The National Film and Sound Archive has the reputation of being Canberra's most haunted building. That stems from its original function, housing the Australian Institute of Anatomy for more than half a century.
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On Friday, the archive is celebrating this status with with a post-Halloween night of spooky entertainment.
Engagement coordinator and technical officer Sam Dignand said the adults-only HorrorFest18 would contain Halloween-themed events and interactive activities. The entrance fee of $25 includes all activities and a drink (other food and beverages are extra).
He said they would "create a nice atmosphere that has a bit of a party vibe" including a DJ.
Staff will conduct mini-ghost tours of the building, recounting its somewhat macabre history.
"One of the board rooms was the morgue," Mr Dignand said.
The building also housed body parts and a collection of preserved native fauna specimens.
Dignand said Naked Girls Reading - burlesque artists Ursula Wolfe and Artemis 7 - would provide "multiple performances under different guises".
Prosthetic specialists Dr Scar will offer patrons the opportunity to "scar up" or simply have their faces painted, and there will be craft activities enabling people to design their own funeral and prepare and display their own epitaphs and coffins in a graveyard diorama.
For those interested in photography and cinema history, an interactive display on a large screen will show images by Australian photographer Hans Joseph Carlson Taussig (1907-1989).
"In the 1920s he went to the US and was one of the premier photographers of film stills," Mr Dignand said.
Among the 50 Taussig photographs the NFSA will show with a horror theme are ones from "over the top European vampire films".
The exhibition Heath Ledger: A Life in Pictures will also be open for a special late-night viewing, exclusively for HorrorFest visitors.
Patrons are encouraged to dress in appropriately spooky costumes.
"We'll name a winner at the end of the evening."
HorrorFest18+ is on at the National Film and Sound Archive on Friday, November 2 from 8pm to 11.30pm. This is an 18+ event. Cost $25 (includes a drink). Bookings and more information: nfsa.gov.au/events/horrorfest-18.
What's on
- Mini Ghost Tours: 8.30pm, 9pm, 9.30pm, 10pm and 10.30pm (limited to 20 people per tour; registration available upon arrival)
- Naked Girls Reading: 8.30pm to 9pm.
- Burlesque Performances: 9.30pm and 10.30pm
- Cosplay Fashion Parade: 9pm; winner announced 10pm
- DJ, Dr Scar Face Painting and other activities: throughout the night.
