Scary Good Times

Where to get your spook on this Halloween around Dallas-Fort Worth

With Halloween falling on a Friday this year, parties of all types take place that night. But you have many opportunities to celebrate the season in the days leading up to Halloween, because who wants to limit themselves to just one day of fun?

Even if none of the following events gets you excited, there are always haunted houses to give you a fright and that old standby Six Flags Fright Fest, which runs through November 2.

Multiple dates

Halloween at Globe Life Park
Tours of the Texas Rangers home ballpark are extra spooky over the next week, as Trick or Tours (October 25, 30, 31 and November 1) feature special activities, games, stories, trick-or-treating and more. To go even further, you can do the Flashlight Fright tour (October 30, 31 and November 1), during which guests use only flashlights to guide themselves around the park. Who knows what might jump out of the dark? Tours run at multiple times, and they are $10 for kids and $20 for adults.

Saturday, October 25

Dismember the Alamo
Halloween is the best time to watch horror movies, and the Alamo Drafthouse in Richardson screens four horror classics back-to-back-to-back-to-back. The movies remain a secret until just before showtime, but the event, which starts at noon, also has prizes for the best costumes and Alamo's usual bag of tricks. Tickets are $20 per person.

Oak Lawn Halloween Block Party
The annual celebration on Cedar Springs Road is one where you can really let loose, seeing as it takes place in Dallas' predominantly gay neighborhood. It features a Costume Promenade, with live commentary from Edna Jean Robinson, music, food, beer and more. The free party lasts from 7 pm to 2 am.

The Basement Gallery presents The Haunted Gallery
If you feel like getting a little artsy, Oak Cliff's Basement Gallery has you covered with this special Halloween-themed show. The free horror art exhibit, starting at 7 pm, allows visitors to view some of the best local artists and their creepy, horror and Day of the Dead art.

Halloween Bash at Victory Park
This party inside Victory Tavern at Victory Park promises a lot of action, including dancing, performances by Lollie Bombs Burlesque, a fire eater and more. Make sure to bring your A game in the costume department, as the winner gets a $300 gift card to NorthPark Center. Tickets are $10-$50 for this event that runs from 10 pm-2 am.

Haunted Loft Party
Only 400 people are allowed at this exclusive indoor/outdoor party at The Loft in the Gilley's complex, which features DJs blasting EDM, rap and more, as well as a costume contest with cash prizes. For $25, anyone 18 or over can attend this event, which runs from 10 pm-2 am.

Thursday, October 30

Meow-O-Ween Pub Prowl
Sometimes all it takes to have fun is to dress up like a cat and drink some beer. That's the premise of this event in the Camp Bowie District in Fort Worth, where participants are asked to dress in their best cat costumes while they do a pub "prowl" to four different stops, starting at 5 pm. Cost is $10 per person and includes a collectible pint glass for the first 150 people.

Crayon Club's Truck or Treat
For a more family-friendly affair that supports a good cause, you can check out this event at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, presented by its young professionals group, Crayon Club. Expect food trucks, live entertainment, lawn games, tours and face painting. The party, which kicks off at 7 pm, is $20 per person, with all proceeds benefiting the hospital.

Friday, October 31

Nightmare on Elm Street Halloween Extravaganza
Dallas' Young Professionals hold their annual Halloween event at the Tower Club on, yep, Elm Street. For $40, you can enjoy a costume contest ($250 goes to the winner), drinks, hors d'oeuvre, music from DJ Jose G and a special performance by Contemporary Ballet Dallas. The fun starts at 8 pm, and a portion of proceeds benefits CBD.

Day of the Dead at W Dallas Victory Hotel
Another high-flying party takes place at Altitude atop the W. Tickets range anywhere from $30 for general admission to $1,000 VIP packages (good for six people) for this event that features food, drinks, dancing to music spun by DJ Avenger and a costume contest. The winner nabs a two-night VIP suite package getaway. The party runs from 9 pm-2 am.

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Movie Review

The Magic Faraway Tree is a whimsical family lark that fails to take root

Photo courtesy of Vertical Entertainment

Andrew Garfield, Delilah Bennett-Cardy, Claire Foy, Phoenix Laroche, and Billie Gadson in The Magic Faraway Tree.

With kids and families always on the hunt for entertainment, it’s typically a safe bet for a movie studio to offer up something new, even if it is a film based on an old property. The Magic Faraway Tree, based on a series of books that started in the 1930s, is a very old property, one that its filmmakers have tried to liven up with a few stars, a lot of whimsy, and a boatload of CGI.

The Thompson family, led by stay-at-home dad Tim (Andrew Garfield) and breadwinner mom Polly (Claire Foy), are forced to move to a rundown country home when Polly gets laid off. The kids - Joe (Phoenix Laroche), Fran (Billie Gadson), and Beth (Delilah Bennett-Cardy) - are used to the perks of city life like wifi and electricity, and each of them rebels in their own way to their new lot in life.

Fran, enticed by a fairy named Silky (Nicola Coughlan), is the first to venture out of the house, making her way to a magic tree that transports her to a world full of strange characters like Moonface (Nonso Anozie), Saucepan Man (Dustin Demri-Burns), Dame Washalot (Jessica Gunning), and more. Her adventures there not only broaden the world she thought she knew, but may be the key to helping her ailing family.

Directed by Ben Gregor and written by Simon Farnaby (Paddington 2, Wonka), the film is a pleasant enough lark, but it fails to fully capture the imagination. The five-member family has a lot going on, from an initially-mute Fran to a domestic situation that raises more questions than it answers. The film tries to incorporate an anti-technology message through Tim’s hatred of a smart refrigerator (voiced by Judi Dench!) and the kids' addictions to devices, but it’s quickly shed in favor of other options.

Once Fran makes it to the Magic Faraway Tree, there’s a nice shift in the storytelling, but it’s unclear what the ultimate goal is. It’s a good idea to have Fran, the youngest of the children, convince her older, more cynical siblings about the virtues of the magic world, but the conflict in the real world doesn’t seem to rise to the level needed for the escape the tree provides.

There also seems to be a missing link in the storytelling for viewers to understand the importance of the fantastical characters. The visuals of seeing Moonface and his crescent moon-shaped hair, a man with a suit full of banging pots, and more are fun for a while, but not enough to carry the whole film. A last-minute revelation feels like it was something that should have been disclosed much earlier to help strengthen the emotions of the story.

A two-time Oscar nominee, Garfield is making his first foray into family movies (if you don’t count playing Spider-Man), and while he does a good job, he doesn’t make the best fit for the semi-goofy role. The same goes for the Emmy-winning Foy, who isn’t given much of anything to do. The movie puts the story on the shoulders of the three child actors, and while each of them acquit themselves well, none of them are so outstanding as to be noteworthy.

With nearly 90-year-old source material, The Magic Faraway Tree needed to be something truly special to stand out in the 21st century movie world. Unfortunately, it features a mostly forgettable story that features some fun visuals, a couple of cute kids, and not much else.

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The Magic Faraway Tree is now playing in theaters.

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Movie Review

The Magic Faraway Tree is a whimsical family lark that fails to take root