Best Halloween parties in London

Boo! The witching hour is upon us. Over the past few years, Halloween has grown from a minority group celebration, observed only by goths and American expats, to one of the biggest nights in the party calendar. So defy the wintry weather in Hammer horror-clad style and indulge your most ghoulish urges at the best Halloween parties in town. Get your face paint and fangs at the ready for midnight Thriller dance-offs, voodoo queens and zombie raves.

Halloween Zombie Ball
Home to many a thumping party, The Old Queen's Head is boastful of its history of gruesome murders, scandals and its very own secret passageway. It's expecting big things on the fancy-dress front and has tattoo artist face-painters to get you "zombified". Blood Transfusion cocktails and Zombie Iced Tea should get you in the mood for the aptly named DJ Mr Thing. What's more, there's a midnight Thriller dance-off. And if the zombie moves are performed in unison, a free bar will run for five minutes. Get practising!
Saturday, 8pm-2am, The Old Queen's Head, 44 Essex Road, N1 (020 7354 9993); £4 on the door

Halloween Warehouse Party
The Mulletover crew has its sights on yet another secret warehouse for a throbbing dusk-to-dawn party. House DJ Lee Burridge will be joined by Simon Baker of Infant Records and resident Geddes. The second room will be in the hands of New York dance legend Kenny Carpenter and Horse Meat Disco will dish out deep disco alongside Leeds institution Back2Basics.
Saturday, 10pm-6am, secret location, tickets £8-£14 (07932 869705, mulletover.co.uk)

Beach Blanket Babylon Massacre
Expect the most glamorous bloodbath at fashion central Beach Blanket Babylon. With net body stockings and duct-taped nipples standard BBB weekend attire, push the sartorial boat way out to enjoy the antics of performance daredevil Santa Gasolina on her roaring dirt bike.
Debauched life-drawing sessions, burlesque and a voodoo queen provide further entertainment, while on the basement dance floor you can boogie to your heart's content.
Saturday, 7pm-1am, Beach Blanket Babylon, 19-23 Bethnal Green Road, E1 (020 7749 3540) £10, diners complimentary entry

Hendrick's Halloween Ball
Evoking the bohemia of bygone times, rest assured The Last Tuesday Society will pull off a seriously eccentric party. A magnet for artists, writers and musicians, this year's event has a macabre puppet show, a booth of misfortune and live snakes. And if that's not enough, hot tubs and a pheasant feast are accompanied by a mariachi band, DJs Broken Hearts and The Idler's Tom Hodgkinson. Dress code? The beautiful and the damned.
Friday, 10pm-late. The Troxy, Commercial Road, E1, £25/£30 on door (thelasttuesdaysociety.com)

The End Of The World — Zombie Attack!
There's nothing like a well-developed party theme for creating solidarity among revellers. Head for the cavernous Village Underground to evade advancing killer zombies. Party until you drop while Queens Of Noize and Rebel Bingo Girls pump out last requests, such as Europe's Final Countdown and La Roux's In For The Kill. The human crowd will be disguised as zombies, doctors and nurses and defenders of the Earth.
Saturday, 9pm-3am, Village Underground, 54 Holywell Lane, EC2, £13 (theendoftheworld.com)

Halloween Freak Show
Burlesque, breakbeats, belly dancing and a 79-year-old drag queen are just some of the delights served up by the Stranger Than Paradise team. Industrial thrash, goth opera and a Sixties girl group fill out the bill while religious poetry and frightening films are icing on the scary cakes — yes, there'll be scary cakes, too.
Saturday, 9pm-6am, The Miller Bar, 96 Snowfields, SE1. £10 (myspace.com/gypsymadness)

Bugged Out Presents Turbo at Matter
Bugged Out's loyal fan base will have no qualms about making their way out to The O2's Matter for what promises to be an absolutely massive rave-up. Swedish band Miike Snow performs an early live show, while DJ headliner Tiga takes control of the decks and terrifyingly huge sound system, with support from Matt Walsh, Glasgow party animals Optimo and Disco Bloodbath's Dan Beaumont.
Saturday, 10pm-6am, The O2, Peninsula Square, SE10, £15 (matterlondon.com)