The Best Halloween Events In London For Ghost Stories, Films And Scares

London Month Of The Dead’s annual programme returns this spooky season to get you in the mood for Halloween with some chilling – and fascinating – events. Ramp up to the big day throughout October with ghostly tours and talks that will take you inside cemeteries and other eerie locations across the city, from Brompton Cemetery to along the Thames. Each event delves into a different topic related to death and the afterlife, whether that’s the scientific side of things (‘Dissection And Dissipation – Life as a medical student in Victorian London’ and ‘The Golden Age Of Death – The dawn of modern forensic science’) or the scarier side (‘A Warehouse Of Homicide – The Metropolitan Police Crime Museum’ and ‘Buried Alive – The horror of premature internment’). These events are frighteningly popular, so book your ticket now. 

For students, Halloween is an exercise in creativity – just how impressive and spooky a costume can you make on your limited loan funds? Once you’ve made something suitably scary (or given up defeated), Scala’s Nightmare In Kings Cross will welcome you with open arms for a big Halloween rave up. Over two rooms that will be blasting hip-hop, R&B, drill, trap, house, commercial and deep house, the party will bring tricks (confetti showers) and treats (candy floss, a tuck shop, hours of fun).

Spend your October in the dark – the dark theatres of Prince Charles Cinema, that is. In the run-up to Halloween, the beloved cinema is hosting ‘Gynophobia Season’, showcasing films that explore representations of monstrous women in horror. Before each movie – ‘Twins Of Evil’, ‘The House That Screamed’ and ‘Sisters’ – you’ll get an introduction to the film that will make you think about the social attitudes within each, and question how they reflect and challenge the culture and society of their time.

Chessington’s annual frighlfest is back, filling the theme park with even more screams than usual. It’s your last chance to catch the award-winning show ‘Banyan – The Final Flame’, while werewolf Wilf and vampire bat Violet will be throwing a kid-friendly party. In the Wild Woods, the Vile Villagers will be recruiting for fresh blood, and all the usual spine-tingling rides will be in operation.

Spooky season is coming! Grab your tickets and experience the ghosts and ghouls of Phantom Peak…The town is celebrating the Lunar Festival, with ghosts and ghouls taking over the minds and nightmares of the townsfolk. After the delights of the Cabin Games over the Summer, Phantom Peak is plunged into darkness again for a season of thrills, tricks, and treats. An all-new themed menu is introduced, as well as ten new trails and spook-filled mysteries to explore. Celebrate Halloween at Phantom Peak with 15% off adult tickets.

It’s the perfect time of year to explore the Henry VIII’s haunted palace. Over October half term the grand, gloomy corridors and courtyards of Hampton Court Palace will be filled with atmospheric projections and creepy sound effects. Tiptoe through the grand pile and learn about the infamous ghosts said to roam the grand rooms. Look out for witches and alchemists dotted all over the palace, visit to the ‘Gallery of the Damned’ to see eerie portraits come to life, or stop by the ‘Council Chamber’ to take part in a séance. Feeling brave? Head outside to the Haunted Garden to spot carved pumpkins and listen to spooky stories. 

Forget the daytime events at London Bridge Experience if you want the biggest scare of all. Instead, head to the venue after dark and brace yourself to come face-to-face with some of horror’s most infamous – and frightening – characters. The ‘Dreadflix’ event series promises a ‘high-intensity evening scare show’, so it’s definitely not for the faint-hearted. You have been warned.

Brilliant doughnut-makers will be flogging a special seasonal offering in the days leading up to and just after Halloween – a tasty pumpkin treat slathered in toffee sauce. It will only be available between October 29 and November 3, and you’ll have to visit the Borough or Wembley locations to get your hands on it. If you can’t make it to either spot on those days, you can always try your hand at making it yourself – the shop has shared the official recipe on its website.

Wrap up warm and head to Greenwich to hear spooky tales of local ghosts from centuries past that are said to still loom around the area. The spectres that you’ll meet along the way come in all shapes and sizes, from drunken sailors to ghost ships.

