HAVE NO FEAR -- FUN IS HERE : Treat Yourself to a Clean Halloween: Goreless Entertainment Is in the Bag

There have been at least as many ways to celebrate Oct. 31 as there have been Freddy Krueger sequels.

On this night, Druids once marked the end of the Celtic year with massive hilltop bonfires (marshmallows, we would guess, were optional) and dabbled in equine and human sacrifice to placate the spirits of the deceased--a practice that continued as late as AD 400 (although by that time it was oxen, not their countrymen, that were getting the ax).

Witchcraft was all the rage in the Middle Ages, and All Hallow’s Eve was thought to be one of the cult’s biggest blowouts. On this night in medieval Europe, witches were believed to cruise the skies on broomsticks co-piloted by black cats. (Folks believed the cats were witches in disguise, so they torched them, too.)

The witch thing, of course, continues to be a classic. As late as the 19th Century, rural residents in the British Isles plaited pitchforks with straw and placed them afire on hilltops to singe the brooms of low-flying witches.

In 20th-Century Orange County, black-peaked hats and warty rubber noses are still hot Halloween sellers, but the tradition of dressing up and making the trick-or-treat rounds is waning as parents become more wary of sending their kids out into the night armed only with a pillowcase and a plastic mask.

So, how to celebrate? You could pack the teen-agers off to Knott’s for its annual thrill fest, but the younger ones (or you, for that matter) may not be ready for an evening of roaming mutants and synthetic gore. If so, there are dozens of local options, ranging from a garage version of “Phantom of the Opera” to spooky storytelling to a Halloween-themed science workshop. Here’s a sampling.

Phantom,” Family Style

Three-car garages are good for more than storing junk and keeping bicycles from underfoot. If you’re a lovesick musical hermit, they also make a dandy Halloween hangout.

So thought Peter Parker, a Cypress real-estate appraiser who turns his family’s garage, 5803 Holmby Court, into the setting for a truncated “Phantom of the Opera.” For the fifth Halloween running, Parker and a passel of his friends and family will stage their “Phantom,” complete with music, lights, billowing fog and all manner of theatrical wizardry. Spectators (anywhere from 2,500 to 3,000 each year) of all ages gather on Parker’s driveway and spill out into the street to catch the 20-minute show, he says. (Viewers are asked to bring a canned food item to donate to the St. Iraneus Church of Hope project.)

“If I could design Halloween as a parent, this is what I would want: It’s a little scary, so it keeps (kids’) interest up and blood rushing, but there’s a lot of great lights and color and music, too,” said Parker, the father of three children, 7 to 13.

“Phantom” started out as a way to avoid schlepping his kids door-to-door on Halloween night. Parker built a coffin on his driveway and his neighbor, dressed as a vampire, rose out of it to hand out the trick-or-treat goodies. It was nice, but after Parker saw the real “Phantom” in L.A. a few years back, it wasn’t nearly enough.

Now, visitors to Parker’s garage are greeted by a disembodied head (a video image projected on a plaster model fashioned for him by a college mortuary science class; he says he got the idea from Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion ride) that synopsizes the “Phantom” legend. The scene switches to Christine’s dressing room, where, with the help of a seven-foot-tall trick mirror and other special effects, the phantom and the heroine dance and sing until he disappears amid thunder claps and deranged laughter. Seconds later, his “corpse” swings out over the audience’s head, the head comes back for a chat and the curtain falls.

The “Phantom” almost didn’t sing this year. In the past, Parker has footed much of the bill for the show with help from a local real estate company, but he didn’t have the extra cash this year. When friends on his softball team heard about this, they gave him his Halloween treat a little early.

“The guys took (up) a collection and gave me a Halloween card with $1,000 inside,” Parker said. “People really come through for this show; I guess it wouldn’t be Halloween without it.”

Oct. 31 performances of Parker’s “Phantom” begin about 5:30 p.m. and run continuously until 10 p.m. Call (714) 826-6911.

Scaring Up a Good Story

Ghost stories and spooky tales will be told at several sites countywide this weekend, and kids are encouraged to turn out in costume for all of them.

On Saturday at noon and 1:30 p.m., professional storyteller Jim Lewis will perform at a Halloween festival at Placentia Town Center (Yorba Linda Boulevard and Kraemer Avenue). Admission is free, and the event also includes a magician, games and Halloween contests. Call (714) 348-2972.

