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RVA Mag Presents Your Perfect Scary Movie Marathon

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The weather’s crummy, but it’s Halloween weekend, so the time is right to get your scares on — even if you have no interest in putting on a costume and leaving the house. For the perfect way to kick off Halloweekend, here an essential streaming horror marathon, from us to you.

Grab your sour candies, fun size M&Ms, and Halloween Joe Joes; grab your favorite fuzzy blanket; and light your favorite pumpkin spice candle, folks. We’re settling in this Halloween with our very own marathon of scary films to get us in the mood this spooky season. 

With the pandemic sticking around for another round, but vaccination rates on the rise, it’s easy to get torn on what you should do. Head to a party? Hang out on Hanover Ave? Stay in for a mini-marathon of horror classics? If you’re like us, you’re going to be taking the introvert’s approach. So let’s cuddle up with loved ones as we sit on edge of the couch and screech at all of our favorite jump scares, courtesy of this curated list of films to get you in the mood this weekend.

While any good Halloween marathon naturally draws from classics such as Nightmare on Elm St, Friday the 13th, and a good Hitchcock film for our more classically inclined friends, we decided to take an open poll – what are some of your favorite underrated spooky films? These just some of the responses we received, but they’re available on streaming services.

Not being able to watch a film you’re looking forward to? Now that’s just downright terrifying. 

  1. Jennifer’s Body (2009)
  • Streaming Service: ImdbTV
  • Starring Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfriend and Adam Brody. Fox stars as the titular Jennifer, who after being possessed by a demon goes on a rampage killing her male classmates.
  1. Critters (1986)
  • Streaming Service: HBOMax
  • Starring Billy Zane, Dee Wallace and Billy Green Bush. All hell breaks loose when hungry aliens eat their way through a Kansas farming town while on the run from intergalactic bounty hunters. 
  1. Hush (2016)
  • Streaming Service: Netflix
  • Starring Kate Siegel, Michael Trucco and John Gallagher Jr. Siegel plays a writer who is deaf and mute, and has to defend herself from an unknown man trying to break into her home. 
  1. Creep (2014)
  • Streaming Service: Netflix
  • Starring Mark Duplass and Patrick Brice. Brice is a videographer who answers an ad placed by Duplass who wants to film a movie for his unborn child. All seems normal enough until Duplass’s requests just become more and more bizarre. 
  1. Mr. Boogedy (1986)
  • Streaming Service: Disney+
  • Starring Kristy Swanson and David Faustino. Mr. Boogedy is a short film that finds a New England family who learns their new home is haunted by a local legend. Bonus: If this film is in your wheelhouse, then you’ll be happy to know that there is more where that came from. [If you’re in your 40s, this movie might be a huge nostalgia trip for you. I can tell you from experience, everybody in middle school was way into it when it came out. -ed.]
  1. Don’t Look Under the Bed (1999)
  • Streaming Service: Disney+
  • Starring Ty Hodges and Erin Chambers. Chambers plays a straight-laced teen who refuses to believe in the paranormal. Once pranks start happening in her neighborhood thanks to a boogeyman living under her bed, her attitude takes a 180 — especially once she is framed for the pranks in question. 
  1. My Bloody Valentine (2009)
  • Streaming Service: Hulu
  • Starring Jensen Ackles and Jamie King. Ackles returns to his hometown on the tenth anniversary of the Valentine’s night massacre that claimed the lives of twenty-two people. He comes home only to learn he is suspect number one to everyone but his ex. 
  1. Thirteen Ghosts (2001)
  • Streaming Service: HBOMax
  • Starring Matthew Lillard and Tony Shaloub, this remake of the William Castle film finds a family who inherit a house from an eccentric uncle. Quickly they learn that the house is more dangerous than it seems, as it is haunted by various entities with increasingly gruesome backstories. 
  1. Suburban Gothic (2014)
  • Streaming Service: Amazon Prime, Tubi, and Hulu (Premium)
  • Starring Matthew Gray Gubler, Kat Dennings, and John Waters. Gubler plays an awkward man in a small town with the ability to talk to the dead. It’s up to him and his bartender (Dennings) to save the day when a ghost begins terrorizing their town. 
  1. Life After Beth (2014)
  • Streaming Service: Tubi, Vudu, and Pluto TV
  • Starring Aubrey Plaza, Dane DeHaan and John C. Reilly. DeHaan learns that his girlfriend (Plaza) has returned from the dead. All is well until he notices that she is beginning a grisly transformation. 

Get cozy on the couch and lower those lights, dear readers. Grab your snacks of choice and get started, but don’t forget to cut off the porchlight. You totally bought that candy for yourself, anyway.

The Dark Side Of Red Vein

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Richmonders have been both terrified and impressed by the carnage on display every October at Red Vein Haunted House. But one question has remained unanswered: Is it just for show, or is the terror real? George Wethington learned the answer the hard way.

“No. Fuck, man. No. No. Nooooo! You have got to be FUCKING KIDDING me!”

I felt the power steering fail through the wheel and was reminded how weak and broke I was. The lights on the dashboard flickered on and off and I was losing pressure on the gas pedal. I watched the lights on the dashboard dimming like my life, sputtering into another unremarkable failure. So much for taking a drive to clear my head. 

I was out in Ashland, or Bowling Green, who cares? I was in God’s country, and true to form, he left me stranded when I needed him the most. I fought the wheel to keep steady and floored the pedal for what little life I could drain out of this miserable garbage heap. I rolled to a gradual stop. 

I got out of the car and lifted the hood. I tried to use the flashlight on my phone, but the charge was too low. I slammed the hood and felt an earthquake shaking under my lungs as the magma of my unbridled anger erupted in a violent show. I punched the hood as hard as I possibly could. 