The history of the Tower of London goes back a whopping 900 years, which covers a hell of a lot of torture, prisoners and executions – most famously the beheading of Anne Boleyn. It‘s no surprise then that the landmark is notorious for ghostly sightings. Visit over October half term and follow a spooky trail around teh ancient landmark and see if you can spot medieval queens, Roman soldiers and wizards lurking about the place. Keep track of the ghosts you see along the way and drop by the ruined garden in the shadow of the White Tower where you’ll see the decaying walls and barred windows of a lost palace. 

Forget just picking a pumpkin from the patch, this event lets the little ones get really hands on with their gourds. With the provided paints, they’ll be able to turn the orange orbs into whatever spooky design they choose, and learn about the fruit in the process. The workshop is designed for kids aged five and up and all materials are included. 

For a fortnight this Halloween, some spooktacular activities await little revellers in the land of a million bricks (55 million to be precise). Frankie the Friendly Monster and Lord Vampyre return to Windsor with heaps of LEGO themed fun including a pumpkin patch where visitors can create their own gourd using orange bricks, a Minifigure monster trail and an eery puppet show in the DUPLO theatre where the dolls don Halloween costumes. On weekends, fireworks will be shooting into the skies and if you don't want the fearsome fun to end, the Legoland Hotel will be offering a special Halloween deal so the kids can crash after all that ghoulish fun.

If you're looking for an eerie thrill this Halloween season, join the seriously spooky historic storytellers at Eltham Palace in Greenwich. After dark, you can follow their journey through the ghostly halls, and hear tales of ghouls, supernatural sightings and horrors from throughtout history. The tales will be told over the weekend before Halloween and the big day itself (open to those over the age of 16), with entry at 6pm, 7.15pm, 8.30pm and 9.45pm each evening, so make sure you book your place!

If you're after a spooky screening to feel completely immersed in the spirit of Halloween, the Eventim Apollo have got you covered. The Grade II listed cinema will be hosting two screenings with live bands on Halloween Sunday: Hocus Pocus and Twilight.

You might have seen them a thousand times, or you might be relatively unfamiliar with these Halloween classics. One thing's for sure — they'll have new life brought to them with the accompaniment of the live music, and truly absorb the audience. If that sounds like an enchanting way to spend an afternoon, grab your ticket for the show. 

If you want to make some festive treats to munch on this Halloween, pay a visit to Biscuiteers’ School Of Icing at its Belgravia and Notting Hill locations. Here, you’ll be taught – as the name suggests – how to master the art of icing, including colouring, piping, feathering, line and flood icing. All the biscuits and decorating materials you need are included in the ticket price, plus they’ll throw in a special Biscuiteers tin for you to take home your spooky creations in. The standard events have an age limit of 14 and up, but a half term event will be specifically designed for younger budding icers.

Lost Souls Pizza in Camden is spooky all year round – it is a vampire-themed pizzeria, after all. It’s no surprise, then, that the restaurant is getting extra devilish for Halloween with a series of special events to celebrate the season. Most Tuesdays in the run up to the big day will play host to a Mystery Movie Night, while get down on Halloween weekend for a bottomless brunch and costume party that includes themed cocktails and prizes for the best costumes.

The Clapham Grand is hosting one of the most exciting Halloween seasons in London, and that of course includes some fantastic film screenings. The Rocky Horror Picture Show will be accompanied by Dreamteam dancers and hosts, special games and prizes on Halloween Saturday. Hocus Pocus will be screened on Halloween night, so you can head to one of the spookiest haunted venues in the city to celebrate the right way, supplemented with witchy dancers, games and some petrifying prizes, too! 

The beautiful Rivoli Ballroom – one of the last remaining ballrooms in town – is open again for its usual series of Halloween pop-up film screenings. In the days running up to fright night, it’ll be showing movies of the spooky and scary (and camp) variety, including 'The Lost Boys', 'The Shining', 'Hocus Pocus' and 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show'. Scroll down for the full details of the spooktacular film programme.

