Halloween Parties, Sound Unseen Kicks Off, Horror VHS: This Week’s Best Events

Welcome to Event Horizon, your weekly roundup of the best events in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

TUESDAY 10.25

Turnstile

Fillmore

Turnstile’s unlikely rise has been a whole lot of fun to watch. One minute the Baltimore boys are releasing EPs on little-known New York hardcore imprints, the next they’re doing Tiny Desk Concerts and touring in support of $uicideboy$ (a show I really loved when it came through the Armory last year). Who’d’ve thunk it? In hindsight though, this broader breakthrough post-Glow On—the groovy, hooky crossover record that got Pitchfork Best New Music status last year—makes sense. In describing their stunning, 11-minute video for four of the record’s best bangers, Mannequin Pussy called the genre “romantic hardcore,” a descriptor that fits beautifully because Turnstile is hard and soft, heavy and sensitive—and like all the best hardcore, it’s a lot of fun to move around to. (Don’t, uh… don’t Google that term, by the way, unless you’re in a place where it’s OK to be browsing porn.) With Snail Mail; find tickets here. All ages. Resale tickets starting at $40.25. 5 p.m. 525 Fifth St. N., Minneapolis; find more info here. –Em Cassel

Cats

Orpheum Theatre

Unfamiliar with the stage production but saw the movie? Well, know this: Cats the movie really didn’t stray that far from Cats the play. It really is just a bunch of people dressed as cats singing introductory songs in an endless loop. It all makes just about as much sense as it did in the film, although the costumes are blessedly CGI- and butthole-free. So if you need to reconcile WTF you saw on the big screen a few years ago, this here is your origin story. Also important to know: Low-dose THC is legal and Orpheum has a bar. Just sayin’. $40-$139. 910 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; find more info here. Through October 30 –Jessica Armbruster

WEDNESDAY 10.26

Sound Unseen 23 Launch Party

Pryes Brewing

The Sound Unseen Film + Music Festival doesn’t get underway till next week, and we’ll have more details about screenings and special events before then. But the festival kicks off its 23rd annual iteration tonight at Pryes Brewing, where you can meet local filmmakers, the folks behind the festival team, and catch the festival trailer by local filmmaker Jeremy Wilker. Also, Racket will be there, so swing by and say hey. Free. 6:30 p.m. 1401 W. River Road N., Minneapolis; more info here.—Keith Harris

THURSDAY 10.27

the bull-jean Experience

Pillsbury House Theatre

Although it got its start as a novel, Sharon Bridgforth’s the bull-jean stories is a piece that was made for the stage. It’s a fusion of storytelling, spoken word, history, and fiction. It’s also a love story, following the titular character as she navigates Black queer life in the Deep South of the 1920s. Bridgforth is known for shows that are much more than they appear to be; Pillsbury’s 2018 production of dat Black Mermaid Man Lady/The Show was part book, part performance, part oracle deck/reading session, and part collaboration with Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association to mentor several artists toward homeownership. The return of Bridgforth’s work to the Pillsbury Stage, this time directed by Signe V. Harriday, is an excellent addition to the venue’s 30th season lineup. Things kick off this weekend with an introductory experience featuring a performance by Dr. Omi Osun Joni L. Jones with visuals by filmmaker Za’Nia Coleman. On Saturday, Bridgeforth will celebrate the book launch of bull-jean & dem / dey back with a talk on queer art, collaboration, and Black healing with Daniel Alexander Jones and Alexis Pauline Gumbs. Upcoming events scheduled include  the bull-jean stories starring Aimee K. Bryant from January 12 to February 5, and bull-jean/we wake directed by Daniel Alexander Jones from June 22 to July 2. Tickets are pick-your-price. The show: 7 p.m. Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. Book launch: 1 p.m. Saturday. 3501 Chicago Ave. S., Minneapolis; find showtimes and tickets at pillsburyhouseandtheatre.org. –Jessica Armbruster

