marchers take a stab at acting undead in full zombie costumes.

Options abound for fear junkies this time of year--haunted houses spring up and movie houses take note. "Saw VI," "The Stepfather" and "The House of the Devil" are just a few flicks with near-holiday release dates.

This year, American consumers are expected to spend $4.75 billion on Halloween, according to a National Retail Federation report. It's not hard to believe--admission at Statesville Haunted Prison, a 30-room prison-themed haunted house in Crest Hill is $30 this year.

"It's adrenaline," said John Laflamboy, 34, a local actor who co-owns and acts at Statesville Haunted Prison. "You feel like you're firing on all cylinders. It allows people to escape for a bit and go to a crazy world."

Laflamboy said that while the haunted house experience will get your blood pumping,  haunt owners have taken strides to make the experience a safe one. When someone walks through a haunted house, they know they won't be touched by the actors, he said.
For Pfeiffer, 41, haunted houses are a safe way to confront her fears. "You're paying money; nothing horrible should technically happen, and when it's over, it's over."

These thrill-seeking events are memorable for people, said Dr. Chris Leonhard, a professor at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, who thinks that haunts can be a positive experience. "There is this sense of accomplishment if they stay with the fear."

Oddly enough, it's the oldest haunting trick in the book that keeps people most scared.
The dark.

"If you pay attention to the crowd, it's the old standards that still work," Savage said.


The science of fear

Why are some people obsessed with fear?

It's all about the intensity of the experience and an opportunity to rise to a challenge, according to Frank Farley, a psychologist at Temple University.

"A major determinate of human fear is uncertainty," he said. "If everything was predictable, we'd know how to deal with it." While haunted houses may be a much safer thrill than skydiving or free-base climbing, it's the unpredictability of the situation that keeps fear junkies scared.

It's also physical.

When a person gets scared, the nervous system takes over and the brain activates the adrenal gland, dumping adrenaline into the blood stream.

"You cannot physically distinguish someone having a panic attack from someone on a roller coaster," said Dr. Chris Leonhard, a professor at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology who specializes in behavioral psychology.

Physically, the onset of panic leads to an adrenaline rush, increased heart rate, a rise in blood pressure, perspiration and possibly some intestinal cramping. After the fright, the body will attempt to regain balance, resulting in a calming feeling. Stephanie Lulay, RedEye