I broke something in my hand for sure. I let the blood ooze from my knuckles as I closed my eyes and let the pain absorb me. I opened them to see my handiwork. I saw an imprint left by an impulsive, balding, grown child. I looked around to get my bearings. 

I heard music in the distance and realized I was not too far from a dimly lit farm. I amused myself with the thought of becoming a horse thief as the smell of hay and manure made the crisp, autumn night air smell archaic. I walked past a sign that said ‘Hanover Vegetable Farm’ and noticed a few food trucks across from a red barn that had music and people spilling out of the doors. I walked up to the barn, maintaining my distance from the crowd to avoid people noticing my disposition, and my now-throbbing and swollen fist. 

“Oh dear, you have to do something about this bleeding.” I felt a cold hand devoid of muscles grab my wrist. I turned to see an elderly woman with a youthful gaze in a red coat and hood. “I’m fine ma’am,” I told her, trying to reconcile the sensory dissonance. “Oh, no you’re not,” she said, in the irrefutably insistent way of an older woman. 

“Well, alright, if you insist. My car broke down not too far from the driveway and you wouldn’t believe it, but punching it didn’t help. If you can get me to the E.R. so I can get this scanned I would appreciate it,” I told her. I was relaxing a bit now. 

“Well, ain’t no need for the E.R. honey. Lucky for you, we have a doctor on site.” Her eyes gleamed in the moonlight. I felt a shiver go down my spine and my flesh recoil. I reminded myself to pack a spare jacket in the car in case I got stranded again. It was getting cold. 

“Now you just sit right here and I’m gonna go make sure the doctor is available,” she said. I watched dark, translucent clouds sneak across a waning moon like a cat against a wall. There she was again. 

“He’s gathering his things together. I’ll take you down here in a bit. You look frigid out here without a jacket. I brought you some hot cider. This recipe has been on this farm for centuries.” I readily drank the spiced, warm offering given to me. 

I started feeling sluggish. The world spun, and then righted itself, and then fractured like a broken mirror. I watched a hundred red cloaked women gazing intently at me and gasped in horror as many became one. “The doctor will have you now, prepare for your ascension,” she said. 

The clouds parted and the moon caught her face. Her skin sagged and sloughed from her cheeks as the maggots in her skull dumped from empty sockets. I fell asleep. 

“It is so fortunate you brought him to me, Emily Redvyn. These shortsighted doctors today would have merely fixed his hand. This will not prevent him from further outbursts of anger and self-harm. We will be removing his amygdala.” 

I heard this from a muffled and accented voice behind my head. I awoke strapped to a chair; a searing pain in my skull had outpaced the pain in my hand. I saw in front of me the face of the cloaked witch that brought me to what could only be an asylum. 

“You are ripe for ascension, wayward traveler,” she said. I was at peace with my situation. She stroked my face with a warm and comforting hand. She took my bandaged palm and put it to her youthful cheek and stared at me in the eyes. “Don’t move,” she said. “The doctor needs still hands and still patients.”

“All done!” the doctor finally exclaimed. “Very well,” she said. The witch pointed a hand of bone down a hallway and told me to follow the path. I walked through the asylum, admiring the brilliant mind of the doctor as I saw the human anatomy reimagined. I felt a brief neural misfire of horror as I walked through a hall covered in gore, headless bodies, and the cadavers of incomplete autopsies. “You’re on your way to ascension,” I heard her voice say from everywhere. 

I snapped back to the task at hand. I was met by a group of missionaries who wore signs of the death moth and asked if I was ready to transform into a greater being. Would I make the metamorphosis from this life of toil? I wanted to. I longed to join them and The Eclipse. I felt the sting of the crisp night air against my opened skull as I exited the asylum, rejuvenated by the wonders of science. 

I walked then through a carnival. There were marvelous creatures, fantastic to behold in their ghastly forms. A 900-pound red-veined man gargled the praises of the prophet and encouraged me to cross my path with hers. Was I ready for the hidden secrets of the afterlife? Had I the symbols to protect me from angelic forces as I transformed? I must see her, he pleaded with me. She must teach me. I will be evil reborn. 

I met the prophet Madame Bavlatsky. She clasped my opened skull and pulled me close, whispering into my eager ear the secrets of the ancient phantom lords. I felt an ectoplasmic surge of ghoulish elation as her tobacco-stained fingernails cut into my cheek. She used my blood to paint upon my forehead the dark prism. I felt the power of darkness shroud the remaining putrid light of humanity inside me. “Go,” she said. “Follow the path to ascension.”

I was pulled by demonic forces through fields of dying corn to a church. It was a small country building with a few pews and the hanging body of the priest that was here before the dark belief of The Eclipse prevailed. A wicked preacher spoke to many from his pulpit, but never broke his gaze from me. I heard the cry of a devoted congregation and looked around at my new compatriots. I and the preacher were alone. 

“Are you ready to make the last revolution of this mortal coil and join us in ascension, my child?” He spoke with reverent urgency. “Yes,” I replied to him. 

My soul was tired, weak, and no use to me. He led me to a baptismal font. “Your bandaged hand is a disgrace to our dark majesty, who makes all wounds. Are ye willing now to make this sacrifice and become anew?” 

The strength of the witch’s brew compelled me as I accepted my conversion. I indifferently watched the preacher take a sharpened cleaver and remove my bandaged appendage. I watched my blood fill the font, patiently awaiting an unholy affusion. 