David Koechner 

Rick Bronson’s House of Comedy

It’s Champ from Anchorman! Or maybe you know him as hard-drinking dummy Todd Packer from the American Office. Old-heads might remember Koechner from his Second City days, his runs at alt-comedy clubs like Largo, or his frequent appearances on Conan’s Late Night. Avid ‘00s Comedy Central viewers, such as myself, fondly remember the short-lived Naked Trucker and T-Bones Show. Point is, the 60-year-old actor has been a reliably hilarious on-screen presence since the ‘80s, but he just recently dipped his toe into standup. "I started doing standup after I had my fifth kid 10 years ago because I figured, man, I've always got to have a job in waiting and available if I need it," he told the Dallas Observer this summer. Two recent DUI arrests suggest Koechner’s life might be in a rocky place, so here’s hoping for a smooth "whammy!" performance at the mall. $26.95-$61.40. 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 9:45 p.m. Friday; 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday. 60 E. Broadway, Bloomington; find more info here. Through Saturday –Jay Boller

FRIDAY 10.28

Nights of the Macabre

Utepils Brewing

On Friday, Night of the Macabre rises from the dead for another market. During this party, folks will be able to shop VHS oddities and horror-themed collectibles. There will also be tarot readings and a live taping of The Possibly Paranormal Podcast. At dusk, ‘80s teen heartthrob vampire flick The Lost Boys will screen. On Saturday evening there will be a costume contest, themed DJ tunes, horror trivia, and a haunted forest to explore. Friday’s event starts at 5 p.m., with the movie at 7:30 p.m. 225 Thomas Ave. N., Minneapolis; find more info here. –Jessica Armbruster

SATURDAY 10.29

Halloween Happenings

Various Locations

Binge drinking lushes, horny exhibitionists, former theater geeks, and creative creators: Your holiday is here. Halloween isn’t just for kids, it’s for the weirdos. And since this modern era celebrates this, you have a bunch of options this weekend if you’re looking for a spooky hang. 

Vampire Family Reunion

Pryes Brewing

Are vampires still scary? Not really! Are they Halloween-y though? Absolutely. Bloodsuckers are the patron saint of sexy costumes, after all. This evening, Pryes is celebrating murder-hungry immortals with DJs tunes, live music, family fun, and, yes, a costume contest at this indoor/outdoor party. Oh, and Blood Orange Miraculum will be on tap. Free. 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. 1401 West River Rd. N., Minneapolis; find more info here. –Jessica Armbruster

Flip Phone XXL: Halloween

First Avenue

For some reactionary weirdos, drag is downright spooky. But Racket readers know it is, in fact, spooktacular, especially just before Halloween. See for yourself at Flip Phone’s takeover of First Ave., where two RuPaul’s Drag Race vets—Pangina Heals, the drag sensation from Bangkok, and Darienne Lake—will join fellow queens Domita Sanchez, Nocturna Lee Mission, Priscilla Es Yuicy, Frozaen Pissás, Sasha Cassadine, Luna Muse, Onya Deek, and Dick Von Dyke. $10-$20. 9 p.m. 701 N. 1st Ave., Minneapolis; find more info here. –Jay Boller

Stranger Things Halloween Bash

612 Brew

If you’re going to go retro this Halloween, there’s plenty of cursed stuff from the ‘80s to play off of. Backcomb your hair and go as zombie Madonna, slap on an old hockey mask and be Jason, or just show up with a tangled ball of Christmas lights. If you sign up for the costume contest before 8 p.m., you’ll score a free beer; winners will get a variety of brew related prizes. Free. 7-11 p.m. 945 Broadway NE, Minneapolis; find more info here. –Jessica Armbruster

