The best Halloween bars in NYC

The storefront is unassuming enough. That is, until an actor-cum-doorman in Beetlejuice garb lunges out as if you just uttered his name thrice, doing a shoddy Michael Keaton while ushering you inside Beetle House, a boozy homage to all things Tim Burton. Like its fun-loving sibling, the narrow barroom is splashed with Instagram-ready memorabilia, from Sweeney Todd–style surgical instruments to metal-leg wall sculptures to framed Winona Ryder caricatures.

This is one of the oldest bars in New York, and it has the antique furnishings, creaky floorboards and ancient wood to prove it. But there are spookier aspects of this downtown watering hole than just cobwebs and dust. Fraunces, a national historic landmark, is frequently included on lists of the most haunted buildings in New York. See if you can summon more than just shots—five different people (and two cats) have died within its walls over the years.

Guests can take part in cocktail making session where you're wearing a cloak as you use molecular mixology techniques to create your poison. Currently, there's the "Supper & Spells" series for concocting your own hocus pocus.

Dangling chandeliers, pressed-tin ceilings and a fireplace decorate this Victorian-inspired spot that wouldn't be out of place in a haunted house. Cozy up with a date on the red velvet couches or chat with pals over rounds of draft beers and mixed drinks.

The inside of this subterranean metal dive glows like the burning flames of hell; but don’t worry, it’s just the foreboding din of red twinkle lights. Grab a seat next to one of the resident skeletons, tip back a PBR, put some Cannibal Corpse on the jukebox, and toast the undead.

The narrow rooms of this Brooklyn bar are reminiscent of a Sleep No More chamber, adorned with oversize double-starburst mirrors, a collage of yellow-paged open books lining the walls, old-world potion bottles and women’s vanity knickknacks strewn on counters. Slinky nods to its illicit past (the space was a former brothel) include a red light bulb hanging above the doorway and a bona fide canopy bed in a back room.

Fans of France’s most detested monarch finally have a liquor-filled hideout to drown their bougie sorrows. Le Boudoir has historical thrills, channeling its audacious queen with silver-plated chalices, neoclassical paintings and even a doorknob lifted from Marie’s actual Versailles bedroom. The entrance to the intimate lounge is disguised by a bookshelf that is a replica of one from the late queen’s library. (Tip: Don’t try to exit the same way you walked in; the owners might threaten you with the guillotine.)

You've probably heard the tale of Jekyll and Hyde, but did you know the doctor's haunted abode is open to you (at your own risk, of course)? Explore his home and try not to flinch (or spill your drink) as actors reenact the many spooky and mysterious moments of Dr. Jekyll's story.