The Natural History Museum at night seems like the perfect, spine-tingling place to spend Halloween. There’s so many skeletons looming around the place and, in the Tank Room, you’ll find jars full of strange specimens that will make you squirm. This year, the museum’s Halloween knees-up comes with the theme of Method To The Monsters, and you’ll be able to discover a wealth of spooky myths and legends, plus the science behind them. If you fancy a break from all that, there’ll also be a silent disco, tours, and the decidedly unfrightening Wildlife Photographer Of The Year exhibition to ogle.

The 13th edition of the popular festival – featuring 100 beers from across Britain, as well as wine and cider – takes place in the grounds of the very spooky Grade II-listed Royal Victoria Patriotic Building. There’ll be tasty food and live music to go with the drinks. Dogs are invited too. 

Chelsea Physic Garden is a wonderfully gothic place to celebrate Halloween, and as usual will be staging all manner of kid-friendly fun for its Family Halloween season. Head down to the Grade I-listed botanic garden during the half-term holidays, and your brood can take part in pumpkin painting and carving workshops (Monday October 28), where you’ll learn about how pumpkin plants grow and explore the autumnal flora growing in the garden, or a broomstick-making session (Tuesday October 29), where you can craft your own steed from material foraged from the garden, before joining a mass broomstick ride around the gardens. Check out the Chelsea Physic Garden site to register for each event (and be quick about it, because they always sell out well ahead of the half-term holidays!)

Ghost stories were made for Halloween, and London’s resident yarn spinner Vanessa Woolf is pulling out her best tales of ghoulish goings on in the capital for this atmospheric storytelling sesh. Learn about the mysterious urban legend of the 'Highgate Vampire' – a true horror story about Highgate Cemetery, vampires and blood, media frenzy, terrifying hauntings and black magic. For full-on macabre vibes, the story circle will convene outside in the gloaming very close to where the events took place. Dress warm and head along, if you dare. 

The London Bridge Experience claims to be one of the scariest attractions in all of London, so it stands to reason they’re going all in on Halloween. This spooky season, the fear fest will include the spot’s usual chilling tales of the Keeper of the heads and other historical characters, but add in some new scares and Halloween history along the way.

Bongo’s Bingo returns to Clapham Grand with a spooky twist, just for Halloween. Expect scary soundtracks and prizes fitting for this annual fright fest, plus some surprises up Bongo’s sleeve. Get into the Halloween spirit and dress up in your spookiest costume.

Take the kids on a Halloween quest at Eltham Palace this half term, where they’ll be introduced to Lady Harrington. They’ll be tasked with helping her find a ghost via solving a series of creepy clues. Once the ghoul’s been caught, they’ll be rewarded with spooky storytelling.

The producers of Kew Gardens’s beloved Christmas trail get spooky for 2024 with the introduction of a brand new Halloween trail through the iconic gardens. It’s a light trail, basically, but a super souped up one: we’re promised eerie illuminated trees, ghoulish installations, fire performers and more, with a troupe of actors on hand to stoke up our horrors (in a family friendly way of course) There are three timeslots: Daylight sessions run during the daytime and are intended for younger audiences who want an absolute minimum of spookiness; Twlight slots are between 6pm and 7.30pm and things are definitely getting a bit scarier (ie darker); finally the Moonlight slots run after 7.30pm and it should be fully dark at this point. It’s worth stressing that the trail is suitable for all ages at all times but certainly there are ways a means of managing the spook factor and fitting it around the bedtime of younger audiences.

If none of that’s your bag, there will be Room on the Broom-themed activities running at Kew from October 19 to Nov 3 during the day.

For its 50th anniversary, London Dungeon is hosting a special Halloween show, Séance, that will invite visitors to pay a trip to legendary psychic Agnes Guppy. With her help – and a Ouija board, of course – you’ll try and summon the spirit of Mary Ann Cotton, one of the most prolific female killers in Britain. Steel yourself for mysterious levitations, being plunged into darkness and unidentified blood-curdling screams. Tickets include entry to the usual Dungeon exhibits, where you’ll meet more scary and scintillating figures from across the capital’s history.