Halloween Fright Fest

Falling Knife Brewing Company

Backyard Boombox is haunting Falling Knife this weekend with scary DJ tunes. There will be special beer and seltzers to imbibe, plus a costume contest where you might win some free beer. Free. 2 p.m. to midnight. 783 Harding St. NE, Minneapolis; find more info here. –Jessica Armbruster

Not Halloween Happenings

Fall Forward Festival

The Cowles Center

The monthlong Fall Forward Festival is a crash course on the local dance scene, offering two to three new performances each evening from an impressive array of Minnesota dancers and troupes. Participating artists include Aparna Ramaswamy from Ragamala Dance; Black Label Movement, whose Riding the Maelstrom personifies chemotherapy; Twin Cities Ballet, who mix classic works with more experimental jaunts; and HIJACK, a long-running duo who describe themselves with words like “ecofeminist,” “queer,” “sex party,” “hoarder-house,” and “pandemic garden.” Whew. $30; find tickets here. 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 29-30, Nov. 5-6, 12-13, 19-20. 528 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis. Through November 20 –Jessica Armbruster

Dylan Hicks and the Small Screens

Cedar Cultural Center

Now five albums into the second act of his career as a singer-songwriter, Hicks’s musical ambitions keep expanding. The instrumental title track of his latest, Airport Sparrows, a showcase for the supple chamber-jazz sextet of top local players he’s gathered, stretches out for more than nine-and-a-half minutes but never meanders. The album features sax and clarinet colors and breezy solos from Christopher Thomson, Michelle Kinney’s dominant cello, and comps and improvisations from guitarist Zacc Harris and Hicks’s own keyboards, while the rhythm section of Charlie Lincoln and Peter Hennig that keeps things moving. But at the core still are Hicks’s straightforward melodies and wry lyrics.With Aby Wolf and Eric Mayson. $15/$20. 8 p.m. 416 Cedar Ave, Minneapolis: more info here. —Keith Harris

SUNDAY 10.30

HOWLoween Pawty Dog Costume Contest

Dual Citizen Brewing

At the risk of sounding like a starched-collar, Cronkitan newsman: widdle doggies wearing outfits is arf-tastically adorable. You’ll see as much at Dual Citizen, where two classes of doggo—big boys, tiny fellas—will go paw-to-paw in an audience-voted costume contest to benefit Pet Haven. Humans are encouraged to wear costumes, too, though they’ll be ineligible for prizes. In conclusion, please enjoy the above photos of my babies Koda and Apollo wearing deeply ironic mailman outfits. Free. 3-6 p.m. 725 Raymond Ave., St. Paul; find more info here. –Jay Boller

ONGOING

Twin Cities Film Festival

Showplace ICON

It’s that time of year again, and I ain’t talking about foliage here. The Twin Cities Film Festival is back, cramming 140 films into 10 days of screenings with a hybrid event that augments in-person screenings at St. Louis Park’s Showplace ICON with plenty of online options. Opening night tosses a mess of big names at you: the Emmett Till biopic Till, the Billie Eilish-spearheaded climate change doc Overheated, and Harry Styles in The Policeman. Other anticipated titles include James Gray’s Armageddon Time, and the Colin Ferrell/Brendan Gleeson pic The Banshees of Inisherin. Personally, I’m hyped for Charlotte Wells’s Aftersun. But look past the big names for as wide a selection of independent film as you’re likely to see in these parts, with a focus on local filmmakers. 1625 West End Blvd., Minneapolis; find showtimes, prices, and more info here. Through October 29 —Keith Harris