“Come now child, be baptized and rid yourself of holy thoughts. Join us in the eternal battle against all that is good. Transform into a new vessel, terrible for all to behold, deadly for all to be near.” 

I felt my blood drip over my forehead and down my tear ducts. I welcomed it as it covered my lips and tasted the coming afterlife. 

“Go now child, to the cemetery. Lie there in the tomb of the unknowable. Upon another night you shall be renewed.”

I slept there, for what felt like lifetimes. I followed the pull of an eclipsed moon out of the tomb, the bones of my remaining digits scraping against marble. I was met by my red-hooded matriarch. The sagging flesh of her lips broke into a leering smile. 

“Come now, ascended one. There is killing to do.”

Come to Hanover Vegetable Farm, where the red vein haunt. Try the apple cider. 

Red Vein Haunted House is located on Hanover Vegetable Farm, at 13580 Ashland Road, Ashland VA. This weekend is its last weekend of operation for 2021. It’s open from 7:30-11 pm Friday October 29 – Sunday October 31. Tickets are available at redveinhaunt.com.

Photos via Red Vein Haunted House/Facebook

RVA Magazine’s Horror Movie Rundown

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It’s Halloween, and to get into the proper mood for the season, RVA’s own John Reinhold is binging on horror movies. Here, he presents some horror recommendations, from classics to some good ones you might not have seen.

Happy Halloween, horror fans. With the scariest holiday of the year just one day away, we’re here to go over some of the best horror movies you you might want to see again, and hopefully find some that you still need to see for the first time. Or maybe this is just a way-too-deep dive into the world of horror movies. You decide.

Horror movies are amazing and run the gamut from fun to spooky, creepy, gory, terrifying, and all the verbs together, drenched in blood. Honestly, I grade them very differently than other movies. The horror genre is unique in what I’ll let it get by with. It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece every time. It can be made cheaply with shoddy cinematography, and even have bad acting, and I’m down for it. I can enjoy it on another level. And there is so much out there — a ton of movies. So when you find a good one, it’s like getting a really good cookie. You like cookies in general, but a good one really hits the spot. 

Repeat after me: a horror movie does not have to actually scare me to be enjoyable or good. There, we’ve said it. As viewers, we often get caught in a cycle of grading horror movies based on whether they are “actually scary” or “not scary.” But honestly, just like comedy, each of us is affected differently, and we all have a preference for what kind of effect we want a movie to generate. I mean, most of us are grownups here, right? (Well, maybe.) Look — it’s a freaking movie. It’s not real, and a lot of us will never again experience the terror horror movies put into us when we were young. It just won’t happen.  

But still, all too often, we get caught up In the old conversation. “Hey man, can you recommend a horror movie that’s actually scary?” Here’s how I handle that: I immediately ask, “What’s a movie that actually scared you?” And as soon as they answer, say, “That didn’t scare me at all.” This saves a lot of time, and puts you in control of the situation. Once we’ve gotten that out of the way, we can follow up with some recommendations that should be serviceable, whether they’re scary or not. How about a movie that’s a decently made horror story with maybe some depth — we can all agree on that, right?

Of course not. Therefore, we’ll just do our best and list some favorites. Here are some horror movies you might enjoy, and might actually be scary:

Prince of Darkness 

Part of John Carpenter’s Apocalypse trilogy, from 1987. This movie terrified me as a kid. I believe it’s very undervalued as a horror classic. It’s not perfect, and has some cheesy parts. However, it also has some very chilling moments, and some great cinematography.  It has Donald Pleasence, who is horror movie royalty. It’s a bit dated, but I still really enjoy this one. 

The Thing 

Another John Carpenter Apocalypse Trilogy classic here, that sits close to the top of my favorite horror films ever. This one is solid from beginning to end. The performances are fun, especially that of a bearded Kurt Russell, who I always love. The creature design and effects by Rob Bottin really stand out as well. They are so much more believable than much of the CGI that followed in the years since. You should look him up and read about his work on this film and others. I really like the pacing and sound work — it makes you feel a part it. Trust no one, and at all costs, don’t let it get to the mainland. 

Audition 

This is one my favorite Christmas presents  I have ever given someone. “Merry Christmas! Here, enjoy Audition, a Christmas Classic!” This began my deep dive into Takashi Miike films, a weird and wonderful ride. There are some very disturbing scenes in this one. It has a certain beauty in its colors and camera work, which are often overshadowed in discussions of the movie by the shock value. Miike flips the script in Audition by taking the usual victim in Japanese horror, a woman, and giving her the power in the story. If you can get past the shock value, this film has multiple layers to it. Eli Roth was so inspired by it that he created Hostel; many other movies considered “torture porn” were also spawned from Audition, for better or worse. In my opinion, though, none really have the depth or weird beauty of this film.  

Event Horizon 

I saw this one in the theatre; the trailer and available information made it seem like it would be a sci-fi film. Going in expecting that certainly set it up well to scare the shit out of me. However, it wasn’t popular upon its release, though fortunately it gained popularity thereafter. I really enjoy the actors in this one, with Sam Neill and Laurence Fishburne leading the cast. I never have really understood the low ratings this gets on Rotten Tomatoes. I believe for a deep space flick it’s quite solid, and has some great jump scares. 

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

A 1974 classic right here that’s still very disturbing. It of course created the popular horror character, Leatherface. Many times in my car going down a dusty country road I find mysef saying, “It’s feeling a bit Chainsaw Massacre out here.” This film is gritty and feels like we shouldn’t be watching it. It was banned for some time in various countries. It is an assault on you, and feels like a nightmare you might have, involving the country hillbilly family you’ve always feared. Sheer terror, really, and one of the most influential horror films ever made. I do find it hard to watch and enjoy, to be perfectly honest. It’s the first of its kind, and it’s the reason why we want to run when we hear a chainsaw. 

