Get ready for spooky season at the American Writers Museum
It’s October, which means spooky season is officially upon us! Check out all of our upcoming events that celebrate all things Halloween, horror, and haunting this month. We’ve got something that will interest everyone, so register for your favorite today!
1. Get Lit: Bloodsuckers (October 7, 5:00 PM CT)
Sink your teeth into a night of spooky fun at Get Lit: Blood Suckers. This vampire-themed event will celebrate the fanged and fearless from your favorite works of American writing.
Enjoy a special cocktail, The Blood Bag, a blood red drink served in a unique container; test your knowledge of vampires in film, TV, books, and more in our Bloody Bloody Trivia Challenge; don your best vampire-inspired fit for the Vampire Costume Contest; flex your artistic side with vampire-inspired crafts.
We’ll have two special guests, too! Visit our friends from the Horror & SciFi Prop Preservation Association (HSPPA), a traveling museum of screen-used and production-made props, costumes, and film relics. Then, get your Halloween reads from our friend from Bucket O’ Blood Books and Records, a Chicago store highlighting sci-fi, fantasy, & horror, plus indie rock, punk & metal records.
2. Pumpkin Hunt (October 9 – November 4, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM)
The pumpkins have escaped, and they’re hiding in the pages of America’s greatest stories!
This October, visit the galleries of the American Writers Museum to track down the runaway pumpkins hidden among your favorite works of American writing. Find all of the pumpkins and win a special prize! Perfect for kids, families, and the young-at-heart, this scavenger hunt is a festive way to experience the museum in a whole new light.
Included with museum admission. Advanced registration is not required.
3. Horror Writing and Religion (October 10, 6:30 PM CT, University of Chicago Divinity School)
Leading writers of horror and suspense discuss their use of religion in their work, from magic and voodoo in Tananarive Due’s The Good House to historical cults in Matt Ruff’s Lovecraft Country. What frightens us so deeply about religion, and how do different kinds of writing explore the topic? This discussion will be moderated by author Juan Martinez.
This program takes place at the University of Chicago Divinity School, 1025 E 58th St, Chicago, IL 60637. Books will be available for purchase, and authors will sign them following the program.
4. Houses of Horror Museum Tour (October 23, 24, 30, & 31)
“The sad thing would be an old house that wasn’t haunted because there was no one left to remember those who had gone before, or to tell stories about them.” –Phyllis A. Whitney, Mystery of the Haunted Pool
Step inside the shadows this Halloween with the American Writers Museum’s Houses of Horror Tour. Explore the eerie halls of literary history, from Poe’s crumbling mansions to Shirley Jackson’s sinister Hill House, and uncover how haunted homes became symbols of fear, family, and the unknown in American storytelling. Chilling tales, dark secrets, and spine-tingling surprises await, if you dare to enter.
Tour is included with museum admission. Advanced registration not required.