Twin Cities Horror Fest XI

Crane Theatre

Horror isn’t just a movie genre; it also works really well onstage, where audiences are trapped in the confines of a dark theater. For over a decade, TCHF has been demonstrating how versatile horror can be, whether a production offers creepy vibes, psychological mindfucks, or all-out gore. The fest returns this fall with a hearty dose of all three of those things and more. There’s Bad Egg, a retelling of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory that follows Veruca down the chute after she’s deemed “rotten.” In Third Floor Studio’s Dead Mountain, a researcher enters Russia’s treacherous Ural Mountains to try to solve the Dyatlov Pass Incident in which nine experienced campers died under mysterious circumstances. In Dangerous Productions’ All Your White Darlings, a Black man must survive white paranoia after a white person turns up dead, while Victor Invictus follows Frankenstein’s creature, who is presented as a life-size bunraku puppet (creepy!). Other offerings include horror musicals, improv, and a queer storytelling cabaret that promises to be like “Goosebumps, only gayer.” 2303 Kennedy St. NE, ​Minneapolis; find tickets and the complete schedule at tchorrorfestival.com. Through October 30 –Jessica Armbruster

Gods and Monsters Art Show

Artspace at Jackson Flats

Part gallery show, part party, “Gods and Monsters” has been showcasing artists specializing in creepy vibes for years. The 2022 installment will be no exception, with over 100 creatives sharing a variety of horror-themed art. There will be aliens, monsters from the lagoon, puddles of blood, Cthulhu, and other things that belong in nightmares (or at least in a fabulous B-movie). 901 18 1/2 Ave. NE, Minneapolis. Through October 30 –Jessica Armbruster

Cozy

Rosalux Gallery

Hygge. Cuffing season. Stocking up on wine, making soup in bulk, and going on baking sprees. Here in Minnesota, we’re really into prepping and setting ourselves up for success for long stretches of isolation, be it winter related or pandemic. But that doesn’t always stop the anxieties about the outside world from coming in. For “Cozy,” Terrence Payne’s new collection of large-scale drawings, the Minneapolis-based artist explores our longing for comfort while living with the trauma of raging plagues, political upheavals, extreme inflation, and other modern-era bullshit. 315 West 48th St., Minneapolis. Through October 30 –Jessica Armbruster

Grainville Cereals, Inc.

At a Seeeecret Location

Can a bowl of cereal give you a sense of dread? Yes, especially if it’s coming from Grainville Cereals, a creepy corporation with General Mills vibes that uses ad speak that is just too good to be true. Commutator Collective has gone all in for their latest theatrical production. There’s Grainville’s oddly unsettling website, with lots of images of corporate buildings and promises that their cereals “contain 100% plants.” Also creepy: The play, written by Marge Buckley, will be performed inside what they describe as a “nearly-abandoned acrylics factory” in northeast Minneapolis. Sounds like a corporate-approved spooky time! Audiences receive more details on the location after they purchase tickets, which you can do here. Through November 6 –Jessica Armbruster

Smoke and Ground

Public Functionary

In 2019, Public Functionary closed their gallery at 1400 12th Avenue NE with the promise of returning bigger and better. And that’s exactly what they did. That same year, local artist Leslie Barlow joined the crew to helm PF Studios, a program offering mentorship, affordable gallery space, and other resources for (often low-income) BIPOC artists just starting their career. (You might recognize Barlow from this year’s official State Fair artwork.) Then, in 2020, the PFunc gang secured a much bigger space in the Northrup King Building. Now, you can check out their new 7,000-square-foot gallery and performance space at the official grand-opening, which will feature artists from Barlow’s Studios program. For this group show, curator Adrienne Doyle asked artists to consider the question: Where do our memories live in our landscape and how do they tie or sever us from place? See how different artists answer. Northrup King Building, Studio 144, 1500 Jackson St. NE, Minneapolis. Through November 6 –Jessica Armbruster

पौर्णि मर्णि ा: Gazing Into The Full Moon Night 

Soo Visual Arts Center

Projects by Roshan Ganu are less about straightforward gallery shows, more about presenting a storytelling experience. If that sounds pretentious, rest assured that it’s not—it just means that you’ll probably have a good time simply walking through “पौर्णि मर्णि ा: Gazing Into The Full Moon Night.” Her most recent collection is part space voyage, part romp through urban nightlife. There are starry landscapes, a rock that hangs like a disco ball, collages of Pan Indian serials, and neon signs. Language is a key player here, too. The Goa-born, Minneapolis-based Ganu speaks Marathi, English, Konkani, Hindi, Portuguese, and French. 2909 Bryant Ave. S., Minneapolis. Through November 12 –Jessica Armbruster