[I second this recommendation. Texas Chainsaw Massacre is without a doubt the scariest movie I have ever seen, and one of my all-time favorites. If you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor and fix that. –Drew]

Session 9

I usually recommended this film to people that want to know about a horror film they have not already seen. It caught me off guard on my first watch. At that time, I hadn’t had a horror film really effect me in quite a while. It takes a very psychological film to get into my headspace — many horror films with gore or jump-scares just seem like repeats of the same old formula. But this one made sense. The setting, the pacing, the actors, and the creepy vibes got me good. I could actually imagine this happening. The recordings of the tapes they find in the old mental ward were super creepy to me, and the use of them with the rest of the plot is just very effective. This is a mood setting psychological film, and a really good small-budget horror flick. Some might find it slow paced, but I actually enjoy that about it.

Psycho 

I have to include this 1960 horror classic by Hitchcock. This is the original slasher film, and a work of film art. So many of the cinematic themes, camera angles, pacing, and plot from Psycho have been studied and recreated in later horror movies. It broke a lot of barriers; Hitchcock had to fight the production code of the time to get it released as he wanted it. Take the time to see it and look up information about the film. It’s a great film to revisit, and has a giant cultural impact that resonates to this day.  

The Shining 

This is my favorite horror film, and one of my favorite films ever. To me it’s a masterpiece, starting right away with the famous opening as the family travels up the winding road — a scene that has been recreated in so many films. Kubrick makes the hotel itself into a labyrinth of terror, both in your mind and onscreen for the actors. You have Jack being Jack, and Shelly Duvall losing her hair and her mind, live, for you to witness. The scene with the twin girls is one of the scariest use of ghosts I have ever seen; it stuck in my mind as a teen, and still gives me chills. It’s so deep on so many levels. There have been years of discussions and reviews of this film, and not all of them have been positive. Stephen King himself has voiced his displeasure with this interpretation by Kubrick, which he felt was too far from his original novel. He even made his own adaptation of it to be more true to his version. He has at least softened his stance over the years, but in the end, I disagree with his assessment. A film that makes me talk about it over and over has done something special.  I highly recommend watching Room 237, a documentary about the film and various interpretations of it. It will open your eyes to some of the depths of The Shining. I can go on and on about this one — I have watched it so many times, and still enjoy it every time. It continues to haunt me, and I continue to find new things in it with every watch.  

Cabin in the Woods 

This is a fun one you have probably seen. On the comedy-horror tip, it has the makings of a classic. It also has produced some famous memes that you definitely have seen. Certainly during these times, the scene where the killers place bets on which monsters will get into the action has been making the rounds. Cabin In The Woods is a horror movie film for horror movie lovers; an homage to the classics of the genre. So much witty banter and classic horror movie situations. You’re also in on the joke, so it plays out from a very unusual angle for you as a watcher. Its classic cliches get very meta, so it’s a blast for the horror movie nerds, and a joy to watch with friends. For more in the comedy-horror vein, check out Tucker and Dale Vs Evil for some decent laughs. 

Halloween 🎃 

Horror films in the 70s often had a hard time with critical response. However, this film was one of the few that was praised by major critics, including Roger Ebert. This 1977 film birthed Michael Myers one of the most famous slashers in history. I was terrified of him as a teenager. Something about the constant stalking, the building of fear and terror. Halloween — another John Carpenter film — shows real restraint; it does not go for the the straight gore that we have seen in many later slasher films. It takes a lot from Hitchcock, and has a real mood to it, which is boosted by the theme song. This film received a lot more praise as a film than that other pioneering slasher film, Friday the 13th, which was panned at the time of its release. It’s worth noting that both these films were highly grossing films on low budgets, and spawned so much of the horror genre as we know it today. 

IT

Tim Curry’s Pennywise really got me when I was younger. I really loved it. Honestly though, the 1990 version of It didn’t scare me as much as interested me in the story and Pennywise as an entity itself. It had its moments, but overall kinda dragged as a movie. But Curry certainly set us up with a unforgettable clown. A remake of that three-hour landmark is a big undertaking, and comes with a need to directly focus on the characters, especially Pennywise. The 2017 film pulled this off; I thought it was so good. The portrayal of the kids and their relationships had a real Stand By Me feel; I felt like one of the group. The actors who played the kids were all so amazing. Sofie Lillis really blew me away as Beverly; in some ways, she steals the show. But then there’s Bill Skarsgard, whose take on Pennywise is just amazing. It’s hard to step into that clown’s shoes and make it something new and scary, but I think Skarsgard’s performance works quite well. I tell ya, my kids wont even look at him. The movie’s cinematography is also a big standout for me. Its very Shining at points, and of course I like that. I think this first part and the follow-up are both good, but the kids in this first part really make it stand out as a movie. And if you’re scared of clowns, then this is that movie for you.

Other movies that should be on your list if you’re a horror fanatic:

  • The Blackcoat’s Daughter 
  • Suspiria –the original Dario Argento version and the remake 
  • The Ritual 
  • Nightmare on Elm Street 
  • The Exorcist 
  • It Follows 
  • Alien and Aliens 
  • The Grudge 
  • The Ring and Ringu
  • Veronica 
  • Hereditary 
  • Get Out 
  • The Conjuring 
  • The Autopsy of Jane Doe 
  • The Babadook 
  • The Quiet Place 
  • Midsommar 
  • Us 
  • Mandy
  • Train to Busan 
  • The Host
  • Thirst 
  • The Color Out of Space
  • The Lodge 
  • Let The Right One In
  • The Invisible Man (2020)
  • 28 Days Later 
  • The Descent 
  • It Comes at Night 
  • The Wailing 
  • A Tale of Two Sisters 
  • I Saw the Devil 

Hope you find something you like. Happy Halloween!

