London’s cinemas are offering up another splattering of fearsome films this Halloween, from hammer horror to kitsch comedies. Can you keep the popcorn steady?

St Barnabus Church, Ealing
What could be more chilling than Murnau’s silent Nosferatu (1922) with a live organ accompaniment on Halloween night? Try watching it in a church. Head to St Barnabus Church, Ealing to see this black and white Expressionist classic.

• Nosferatu (1922) Wednesday 31 Oct, Doors 7pm, screening 8.30pm

Prince Charles Cinema
The Prince Charles Cinema is screening Terence Fisher’s classic Dracula (1958), starring Peter Cushing as vampire hunter Van Helsing, and Christopher Lee as the eponymous blood-sucker.

Horror fans can also get their teeth stuck in to a special Halloween double bill of the original The Exorcist (1973) and critically-acclaimed Spanish horror film [REC] – a film crew, an abandoned mental institute and no way out. What could go wrong?

• Dracula (1958): Tuesday 30 Oct 8:45pm
• [REC] (2007) and The Exorcist (1973) Double-Bill: Monday 29 Oct 7pm and 8.45pm

BFI Southbank
As well as Raimi’s breakthrough horror film The Evil Dead (1981), and the longer US cut of Kubrick’s horror masterpiece The Shining (1980), the BFI Southbank is taking a more cerebral approach – and not in the cannibalistic sense.

League of Gentlemen and Sherlock star Mark Gatiss follows up his acclaimed BBC Four series “A History of Horror” with Horror Europa, a feature-length assessment of European horror cinema with an accompanying Q&A session.

• The Evil Dead (1981) Sun 28 Oct, 9pm; Saturday 3 Nov, 4pm; Sunday 4 Nov, 8.40pm
• The Shining (1980) Wed 31 Oct, Fri 2-Fri 16 Nov, various times
• Horror Europa (2012), Sun 28 Oct, 6.15pm

Rio Cinema
Aiming for a few more laughs than frights, the Rio Cinema, Dalston is resurrecting Ghostbusters (1984) for a late night screening the weekend after Halloween. Keep an eye on those marshmallows.

• Ghostbusters (1984) Sat 3 Nov, 11.30pm

This weekend is full of fantastic opportunities to use your imagination. Dress up for Halloween, take a seat in one of TV’s most notorious hotels or pretend it’s snowing and get into the après ski spirit. Failing that, grab some popcorn and watch MI6′s finest in his 23rd adventure!

Relentless Energy Drink Freeze Festival at Battersea Power Station
Get ready for winter at this fast-paced ski and snowboard show, where you’ll see some of the world’s top winter sportsmen perform astounding feats next to Battersea Power Station. After the stunts are over, sink into the après ski atmosphere and enjoy a fantastic programme of live music. Adult tickets start from £40. 26-27 Oct. 

Faulty Towers, the Dining Experience at the Charing Cross Hotel
Fans of John Cleese’s classic sitcom Fawlty Towers will adore this hilarious dining and theatrical experience. Guests take a seat in the “restaurant of the Faulty Towers hotel”, where they will be served a three-course meal in a predictably haphazard and hugely entertaining style. Tickets start from £43.50. From 26 Oct. 

Skyfall, at cinemas across London
Buckle up for 007′s latest thrilling adventure, Skyfall. Most London cinemas will be screening the film, which -according to advance reviews- will definitely leave you shaken and stirred.

NFL Fan Rally, Trafalgar Square
Prepare for Sunday’s exciting NFL game at Wembley Stadium with this free fan rally. American football fans will be treated to live entertainment, including musical performances and special appearances from players, coaches and celebrities. Stalls around the square will be offering food, drink and exclusive merchandise. 12pm-5pm, 27 Oct.  

Diwali on the Square, Trafalgar Square
Celebrate the Festival of Lights at this free event in Trafalgar Square. The colourful festival features fun for all the family, including light displays, music, dance and tempting food stalls. 28 Oct.

Halloween Events, Various Venues
This weekend kicks off a week of Halloween celebrations across London and there are lots of spooky things to do. Children will love the Witches and Warlocks event at the Cutty Sark, while adults will have a terrifyingly good time at the Candlelight Club’s Halloween Ball. For more inspiration, check out our other posts on Halloween clubbing, dining and theatre.

Celebrate Halloween in London with terrifying teas, bloody brunches and gory cocktails.

London Hilton on Park Lane is offering Halloween Afternoon Tea from 26 October to 5 November, with scary sandwiches, creepy cupcakes, chilling chocolate and supernatural scones. The tea costs £32.50 per person or £39.50 with champagne.

The Roof Gardens is serving a range of bloodcurdling cocktails from 24 to 27 October – try Blood Clot and Sand with pomegranate blood splatter and blood clot brûlée. The venue’s hosting a Halloween Spooktacular on 27 October.

Over at Antico restaurant, things are set to take a scary turn in the downstairs bar on 27 October. There’s a free black and white fancy dress party from 5pm, with Blow My Skull Off cocktails, Trick or Treat shooters, dancing and silent black and white horror movies.

Shaka Zulu’s voodoo-themed Halloween party promises to be one of London’s most frightening events, with eerie circus acts, dancers, a Halloween witch doctor and delicious cocktails. Look out for the Shaka curse!

The Brompton Bar & Grill is hosting a Halloween brunch party on 27 October from 12 noon to 5pm. There’ll be “bloodbaths” at every table where you can build your own Bloody Mary, plus a horrifying menu, live jazz and a little devils area for kids.