Harriet Bart: Reckoning

Pillsbury House Theatre

Although it got its start as a novel, Sharon Bridgforth’s the bull-jean stories is a piece that was made for the stage. It’s a fusion of storytelling, spoken word, history, and fiction. It’s also a love story, following the titular character as she navigates Black queer life in the Deep South of the 1920s. Bridgforth is known for shows that are much more than they appear to be; Pillsbury’s 2018 production of dat Black Mermaid Man Lady/The Show was part book, part performance, part oracle deck/reading session, and part collaboration with Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association to mentor several artists toward homeownership. The return of Bridgforth’s work to the Pillsbury Stage, this time directed by Signe V. Harriday, is an excellent addition to the venue’s 30th season lineup. 3501 Chicago Ave. S., Minneapolis; find showtimes and tickets at pillsburyhouseandtheatre.org. Through November 13. –Jessica Armbruster

Harriet Bart: Reckoning

NewStudio Gallery

“We live in a broken world,” warns Harriet Bart. “‘Reckoning’ is a cautionary tale.” This time, the St. Paul-based, international artist cautions us through creating a unique, site-specific space filled with a variety of items. Some hold cultural significance (a bronze owl, a model of a barn), some have been found in nature (a burl, animal bones), and others have been tampered with in-studio (a gold-leaf embossed stone). Will you be able to decipher and heed the warning? 2303 Wycliff St., St. Paul. Through December 3 –Jessica Armbruster

Rosy Simas Danse: She Who Lives on the Road to War

Weisman Art Museum/All My Relations Arts

Part art installation, part dance performance, She Who Lives on the Road to War examines potential paths to a peaceful future via indigenous history. The exhibit’s title is inspired by the life of Jigonhsasee, an ancient Haudenosaunee woman, known as the Mother of Nations, who once touted war between tribes but eventually changed her ways and advocated for peace. Can you imagine what that kind of turnaround would look like in today’s world? That’s kind of the point of this show, which encourages people to rest, grieve, and “consider how we can all work towards reconciliation during the dual pandemics of systematic racism and COVID-19.” You can see installations at both WAM and All My Relations Arts, and both venues will host dance performances during the show’s run. RSVP for free tickets and find the entire performance schedule here. Weisman Art Museum’s (333 E. River Rd., University of Minnesota, Minneapolis) show runs through February 5, while events at All My Relations (1414 E. Franklin Ave., Minneapolis) are through December 15.  –Jessica Armbruster

We Are Working All the Time

Weisman Art Museum

Polish-born, Minneapolis-based artist Piotr Szyhalski creates posters that look like propaganda. But instead of promoting patriotism, he challenges the status quo, as his pieces proclaim things like, “Seek Truth From Facts,” “Rise Up!,” and “I can’t Breathe. If It’s No Covid, It’s the Police.” Szyhalski has been exploring “extreme historical phenomena” – think wars, labor movements, and protests against bad world leaders – since the ‘90s. In 2020, Szyhalski was set to have a retrospective exhibition at WAM. That show, of course, had to be postponed when the pandemic hit – an extreme historical phenomenon! During that time of lockdown and chaos, he entered another creative era, posting a new hand-drawn poster every day for 225 days. The resulting project, “COVID 19: Labor Camp Report,” was a hit, not just locally but internationally, with many pieces going viral. You can see some of these efforts in “We Are Working All the Time,” an epic exhibition showcasing Szyhalski’s 40-plus years of work, which includes posters, plates, installation, media, and other curious items. 333 E. River Rd., Minneapolis. Through December 31–Jessica Armbruster