RVA Foodie Spotlight: Frankfuter Dog & Seasonal Sweets

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If there’s any activity our RVA Magazine team loves unanimously, it’s eating. And of all the dishes in the world, nothing tastes quite as good as the ones made right here in the River City. 

So in the spirit of eating ourselves into food comas in Richmond, we’re spotlighting our favorite local restaurants each week with the best #RVAFoodie finds around town. We’ll be searching weekly for the best of delicious local food in our community, from amazing restaurants to chefs, food trucks, pop-ups and more. Here’s a few close-to-home favorites this week to follow on Instagram. 

If you’ve got an awesome restaurant to spotlight, reach out to [email protected]! Support local, RVA! 

#RVAFoodie This Week

@ensuboca_taqueria

#festivesoup En Su Boca always bringing us the fresh yummy and festive treats. Here is an enchilada soup to keep ya warm!

@momsiam

#Curry Northern Style Koa-Soi-Kai egg noodle curry chicken soup, a creamy and yummy delight.

@peoplespieva

#PizzaPie Layers of flavor on this special pie with prosciutto cotto, bacon bolognese, and lots provolone in this blend. Fished with a bacon ranch drizzle. NEED THIS IN MY LIFE!

@thecobracabanarva

#FalafelBurrito Cobra always cooking up the amazing vegan treats for us here in RVA. Fun hang spot as well, big fan of he Korean Wings here!

@hangspacerva

#VeganDog Hang space is RVA’s Vegan food Paradise, they area always cooking up the best in everyday vegan fare. Heres another one of the amazing dogs for ya.

@notabenerva

#Amazingsub Nota with a juicy looking Fried Mozz sub here. Italian go to foods for RVA.

@unionmarketrva

#PorkBellyBahnMi Smoked Pork Belly from one our favorite Markets in town. If you live in Church Hill Union is a must stop, amazing food and beverages in this amazing market!

@whiskrva

#Pumpklnmacarons Whisk has some very festive treats daily, this is an amazing and so colorful macaroon for Halloween.

@821cafe

#Vegancake 821 Cafe has been a staple of the scene for many years, vegan hot spot and perfect place for anyone for breakfast or any meal. Here are some amazing looking vegan cakes, so idea how they get this so good!

@joesinnfan

#ChocolatePie Joes Inn in the fan with this most yummy Mousse back from the dead. Joes Inn is another staple of Richmond.

@Thecontinentalrichmond

#PumpkinCheesecake Last but definitely not least is this really beautiful looking pumpkin pie cheesecake. Perfect for the season!

That’s all for this week’s #RVAFoodie. See you next week, Richmond!

RVA ON TAP: Hallobeer, Booz Crawls, & Punk’in Carver Parties

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What’s happening, craft beer lovers of RVA?! Welcome to this week’s RVA On Tap, RVA Magazine’s weekly column for all your craft beer-related events, releases, festivals, and all the booze news your hearts desire.

If you missed the last column, you can check that out here. Our kegs are overflowing this week with beer releases and festivals, events, and other cool happenings around town, so hold on to your mugs.

This week, you’ll have so many choices for events that you won’t be able to attend enough in one day. Hardywood Park Craft Brewery is kicking off HALLOWEEK with their Haunted Food Truck Court tomorrow night, Hallobeer is going down at The Answer Brewpub, Cobra Cabana is hosting Stone Brewing Richmond for a Punk’in Carver party, the Scott’s Addition Booz Crawl is back, and Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery is hosting a costume party — and that’s only the beginning.

PHOTO: Hardywood Park Craft Brewery

It’s the mooooost wonderful tiiiiiime of the year! Halloween is right around the corner, which means HALLOWEEK is back at RVA Magazine. Hardywood Park Craft Brewery is releasing a beer as the official beer of the week, Farmhouse Pumpkin. In the spirit of the season, HALLOWEEK means all the awesome beer, shows, events, and haunted houses you can take in one week. It’s kicking off with our pals and co-hosts at Hardywood, starting fresh tomorrow night with the Haunted Food Truck Court at Hardywood. They’ll be dropping a “ghoulish” new brew, hosting food trucks with Halloween-inspired menus, “devilish” selfie stations, and — of course — costumes galore!

PHOTO: Hardywood Park Craft Brewery

Come dressed in your best and grab goodies from the Richmond Zombie Walk, plus get tips on how to make the best costumes of all from Aisthesis Productions (the hands behind the scariest costumes around, and the recent locally-produced horror movie Last Call). As Aisthesis says, “Less Bore, More Gore.”

Hardywood’s also releasing their Quydrawine in bottles this Friday, honoring the beloved Quy Pham of The Answer Brewpub. This barrel-blended ale was brewed with inspiration from Quy, with his positivity and generosity that will stay in the hearts of his loved ones forever. Quydrawine is a bourbon barrel-aged Imperial Stout blended with a hyper-hopped fresh American barleywine — which means it’s packed with big, burly, bold flavors “that will Kong even the strongest of late night warriors.”

In more Hardywood news, Trickery (pictured first) is coming back out this Saturday at the brewery. Another Imperial Stout, this milk stout hits in at 13.5% ABV with ten months under its belt in apple brandy barrels. It has flavors of blackstrap molasses — yum! — with warm caramel and chocolate-covered cherries, to bring out the fall love in us all.

