Katie is a bit of a buzz-kill when it comes to Halloween (sorry Katie). She hates dressing up, doesn’t like scary movies and gore makes her queasy. Brittany, on the other hand, has her requisite costume box in the closet and grew up on Tales From The Crypt. So when we got the press release about Thrillpeddlers Shocktoberfest 15: The Bloody Debutant and Katie was busy, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to call in our friend Michael St. Clair, a lecturer in the Theater and Performance Studies department at Stanford who’s been known to wear a costume even outside of Halloween reverie, to come along and review the show.

Brittany: So Michael, for your introductory Drama Talk & Drinks review, what did you think about the show?

Michael: It was brilliant. It was at least 50% more fun than I expected it to be.

B: That was, in my opinion, absolutely delightful.

M: If you don’t like comedy/sex/violence, or lots of gore, of fake blood, or demon summoning, or things flying in your face, it’s not the show for you. But if you like those things . . .

B: And like kinky fetish stuff . . .

M: Spiced up with a bucket of blood and terrible things . . .

B: SO MUCH BLOOD!

M: . . . Then you’ll love it.

B: I loved how excited everyone in the cast and audience were for the show.

M: Everyone was SO into it. An utter labor of love. The enthusiasm in the audience, cheering on characters to do wrong things, was contagious.

B: It felt like a rawer more spontaneous version of Rocky Horror Picture Show.

M: Yeah, it’s that kind of group burlesque experience and shock-show, except considerably more burlesque and shocking. It was also legitimately funny. It’s not intended to be “good” in the traditional sense, it’s not a brilliant narrative. The whole show was done in a sort of melodrama register.

B: Which is why I love campy stuff. You can have these larger than life characters, these extravagant plots, and predictable but outrageous scenes, and you just commit to the fact that it’s over-the-top and have fun with the ridiculousness. Sort of like a Tarantino.

M: We were talking earlier about its connection to haunted houses and horror culture in general. And a lot of haunted houses, at least the type we grew up with, have that connection to geek convention culture, or Punk music, or 80s shock films like Troma, but this show was different. This had an explicit connection to Grand Guignol, and you could see lots of elements borrowed from burlesque, fetish culture, old Italian horror films, old-Hollywood thrillers.

B: Yeah, even though it was very graphically and sexually violent, it felt oddly traditional.

M: A lot of the interesting staging and visual techniques they used were also in the vein of devices used by traditional San Francisco experimental theater. People singing in big culty groups, puppets flying, audience participation.

B: This might sound cliche, but this show felt very San Francisco. From the drag, to the comfort level with nudity . . .

M: Yeah, weird religion, gender-play, kink . . .

B: Exactly, and all of that was presented nonchalantly. Then they threw a BIG bucket of blood on top, and it was great!

Verdict: Forget the schloky haunted house! Thrillpeddlers Shocktoberfest 15: The Bloody Debutant is what you should be spending your Halloween scrilla on this year. Unless you were planning on going to Charlie Brown’s Great Pumpkin Patch hay maze. In which case HAVE FUN, this show is not for you. It’s definitely for mature audiences. There’s nudity, lots of gore and very sexually explicit content. That said, we loved it, and if you’re okay with campy kinky gore you will have an awesome time too.

The Drama Talk: It’s rare to see a show where you can tell the audience and the actors are all really invested in having a fun, this is one of those times.  Staying true to it’s Grand Guignol roots Thrillpeddlers hold nothing back. They go all in for shocking narratives that could make some faint. Make sure you take your turn at getting guillotined during intermission, it’s surprisingly scary and fun. Also look forward to the final scene performed entirely in the dark. It’s disorientingly beautiful.

The Drinks: We started the evening off at SOMA StrEat food, a great place to grab before show dinner and drinks. After the show we thought about heading over to DNA Lounge for Bootie SF, but decided to avoid the crowds and cross under the freeway to Il Pirata for cheaper drinks and a bar where we could actually talk. We both got a shot of Bulleit and a pint of Lagunitas, and toasted to a successful night of Drama Talk & Drinks.

Thrillpeddlers Shocktoberfest 15: The Bloody Debutant runs through November 22nd at the Hypnodrome in San Francisco on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at 8:00pm. Tickets are available for $30-$35 on Brown Paper Tickets. There were also briefly discounted tickets available on GoldStar for previews. Those have all sold out for now, but it may be worth checking back to see if more become available later in the run.

