CALLING ALL GHOULS
Monsters, comic mayhem and madcap music haunt local clubs
What’s the scariest thing you can do this month?
Probably attend T-Pain’s Acoustic Tour at the Sinclair Oct. 25. (What could that even mean? How will the man who mainstreamed Auto-Tune go acoustic? Bone-chilling!) But maybe you want to dial back the terror and find a balance between fear and fun. May we suggest this candy-cornucopia of events:
• Xmortis’ Monster A Go Go, tonight, the Middle East, Cambridge: For $13, you can spend Friday the 13th dancing to goth, industrial, horror punk and psychobilly. DJs Chris Ewen and Matthew Griffin spin the wicked wax, the Gory Go-Go-Girls get you going on the dance floor, and, even more than usual, dressing the part is required. (Think “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” and you’ll be on the right track.)
• Old School Game Show’s “Halloween Hellraiser,” tomorrow, Somerville Theater: Game shows aren’t scary. Fine, that “Tic-TacDough” dragon did give us nightmares in 1983. But that fright will be nothing compared this edition of Old School. If you love live music, stand-up and sketch comedy, horror-themed trivia and the Cubic Zirconia Dancers, this is the show for you. Be warned: To win the costume contest, you’ll have to top host’s Michael D’Angelo typically-out-ofcontrol outfit.
• “XV: Horror House,” Oct. 19-31, ImprovBoston Theater, Cambridge: Each October, ImprovBoston comes up with an original musical packed with bad jokes, worse dialogue and wild musical numbers. This year, the laughs come courtesy of a faux reality show in which the house always wins. (Spoiler: Because this house eats people!) • Cirque of the Dead, Oct. 20-31, Club Oberon, Cambridge: Back for a fifth year, the Boston Circus Guild’s Halloween show comes with new acts and performers. Boston comedian Wes Hazard hosts this night of witches, warlocks and monsters taking on aerials, acrobatics, burlesque routines and more. • Pumpkin Carvin’ Party, Oct. 23, Loretta’s Last Call: There’s nothing wrong with the classic jack-o’-lantern: two triangle eyes, upsidedown triangle nose, mouth you wanted to put fangs on but forgot and carved too much to course correct. But the classic won’t win you any prizes here. And there are loads of prizes. Fifteen bucks gets you a pumpkin, carving kit, pumpkin beer, snacks and live music.
• “Alien” and “The Thing” double feature, Oct. 27, the Brattle Theatre, Cambridge: It’s hard to definitively say this is the best Halloween one-two shot ever. (There’s always “Carrie” into “The Shining.”) But it’s certainly near perfection. Come see an alien baby pop out of John Hurt’s torso, stay for John Carpenter and Kurt Russell’s second-greatest collaboration (after “Big Trouble in Little China,” naturally).
• “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” Oct. 30-31, Symphony Hall: Keith Lockhart and his Boston Pops perform the score to this Tim Burton classic alongside a screening of the feature. It’s the holiday gift even Jack Skellington would relish.
• “A Twin Peaks Halloween,” Oct. 31, Lizard Lounge, Cambridge: Haunting harmonies and an unhealthy obsession with catching Laura Palmer’s killer come together at the Lizard. Costumes recommended (I call Log Lady!) for this gig featuring a few of New England’s finest folk acts: Noble Dust, Aurora Birch and The Horse-Eyed Men.