Haunted City

Halloween in Las Vegas is truly a month-long affair, but this year the fun begins even earlier than usual. From family-friendly frights to sinfully sexy soirées, here’s a look at some of Sin City’s most happening Halloween haunts.

Sinful Soirées

If you think costume parties are just for kids, think again. 9 Group’s Nights of the Killer Costumes party returns Oct. 26-28 and 30 inside the Palms (www.9grouplv.com), awarding more than $30,000 in cash and prizes for the best costumes. Be sure to dress up in your sexiest or scariest attire.

Finally, if there’s one Halloween party you don’t want to miss, it’s the Fetish & Fantasy Halloween Ball (www.halloweenball.com). Named “One of the Top 10 Events in the World” by the Travel Channel, the lavish adults-only costume party takes place Oct. 27 inside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

For Boo-ys and Ghouls

Spooktacular fun awaits guests of all ages at the Springs Preserve’s Haunted Harvest (www.springspreserve.org). Running Friday to Sunday from Oct. 12 to 28, the annual event features trick-or-treat stations, carnival games, live entertainment and more.

For more frightful family fun, visit Bonnie Screams at Bonnie Springs Ranch (www.bonniescreams.net). Opening Oct. 11, this year’s event has three haunted houses for teens and adults to enjoy as well as a “Spooky Town” for kids, featuring a haunted barn, petting zoo and pony rides.

Don’t want to venture off-Strip for your scares? Then visit Shark Reef Aquarium inside Mandalay Bay, which will be hosting its annual Haunted Reef event Oct. 26 to 28 (www.sharkreef.com). The aquarium will be decorated for the holiday and candy treats will be distributed for younger guests to chomp on — that is, if Shark Reef’s toothy inhabitants don’t chomp on them first. The candy, we mean, not the guests. That would be terrible.

To-die-for Terror

Feeling brave? Fright Dome returns to the Adventuredome at Circus Circus Sept. 29 and runs select nights through Halloween (www.frightdome.com). Celebrating its 10th season, this year’s event will feature five all-new haunted houses, including an anniversary house featuring rooms from favorite houses of the past.

Truly fearless souls should check out Eli Roth’s Goretorium (www.goretorium.com), opening across the street from CityCenter this month. The multilevel maze promises to terrorize visitors year-round with live actors, special effects and animatronic frights.

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be buried alive, head on over to Blood Village (www.bloodvillage.com) at the Galleria at Sunset mall. Featuring multiple haunted attractions, a creepy ghoul-riddled graveyard and the horrifying Last Ride — a wooden coffin that takes you to your own burial — Blood Village will haunt people’s dreams beginning Oct. 12. For those who can’t make it out to Henderson, Blood Village will also be running a special Requiem haunted house as part of Nevada Wildfest, Oct. 25 to 28 at the Rio (www.nevadawildfest.com).

Downtown Las Vegas also promises to be a real scream this year with Las Vegas Haunts’ Asylum haunted house joining Fremont Street Experience’s OktoberFrightFest lineup (www.vegasexperience.com). The month-long street party, which kicks off Oct. 1, will feature free performances by fan-favorites Frank & The Steins.

—Heather Turk, Custom Publishing Writer