Christopher F. Smith spotted the above evidence on Mission Street last night. Hopefully it was purchased for a joyful reason.

By Vice Records.

From the posting on Craigslist, which has been removed:

The HAUNTED HOUSE OF HORRORS is San Francisco’s first-ever Haunted House/Halloween Attraction at the city’s very own historic and national landmark: The Old Mint! For 6 nights, October 26th until Halloween Night, October 31st, the Old Mint will be transformed into 25 chambers of terror with everything from horror mazes, scare-cams, thrilling live shows, a killer-costume fashion show, and even a bar and lounge for the over 21 crowd.

Check out our website: thehauntedhouseofhorrors.com

CASTING CALL
This Saturday October 19th & Sunday October 20th

SCARETASTIC ROLES INCLUDE:
Zombies
Clowns
Vampires
Brain Eaters
Werewolves
Scarecrows
Contortionists
And many more . . . .

WHEN: October 25th – October 31st
DAY / EVENING
6 hour shifts

COMPENSATION: $400 for all 6 days, or $60 per day
2 comp tix
Good times and merriment
Costumes & Makeup Provided

Prescribed me a burrito.

24th Street was full of trick-or-treaters getting more candy from businesses like El Farolito than residences, a nice community touch.  Dance parties were happening at various spots, but most people seemed too tuckered out from a wild weekend of Halloween festivities to commit to going out on the actual holiday.  At least these kids had plans to make the most of things!

By comparison, Wednesday’s Dia de los Muertos celebration drew pretty much the entire neighborhood, both long-term locals and hipsters alike, the aroma of incense wafting through the air as 24th thronged with revelers (much like the overpass to the Port of Oakland) despite the supposedly somber mood of the festival.  It’s no secret which day means more to the Mission, for now at least.

How did your Halloween (week) go?

[Photo by deanv41]

What do you think this bear’s costume is? Spy vs Spy? Alec Baldwin from Beetlejuice? Some kind of fetishist? A bird?

Window display at Borderlands.

[snapped on 20th and Valencia]

P.S. Gwen Stacy or Mary-Jane Watson? I say Mary-Jane. Readheads all the way.

Tumblr’er extraordinaire YMFY asks the internet:

If you were the girl dressed up as Groucho Marx Saturday night and you made out with Slimer from Ghostbusters, send me a message. Didn’t even catch your name. You’re new from Portland. I have no shame.

There must have been some serious chemistry there if they were able to collectively get over the gender-bending and general repulsiveness of Slimer. I personally try to avoid making out with ghosts. Ectoplasm stains don’t wash out.

Surely someone knows the mystery Marx sister? Help a bro out.

Update!

Nattles found another dude who fell for “Groucha” Marx on craigslist. This guy didn’t get as far as making out, though. You go Groucha!

The little rats in The Secret Alley have been madly scurrying about to prepare for two amazing weekends of Halloween. Up first – tonight! – musicians will play some amazingly creepy music for you. Tomorrow (Sat.) we will scare the old fashioned pants off of you with some 16mm monster movies from a time gone by.

Both nights you will enter through our recently haunted laboratory lobby, and try to shield your eye, yet remain transfixed on the wondrously strange art that hangs from the walls. Surprises are in store. Come see for yourself.

Most importantly, this kid’s sandwich costume might be the most badass thing I’ve ever seen.

Even wearing Converse kicks.  It’s like the Mission Taco met Mr. Pickles.

More Mission Halloween after the jump.

Apparently the shoe shine guy at 24th and Mission was making Jason masks (thanks Laura!):

And someone was handing these out at 24th and Mission:

And where’s the party, anyway?

Jesse from Beer & Nosh happened upon this grisly scene last night: Virginia the Zombie Tamale Lady hauling a cooler full of tamales with fillings such as bugs, eyeballs and what Jesse terms “miscellaneous hipster pieces.” Looks enticing! Thanks, Jesse! Link.

Previously on Mission Mission:

Tamale Lady’s Birthday Party

Ping Pong Gallery is one of my favorite places in the world, and, wow, they’re hosting a special Halloween Happy Hour:

On the evening of Friday, October 31st, from 5:30 – 8:30pm we invite you to come play, drink beer, make friends, and give shape to the act/art of playing ping pong.

Ping Pong gear and Halloween costumes highly encouraged.

And then of course you can head back to the Mission for your big proper parties.

Saw these in a window in Glen Park somewhere.