With all the ghosts, witches and fairies in the works of William Shakespeare, it's not entirely surprising that someone has taken the next step and transformed the classic plays into a Halloween spook house. Annually, the Faux Real Theater Company presents such an event, a spine-tingling tour through some of Shakespeare's more horrific bits called William Shakespeare's Haunted House. Haunted House plays Off-Broadway's Chashama Oct. 20-Nov. 2.

Shakespeare himself, skeletal in body, but fleshy of face, takes the audience through a series of scenes from his comedies, histories and tragedies. Visitors travel through the A Midsummer Night's Dreams' Hall of Fairies, put their hands in Julius Caesar's wounds, pass by Ophelia's Riverbed of Death and sit down to dinner with Titus Andronicus.

Tim Moore conducts the tours as Shakespeare. Also featured in the cast are Elyse Nicodemi (Ophelia), Vincent Tula (Romeo), Laurette Zion (Gertrude), Zorikh Lequidre (Richard III), Seiko Higuma (Puck and Hecate), Jeremy Halpern (Caliban), Don Downie (Hamlet), Corey Carthew (Macbeth) and Carrie DuBois (Juliet).

Mark Greenfield conceived and directs William Shakespeare's Haunted House (also known as William Shakespeare's Haunted Ship, when performed at the South Street Seaport). Faux-Real's recent productions include Funbox Times Square and Funbox 2000.

Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Chashama is located at 111 West 42nd Street between 6th Avenue and Broadway. For reservations, call (866) 468-7619. The Faux-Real Theater Company is on the web at http://www.fauxreal.org. — By Christine Ehren