Haunted bar guide and other Halloween fun, Mushroomhead at the Agora, John Cleese in Akron, Cavs home opener & more

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14 spooky bars worth celebrating Halloween at in Greater Cleveland

Greater Clevelanders go all-out when it comes to celebrating Halloween. The holiday officially falls on a Tuesday this year, giving folks an entire weekend before to engage in tricks and treats. Many bars in Northeast Ohio jump on the Halloween bandwagon, but there are also a few institutions that channel a spooky vibe all year long. Cleveland.com's Alex Darus has put together a guide to 14 Northeast Ohio bars perfect for celebrating Halloween in 2023 that include both truly creepy haunts or just festive places to party. READ MORE

Mushroomhead

Horror-inspired Cleveland heavy-metal rockers celebrate the band’s 30th anniversary with this Halloween weekend show. Tickets $32.50 and up.

The Agora, 5000 Euclid Ave., Cleveland. 7 p.m., Oct. 28. DETAILS

I-X Center Trick or Treat Street

Skip the elements and head indoors where the little ones can enjoy “not-so-spooky” decorations, live entertainment, kids rides and more while they head around to a street of Halloween houses for candy. For children 10 and under. Tickets $14. 1 I-X Center Drive, Cleveland. 11 a.m. - 7 p.m., Oct. 28; 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Oct 29. DETAILS

“Dracula: The Bloody Truth”

Four actors play 40 characters in Great Lakes Theater’s fun and fast-paced adaptation of Bram Stoker’s legendary tale of the blood-sucking vampire, Dracula. Tickets start at $20. Hanna Theatre, 2067 E. 14th St., Cleveland. Oct. 20-Nov. 5. DETAILS

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Trick-or-Treat Fest

Dress up the kids and head to the zoo for this daytime Halloween celebration featuring 20 trick-or-treat stations, photo ops with costumed characters, unlimited train rides and a dance party. $7-$9 in addition to zoo general admission ($15-$19). 3900 Wildlife Way, Cleveland. Weekends through Oct. 29. DETAILS

Halloweekends at Cedar Point

The Amazement Park has been transformed for the season with daytime delights and nighttime frights. Explore haunted mazes, survive terrifying scare zones, experience scary shows or simply ride your favorite roller coasters. Admission starts at $49.99. 1 Cedar Point Dr., Sandusky. Through Oct. 29. DETAILS

‘Degas and the Laundress’ exhibit at Cleveland Museum of Art

“Degas and the Laundress” is a collection of more than 100 Impressionism works by Edgar Degas and other artists including Honoré Daumier, Camille Pissarro, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Pierre Bonnard, Edouard Vuillard, and Pablo Picasso. Looking beautiful and innocent on the surface, they represent an unvalued group of workers who were mostly women. Exhibit tickets $12 to $15. Through Jan. 15, 2024. 11150 East Blvd., Cleveland. DETAILS

Cleveland Cavaliers basketball

Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and the rest of the team are in town for a trio of games against the Thunder on Friday, Pacers on Saturday and the Knicks on Halloween night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. 1 Center Court, Cleveland. 7:30 p.m., Oct. 27, 28 and 31. DETAILS

“The Book of Mormon”

Hit Broadway musical returns to Cleveland for a limited engagement. Tickets $45-140. KeyBank State Theatre, 1519 Euclid Ave., Cleveland. Through Oct. 29. DETAILS

“An Evening With The Late John Cleese”

Enjoy a night of laughter with the acclaimed British comic. Tickets start at $52.75. VIP meet & greet packages also available. Akron Civic Theatre, 182 S. Main St., Akron. 7:30 p.m., Oct. 27. DETAILS

“Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein”

Cleveland Play House invites you to 19th century Switzerland where young Mary Shelley has just accepted the challenge to tell a spine-tingling tale. Tickets $54-86. Outcalt Theatre, 1407 Euclid Ave., Cleveland. Through Nov. 12. DETAILS

Boo at the Zoo

Head to the Akron Zoo for a chance to enjoy face paintings, trick-or-treat stations and much more. Purchase tickets online in advance for a discount on parking and admission. 500 Edgewood Ave., Akron. 11 a.m. - 7 p.m., Oct. 28-29. DETAILS

Fall Forest Fest

Enjoy live music and entertainment, food trucks, games, crafts and much more. Free with regular admission charge. Holden Arboretum, 9550 Sperry Rd., Kirtland. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Oct. 28-29. DETAILS

All Hale’s Eve: Monster Mash

An adults-only evening of spooky fun featuring drink and treat pairings throughout the grounds, musical entertainment and much more. Costumes are encouraged. Tickets $45-50. Hale Farm & Village, Bath. 7-11 p.m., Oct. 28. DETAILS

Stage Fright: A Halloween Bash

Enjoy a spooky evening special food and drinks, tarot and palm readers, multiple scenes for photo ops, live entertainment, costume contest and much more. Tickets $80-120. Proceeds benefit NWT. 21-and-over only. Near West Theatre, 6702 Detroit Ave., Cleveland. 7 p.m., Oct. 27. DETAILS

Halloween Spooktacular

Join CIM’s orchestra for an afternoon full of classical and modern selections themed for the holiday. A costume contest is part of the festivities as well. Tickets $18-33. Severance Music Center, 11001 Euclid Ave., Cleveland. 2 p.m., Oct. 29. DETAILS

“It’s a Madhouse!”

