13 Maine Halloween happenings for scares and screams
Maine Gears Up for a Halloween Season Packed With Haunted Tours, Classic Films and Costume‑filled Showdowns
Maine’s Halloween scene is branching out this year, offering something spooky for every age group and taste. From a seance in a historic shipyard to a live‑action “Rocky Horror Picture Show” with a guest appearance by the original Magenta, the state’s towns and cities are opening their doors—and their gates—to a month of frightful fun.
Bath’s Maritime Mystery
The Maine Maritime Museum in Bath is calling the shots with its “Dead Reckoning: Shipyard Death & Disturbances” tour. From Friday to Saturday, October 30‑31, visitors can step into the Donnell House for a seance, test their wits in an escape‑room, and walk through the ruins of a once‑busy shipyard. Tickets are $25, and the museum promises that the ghosts of long‑gone workers still linger.
Westbrook’s Victorian Vampire
The Westbrook Performing Arts Center will stage a two‑night rendition of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,” complete with a score by Rachmaninoff. The show is slated for Friday and Saturday, and it’s aimed at anyone over 11. Ticket prices run from $35 to $45. The production is billed as a “professional” performance of the classic gothic tale, promising to keep audiences on the edge of their seats.
Lebanon’s Haunted Manor
Across the state, the Haunted Grandview Manor on TM Wentworth Road in Lebanon will be open Thursday through Sunday through October 31. The attraction blends eerie trails, a former funeral home, cemeteries, hillbilly shacks and slaughterhouses into one spook‑filled experience. A notorious character known as the Pig Man will be on the lookout. Admission is $25, with “no‑scare” nights on Thursdays priced at $10.
Ogunquit’s Historic Theatre Turns Dark
The 101‑year‑old Leavitt Theatre in Ogunquit will host a haunted tour on Friday through Sunday, and again on the weekend of October 29‑31. The show features clown dens, twisted apothecaries, and the infamous Leavitt Chainsaw Massacre. Tickets cost $25.
Portland’s Free Walk‑Through Haunt
Mayo Street Arts will present the “Heck House’s Super Spooky Haunted House” from October 30 to November 1. The walk‑through is free, although donations are encouraged. It will be a hand‑crafted display of creatures, sets, sounds and characters designed to keep visitors on their toes.
Rockland’s 1933 Classic
On Halloween night, the Strand Theatre in Rockland will screen the 1933 horror classic “The Invisible Man.” The film is a showcase of suspense, starring Claude Rains in a bandaged role. Tickets are $12 for regular patrons and $9 for seniors and students.
Auburn’s Orchard of Nightmares
Wallingford’s Orchard in Auburn is turning its fruit‑picking grounds into a “Nightmare on the Ridge.” Thursday through Saturday, and all day until October 31, visitors will stroll through a walk that turns into a frightful forest of creatures and creepy structures. Admission is $30. The event is billed as “a haunted walk through some of your darkest nightmares.”
Waterville and Waldoboro’s Rocky Horror Showdowns
Waterville’s Opera House will show the cult‑classic “Rocky Horror Picture Show” on Saturday, offering tickets that range from $60 to $170. The event will include a meet‑and‑greet with actress Patricia Quinn, a costume contest, and a live shadow‑cast performance by the group Rocky for Equality. The same show will be held at the Waldo Theatre in Waldoboro on October 30, with tickets between $20 and $50.
Gardiner’s Opera House Ghost Stories
The Johnson Hall Opera House in Gardiner is hosting “Shadows in the Hall” on Friday and Saturday. The program includes ghost stories, unexpected scares, and short scenes performed by community members ranging in age from six to eighty‑three. Admission is $14.64, with over fifty performers bringing history to life.
York’s Historical Spooks
The Old York Museum Center in York will hold a “Gone But Not Forgotten: Revolutionary York” lamp‑lit tour of the York Burial Ground on October 22. Guided tours are $20, and the museum will also host free family events on October 29 (pumpkin carving) and October 30 (trick‑or‑treating and pumpkin lighting).
Saco’s Re‑imagined Trail of Terror
The Aquaboggan Water Park in Saco will open its revamped “Trail of Terror” on Friday and Saturday through October 31, with an extra Thursday, October 29. The walk includes new scenes, a 30‑minute trek through a forest haunted by a Banshee, and a variety of lights and sounds. Tickets are $25, with a discounted price of $10 for children 10 and under.
Waldo’s Vincent Price Tribute
The Waldo Theatre in Waldoboro is hosting a Vincent Price festival on Sunday and October 31. A screening of the 1963 film “The Raven” will be shown, with tickets at $12 (students and seniors pay $9). On Halloween night, the Everyman Repertory Theatre will present a staged reading titled “I Know It’s Gruesome, But Is It Art? The Vincent Price Murder Case,” a fictionalized look at the London art scene of the 1960s. Tickets for that performance are $20.
Portland’s Eternal Cemetery Tour
Nightly tours of Portland’s Eastern Cemetery, the city’s oldest graveyard established in 1668, will run Thursday through Sunday. Costumed actors will recount dramatic stories from the city’s past—ranging from the 1690 destruction of Fort Loyall to a 1647 infanticide case—while guiding visitors through the historic grounds. Tickets are $10 in cash or $
