There’s a bad time to be had by everyone, no matter what your perverse proclivities. Put on your best grimace and hit the town.

The Masks of October: An invitational exhibit of masks in many media created by nearly 20 Seacoast area artists, including Lisa Addison, Sally Allen, Ross Bachelder, Mary Lou Bagley, Tatiana Burimova, Taintor Davis Child, Wendy Harbert, Nina Fox Herlihy, Jeanne McCartin, Shannon McCracken-Barber (Gypsy Rose), Rhonda Mann, Constance Margowsky, Carol Ann Morley, Caroline Parent, Larry Reynolds, Susan Schwake La Rochelle, Toby Schrier and Jason Turgeon. Visitors will be asked to vote for their three favorite masks and the winners will receive gift certificates. At the Franklin Gallery, Ben Franklin Crafts, 200 Tri-City Plaza, Somersworth, 603-743-4999.

Ghost Tours: New England Curiosities brings spooks up close and personal in seasonal tours. “Maritime Mysteries” unearths secret tunnels, infamous murders, lighthouse hauntings and much more along Portsmouth’s waterfront, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 7 p.m.; “Shadows and Stones” takes place in New Hampshire’s oldest graveyard, Thursday, Oct. 26, 8 p.m.; “Legends of Ghosts and Graves” offers community history through true tales of tragedy, crime, murder, mystery, witchcraft and lost loves, Friday, Oct. 27 and Saturday, Oct. 28 at 8 p.m.; and the York Beach Haunted Lighthouse Walk beckons the brave, Sunday, Oct. 29. For reservations and pricing call 207-439-8905.    

‘Macaberet,’ Sneak Peek: You are invited to watch the final dress performance of “Macaberet,” the Halloween spoof being staged at the Rochester Opera House, Oct. 27 and 28 (see description below). The preview on Thursday, Oct. 26, at the Greenland Community Congregational Church will help raise money for the church’s choir and youth programs, and Halloween-themed refreshments will be available, served up by the ghouls and goblins of the church’s youth group, 7 p.m., $10, Parish House, 42 Post Road, Greenland. For reservations and information, call 603-772-3707.

Frightening Film: The MUB is holding a Halloween Horror Sampler, with movies to raise holiday spirits. The menu includes “Poltergeist,” Thursday, Oct. 26; “Carrie,” Friday, Oct. 27; “Army of Darkness,” Saturday, Oct. 28; and “Exorcist: The Beginning,” Sunday, Oct. 29. All films are $2 for students and $4 for non-students, and start at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., University of New Hampshire Memorial Union Building, 30 College Road, Durham, 603-862-2290.

‘Nosferatu’:  The 1922 silent vampire film, a thinly veiled adaptation of “Dracula,” directed by F.W. Murnau and starring Max Shreck in the gruesome role of the undead Graf Orlock, will be shown at Bourbon’s to help raise money for the Portsmouth Halloween Parade. Musicians Chris and Jamie DeCato will premiere their original score for the film, Thursday, Oct. 26, 9 p.m., $10, downstairs at The Muddy River, 21 Congress St., Portsmouth, 603-430-9582.

Children’s Halloween Party: The group Friends of the Weeks Library is sponsoring a party with games, goodies and the movie “Scary Godmother Halloween Spooktacular,” Friday, Oct. 27, 2 p.m., Weeks Public Library, 36 Post Road, Greenland, 603-436-8548.           

Exeter Parade and Costume Contest, open to Exeter residents, parents and children, preschool through eighth grade. Costume contest will be conducted at 4 p.m. and the parade will start at 4:30 p.m., followed by a flashlight egg hunt and refreshments, Friday, Oct. 27, Swasey Parkway. Visit www.town.exeter.nh.us/rec for the parade route, or call 603-773-6151 for more information.     

York Halloween Parade will kick off at the Town Hall, followed by more Halloween fun at the library, Friday, Oct. 27, 4 p.m., York Town Hall, 186 York St., York, Maine, 207-363-2818.

Strawbery Banke Halloween Fun: Trick-or-treating, horse-drawn carriage rides, ghost stories and more for critters 6 and older. Visit the witch’s house for a treat, watch fire dancers, step into the Lost Soul’s Tavern, see nocturnal creatures up close... the adventures go on. Spooky snacks are available for sale. The fun happens Friday and Saturday, Oct. 27 and Oct. 28, 5:30 to 8 p.m., starting at the Tyco Visitors Center, 14 Hancock St., Portsmouth. Tickets, $6, may be purchased in advance through Wednesday, Oct. 26, at www.strawberybanke.org or 603-433-1107.    