Borders Books and Music (25222 El Paseo, Mission Viejo) is hosting a Halloween costume contest Friday from 7 to 9 p.m., followed by a 10 p.m. spook-fest for ages 11 through adult conducted by professional storyteller Angela Klinger. On Saturday, there are readings of Halloween stories by Borders staff at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.; the program, suggested for ages 4 to 10, will be repeated Sunday at 11:30 a.m. and Monday at 2 p.m. Admission is free. Call (714) 367-0313.

(Not Necessarily) Haunted Houses

There’s nary a buzzing chain saw at these Halloween haunts, intended for children about 10 and under.

The city of Anaheim’s vaunted Halloween parade got the budgetary ax several years back, so the parks and rec folks are celebrating with a “House of Horrors and Halloween Carnival” on Sunday and Monday in Peralta Park (111 N. Pinney Ave.) in Anaheim Hills. Festivities include a “non-threatening” haunted house, carnival games and a costume parade (Monday at 4:30 p.m.) Hours: 4 to 9 p.m. both days. Admission: $2 to $3. Call (714) 254-5191.

Mother Goose may be a great gal, but she has a lousy sense of direction. Kids can help her find her way through a maze of storybook scenes with the help of Alice in Wonderland, Winnie the Pooh and other characters at the “Un-Haunted” House at the Children’s Museum at La Habra, 301 S. Euclid St., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Admission: 50 cents. Gallery admission: $4. Call (310) 905-9703.

The historic Newland Barn in Huntington Beach (19822 Beach Blvd.) is the site of a non-scary haunted house for preschoolers on up, Saturday from 4 to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 4 to 7 p.m. Hosted by the Huntington Beach Community Women’s Club with the help of local Scout troops, the event benefits Project Head Start. $2 fee includes carnival games. Call (714) 963-6999 or (714) 536-5486.

Hangin’ at the Parks . . .

For those who want to bundle their Halloween doings with a visit to a local theme park, there are several choices. Knott’s Berry Farm, 8039 Beach Blvd., caters to 3- to 11-year-olds with its annual Camp Spooky, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Features include trick-or-treat stations, games, costume contests, mazes and live entertainment. And parents, don’t worry about spillover from Knott’s Halloween Haunt; the daytime crowd leaves the park before that event begins at 7 p.m.

Free with park admission of $18.50 to $28.50. Call (714) 220-5200.

The county’s newest theme park, Adventure City, Beach Boulevard at Ball Road in Stanton, a.k.a. “the little theme park just for kids,” marks its first Halloween by waiving its $1.95 admission fee (ride tickets will be sold). On Monday from 4 to 9 p.m., children are encouraged to come in costume for a parade through the two-acre park and possibly snag some goodies to boot. Call (714) 236-9300.

Palace Park, 3405 Michelson Drive in Irvine, a “family fun center” with miniature golf, arcades and other games, hosts a Halloween Family Weekend on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. Activities include pumpkin-carving contests Saturday (pumpkins and tools provided), costume contests on Sunday and entertainment both days. Free. (714) 559-8336.

Slime, Bats and Halloween

Last but not least, Launch Pad, 3333 Bear St. in Costa Mesa, offers a chance to gross out your sibling in the name of science.

Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m., the newly expanded hands-on science center offers Halloween-themed workshops with activities designed for preschoolers to teen-agers. During the two-hour sessions, kids will concoct “blood” and “slime,” assemble a model of a human skeleton, learn about bats and owls and make a Halloween craft. Storytelling by professional teller Debra Weller winds it up.

Fee: $8. Reservations strongly suggested. Call (714) 546-2061.

MORE KID STUFF

IN IRVINE: ‘BEAUTY AND THE BEAST’

The Philadelphia-based American Theatre Arts for Youth makes a stop at the Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive, today with a musical adaptation of this children’s classic. For ages 4 and up. Tickets ($8.25) are available for the 12:15 p.m. show only. (800) 523-4540.

IN FULLERTON: ‘DAY OF THE DEAD FOLK ART’

Saturday, Oct. 29, a workshop at the Fullerton Museum Center, 301 N. Pomona Ave., teaches children ages 8 to 12 about the Mexican holiday honoring departed ancestors. The program also includes a “calavera” (skeleton) string-puppet craft. $5. (714) 738-6317.

IN LAGUNA HILLS: HALLOWEEN SAFETY

The Martial Arts Academy of Laguna Hills, 25260 La Paz Road, Suite L, offers a free class Saturday, Oct. 29, from 12:30 to 2 p.m., to help kids 4 to the early teens keep themselves safe on the witching night and every day of the year. Reservations suggested. (714) 458-8544.