“October,” to gravely misquote Edgar Allan Poe, “is Spoopy Season, y’all.” It’s a great excuse to spend a month holing up with horror movies and killer new tunes from Chat Pile and PeelingFlesh, but it’s also a great time for actually leaving the house for non-work reasons, perhaps while dressed like a sexy Skibidi Toilet or a Zombie Hawk Tuah or whatever you kids are into these days. Sure, going outside can be frightening, but not as frightening as the dreaded Fear of Missing Out. So here’s a bucket full of ghoulish goings-on to treat yourself to this month. The only trick is that you’ll have to choose between some of them.
Scary screenings
Give your streaming services a night off and get your goosebumps from one of several spine-chilling screenings. deadCenter shorts programmer Paris Burris’s ongoing monthly series Femme Film will show the 1992 movie Buffy the Vampire Slayer with a costume party starting at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26, at Oklahoma Contemporary (free; oklahomacontemporary.org).
If you want a campy-classic screening where they encourage costumes and yelling, The Rocky Horror Picture Show interactive sing-along experience is doing the Time Warp at The Boom through Nov. 2 ($30; facebook.com/TheBoomOKC). For more back-talking fun, hit up Down in Front at Rodeo Cinema on Film Row, where host Dalton Stuart and a rotating co-host provide a running commentary that mixes Mystery Science Theater-style mockery with informative analysis. Stuart, who also hosts the GoodTrash GenreCast film podcast, will be joined by comic Josh Lathe for Little Shop of Horrors on Tuesday, Oct. 29 at 7 p.m. ($10; rodeocinema.org).
Chilling sounds
But what’s that? Instead of talking about scary movies, you’d rather hear somebody sing about them? Well, that’s a weirdly specific request, but OKC still has you covered. Sean Peel’s long-running VHS & Chill series will be screening direct-to-video oddity Bad Channels followed by a performance from Denton, Texas-based horror-tribute band Visceral Cuts at 9 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 22, at White Rabbit ($5; vhsandchill.net). To hear musicians pretending to be other kinda-creepy musicians, check out Freakfest featuring touring tribute acts Crüeligans and Dallas Cooper ($20-$35; diamondballroom.com).
And local music lovers are in for a real treat Halloween night starting with a sunset procession through Automobile Alley with performances by Changing FrEQuencies, Planet 9, Jarvix and more beginning at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31, outside Factory Obscura; illuminated costumes are encouraged (free; factoryobscura.com). Following the procession, Stepmom will celebrate the release of new EP Profitopia and the opening of the related interactive art installation of the same name with a live performance inside Factory ($20-$60; stepmom.band).
Disappearing disguises
If you ask us, getting dressed up for Halloween is only half the fun. Several events around town this month feature performers taking the stage in elaborate costumes, only to take most of them off again. Adèle Wolf’s Halloween Follies, featuring burlesque and circus-style feats of daring-do, returns 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, at Civic Center Music Hall ($58-$90; okcciviccenter.com). Wolf’s events often sell out, but you can also get your pastie fix from Bang Bang Queer Punk Variety 9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24, at Blue Note. The Bang Bangers were doing Exorcist– and Texas Chainsaw-themed acts in spring and summer, so you know they’ll go all out for All Hallows’ ($5; okcbluenote.com). And there’s even more nearly naked fun to be had when After Dark Delights presents Bump in the Night at 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25, at The Secret ($5; thesecretokc.com). Pro horndog tip: Pay for your admission with a $20 and use the change to tip the performers.
Now that we’ve made it to the end of this not-comprehensive list, the biggest fear is that we’ve missed out on some other cool events because nobody told us about them. Drop us a line at listings@okgazette.com to let us know what else is going on.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26
Oklahoma Contemporary
11 NW 11th St.
oklahomacontemporary.org
Free
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
7 p.m. through Nov. 2
(dinner starts at 5:30 p.m.)
The Boom
2218 NW 39th St.
facebook.com/TheBoomOKC
$30
Down in Front
7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29
Little Shop of Horrors with Josh Lathe
Rodeo Cinema on Film Row
701 W. Sheridan Ave.
rodeocinema.org
$10
VHS & Chill with Visceral Cuts 9 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 22
White Rabbit Lounge
219 S. Klein Ave.
vhsandchill.net
$5
Halloween Procession and Profitopia Grand Opening with Stepmom EP release
6:30-10 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31
Factory Obscura
25 NW Ninth St.
factoryobscura.com
$20-$40
Adèle Wolf’s Halloween Follies
8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26
201 N. Walker Ave.
Civic Center Music Hall
okcciviccenter.com
$58-$90
Bang Bang Queer Punk Variety
9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24
Blue Note
2408 N. Robinson Ave.
okcbluenote.com
$5
After Dark Delights presents Bump in the Night
9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25
The Secret
2807 NW 36th St.
thesecretokc.com
$5
This article appears in Bigger than basketball.