This Halloween-Themed Bar Will Scare the Hell Out of You All October

By Sam Blum

Published on 10/4/2017 at 12:24 PM

Until now, the only place where you could find Halloween in a state of perpetuity may have been at your local Hot Topic. After all, haunted houses are usually as fleeting as they are full of teenage goths and your local ghost train tends to evaporate when the sun comes up. But for all of us seeking a month-long fright fest with all manner of boos and also booze, there's Pub Dread in Washington DC. 

For the month of October, you can spend all 31 days ringing in Halloween, and bask in the mild spookiness of a few mixologists caked in fake blood and makeup. Pub Dread is something of a horror-buff's best nightmare, with the three separate rooms snaking their way throughout the bar. Depending on your tolerance for dealing with intentionally weird and upsetting stimuli, you can bat away hostile tree branches in a Haunted Forest, stare down a creepy-ass doll in the Dollhouse, or pose for a morbid selfie in the The Crypt -- the latter of which is lined with caskets fit for a Nosferatu's eternal nap. 

If you're not all that down for a Goosebumps style freak-fest, there's also a David Bowie-themed room that's full of cotton candy, which frankly sounds great. But still beware, as Bowie could get plenty scary when he wanted to. 

And just like when the venue staged a Game of Thrones-themed pop-up bar this summer, the drinks are themed, too. This is a bar after all, and the menu is inspired by some of the more frightening beverages from horror films past. For libations of the zombie variety, there's a drink on the menu called The Dead Will Walk Again, and old standards like Beetle Juice, Beetle Juice, Beetle Juice, which may or may not spawn Michael Keaton when you order it.  

So, if you live in the area or have frequent flyer miles racked up, you've really got no choice not to celebrate Halloween in excess this year. Costumes are optional at Pub Dread, but steel nerves and a willingness to scrap with the ghouls is not. See you on the spook side. 

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Sam Blum is a News Staff Writer for Thrillist. He's also a martial arts and music nerd who appreciates a fine sandwich and cute dogs. Find his clips in The Guardian, Rolling Stone, The A.V. Club and Esquire. He's on Twitter @Blumnessmonster.