The relatives of a deceased mystery author race family and strangers to be the one to discover a mysterious and valuable object that he spent his fortune to purchase. A Youth Theater production, tickets are $13 for children and $15 for adults. Beck Center for the Arts, 17801 Detroit Ave., Lakewood. Through Oct. 29. DETAILS

Family Fun Fest

Patterson’s Fruit Farm’s fall tradition of family fun continues with a corn maze, slides, apple picking and much more. Admission $7 weekdays, $11 weekends. Open daily through Oct. 29, weather permitting. 8765 Mulberry Rd., Chesterland. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Fri - Sun. DETAILS

Mapleside Farms Pumpkin Village

This picturesque orchard in Brunswick continues the fall festival season with another weekend of Pumpkin Village. The popular attraction features hayrides, fall foods, train rides, a giant slide and a massive corn maze that celebrates Browns fan favorite Myles Garrett and his love of dinosaurs. This final weekend is billed as a “Spooky Fest.” Admission $13. 294 Pearl Rd., Brunswick. 4-9 p.m., Oct. 27; 11 a.m. - 9 p.m., Oct. 28; 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., Oct. 29. DETAILS

“Girl from the North Country”

Tony-winning new musical roles into the North Coast featuring re-imagined versions of 20 classic Bob Dylan songs. Head to Duluth, Minnesota where the lives of a group of travellers cross in song. Tickets $25-115. Connor Palace Theatre, 1501 Euclid Ave., Cleveland. Oct. 31 - Nov. 19. DETAILS

Mummies of the World

Come face-to-face with the past at this traveling exhibition 4,500 years in the making. The never-before-seen collection, at the new Corner Gallery in Playhouse Square, showcases naturally and intentionally preserved mummies from ancient Egypt and places and time periods closer to home, too. Tickets $10-$24.95. 1305 Euclid Ave., Cleveland. Through Jan. 28, 2024. DETAILS

FOOD & DINING

Lago

The East Bank of the Flats is full of delicious dining options, but Lago is one that never goes out of style. The Italian restaurant is famous for its meatballs, but the menu has something that every kind of diner will love. Lago's setting feels romantic enough for date night but also lively enough for a business dinner with colleagues. The cocktail menu is also a winner, especially the authentic espresso martinis made with freshly brewed espresso. The lobster gnocchi is another entree you can never go wrong with. Lago, 1091 W. 10th St., Cleveland. 216-862-8065. 11 a.m. to 12 a.m., Monday through Wednesday; 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., Thursday and Friday; 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday; 10 a.m. to 12 a.m. Sunday. DETAILS

Winking Lizard – a place to sit, eat and watch sports

With football in full swing, you have to love the offerings at the Winking Lizard. With scores of beers, televisions everywhere you look and an extensive something-for-everyone menu, it’s a great place to settle in to watch a game. (Tip: Show up before kickoff if it’s an Ohio State football game.) Northeast Ohio locations: Avon, Beachwood, Bedford Heights, Brunswick, Canton, Copley, downtown Cleveland, Independence, Lakewood, Macedonia, Mayfield, Mentor and Peninsula. DETAILS

Gabriel’s South Table puts elevates bar food

East Fourth Street is full of pre-theater dining options. Opened in the former Indie space this spring, Gabriel’s Southern Table + Whiskey is one of them. The menu has a bar-food-meets-fine-dining vibe. And Southern-influenced dishes nearly require an adult beverage. Starters include fried green tomatoes, Cajun tots, hush puppies, wings and more. Choose from whiskey or playful cocktails. DETAILS

‘Dine Drink CLE’ offers lively guide to restaurant, bar scenes

Get the latest news about Cleveland’s restaurant and bar scene in the new weekly "Dine Drink CLE" newsletter. With the latest on openings, closings, tastings and other events, plus recommendations, features and guides from our team of writers and critics. SUBSCRIBE

TV & MOVIES

‘Pain Hustlers’

Hollywood's latest attempt to delve into the opioid crisis is the glossy, starry "Pain Hustlers," starring Emily Blunt, Chris Evans and Andy Garcia. Based on a New York Times Magazine article (which then became a book) by Evan Hughes, "Pain Hustlers," makes its debut Friday, Oct. 27, on Netflix. It centers on a pharmaceutical startup, Insys Therapeutics, which engaged in criminal activities like bribery and kickbacks and misleading insurers to push their addictive oral fentanyl spray called Subsys. Blunt plays a high school dropout who gets a job at the company, run by Garcia, where she excels. Directed by David Yates, "Pain Hustlers" was not generally well received by critics at its Toronto International Film Festival premiere, but Alyssa Wilkinson wrote for Vox that, though predictable, "'Pain Hustlers' manages to be lively and moving." DETAILS

‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’

The video game series "Five Nights at Freddy's" is now a movie, available both in theaters and on Peacock on Friday, Oct. 27. The horror pic, from Blumhouse Productions, follows a security guard (played by "The Hunger Games'" Josh Hutcherson) who accepts a job at an old family entertainment center, Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, where the animatronic mascots are mobile and murderous after midnight. DETAILS

‘The Gilded Age ‘

Julian Fellowes' "The Gilded Age" is back for a second season on HBO. The show features a large ensemble cast including Carrie Coon, Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon, Morgan Spector and Taissa Farmiga and takes place in New York during the industrialization period in the late 1800s. This time of extreme wealth and also extreme poverty became known as The Gilded Age, though is often more remembered for its extravagance. The Carnegies, Rockefellers, Vanderbilts and Morgans are prominent last names from this time period that still have relevance today. "The Gilded Age" series follows two wealthy families, one with inherited wealth and the other with new money, along with their domestic workers. Season two debuts Sunday, Oct. 29 on HBO and will stream on MAX. DETAILS

‘CURSES!’

Apple TV+ has a new family friendly animated series from Dreamworks called "CURSES!" in time for Halloween. When a centuries-old family curse turns Alex Vanderhouven to stone, his wife, Sky, and their two kids Pandora and Russ team up to save him, break the spell, and return stolen artifacts to their owners. John Krasinski is an executive producer. Voice actors include Reid Scott ("Veep", "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"), Rhea Perlman ("Cheers"), Phylicia Rashad ("The Cosby Show") and Robert Englund ("A Nightmare on Elm Street"). "CURSES!" debuts Friday, Oct. 27 on the streamer. DETAILS

‘Fellow Travelers’

Matt Bomer ("White Collar") and Jonathan Bailey ("Bridgerton") co-star as two men who meet and fall in love during the 1950s McCarthy-era. Their love story stretches across the cultural and political milestones in U.S. history including the Vietnam War protests, the age of disco, drug use and nightclubs of the 1970s, and into the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. The story is based on a novel by Thomas Mallon. "Fellow Travelers" will debut Friday, Oct. 27 on Paramount+ and on Showtime on Sunday, Oct. 29. DETAILS

‘Master Gardener’

Filmmaker Paul Schrader rounds out his unofficial Man in a Room trilogy ("First Reformed," "The Card Counter") with "Master Gardener," arriving on Hulu on Thursday. Joel Edgerton plays a horticulturist named Narvel who works on the large estate of a wealthy dowager (Sigourney Weaver's Norma). Narvel harbors some secrets under his gardening jumpsuits, though, including tattoos and a past with a body count. I wrote in my review that its ideas are many and perhaps not terribly coherent, but there are pleasures in the enjoyable performances from Edgerton, Weaver and Quintessa Swindell. DETAILS

MUSIC

Taylor Swift

It was the album that fully cemented her move away from country-pop to mainstream pop superstardom. On Friday, Oct. 27, Taylor Swift will unveil the fourth release of the six albums Swift plans to re-record, "1989 (Taylor's Version)." The Taylor's Version albums, instigated by music manager Scooter Braun's sale of her early catalog, represent Swift's effort to control her own songs and how they're used. Like the others in the series, Swifties can expect five previously unreleased "From the Vault" tracks written around the time of the 2014 album's initial release, as well as the fan-favorite "New Romantics," originally released as a Target exclusive. DETAILS

Barbra Streisand

Also on Friday, Barbra Streisand and Columbia Records will release "EVERGREENS: Celebrating Six Decades on Columbia Records" and "YENTL: 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition," arriving a few days before the publication date of her highly anticipated memoir, "My Name is Barbra." Unreleased tracks abound. Welcome to Streisand season. DETAILS

DJ Shadow

In preparation for his latest studio album, "Action Adventure," DJ Shadow took crate digging to the next level: he bought 200 tapes on eBay, a collection that was recorded off the radio from a mix station in the Baltimore/D.C. area in the 1980s, and dove through his vinyl record collection for new music. (That latter is 60,000 records deep, so discovery at home is easy.) If that doesn't speak to the producer's dedication to evolving his craft, what could? DETAILS

‘Milli Vanilli’

A new Paramount+ documentary on the German-French R&B duo Milli Vanilli (appropriately titled, "Milli Vanilli,") examines one of music's biggest lip-syncing scandals — and suggests Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan's music producers were pulling the strings and knew more than they let on at the time. DETAILS

Loreena McKennitt

Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter makes a stop in Akron for a live performance. Tickets $34.50-79.50. Goodyear Theater, 1201 E. Market St., Akron 7:30 p.m., Oct. 28. DETAILS

Great White and Slaughter

Pair of ‘80s rock legends come together for a show in Northeast Ohio. 21-and-over only show. Tickets $37.50 and up. MGM Northfield Park, Northfield 8 p.m., Oct. 28. DETAILS

Want more concert & music picks?

Cleveland.com's weekly virtual concert guide is HERE

Cleveland.com's weekly new music guide is HERE

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