The Sunbreak’s Guide to Halloween, 2015 Edition
The Hell with Christmas—literally. Halloween’s always been my jam from a holiday perspective, thanks to its emphasis on scary things, costumes, more scary things, candy, and even more scary things. Now that we’re in the Halloween homestretch (Christmas for Goths officially happens this Saturday), there’s a cornucopia of creepy to choose from between now and then. Here’s some of the random stuff I’m most excited about.
Thursday, October 29 (tonight!):
Film:
John Carpenter’s slasher-template classic Halloween plays several theaters for a one-night stand, and you’ve got one last chance to catch the unerringly creepy Austrian chiller Goodnight Mommy at SIFF Cinema Uptown. But the most stacked film programming tonight happens at the Grand Illusion Cinema.
Extraordinary Tales, a lovingly-wrought animated anthology showcasing adaptations of five different Edgar Allan Poe stories, happens at 7:00 p.m. As if that isn’t enough, the Grand also busts out The Best of the VCR That Dripped Blood (a truly nutty compilation of horror clips and random weirdness derived from VHS sources) this evening at 8:30 to raise funds for Scarecrow Video’s screening room.
Music:
SunBreak faves Golden Gardens, among other performers, gallop (sorry) into Pony tonight for the Hero Worship series, homaging two of the gothiest of goth icons (Siouxsie Sioux and Robert Smith, respectively) with a night of Cure and Siouxsie and the Banshees cover tunes. If nobody plays “Spellbound,” all Pony occupants will be asked to formally turn in their Black Eyeliner Usage licenses…
Other Horrific Happenings:
You’ll have no trouble finding a haunted house to explore this weekend, but I’d be hard-pressed to think of one that’s gonna be quite like SPOOKHAUS 3: SPOOK, There It Is!, happening tonight through Halloween at the Northwest Film Forum. The less you know about the Satori Group-created live event, the better. Suffice it to say, it avoids most hoary haunted-house cliches (unsettling clowns excepted), focusing more on an atmosphere of psychological unease related to the relentless pursuit of showbiz success. If that sounds too esoteric, it’s not. It’s mainly just really, really damn creepy.
Friday, October 30:
Film:
The critically well-received indie horror anthology Tales of Halloween opens tomorrow for a six-day run at SIFF Film Center, and Ridley Scott’s classic horror/sci-fi mash-up Alien slithers into the EMP as part of its Campout Cinema series. There’s also Spookies, a 1986 chiller that packs mini-demons, farting mud-monsters, a blood-sucking spider chick, and zombies into 90 brain-broiling minutes, playing at the Grand Illusion.
Music:
Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho screens at Benaroya Hall tomorrow and Saturday night, which would be cool enough. What makes it a must-hear as well as a must-see is The Seattle Symphony, which is playing Bernard Herrmann’s indelible score live and synchronized to the film.
Another quintessential Halloween band, The Cramps, gets its own tribute at Slim’s Last Chance in Georgetown from four rockabilly acts. And while it’s not exactly horror-themed, The free Easy Street Monster Bash sees Seattle soul dynamos Grace Love and the True Loves tearing up West Seattle’s Easy Street Records at 7:00 p.m. Even if they don’t do a Motown-sounding riff on “Monster Mash” (a guy can dream), expect stellar Seattle soul.
Other Horrific Happenings:
The Annex Theater’s Mad Scientist Cabaret boasts “Titillating torments…clowning, dance, puppetry” and lots of other surprises in late night shows from tomorrow night through November 13. Meanwhile, The Rocky Horror Pastie Show, a striptease riff on a certain cult musical/film, bumps and grinds its way to Columbia City Theater tomorrow night for the fourth year in a row.
Saturday, October 31 (Halloween):
Film:
Central Cinema offers the horror spoof Dude Bro Party Massacre III. Regardless of the quality, it sports one of the finest wish-fulfillment horror movie titles ever. SIFF Cinema Uptown will also present both versions of the National Theater Live versions of Frankenstein, with Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller switching roles. And the Grand Illusion concludes an entire month of kick-ass horror movie programming with Halloween Monster Mania!, a Sprocket Society-sponsored screening of the 1957 sci-fi classic Invasion of the Saucer Men bracketed with weird shorts and suitably horrific movie trailers.
Music:
One of Seattle’s most welcome musical traditions hits Columbia City Theater Halloween night with the twelfth annual Cabaret Macabre. Hosted by Northwest cabaret scene godfathers (and SunBreak fave raves) The Bad Things, Cabaret Macabre 2015 also sports bluegrass/cabaret odd duck Baby Gramps, The Bucharest Drinking Team, and the Jug Banditos, plus burlesque performances by Sinner Saint Burlesque and Miss J9 Fierce.
Other Horrific Happenings:
The Short Run Comix and Arts Festival happens for free on Halloween day at the Seattle Center, featuring an impressive gaggle of artists, cartoonists, indie publishers, and ‘zine makers and lots of Halloween-related activities. That night, the Short Run After Party (featuring live sets by Your Heart Breaks and Mommy Long Legs and a silent auction showcasing tons of art and other goodies) happens at Hilliard’s Brewery in Ballard.
