Falkirk's 10 of the best '” October 25

1 The Exorcist

Hippodrome, Hope Street, Bo’ness, Friday, October 26 (8pm) and Saturday, October 27 (9.30pm)

Possibly the single most scary film ever made, The Exorcist (1973) is certainly right up there in the top ten frighteners. Even the scenes when Ellen Burstyn is just walking along a leafy street as Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells plays along in the background are terrifying and never has a set of steep steps been filmed in such a sinister way. And we haven’t even scratched the surface of Linda Blair’s bedroom exorcism yet. The Hippodrome screenings feature a new digital cinema print supervised by director William Friedkin himself – so those blink and you’ll miss them subliminal images of the wee googly eyed, sharp toothed demon will make you feel even more uneasy.

Call (01324) 506850 for more information.

2 Halloween Tours at Kinneil House

Kinneil House, Kinneil Estate, Bo’ness, Sunday October 28 (noon to 4pm)

For anyone who enjoys Netflix scarefest The Haunting of Hill House, the opportunity of a free tour of this 16th century mansion just days before Halloween will be right up their street. Volunteers from Friends of Kinneil will be on hand to tell some chilling tales about the building’s past. The house, which has sadly not featured on Yvette Fielding’s Most Haunted programme, is said to be haunted by the ghost of a white lady and then there are the people who were tried for witchcraft in the Bo’ness area. You can bet they didn’t get a community payback order and unpaid work.

Visit www.kinneil.org for more information.

3 Pumpkin Hunt

Muiravonside Country Park Cafe, The Loan, Whitecross, Friday, October 26, Saturday, October 27 and Sunday, October 28 (10am)

Thanks to America we now associate pumpkins with Halloween and turnips just have to live with the situation and grin and bear it. The folks at Muiravonside, with no empathy for the turnips’ feelings, have organised three mornings of pumpkin hunting, prizes and associated fun activities.

Call (013240) 590900 for more information.

4 The Dolls: Dragged Up

Falkirk Town Hall, West Bridge Street, Falkirk, Thursday, October 25 (7.30pm)

Comedy chaos from Agnes and Sadie, aka The Dolls, as they deal with missing money, an unlucky handbag and nutcase gangsters. A spokesbloke for this laugh-out-loud romp states: “The Dolls are dragged through a glittering underworld filled with rivalries,rhinestones and rammies on a camp, crazy adventure of queen sized proportions.” Something tells me this may be unsuitable for children.

Call (01324) 506850 for more information.

5 Broomstick Making

Muiravonside Country Park Cafe, The Loan, Whitecross, Friday, October 26 (Noon)

Harry Potter fans – that’s Harry Potter the boy wizard and not Ronnie O’Sullivan who is a hairy potter – will enjoy this opportunity to create a Quidditch style broomstick and then “test” it out in the Park’s cafe courtyard.

Call (01324) 590900 for more information.

6 BTW’s Halloween Silent Disco Walks

Behind the Wall, Melville Street, Falkirk, Friday, October 26 (9pm)

As if Falkirk town centre wasn’t scary enough at night, now you can wander the streets and alleys listening to a selection of Halloween hits. Who ya gonna call? A taxi mate, five minutes after I trip over the first drunk guy.

Visit www.silent-knights.co.uk for more information.

7 Tryst Theatre presents: The Cheviot, The Stag and the Black, Black Oil

Studio Theatre, Falkirk Town Hall, West Bridge Street, Falkirk, Saturday, October 27 and Sunday, October 28 (7.30pm)

In their 40th year Falkirk’s Tryst Theatre have pick a classic play with a poignant story to mark the milestone – John McGrath’s iconic “ceilidh play” about the Scottish Highland Clearances. Said to be the single most important show in the whole history of Scottish theatre, it takes the audience on a centuries spanning journey, from the forced emigration of rural Highlanders via the stag-hunting upper classes to the mad rush for oil in the North Sea in the 1960s.

Visit www.ticketsource.co.uk/trysttheatre for more information.

8 Dia de los Muertos

The Warehouse, Burnbank Road, Falkirk, Saturday, October 27 (10pm)

Day of the Dead is an apt title for this seasonal dance music celebration – there are some who say George Romero was heavily influenced by the sights of revellers emerging from the Warehouse at the back of three in the morning. There’s facepaint, jugglers and candyfloss aplenty in this horrifying Halloween rave up.

Call (01324) 621764 for more information.

9 Falkirk Folk Club presents: Landermason

Tolbooth Tavern, Tolbooth Street, Falkirk, Thursday, October 25 (8pm)

Multi-instrumental duo Fiona Lander and Paul Mason return to Falkirk to plug and play their new album Stand Together, a mix of jazz, classical, rock and, of course folk or they would not be allowed in through the door of the Tolbooth.

Visit www.falkirkfolkclub.co.uk for more information.

10 Falkirk Bohemians are Crazy for You

Falkirk Town Hall, West Bridge Street, Falkirk, Tuesday, October 30 to Saturday, November 3 (7.30pm)

George Gershwin’s Crazy for You is this year’s offering fromthe talented Falkirk Bohemians cast. Three of the starts are reprising roles they first played 20 years ago with Falkirk Youth Theatre. Kirsty Meikle, Katie Gardiner and Emma Christie,along with the rest of the cast are looking forward to the show.

Call 07955 892125 or 01324 506850 for tickets.