Finally, if you fancy doing something good this Halloween, head to one of Chipotle Mexican Grill’s five London restaurants on 31 October. Customers in fancy dress can enjoy a burrito, burrito bowl, salad or tacos for just £2 after 4pm, with all profits going to charity FoodCycle.

Terror 2012: All In The Mind at the Soho Theatre, 16 Oct-3 Nov
Head to the Soho Theatre Downstairs for theatre company The Sticking Place’s annual season of horror theatre. Disturbing, controversial and thrilling, the four plays on offer are strictly for over-18s only. Writers Robert Farquhar (Kissing Sid James & Gods Official), Alex Jones (Noise and I’m a Minger), Mike McShane (Paul Merton’s Impro Chums, Mon Droit) and Darren Ormandy (Hamburg and Sweetmeat) bring you their spookiest short plays alongside chilling cabaret from award‐winning songstress Sarah‐Louise Young (Cabaret Whore and Fascinating Aida) and Desmond O’Connor (Vive Le Cabaret).
terrorseason.com

Drowning Rock at the Camden People’s Theatre, 16 Oct-4 Nov
This ghostly tale set in a remote lighthouse is inspired by cult author HP Lovecraft’s The Shadow Over Innsmouth. Drowning Rock dwells on the mysterious and dark forces beyond the understanding of humankind. Again, this show isn’t for the faint-hearted: Camden People’s Theatre recommend it for audiences aged 15 and older.
cptheatre.co.uk

The London Horror Festival at the Etcetera Theatre, 15 Oct-7 Nov
For four weeks, the Etcetera Theatre in Camden is being taken over by a broad range of performers bringing the best in horror theatre, comedy, magic and performance art, “from psychological spine-chillers to all-out splatter”, according to their website. Highlights include The Puppetry of Flesh (23-25 Oct); Zombie Science: Worst Case Scenario (29-31 Oct) and the One Man Halloween (2-4 Nov).
londonhorrorfestival.com

The Horror! The Horror! at Wilton’s Music Hall, 24 Oct-7 Nov
Presented by Theatre of the Damned and part of The London Horror Festival, The Horror! The Horror! is a promenade performance through the historic cobwebs of Wilton’s Music Hall. It promises a “blood-soaked evening of murder, mayhem and bellowing madness, combining London’s rich history of music hall entertainment, the ancient horrors of HP Lovecraft and a cornucopia of Victorian gothic nightmares”. Sounds excellent.
londonhorrorfestival.com/the-horror-the-horror

The Good Neighbour Halloween Special at BAC, 31 Oct
BAC is presenting an adult-only version of family show The Good Neighbour for Halloween. You can explore the dark and dusty passages of Battersea’s old Town Hall: either fight your way through the cobwebs in search of a lost memory, or take an eerie moonlit tour of the streets of Battersea with the strangest brass band you’ve ever seen. After your journey, join in the Council Chamber-based Halloween party complete with spooky cocktails and DJ.
bac.org.uk/whats-on/good-neighbour-halloween-special

Halloween Fun at the Polka Theatre, 30-31 Oct
With all these adult-only shows, you might be thinking Halloween theatre’s not for kids. However, the ever-brilliant Polka Theatre has a couple of fab workshops for little ones, meaning everyone can get into the Halloween spirit. On 30 October, there’s a Halloween themed make-up session for 7-11 year olds; and on 31 October, you can create Halloween light sculptures, laterns and ghostly shadow puppets in a creepy, craft workshop for 5-7 year olds.
polkatheatre.com/editorial/take-part

Check out more London Halloween spookiness here

Winterwell Presents A Journey to Hell
Boutique festival Winterwell’s popular Halloween party returns to London for another year of “pervasive adventures”. It all takes place at a brick warehouse in West London, with live music, installations and plenty more entertainment. The fancy dress theme is “what you might find in hell,” so start planning your costume now! The Loft Studios, 27 Oct, tickets £25 (early bird tickets £20)

Club de Fromage and Old School Indie Halloween Party
Club de Fromage and Old School Indie have joined forces for an evening of chilling indie and spooky pop in a venue decked out with gravestones, coffins and cobwebs. There’s a prize for best fancy dress, and the chance to get into the Halloween spirit with a screening of Ghostbusters before the club. O2 Academy Islington, 27 Oct, entry £10 in advance, £15 including film

Secretsundaze Halloween Asylum Party
Mix the old and new as secretsundaze makes its debut at Shoreditch venue Factory 7, while continuing last year’s asylum theme. Some of the biggest names in techno will keep inmates partying until the early hours, including Shed, San Proper and BLM plus residents Giles Smith and James Priestly. Factory 7, 27 Oct, tickets £14.50-£17

Midnight A Go-Go’s Halloween Party Return to a simpler time of MTV, Thriller and Kate Bush at Midnight A Go-Go’s 80s-themed Halloween party. Enjoy 80s new wave, synth pop, classic hip hop and new tracks inspired by the decade, while cult 80s horror films play in the background. The Waiting Room, 26 Oct, entry £5

Big Chill Presents Bruk Out Halloween Party
A Halloween party with music that bumps very loudly in the night. Thunderbird Gerard, Brackles, Serocee, TCTS and Bruk Out DJs play the best house, hip hop and beats, with a special performance from dance troupe Skullduggery Refuse. The Big Chill House, 27 Oct, free entry

Have we missed any Halloween hotspots? Tell us in the comments below.