Spine-Chilling Halloween Adventures Await Visitors to Omaha

Just in time for Halloween, Film Streams’ Ruth Sokolof Theater is running Creature Features, with screenings of “Godzilla,” (1954) “The Thing,” (1982), and “The Host” (2006). Film Streams’ Dundee Theater is showing the classically campy Halloween movie “Rocky Horror Picture Show” on October 28. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema La Vista has a packed calendar of horror classics, including a “Friday the 13th” movie marathon on Friday, October 13. Don’t miss other Halloween favorites at Alamo, like “Beetlejuice,” “Shaun of the Dead,” “The Exorcist,” “Scream” and “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” for a delightful mix of spooky and fun cinema this Halloween season.   

Visit the “world’s most haunted museum” in downtown Omaha. Museum of Shadows houses more than 3,000 haunted artifacts donated from sources worldwide. Visitors have reported hearing spooky sounds like children’s laughter and growls, feeling unearthly physical presence, and seeing apparitions. Cameras have caught some of the artifacts’ strangeness, like dolls moving independently – rocking in a chair and walking off a shelf. The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday. For next-level scare enthusiasts, book a ghost hunt (must be 14+). For two hours, tiptoe through the museum, first with your guides and their top-of-the-line paranormal equipment, and next on your own. For the bravest, try a 10-minute sit challenge. Picture no lights, surrounded by artifacts, and all alone.

Enter a realm of cunning schemes as you become engrossed in an exhilarating murder mystery dinner at Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. The suspense will grip you until the ultimate revelation. Caution advised: appearances are deceptive, and everyone is suspect. Wear your best World War II-era costumes. 

Embark on a flashlight-lit night tour at Squirrel Cage Jail on select dates in October. Surprises lurk in this rotary jail built in 1885. Three stacked holding cell levels revolve inside a cage with only one opening. To let prisoners out, the jailer had to revolve the cells until the desired cell was flush with the door. In other words, good luck escaping. Watch out for creepy decorations and scare actors as you follow your guide. Fog machines and strobe lights set the mood on this 45-minute tour.

In West Omaha, explore 20 acres of Halloween thrills at Scary Acres, which has three terrifying attractions: Master’s Castle, House on the Hill, and Haunted Woods. A super combo ticket for $30 gets you into all three. Explore the final season of The Shadow’s Edge, which is celebrating its 20^th and final year. The attraction is rated 13+ due to its terrifying images, blood and gore. Find more haunted houses here.