SCARY SPIDERS The I Giullari di Piazza dance troupe encourages audience members to dress up as spiders as it performs the tarantella, a Southern Italian dance based on a spider’s movements. Featured dancers include Carole Knopf, Nicola Jervasi, Francesca Silvano, and Jennifer Neil. Friday, 9 p.m., Azalea, 224 W. 51 St. at Broadway, 212-262-0105, $15, reservations suggested.

EXCELLENT FILM The IFC Center previews Tuesday’s Halloween celebrations with screenings of Sam Raimi’s “Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn” (1987). Friday and Saturday, 11:45 p.m., IFC Center, 323 Sixth Ave., between 3rd Street and Washington Square South, 212-924-7771, $10.75.

HALLOWEEN AROUND THE CITY The Parks and Recreation Department offers three Halloween parties in Central Park, J. Hood Wright Park, and Hamilton Fish Park. Haunted houses, pumpkin patches, arts and crafts, and music are all offered. Saturday, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. for the Great Halloween Party in Central Park, Rumsey Playfield, 72nd Street and Fifth Avenue; Saturday, 3–6 p.m. for the Uptown Halloween Party, J. Hood Wright Park, 351 Fort Washington Ave. at 174th Street; Tuesday, 3–6 p.m., for the Downtown Halloween Party, Hamilton Fish Park, 212-360-1311, free.

CITY FRIGHTS NYC Discovery Tours prepares for Halloween with a Gotham City Ghost Tour, exploring the macabre history of Greenwich Village. Sites include the St. Mark’s cemetery, a 19th-century execution site, and the home of Edgar Allan Poe. Saturday, 2 and 4:30 p.m., Sunday, 12:30 and 2:45 p.m., Tuesday, 6 p.m., meeting point disclosed at reservation, 212-465-3331, $14.

GHOSTS FOR THE CHILDREN The Bowery Kids! Hairy Scary Halloween Show includes a performance by the children’s ska band the Chip and Vince Show. Costumes are encouraged. Saturday, noon–1:30 p.m., Bowery Poetry Club, 308 Bowery, between 1st and Bleecker streets, 212-614-0505, $8.

SCREAM QUEEN The 92nd Street Y presents a conversation with the authors of “The Monsters: Mary Shelley and the Curse of Frankenstein” (Little, Brown), Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler, who discuss the turbulent life of the gothic novelist. Sunday, 11 a.m., Weill Art Gallery, 1395 Lexington Ave. at 92nd Street, 212-415-5500, $37 general, $31.45 for poetry center members.

OUTDOOR SPOOKS The Bohemian Beer Hall and Garden celebrates Halloween outdoors with a book release party for Ellen Freudenheim’s “Queens: What To Do, Where To Go (and How Not To Get Lost)” (St. Martin’s). Attendees are encouraged to dress up as their favorite Queens neighborhood. Sunday, 5–8 p.m., Bohemian Beer Hall and Garden, 29-19 24th Ave. at 29th Street, 718-274-4825, free.