MT's 2014 Detroit Halloween party guide

Metro Detroiters love a good party. And when it comes to Halloween, we can't be beat. So we rounded up a selection of some of the best Halloween-themed shindigs that are going down from now until November 1. From costume contests to zombie runs to masquerades to Nosferatu screenings, there's surely something for everyone.

friday 10/24

Halloween The Haunted Banquet bills itself as the biggest Halloween event in metro Detroit. The indoor/outdoor affair is put on by Metro Times' very own sales exec Vinny Fontana, in conjunction with Elite Entertainment and Vintage House. It features a huge, heated tent, five DJs including DJ Thornstryker and DJ Chrome and a premium bar and food stations and is hosted by Jay Towers Don your best costume because there will be a contest with a $1,000 cash prize.

Doors open at 8 p.m.; 31816 Utica Rd., Fraser; 586-415-5678; tickets are $40 in advance; 21 and older only.

Halloween wouldn't be complete without this low-brow masquerade. Metro Detroit's best bands get dressed up as famous musical acts and take the stage all night long. This year promises Little Animal as M.I.A., School of Rock as Spinal Tap, Beats and Angles as Alice in Chains, and many more. Come in costume, or you're going to feel pretty left out.

Doors open at 7 p.m.; 1 S. Saginaw, Pontiac; 248-858-9333 thecrofoot.com; tickets are $5.

Royal Oak's spookiest charity masquerade fundraiser benefits Kenya Relief, a charity that sends medical professionals to Africa to aid Kenyans as many as 20 times a year. All this means that you can enjoy a clean conscience while you enjoy the fun, which includes the Aaron Vaughn Band, a photo booth, raffles, prizes, hors d'œuvre, exotic cocktails and more.

Takes place 7-11 p.m.; 316 E. 11 Mile Rd., Royal Oak; ghostsandgoblinsgala.com; tickets are $70.

Deadheads, the time of year has come once again for Dead Again's annual Halloween Bash, Detroit's premier Grateful Dead tribute party. If you're still in search of something built to last, then you'll find that this costume party is everything you've been searching for. Costumes are encouraged, so feel free to dress up as (but not limit yourself to) your favorite Grateful Dead member and come hear two full sets of classics. But everyone, please, for the love of God, don't all dress up as Jerry Garcia.

Doors open at 8 p.m.; 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; themagicbag.com; tickets are $10.

Big Gigantic, Paper Diamond, Manic Focus, Muzzy, and Dopeadellic will perform inside the Masonic Temple's theater for a spooky evening of even scarier EDM. Rumor is this place is haunted by the ghost of George D. Mason, who allegedly committed suicide by jumping off the building's roof.

Doors open at 8 p.m.; 500 Temple St., Detroit; 313-832-7100; themasonic.com; tickets are $30.

Some days, you have serious bloodlust. We get it. That's why we think you should head out to Fang Bang, an annual mixtape dance party at the Blind Pig. In addition to bloody brilliant DJ sets, there's also going to be a live performance by The Hard Lessons, so make sure you bring your dancing shoes. Costumes are a requirement. If you really want to be scary, you should dress up as the most scary vampire breed of them all: the sparkling ones. *shudders*

Doors open at 9:30 p.m.; 208 First St., Ann Arbor; 734-996-8555; blindpigmusic.com; tickets are $8 for 21 and older, $11 for under 21. No admission for under 18.

From the creators of Haunted Kingdom comes Masque, one of the "biggest Halloween extravaganzas in the Midwest." It's not a masquerade ball, per se, but it is a costume party, and if that's not enough, they've got the Grammy nominated, IDMA award winning vocalist Nadia Ali stopping by. If that's not enough to get you going, then they'll have fortune tellers, DJs, dancers, entertainers, performers, and "plenty of tricks and treats." Who doesn't love "plenty of tricks and treats?"

Event is from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.; 1600 Clay St., Detroit; 248- 210- 7560; masquedetroit.com; $40; 21 and older.

OK, it's not quite 28 Days Later; it's more like 25, but you know what we mean. There will be dancing zombies. And brains. Lots and lots of brains.

23130 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; 248-541-9870; newwaybar.com

No, it's not silent; it's loud as fuck. It's just on headphones. It's the brainchild of a crew of "San Francisco sonic missionaries" who enable you to get it popping in places where "music is not allowed." This "costumes encouraged" installment takes place at DIME, the "Detroit Institute of Music Education." But don't sing along — that would be really scary!

Event is 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.; 1265 Griswold St., Detroit; Neptix.com/events/9189; $20-$30; 21 and older only.

Half party and half theatrical performance, the Masquerade of the Red Death is a unique Halloween experience, to say the least. Patrons are required to come in masquerade attire, but will not be allowed inside if you're wearing the color red. Guests will have a chance to interact with actors and become a part of Edgar Allen Poe's Masque of the Red Death. Musicians, fire performers, burlesque acts, magicians, psychics, and aerialists will all be part of the show.

Doors open at 7 p.m. 1 S. Saginaw, Pontiac; 248-858-9333; thecrofoot.com; tickets are $35-$65.

Yes, Nosferatu will also be screening in Ann Arbor a few days later, but this showing afford the opportunity to see it amid the grandeur of the Masonic Temple (in the Jack White theater, no less), and also to help raise funds for the Awesome Foundation and the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy. Those unfamiliar with the 1922 film will get a bone-chilling crash course in German expressionism, featuring the original cinematic adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula. The film's not a "talkie," but there will be audio accompaniment from the theater's Scottish Rite Skinner Organ.

Doors at 6 p.m.; film at 7 p.m.; 500 Temple Ave., Detroit; 313-832-7100; themasonic.com; General admission $30, students $20.