PHOTO: The Answer Brewpub

Speaking of events honoring Quy, The Answer Brewpub is hosting their extra-awesome 13th Annual Hallobeer on Monday, with Mekong Xpress playing the music of Elvis all night long.

Proceeds from the event will benefit Quy’s family, and in addition to tunes by The King himself throughout the evening, The Answer will be putting out some special drink releases. They’ll also have a Street Fighter tournament for those who are interested, plus costume contests with prizes if you want to come out in your best-dressed Halloween costumes (or Elvis getups, according to The Answer) to celebrate Halloween and Diablo.

PHOTO: Cobra Cabana & Stone Brewing Collab

Two of my favorite places in one event!! Stone Brewing Richmond is partnering up with Cobra Cabana for the Punk’in Carver Party — nice puns, y’all — with pumpkin carving in Richmond’s Carver neighborhood. With the best beer at the best spot, this is one you won’t want to miss.

Local pumpkins from Gallmeyer Farms will be on deck, and carving tools will be provided (but in true punk fashion, your crusty old pocket knife will also work just fine). Stone’s bringing out their special release, Ghost Hammer IPA, for the occasion to go along with the regular beers on the patio, so if you’re too cheap for craft beer this week, a $3 Lone Star will do. And for the witchier of us, Madame Onça will be out doing Tarot Card readings!

They’ll also have DJ Al Hitchcock out “spinning spooky tunes” through the evening, and fundraising efforts will benefit the Halloween Parade.

PHOTO: Scott’s Addition Booz Crawl

Boozy neighborhood friends rejoice: the Scott’s Addition Booz Crawl is back, and it’s happening all day this Saturday. If you’re an adult who is bummed by the no-trick-or-treating-without-kids rules of society, then this is good news for you.

The Booz Crawl lets you bounce around “trick-or-treating” through the neighborhood to try all the beer, ciders, meads, and whiskeys of the neighborhood. If you pick up Booz Crawl cards at the spots on the list, you can even win a $25 gift card individually to each location from getting three unique stamps at the breweries and being entered to win.

Participating breweries include (in alphabetical order) Ardent Craft Ales, Bingo Beer Co., Black Heath Meadery, Blue Bee Cider, Buskey Cider, Courthouse Creek Cider, Isley Brewing Company, Reservoir Distillery, Strangeways, Three Notch’d RVA Collab House, Vasen Brewing Company, and The Veil Brewing Co.

PHOTO: Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery

It’s costume time on the farm! Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery is hosting a Halloween Costume Party this Saturday complete with bonfires to bring fall’s best activities all together. There’s nothing like the smell of a fire pit or hanging out on a farm when it first gets chilly outside, and I couldn’t be happier this time of year.

If you’re down for the drive, head out to Goochland for one of my most favorite spots in the area. They’ll have live music rolling all evening with Mobius Strip, plus eats from the Firesides food truck, and probably the best part of all, always lots of dogs. I meet the cutest dogs when I’m out there, and if you haven’t seen their farm, it’s truly something special to find this close to the city. Lickinghole Creek is a gem, and this is the best season to spend some time with them.

PHOTO: Isley Brewing Company

Happy birthday, Isley! I just love this brewery, and I’m stoked to see them complete another trip around the sun.

Isley Brewing Co. is celebrating their 6th birthday this Saturday with tons of limited releases, live music, giveaways, games, and food trucks to accompany the Scott’s Addition Booz Crawl. They’ll be giving away VIP cards to the 6th and 66th guests at the brewery for *four free drinks per day!!* at Isley for the entire month of November. If that isn’t something to get stoked about, I don’t know what is.

Beer releases and returns throughout the week leading up to the event include: Cookies & Cream Porter, Irish Cream Porter, Fastidious Father Banana Peanut Butter Porter, Booze Mother Bourbon Barrel Aged Peanut Butter Porter, Stunt Dubbel Pumpkin Belgian Double, and their Mixed Berry Gose.

For eats, they’ll have The Return of the Mac food truck with gourmet macaroni and cheese, and The Lab Confectionery local bakery specializing in stroopwafels, Unicorn Cake, and freshly-baked goods. With live music, open mics, and pumpkin carving, there’s more than enough for everyone to have a blast throughout the day.

PHOTO: Väsen Brewing Company

Releasing tonight, Väsen Brewing Company has partnered up with Blue Sky Fund to drop their collab beer: Wanderlust 10. This Wanderlust recipe will give 10 percent of proceeds back to the Blue Sky Fund in honor of the #HikeForKids campaign, and this malty, dark chocolate-flavored beer doesn’t disappoint.

You’ll catch flavors of vanilla, German beechwood, and smoked malt together with the dessert flavors and cocoa nibs, plus real vanilla beans and a hint of smoke from the beechwood malts. As the brewery says, this beer “will have you pining for a crisp fall hike followed by an evening spent around the campfire” — and they have the first part covered!

They’re hosting a group hike this Saturday and enjoying this beer together afterward at the post-hike party at the brewery.

PHOTO: Three Notch’d RVA Collab House

This Friday at Three Notch’d RVA Collab House, head over for First Tap Friday, where the brewery is releasing their Throwing Back Blueberries Imperial Gose.

The beer is coming out along with Three Notch’d collab partners Throwing Back Sunday, an emo throwback cover band that’s also headlining the Nightmare on Emo Street Big Ass Halloween Party (another part of RVA Magazine’s HALLOWEEK!) at The Broadberry later Friday night.

PHOTO: Castleburg Brewery and Taproom

It’s Halloween at Castleburg Brewery and Taproom, as well! They’re hosting their 4th annual Halloween Party this Saturday with Cashmere Jungle Lords.

