Event Guide
Chicago’s Dark Arts Before Halloween: October 20 to 24
Five ways into Halloween week: cult films, live scores, an artists’ parade and Slo ’Mo’s one-night return.
This week’s Halloween choices split between watching a world come to life and stepping into it. Start with a scrappy VHS double bill or Nosferatu accompanied by live organ; Saturday opens onto an artists’ parade, Danny Elfman’s orchestral fairy tale and Slo ’Mo’s one-night return.
For concerts beyond the Halloween theme, see Chicago This Week.
A patio double bill leans into horror’s scruffy side; a silent-film screening puts the live score in the foreground.
VIDEOHEAD VIDEO: C.H.U.D. and Black Roses
October 20 · Sleeping Village, Avondale · Doors 6 p.m.; films 7 to 11 p.m. · Free RSVP · 21+
VIDEOHEAD VIDEO pairs C.H.U.D.’s sewer mutants with Black Roses’ demonic heavy-metal band. This is the scruffier alternative to the week’s live-score screenings: VHS tapes, a patio and two films that lean into their own excess. Bring a blanket; cold or rain moves the program indoors.
Nosferatu with live organ
October 21 · Epiphany Hall, West Loop · Room opens 7 p.m.; film 7:30 p.m. · 17+ · Advance $15 for 21+; $20 for ages 17 to 20, plus fees
The live organ is the reason to see Nosferatu here rather than revisit it at home. The Silent Film Society of Chicago’s screening invites you to follow how sound changes the weight of a shadow or a gesture, a spare counterpart to Saturday’s full-orchestra film concert.
The ages 17 to 20 ticket includes a soft drink; day-of-show prices rise to $18 and $23 before fees.
Saturday widens the frame: artists fill the street, an orchestra reanimates a film score, and a queer party comes back for one night.
Arts in the Dark
October 24 · Columbus Drive, starting at Balbo · 6 to 8 p.m. · Free · All ages
Here, Chicago’s artists supply the spectacle rather than a film studio: illuminated creations, costumes and oversized figures move through the city together. Arts in the Dark is the all-ages choice for anyone who would rather watch the street transform than settle into a screening. This year’s route moves to Columbus Drive; the parade runs rain or shine.
Edward Scissorhands in Concert
October 24 · The Auditorium, South Loop · Scheduled 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. · Ticketed
Danny Elfman’s lullaby and waltz themes find the tenderness beneath Tim Burton’s gothic surfaces. With Chicago Philharmonic playing the score to the film under Thiago Tiberio, this is the choice for romance and melancholy rather than scares. It shares Wednesday’s live-score appeal, but on an orchestral scale.
Slo ’Mo: BLACK CAT
October 24 · Sleeping Village, Avondale · Doors 9 p.m.; listed party 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. · 21+ · $20 early bird or $25 general admission, plus fees
BLACK CAT is a reunion, not just another Halloween party: Slo ’Mo returns a year after its farewell. VITIGRRL and Icey Bby DJ, with performances by Empress Darling Shear, Miss Angelica Grace, Ramona Slick and Celeste. The reincarnation theme and costume catwalk make dressing up part of this queer homecoming.
Saturday’s parade overlaps the film concert’s start; the concert continues past BLACK CAT’s 9 p.m. opening.
Checked October 19, 2026. All times are Chicago local time; booking fees may apply. For free music beyond this theme, see Free Listening in Chicago.