Reykjavík Grapevine - 25.10.2019, Qupperneq 18

How To Halloween
We’ll be dressed up as the dude from ‘Chernobyl’!
No graphite here!
Words: Hannah Jane Cohen Photos: Art Bicnick
Cue the chorus of spooky “Ooooooh!”
Halloween has arrived, so get your
best slutty Joker costume ready.
Here’s where to celebrate in Reyka-
jvík.

Halloween Iceland 2019
October 26th - 21:00 - Gaukurinn -
2,000 ISK
Gaukurinn’s annual Halloween
party is a Reykjavík institution,
drawing all the ghouls out from
their caverns, cages, coffins and
comas. But listen here: No cos-
tume, no entry. And that means
no shitty costumes like dressing
completely normal and calling
yourself a "serial killer." That's
stupid. Stop by early for a ‘treat’—
which we assume means a bottle
of True Blood—but make sure to
arrive by midnight for the cos-
tume contest. It’s a legendary af-
fair that people often prepare for
months in advance. So try your
hardest—if you’re an immortal
vampire, you’ll keep the bragging
rights forever.
The Hauntaing Of I!NÓ
November 1st - 18:00 - I!NÓ -
5,000 ISK
This escape room-cum-haunted
house-cum-spooky concert is
probably the most ambitious Hal-
loween get-together that Iceland
has ever seen. Here’s the low-
down: Come with a group of sinis-
ter pals. Enter an eerie horror sto-
ry where you and your group must
walk through a maze and discover
the riddles of this old building.
You’ve got 30 minutes to figure out
the mystery, try to not pee your
pants, and escape with your life.
Afterwards, head downstairs for a
drink and a selection of spooky
live acts.
Power Tools Pumpkin
Carving
October 31st - 18:00 - Reykjavík Tool
Library - 2,000-3,500 ISK
Halloween as a phenomenon has
only just started to catch on in Ice-
land, so unfortunately you won’t
find many Jack-O'-Lanterns—
those spooky carved pumpkins
you see in American movies—in
the city. Never fear, dear goblins,
for the Reykjavík Tool Library is
opening up their closet of heavy
duty power tools so you too can
carve your own pumpkin just like
Rambo would. Included in the
price is a teeth-numbing amount
of candy, two beers/soft drinks,
one pumpkin, and a screening of
some awful Halloween D-list hor-
ror flick. Pro-Tip: Steal the power
tools and start murdering people
like a true Halloween fan. [Editor’s
Note: Please don’t.]
Halloween Horror Show
2019
October 26th - 21:00 - Háskólabíó -
6,990 ISK
If you want to see Icelandic “celeb-
rities” perform “spooky songs”—
listed are “Highway To Hell,”
“Thriller,” and for some reason,
“Zombie”—the Halloween Horror
Show will be the flesh to your
werewolf. The ads for the high-
production show are delightfully
cheesy. Think ghost noises, fake
blood, colour contacts, and some
seriously spooky set-design. We
assume this’ll be a “fun for the
whole family” deal, but we can’t
promise anything. Costumes are
encouraged and the best will get a
prize. We recommend dressing
like Svala as she’ll be performing.
Maybe she’ll finally acknowledge
you.
The Rocky Horror Picture
Show: Sing-A-Long
Screening
October 25th - 20:00 - Bíó Paradís -
1,600 ISK
Come on, weirdos, let’s do the
Time Warp again! Bíó Paradís
gifts us a Halloween sing-a-long
screening of the 1975 cult classic
‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show.’
And if you thought Tim Curry was
good in ‘Home Alone 2: Lost in
New York’, just wait until you see
him in fishnets and stilettos as Dr.
Frank N. Furter. Please get ready
to sing and come dressed in cos-
tume (and if that costume is com-
pletely inappropriate for most
settings, you’re on the right
track)—trust us, you’ll feel much
more at home and in touch with
your inner Rocky. We know you
are twitching with antici...
...pation.
BEST OF REYKJAVÍK
Best Fashion
Boutique
Winner:
Yeoman
Skólavör!ustígur 22
Having dressed everyone from
up and coming artist JFDR to
grand dame Björk, Hildur Yeo-
man is a star of the local fash-
ion scene. Her trademarks are
busy prints on fine fabrics, cut
into flowing shapes; she also
dabbles in extravagant evening
wear such as her striking mir-
ror-ball effect gown. The store
also spotlights interesting
stuff Hildur has encountered
on her travels, from jewellery
to exotic tea. “You can’t see an
awards show without some-
one wearing Yeoman,” said the
panel. “Her pieces are uplift-
ing.” Influenced equally by na-
ture and the occult, inside her
patterns you’ll find icons and
imagery that in endlessly fas-
cinating combinations.

Runners up:
Akkúrat
A!alstræti 2
Alongside all the intriguing
magazines, ornaments and
homewares, Akkúrat also has
a strong line of streetwear, in-
cluding their signature Dö!lur
sweatshirt range. Cosy, over-
sized, and bearing a unique spin
on the Icelandic “",” nobody else
back home will have one of these.
Aftur
Laugavegur 39
Aftur created that distinctive 101
Reykjavík look of flowing black
dresses and oversized sweaters.
While it has, in recent years,
kept that aesthetic up, it has
since added to it a focus on eco-
friendliness and sustainability.
“It would be wrong to talk about
Icelandic fashion without talk-
ing about Aftur,” one panellist
said.
18The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 19— 2019Best of Reykjavík
It can't rain all the time