Halloween has always had a special place in our hearts, brains, giblets, cobwebs and other theatrical props that we festoon about the house to scare little kids who come begging for goodies.
We’ve been holding annual parties featuring feely boxes containing live toes, cold spaghetti dropped like worms from upstairs windows on unsuspecting spectres below, and shiny red toffee apples like monster hearts on stakes.
But one stunt in particular was easy to set up and scared the living daylights out of kids and parents alike. All you need is five black tablecloths, four tables, a sack with some props, a willing accomplice and you can conjure up your very own live Frankenstein to join the party.
Rather than spoil the surprise, we’ll explain how at helendyrbye.blogspot.com, where we have other Halloween treats in store.
Real Murderers
Politihistorisk Museum, Fælledvej 20, Cph S; 3536 8888
Older kids – at least 15+ – might like to visit the Politihistorisk Museum where gruesome details of grisly real-life murders are filed on the second floor and described in a folder in English. There’s also an array of murder implements: a real chamber of horrors that is definitely not for youngsters.
Skulling about
Bredgade 62, Cph K; open Wed-Fri & Sun, 12:00-16:00; tickets: adults 50kr, children 30kr; 3532 3800, museion@sund.ku.dk; www.museion.ku.dk
As well as its new exhibitions, the Medical Museion has collections dating back to the early 17th century, including prototype psychiatric equipment and a room with so many little bottles of fascinating potions it looks like it came straight out of Harry Potter. There’s also an early dentist’s surgery where you would not want to take a seat, but it will make your own dentist seem like a saint by comparison.
Sweet creepy crawlies
Natural History Museum of Denmark, Universitetsparken 15, Cph Ø; open Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00; tickets: over-16s: 75kr, under-16s: 40kr, under-3s free adm; 3532 1001, snm@snm.ku.dk; www.zoologi.snm.ku.dk/english
Kittens, puppy dogs, lambs and horses all have four legs and are fluffy and cuddly too. The dear little Halloween beasties you’ll find at the Natural History Museum of Denmark until December have just as much fur but eight legs, so that makes them twice as cuddly! The Beauty in the Beast exhibition shows you how enchanting spiders can be. Just check out some of the handsome devils pictured at www.thomasshahan.com/#photoshttp://zoologi.snm.ku.dk/english. And there are so many other skeletons and other stuffed animals, you’ll be there for hours.
Calling all mummies
Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Dantes Plads 7, Cph K; open Tue-Sun 11:00–17:00, closed Mon; tickets: over-18s 75kr, under-18s & Sun free adm; 3341 8141, info@glyptoteket.dk
Down in the depths of a lovely building right beside Tivoli, you’ll find real ancient Egyptian mummies that are ready to give you a thrill all year round – not just at Halloween. Find out how each body was carefully embalmed and preserved so that its soul could walk among the living during the day and return to its body in the beautifully decorated sarcophagus to recharge its energy during the night. There’s plenty more to see upstairs, including statues, a winter garden café and impressionist paintings by Monet, Degas and Pissarro.
Roll up for 19,000 pumpkins
Tivoli, Vesterbrogade 3, Cph V; open Fri-Sun, 10:00-23:00, then closed until 15 Nov; tickets: over-7s 95kr, under-7s free adm, multi-ride tickets 199kr; www.tivoli.dk.
Kids of all ages love the run-up to Halloween at Tivoli. Though the real All Hallows’ Eve is on October 31, this amazing show of pumpkins, friendly witches, fairy dust, sweets, toys and fake but freaky creepy crawlies closes on 27 October – so you have only three days left to see it. Scary Hotel opens at 17:00 and is for kids aged 12 and above. All the rides are open and you can carve your own pumpkin. On November 15, Tivoli will reopen transformed by yuletide magic that’s sure to add some special sparkle to the dark Danish winter.
Helen Dyrbye is a published author, translator and former scout leader from East Anglia in England who relocated to Denmark a long time ago and loves it here as much as ‘back home’.