The Black Pirate: The rip-roaring 88-minute, colorized 1926 silent film classic stars easy-on-the-eyes swashbuckler Douglas Fairbanks dashing about to music composed for the film and performed live by The Alloy Orchestra, Friday, Oct. 27, 8 p.m., $12, 28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth, 603-436-2400. All pirates get free popcorn.

Macabaret: Your hosts Phil Grave, Helena Handbasket and Paul Bearer offer 15 campy original songs that look (and laugh) at the dark side of life—recommended for adults with a healthy sense of humor. Sung by Kelli Leigh-Ann Connors, Diane Arabian, Robb Ross and Tommy Hensel and produced by Get A Clue Productions under special arrangement with Scott Keys and Robert Hartmann, Friday and Saturday, Oct. 27 and 28, 8 p.m., $22-$24, Rochester Opera House, 31 Wakefield St., Rochester, 603-332-2211.

Children’s Museum Costume Day: Highlights of this year’s event include wacky science experiments, trick-or-treating throughout the exhibits, and a trip to the attic to meet a child-friendly Dracula, Saturday, Oct. 28, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., $6 for adults and children, $5 for seniors, The Children’s Museum, 280 Marcy St., Porstmouth, 603-436-3853.     

Halloween Fun House: This alternative to the traditional haunted house will feature take-home arts and crafts, games, photo opportunities with special Halloween guests and more. Especially designed for ages 3-10, Saturday, Oct. 28, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 29, noon to 3 p.m., $5, Studio A, Franklin Galleria, 453 Central Ave., Dover, 603-953-3640.

Pumpkin Carving and Halloween Art Show: On Saturday afternoon, noon to 2 p.m., artists of the Newburyport Art Association will lead children and their parents in the pumpkin carving ritual, pumpkins and carving tools provided, call ahead to make a reservation. In the evening, 7 to 9 p.m., parents and little ghouls are welcome to the opening reception for a show of acrylics, jewelry and sculpture by Sharleene Hurst and Sharon Silverman, plus “Trick-or-Treat: An Art Show to Capture the Imagination” for the kids. Each child will receive a trick-or-treat bag. It’s all free, Newburyport Art Association, 65 Water St., Newburyport, Mass., 978-465-8769.

Night of the Hunter: Starring Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters and Lillian Gish, this classic thriller tells of a psychopath who pursues two innocent children who know where their bank-robber father hid $10,000, Saturday, Oct. 28, 1 p.m., free, Lane Memorial Library, 2 Academy Ave., Hampton, 603-926-3368.

Halloween Party on Rochester Common with tractor rides, children’s music and spooky stories, costumes encouraged, Saturday, Oct. 28, 2 to 4 p.m., free.

Fifth Annual Somersworth Pumpkinfest: Help Somersworth set a record for the most lit Jack o’ lanterns! Last year’s record was 299. Join a carving party at the American Legion on Thursday, Oct. 26, 6 to 8 p.m., or just bring your carved pumpkin to the log-in station at the Somersworth Plaza on Main Street, Friday, Oct. 27, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., or Saturday, Oct. 28, noon to 6 p.m. The Pumpkinfest begins Saturday at 3:30 p.m., with a scavenger hunt, scary stories, pumpkin bowling, hayrides, a parade and more. For parents, the Police Department will be having a yard sale behind the station at noon. The celebration concludes with the lighting of all the carved pumpkins at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, call 603-692-0951 or visit www.somersworthmainstreet.org.

The Underbelly Scavenger Hunt: Melding history, clues, theater and adventure, the hunt gives participants a chance to solve riddles, win prizes and meet historic characters along the way. Join up Saturday, Oct. 28 or  Sunday, Oct 29, $10, meets at 5 p.m. in front of the Rusty Hammer, 49 Pleasant St., Portsmouth. Call 603-380-6142 for more information.

Jumbo Circus Peanuts will raise money and the dead with their annual Halloween bash at the VFW, to benefit the Portsmouth Halloween Parade, Saturday, Oct. 28, 8 p.m., $5, plus a donation to the parade, VFW, 238 Deer St., Portsmouth.

Second Annual Ioka Halloween Bash: Check out three bands—The Well, The Press and Wize Crackaz—and participate in a costume contest for a chance to win $200, Saturday, Oct. 28, 8 p.m., 21+. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door, Ioka Theater, 55 Water St., Exeter, 603-781-8922.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Heighten your Halloween spirit with everyone’s favorite transsexual from Transylvania. Dan Blakeslee and his band will help everyone get in the mood with his original Halloween songs at 7 p.m., $5, followed by the film at 11 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 28, $14, The Firehouse Center for the Arts, 1 Market Square, Newburyport, Mass., 978-462-7336. Create a Creature! Parents and kids are invited to join artist Sharon Price in making a fantasy creature creation, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2 to 4 p.m., Newburyport Art Association, 65 Water St., Newburyport, Mass., 978-465-8769.