Unlike a lot of costume contest parties, this one will have more than one winner. Castleburg’s giving away cash prizes to contestants in all three categories of Scariest, Best Overall, and Best Couples costumes. Along with prizes, the brewery is hosting tons of great beer along with surf rock playing throughout the night. 

That’s it for this week’s RVA On Tap! As your weekly columnist, I’m here to take all your beer releases, event info, ideas and questions. If you’re a brewer, send me your release info at [email protected], and if you’re a beer enthusiast, drop me a line anytime to talk booze. Catch y’all next week!

HALLOWEEK 2019: Seven Days of Halloween Madness For All

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Hardywood Park Craft Brewery & RVA Magazine’s HALLOWEEK is our week long celebration of all Halloween-inspired events, music, and parties in RVA. For over a decade now, we have celebrated one of our favorite holidays in Richmond — for an entire week, because Halloween’s too creative and fun a holiday to be confined to just one day. Since our first Halloweek over 10 years ago, it has grown to be one of our biggest event lineups each year, packed to the brim with events for all ages!

HALLOWEEK 2019 begins October 24th at Hardywood, and keeps going ’til the big Parade and Rooftop Party at Graduate Rooftop on Wednesday Oct. 31st! Hardywood has been an amazing supporter of RVA Magazine and partner in Halloweek for many years. Not only do they make amazing brews, they also provide multiple events for the whole family, to help make Halloweek truly special.

We kick off Halloweek this year on Thursday Oct 24th at Hardywood, with their Haunted Food Truck Court. Its family and dog friendly with great food trucks, music, games, a Red Vein Army selfie station, and a special new brew just for Halloweek. Make sure and pick up Hardywood’s Farmhouse Pumpkin around town and at our events, as our Official Halloweek Beer this year. 

On Saturday Oct 26th, Beauvine Burger Concept’s Nightmare on Plum St. returns as a outdoor Halloween festival with some of the best bands in the area — including Sleepwalkers, Minor Poet, Holy Roller, Heartracer, and more! We will be hosting a cash costume contest at this event, during breaks between bands. Make sure and get your tickets, as this event is one you don’t want to miss out on.   

New for 2019, we’ve started working with Red Vein Army, to provide a real haunting flavor for this year’s Halloweek. They will be at a few of our events giving out tickets to their big haunted attraction at Hanover Vegetable Farm. And in fact, we have something special for local people this year: Celebrate RVA Halloweek with Red Vein Haunted House! October 27th is officially RVA Magazine night at Red Vein, and you can save $4 on tickets with the code “RVAMAG“. Coupon good for tickets on 10/27 ONLY, so don’t miss out! Tickets available at Red Vein’s website: redveinhaunt.com.

Everything wraps up on Halloween night with the 14th annual Halloween Parade by All The Saints Theatre Company, followed by a big Rooftop Party at Graduate Richmond, for The Haunted Carnival Halloween Party! 

Catch all the Halloweek action at our instagram, @rvamag, and be sure to use the hashtag #RVAhalloweek2019 for your own pics!

Join us: http://rvahalloweek.com/ 

Scroll down for a complete listing of this year’s Halloweek festivities!

— HALLOWEEK 2019 —

THURSDAY, October 24th – 

💀 HALLOWEK KICKOFF AT Hardywood Park Craft Brewery FREE! 

Haunted Food Truck Court 5pm -9pm  (Kid & Dog Friendly) 

💀 We’ll be releasing a ghoulish new brew! 

💀 All the food trucks will have their most frightful menu items for you to choose from! 

💀 Live music from Geek RVA, an awesome Smashing Pumpkins cover band, and Minimum Balance.

💀 Devilish selfie station and ticket giveaways from Red Vein Army

💀 Come dressed in your most hair-raising disguises!

Illiterate Light w/ Twen & Grayling Skyy at Richmond Music Hall–  

Music at 8pm  $12 ADV, $15  

FRIDAY, October 25th –

The Broadberry – Nightmare on Emo Street: A Big A** Halloween Party w/ Throwing Back Sunday!  9pm / $10 

Costume Contest: $50 prize!

Haunted Photobooth & Face Painting

The Camel – WRIR Presents: Majjin Boo “Go Between” Album Release Show – 8pm Doors, 9pm Music  / $5 

WRIR 97.3 fm Richmond Independent Radio& Egghunt Records

5 bands, 100% of ticket sales go directly to supporting everyone’s favorite local radio station, WRIR.

🎺 Funk O Ween at Bingo Beer Co FREE

FUNK PIMPS – Reinhold & Dice. Funky tunes on the Patio of Bingo Beer, Halloween themed funky music of all types.  

🌈 Scary-Oke 2019 at Diversity Richmond

LGBTQ Diversity Event – 7pm – 10pm FREE

Diversity Richmond’s largest Costume and Karaoke Gaylalala is even bigger, with $2000 in CASH prizes for most amazing costume, best karaoke performance, and grand combo costume-karaoke. (Individual and group entries welcome) AND, it’s FREE!

SATURDAY, October 26th –

👹 OUR BIG WEEKEND PARTY at Beauvine Burger Concept   

Beauvine Burger Concept presents Nightmare on Plum Street with SLEEPWALKERS, Minor Poet, Deal Casino, Heartracer, Holy Roller, Kid is Qual, and Justin Golden & The Come Up.

👹 Enjoy all-day live music, games, Tarot reader, raffle, photobooth, and a BIG COSTUME CONTEST with a CASH grand prize! 

