Scary Good Times

All the best Dallas events to get your spook on this Halloween

33 Super Mario Cart at The Patroleum Club Halloween party November 2014

You'll have multiple opportunities to bust out your costume this Halloween season.

Photo by © Kim Coffman

Halloween is the perfect opportunity to get out and about and have some fun. But you don't have to limit yourself to just the actual day of Halloween, which conveniently falls on a Saturday this year, as there are multiple events happening throughout the week leading up to All Hallows' Eve.

Below are some of the best options for Halloween-related events in the Dallas area for both kids and adults.

October 24

Dismember the Alamo
Nothing says Halloween like horror movies, and Alamo Drafthouse in Richardson will feed that appetite with this horror movie marathon. It'll show four classic horror movies back-to-back-to-back-to-back, with the lineup kept secret until just before showtime. This being the Alamo, there are sure to be other surprises, along with prizes for the best costumes. (Movie marathon starts at 1 pm)

Oak Lawn Halloween Block Party
This free event in the 3900 block of Cedar Springs Road gets Halloween week started right with a costume promenade, music, food, beer, and other refreshments, as well as a live DJ and featured Rose Room performances. (7 pm-2 am)

Dragon's Halloween Ball
We're not exactly sure what to expect at this event at the Bomb Factory, but with the come-hither motto of "entertain and arouse all your senses" and an invitation to be body painted or black taped, it's clear that this party will be for adults only. The performers will be a variety of aerial artists, so the action won't be contained to just the ground (7 pm-2 am)

October 27

Crayon Club presents Truck or Treat
An annual fundraiser by Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children's Crayon Club, this event is a way to give back while having a good time. The event includes pumpkin decorating, lawn games, and live music from Larson & the Law, along with an opportunity to learn how to help the hospital the other 364 days of the year.

October 29

Dead White Zombies presents DP92
The latest production from experimental theater company Dead White Zombies is the type of out-there premise that fits right in with the Halloween season. Starting October 29 and running through November 22 at The Icehouse in West Dallas, DP92 is an immersion performance set in "a benign experimental institution existing on the margins of consciousness and civilization." (Performances at 8 and 10 pm, depending on date)

October 30

Mayor's Monster Mash
Downtown workers itching to cut loose the day before Halloween can head down to this annual event at City Hall Plaza. Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings will oversee the proceedings, which will include a costume contest with categories like most creative, best last-minute, best homemade, and best group/couple. (1-3 pm)

October 31

Lowest Greenville Family Trick or Treat
There's no rule that says you have to trick or treat at night. Restaurants and shops along Lowest Greenville will be giving away candy, snacks, and other goodies. That includes Greenville Avenue Pizza Company, where kids can stock up on free candy and even get a free pizza topped with Nutella, candy corn, marshmallows, M&Ms, and bits of Heath Bar. (Starts at 11 am)

Alaween Halloween Carnival
Alamo Drafthouse really knows how to do Halloween right, as it will also put on this free event. It will include a bounce house, face painting, costume contest, a dance party with DJ, trick or treating in the theaters, classic Halloween TV specials on the big screens, and special Halloween drinks — both alcoholic and non-alcoholic — at the attached Glass Half Full bar. (4-6 pm)

PrismCo presents Persephone
This production, opening on Halloween at 500 Singleton Blvd. in West Dallas, uses modern dance and shadow work to tell the story of Persephone being taken from her mother, Demeter, to Hades in the underworld. To keep with the theme, PrismCo and House Party Theatre will throw a special Halloween after party following the opening performance, complete with live bands, a costume contest, and a special performance by House Party Theatre themselves. (Performance at 8 pm; production runs through November 15).

Come in Your Costume
This party at the Green Elephant is for anyone who wants to be dazzled and dance at the same time, as it will be a multimedia experience with performances from five different bands. Although the event seems to be aimed at adults, considering it's cheaper for those over 21 than under, they say they'll welcome both kids and dogs. Costumes are encouraged by not required. (Show starts at 8 pm)

W Dallas Heads Will Roll Fête
The W will go back to the 18th century for its annual party, inviting guests to "channel the ghost of Marie Antoinette." You can dress in your best period costume or whatever else you feel like and enjoy a late-night party at Altitude, 33 floors above the city streets. (10 pm-2 am)

Hotel Zaza Halloween
A few blocks away is another late-night party where guests go to see and be seen. Hotel Zaza will offer live entertainment, great food, drink specials, and more at this unique event. Anyone staying at the hotel can get in for free. (Starts at 10 pm)

theater movies festivals

Movie Review

Shaun the Sheep gets PG-spooky in new movie for the Halloween season

Photo courtesy of Aardman / Sky UK LTD / StudioCanal 2026

Shaun the Sheep in Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom.

Since his introduction over 30 years ago, the Aardman Animations character Shaun the Sheep has been almost as popular as the studio’s flagship characters, Wallace and Gromit. There is never a shortage of trouble Shaun can get into as he leads his flock and proves to be a thorn in the side of his farmer and Bitzer, the farmer’s loyal sheepdog.

His antics lead everyone down some slightly spooky roads in the new film, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom. At first, things are only slightly awry as Shaun and the flock are growing a secret pumpkin patch to have their own jack-o-lanterns. But when the farmer accidentally destroys the pumpkin patch, Shaun tries to regrow it quickly with a Frankenstein-esque experiment.

However, disaster looms when Shaun uses an old bottle of Hair-Gro as the container for the serum he creates. Naturally, the balding farmer uses it on his head, and everyone soon discovers how truly successful it is, with pumpkins growing out of control and the farmer sprouting hair all over his body. Through a series of mishaps, the farmer becomes the titular beast, creating mayhem while Shaun and others try to stop him.

Directed by Steve Cox and Matthew Walker, and written by Mark Burton and Giles Pilbrow, the film goes down just as easy as every other Aardman project has. They get the Halloween vibes started from the opening credits, with things like the sheep doing the “Thriller” dance, and continue the fun throughout, referencing everything from Psycho to Friday the 13th in a nice, PG way.

With no script — every character is mute save for reaction noises — the movie relies on sight gags for its humor, and the Aardman team is endlessly inventive in that respect. Sometimes it’s small things like a sheep using toilet paper rolls as binoculars, and sometimes it’s something like forcing the Bigfoot-like farmer to be shaped into a rectangle as he escapes through a window. But there’s a never-ending stream of such moments, so even if one doesn’t tickle your funny bone, chances are the next one will.

The biggest benefit of the characters not talking is that there’s no need for deep character development. The filmmakers do a great job of giving the basic traits of each character, and then use those attributes to color everyone’s actions for the rest of the film. Shaun is the troublemaker, the farmer is a bumbling fool, Bitzer is preternaturally smart, and the town’s vet is empathetic, and the combination of those characters and others makes for a highly entertaining blend.

Like all Aardman creations, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is a fun lark that doesn’t make its audience think too hard. With just enough references to keep viewers engaged but not so many as to be overbearing, the film puts its well-worn characters to good use once again, delivering a Halloween season story that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

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Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is now playing in theaters.

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