Second Annual Halloween Family Festival: Venture to Durham with the kids for games, crafts, refreshments and special Halloween entertainment, plus trick-or-treating throughout the Mill Pond campus, Sunday, Oct. 29, 5 to 7 p.m., free, Mill Pond Center for the Arts, 50 Newmarket Road, Durham, 603-868-8999.

Vampires on violin, clowns on clarinet and pirates on percussion: The New Hampshire Symphony Orchestra will be decked out in Halloween finery as they perform creepy classics, including “Night on Bald Mountain,” “Danse Macabre,” “Raiders’ March” (“Raiders of the Lost Ark”) and “Harry’s Wonderous World” (“Harry Potter”). Dress as your favorite Halloween character for the masquerade parade and costume contest beginning 30 minutes before the performance, where there will be prizes for adults, kids and musicians. Monday, Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m., The Music Hall, 28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth, 603-436-2400.

another good reason to eat pizza: The Flatbread Pizza Company is making the Portsmouth Halloween Parade the beneficiary of its community benefit night. For each large flatbread sold from 5 to 9 p.m. $3.50 will be donated to the parade committee. For each half flatbread, $1.75 will be donated. There will also be a raffle. Stuff your face and help out before the parade. Tuesday, Oct. 31, The Flatbread Company, 138 Congress St., Portsmouth, 603-436-7888.

Portsmouth Halloween Parade: Tuesday, Oct. 31, steps off from Parrott Ave at 7 p.m. and slithers through downtown Portsmouth. All non-motorized haunts welcome, lineup starts at 6 p.m., www.spookyportsmouth.org.

Halloween Costume Ball Gala: Post-parade revelers are invited to the Library Restaurant for Halloween happenings after the parade, including a three-course dinner, DJ, psychic readings, ghost stories, a costume contest, a midnight ghost walk and more, Tuesday, Oct. 31, 7 p.m., $85 per person, The Library Restaurant, 401 State St. For reservations, call 207-439-8905.

Last Night: Modern American Halloween evolved from All Hallows’ Eve, which evolved, in part, from the customs of the ancient Irish holiday known as Samhain (pronounced ‘Sow-en’), a Celtic holiday celebrated throughout the British Isles and parts of France as the agricultural year came to an end. The Portsmouth Halloween Parade Committee borrows from that “Last Night” tradition to offer a collection of activities in downtown Portsmouth following the parade. In addition to the Costume Ball Gala at the Library Restaurant, room for spooks will be made at the kid-friendly Flatbread Company (138 Congress St.) as well as at the Red Door (107 State St.), the Press Room (77 Daniel St.), The Coat of Arms (174 Fleet St.), Bourbon’s (21 Congress St.), and, of course, the Portsmouth Brewery (56 Market St.), known for their costume contest. The PHP Committee will be visiting each venue and bringing T-shirts and goodies for you!

Hampton Halloween Parade begins at Hampton Academy parking lot, followed by town-wide trick-or-treating. For more information, call Hampton Recreation Department at 603-926-3932.

trick-or-treat
Monday, Oct. 30
Berwick: trick-or-treat from 5 to 8 p.m.; visit all-ages Haunted House 5-7 p.m. at Berwick Elementary School, 20 Wilson St. (suggested admission is a canned good for the food pantry)
Dover: 5-8 p.m.
Durham: 5-7:30 p.m.
Eliot: 5-9 p.m.
Epping: 5-7 p.m.
Exeter: 4-7 p.m.
Greenland: 5-7:30 p.m.
Hampton Falls: 5-7 p.m.
Kittery: no set time
Lee: 5-7 p.m.
Newcastle: 5:30-8 p.m.
Newfields: 5-7 p.m.
Newington: dusk to 8 p.m.
Newmarket: 5-8 p.m.
North Hampton: 4-7 p.m.
Portsmouth: 5:30-8 p.m.
Rochester: 5-8:30 p.m.
Rollinsford: 5-8 p.m.
Rye: 5-7 p.m.
Seabrook: 5-7 p.m.
Somersworth: 5-8 p.m.
South Berwick: parade starts at Fire Station at 5 p.m. and goes to the Central School, with trick-or-treating to follow
Stratham: 5-7 p.m.
York, Maine: 5-8 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 31
Hampton: 5:30-8 p.m.