👹 Stay tuned for details including set times and costume contest 

Free 2pm – 5pm  (Kid & Dog Friendly) 

After 5pm: $8 Pre / $12 at door 

15th Annual Richmond Zombie Walk 1pm – 4pm

Benefiting the American Cancer Society. The FAMOUS ZOMBIE WALK IS BACK AGAIN.  Be a part of the horde!  

*Check event page for details / costume contests / plans   

HARYDYWOODS  Trickery Release 1pm – 10pm 

Release and party of TRICKERY // 13.5% ABV

An imperial milk stout aged 10 months in apple brandy barrels for a smooth apple brandy finish. Warm caramel, blackstrap molasses, and chocolate-covered cherries. Trickery? No, it’s a treat! At both Hardywood Richmond and Hardywood West Creek. 

SUNDAY, October 27th –

👻 RED VEIN Haunted House‘s “RVA”DAY.  We are working with Red Vein Army to bring you a discount special for Sunday night, October 27th. Order tickets at http://redveinarmy.com/ USE PROMO CODE: RVAMAG. Good only for Sunday the 27th.

Trunk or Treat at Hardywood West Creek Benefiting SCAN

12pm – (Kid Friendly) 

Trunk or Treat is free to attend. All ages welcome! Trick-or-treating fun without crossing streets or worrying about traffic. Family-friendly fall activities, food trucks, and a raffle for a chance to win a few awesome prizes! Hardywood West Creek will be donating a percentage of sales from the event to Greater Richmond SCAN. 

Pints & Pumpkulents at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery

*Special Event / 1pm-3pm $35 (check event page)  

In this hands-on workshop, we will teach you how to make and care for your pumpkin succulent and keep it healthy and happy, indoors or outdoors. You’ll learn how succulents can help remove toxins, oxygenate the home, and even brighten your mood.

Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House presents Alex Jonestown Massacre, Loser’s Bracket, BarryWhite Hanson, Mad Abbey 9 PM – 12 AM / $5 

🌈 River City Roll’s Deadly Drag Halloween Ball 

LGBTQ Pride Event – 6-10pm $10 adv / $15 Door

Join us Sunday, October 27th for our Deadly Drag Halloween Ball! Five Queens will hit the stage, and the floor we’re sure, as they pull out all the stops to make this year’s Halloween weekend one to remember! A portion of proceeds and tips will benefit Virginia Pride.

MONDAY, October 28th –

🍺13th Annual Hallobeer ELVIS EDITION!  9pm FREE

One of our favorite events yearly at The Answer Brewpub.  

🍺 This year, in honor of Quy Pham, we present the music of Elvis by Mekong Xpress & The Get Fresh Horns.  

🍺 Costume contest for Best Elvis and Best costume overall, food and beer specials.  ❤️ #Diabloforever  

Elwood Thompson’s Spooky Screenings: Ghostbusters 

12pm (Kid friendly movies Daily till Halloween) 

Why limit the fall festivities to just one day? We’ve got something special leading up to Halloween, culminating with our annual Costume Contest for employees and the community alike!

TUESDAY, October 29th –

Adult Mom, Big Baby & Deau Eyes at Gallery 5 – 10/29 

8pm $10 Adv / $12 Door 

ADULT MOM returns to Richmond, taking to the GALLERY 5 stage this October bringing their queer-indie-bittersweet-romantic-pop-sounds on TINY ENGINE back to RVA!!!

Revenge of the How To Halloween Makeup Workshop

*Special event / 6-8pm $25

Includes workshop instruction + materials PLUS a TO-GO makeup kit with instructional handout so you can execute the most terrifying makeup on the block for Halloween!

Ellwood Thompson’s Spooky Screenings: Hocus Pocus at 12pm 

WEDNESDAY, October 30th –

Ruston Kelly with Donovan Woods at Richmond Music Hall 

7pm / $15 https://www.rustonkelly.com/

Russian Circles with Windhand at The Broadberry

7pm  /$18 ADV, $20 DOS https://russiancirclesband.com

Ellwood Thompson’s Spooky Screenings: Coraline at 12pm 

THURSDAY, October 31st – HALLOWEEN!!

👺Haunted Carnival Rooftop Halloween Party

Join us on Halloween night at Byrd House for carnival-themed frights and delights including live music with Dj Just Different Bee, costume contest, specialty spooky drinks and complimentary photos w/ Just Snap Me Photobooth from 7 – 11 pm in the lobby*. 

100% of ticket sales  will benefit Graduate Hotels’ 150K Payoff in partnership with Scholly, a scholarship search app dedicated to student success. 

😻 Richmond’s 14th Annual Halloween Parade- October 31, 2019 

presented by ALL THE SAINTS THEATER COMPANY. 7pm 

Meet at Monroe Park, check event page for more details on how to be involved! 

🎃 Ellwood Thompson’s 𝙃𝘼𝙇𝙇𝙊𝙒𝙀𝙀𝙉 𝘾𝙊𝙎𝙏𝙐𝙈𝙀 𝘾𝙊𝙉𝙏𝙀𝙎𝙏 

October 31st, 7AM – 9PM

$100 Ellwood’s gift card to 1st place winners! Categories are ‘Best Steward Costume’ and ‘Best Customer Costume,’ chosen by popular vote on Facebook November 1st – 4th.

Thank you to our sponsors:
Hardywood Park Craft Brewery
Beauvine Burger Concept
Graduate Richmond
Capital Ale House
Ellwood Thompson’s
River City Roll
RED VEIN ARMY
Broadberry Entertainment Group
The Answer Brewpub
The Camel
Richmond Zombie Walk
VA Pride
Gallery 5
Bingo Beer Co