—Before you go out to scare the bejesus out of people ( or be scared yourself ) , have a drink. SKYY Vodka has recipes using its Infusions. One is the Jack-o-Lantern, which combines 2 ounces SKYY Infusions Citrus; 1 ounce mango nectar or juice; half an ounce of orange juice; and half an ounce of fresh sour ( fresh lime juice and simple syrup ) . Combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Another is the Black Widow ( 1.5 oz. SKYY Infusions Raspberry, 0.5 oz. triple sec, 2 oz. pomegrante juice, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and raspberry syrup ) . Enjoy!

—You could always hit Chronicles of the Cursed: Hades Emerges, at 560 W. Grand ( open through Nov. 1; www.ChicagoCursed.com ) . The haunted house is the largest in Chicago with more than 20,000 square feet of bone-chilling monsters, ghouls, zombies, hellions and other frightening beings. ( No jokes about Republicans, okay? ) On Oct. 28, "Beast Feast" will take place, complete with a drag show and a costume fashion show. Also, there is the very scary "Fear" Haunted House at Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand ( www.TheFearHauntedHouse.com ) . Everything from zombies to maniacal clowns are in the 20-room structure that features 70-plus actors; it, too, runs through Nov. 1.

—The Neo-Futurists are offering their own brand of scariness with Fear ( www.neofuturists.org ) . As Windy City Times theater critic Catey Sullivan put it, "Edgar Allen Poe's nightmare-inducing story The Fall of the House of Usher serves as the spooktacular starting point for the Neo-Futurists' Halloween-centric show—staged, but of course, above a funeral home." It runs through Halloween ( of course ) .

—Of course, no spooky day would be complete without the Northalsted Halloween Costume Parade which will take place Saturday, Oct. 31, at 6 p.m., an hour earlier than usual. Free registration for the costume contest and parade for adults and groups will be at SPIN Nightclub, 800 W. Belmont, at 4 p.m. The parade route is Halsted from Belmont to Addison with a main stage at Halsted and Roscoe. ( By the way, the theme is "Mad Hatter's Ball," so don't be surprised if you see a lot of grinning cats. ) See www.lakeviewcitizens.org/halloween.asp .

—Check out Zombies Attack Chicago. Nothing Without a Company lets audiences decide who will survive through Friday, Oct. 30, at The Spot, 4437 N. Broadway; $15; call 773-728-8934 or www.spotchicago.com .

—Joel Hall Dancers will hold a Halloween party to launch the 2nd annual Walk-A-Thon fundraiser; 9 p.m., 773-293-0900, Victor Hotel, 311 N. Sangamon. See www.joelhall.org .

—The Heroes, Horrors & Whores Comedy Show, starring The Sarcastic Squad, will take place at Berlin, 954 W. Belmont, on Friday, Oct. 30, at 10:30 p.m. DJ Greg Haus will spin electronica and alternative dance afterward. See www.berlinchicago.com .

—You can frighten people with your costume or your singing at the 7th Annual Scary-oke Costume Party ( with karaoke by Creaoke ) at Scot's, 1829 W. Montrose, at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31. Call 773-528-3253 for more information.

—Just in time for the holiday ( if you have an iPhone ) , try out the new Zombie Pizza app ( $0.99; www.appyzombiepizza.com/main/appyzombiepizza/main.html ) . The object of the game is to create pizzas for zombies outside the door ( using toppings such as brains and eyeballs ) before the monsters get upset and attack you. The app has been described as very addictive.

—You can be a Poe folk and take in the 23rd Annual Edgar Allan Poe Readings Saturday, Oct. 31, at 5 and 8 p.m. at the Glessner House, 1800 S. Prairie. Pre-paid reservations ( $20-$25 ) are required. RSVP to 312-326-1480; see www.glessnerhouse.org .

—Lastly, you can always just curl up in front of the TV. Although it's not Halloween-themed, there's the Madonna concert Sticky & Sweet: Live from Buenos Aires, which shows the Material Mom in Argentina ( Oct. 30 at 9:10 p.m. on the new pay channel EPIX ) , and promises enough costume changes for a thousand Halloweens. You can also see our favorite lesbian financial advisor in action on a special The Suze Orman Show ( Oct. 31 at 8 p.m. on CNBC ) , and there's out English muffin Graham Norton on his eponymous show ( Oct. 31 at 9 p.m. on BBC America ) with special guest Michael Bublé. Moreover, you can enjoy the shows even more with your SKYY drinks!