E-Mail This Article to a Friend Spooked Halloween all over BY NINA MACLAUGHLIN

Halloween is a night to free the stuff held prisoner in the dungeons of your consciousness for the rest of the year — a time to zip up a naughty nurse’s skirt, bespectacle yourself like Harry Potter, slip on a pair of Wranglers and call yourself a cowboy, or, most terrifying of all, don a mask of George Dubya. Herewith, a spooky slew of things to do Halloween weekend. All events take place on Halloween itself (next Friday, October 31) unless otherwise indicated; many of the theme parks and special exhibits are open November 1 as well.

The fear engendered by gravity-defying rides and roller-coasters is a big part of the draw for theme parks all year round, but come October, things get even scarier. Six Flags in Agawam transforms into a parkwide horror show with its Frightfest ($27.99; call 413-786-9300). Take a spin on a haunted hayride or mingle with witches and werewolves at Witch’s Woods in the Nashoba Valley Ski Area in Westford ($18; call 978-692-3033). Deep in the woods of Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Spooky World ($23.50; call 978-838-0200) ranks high in size and scare factor with more than 60 acres of haunted houses and Halloween museums, plus the annual appearances by the green giant of dread, the Incredible Hulk. Then there’s Hammond Castle, in Gloucester, where the original owner staged experiments and housed his collection of mediæval artifacts. He’s buried on the property, as are many of his cats, and the folks running the place now stage Castle of the Damned ($10, or $8 for students and seniors; call 978-283-2080), arguably the scariest Halloween scene around. And down in Providence at the Roger Williams Park Zoo, there’s the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular ($7 to $10; call 401-785-3510), with 5000 hand-carved illuminated pumpkins arranged over a three-acre trail.

Salem’s annual Haunted Happenings culminates on Halloween with all sorts of eerie activities and performances (free; call 978-740-2929). You can also raise hell at the annual Salem Witches Halloween Ball, which this year has a "Dante’s Inferno" theme ($175; call 978-740-9399). Back in Boston, you can explore the menacing and mysterious Beacon Hill with Boston by Foot’s Beacon Hill with a Boo! tour ($12; call 617-367-2345), learn about Boston’s gravest moments on Old Town Trolley’s Ghosts & Gravestones Tour ($30, $18 for kids; call 617- 269-2626), or take a creepy cruise on the Spirit of Boston ($40; call 866-211-3807). On the 30th, mad scientists convene at the MIT Hotel for the "In-Genius Halloween Party" with an Einstein look-alike contest (free with costume, $7 without; call 617-867-2208).

Clubland gets creepy too, and Halloween tradition mandates madcap gigs. At the Middle East, Groovie Ghoulies, Black Cat Burlesque, Flipsides, and the ever-un-dead Humanoids perform ($10; call 617-864-EAST). The Lizard Lounge hosts a superhero Halloween with Adonai and Board of Ed (617-547-0759). T.T. the Bear’s Halloween parties span two nights, Friday and Saturday (617-492-BEAR). Or you can get your freak on at the Milky Way’s Cirque du Freak with DJs Dali, Kon, and Karla Calderon ($10; call 617-524-3740).

As usual, there’s a bunch of macabre movies. The Coolidge gets into the spirit a week early with its annual 12-hour Halloween Horror Movie Marathon this Saturday, October 25 ($30; (617-734-2500). On Halloween, the Harvard Film Archive screens Tod Browning’s The Blackbird and Mark of the Vampire ($8, $6 for students, seniors; call 617-495-4700), and the deadites rise at the Brattle’s annual screening of Evil Dead 2. The Milky Way extends Halloween to November 3 with "Halloweird," a program of short films and videos ($5; 617-524-3740).

In Mexico, El Día de los Muertos follows All Hallows’ Eve; in Boston, the Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center celebrates the Day of the Dead with altars, demonstrations, mask making, and music ($15, $10 for students and seniors; call 617-577-1400). The Consulate of Mexico and Harvard’s Peabody Museum host their own Day of the Dead exhibits on November 1 with music, food, and Aztec dancing (free; call 617-496-1027). And if you think a graveyard has to be the most appropriate place to spend this haunting time, note that the Forest Hills Cemetery hosts a traditional bi-lingual Mexican celebration of Tzompantli/Day of the Dead on November 2 with candle-lit altars, music, and dance (free; call 617-524-0128).