Scary shows like “Night of the Living Dead” and “Dracula” on stage at Halloween

Be afraid, be very afraid. Local theaters have some spooky productions in store as Halloween approaches — including a late-night show that sounds particularly spooky.

“I’ll Be Back Before Midnight,” a 1997 thriller by Canadian playwright Peter Colley, is Studio After Dark’s first offering, says Michael Blangiforti, general manager of the Manes Studio Theater in Lindenhurst, where the film is playing. “It’s a very scary show,” says Blangiforti, who also directs. On a dark, moonlit night, a man takes his wife, who has just been released from a mental institution, to a remote farmhouse. The story takes several unexpected – and extremely hair-raising – turns. And that, says Blangiforti, is pretty much all he can say without giving too much away.

The play will be performed five times between October 18th and 26th, all but one at midnight. “We’re trying to reach a younger demographic,” Blangiforti says, noting that many of Mane’s studio regulars probably won’t stay up until 2 a.m. to see a play. This is a pilot project,” he says. “If it works, we will expand our late-night offering.”

The theater has another fright fest in its program. “The Passion of Dracula,” running October 11-27, is a “mildly amusing, mildly frightening and mildly erotic” take on the well-known horror franchise, says artistic director David Dubin. The story is familiar – a mysterious count, lots of corpses, but he says people will be spooked by the hint of humor. “I don’t want it to be a comedy,” he says, “but there are moments when they might laugh.”

ZOMBIE ISLAND

October also brings two versions of the cult classic “Night of the Living Dead” to home stages. At the South Shore Theater Experience in Lindenhurst, Jes Almeida is directing her own adaptation of George Romero’s iconic 1968 film about zombies invading a Pennsylvania farming community.

“Romero is known as the godfather of the modern zombie,” says Almeida, but in her version, which runs from October 25th to November 25th. 2 she gives some supporting characters more substance to increase the tension. An avid fan of the genre, Almeida says, “As scary as horror films can be, there is also a message of survival.” Most of these films, she says, “are about people who deal with monsters every day.”

Meanwhile, the Smithtown Center for the Performing Arts will perform the official, Romero-licensed version from October 5-27. “I was honestly surprised at how many people saw the film as a child, including many in their 50s and 60s who say it is their favorite film,” says Michael Mucciolo, the theater’s president.

While many theaters take a more campy approach to the show, Mucciolo says Smithtown plays it straight. Professional makeup artists worked with the 18-member cast to create exaggerated blood and gore. “It’s tense,” he says, “we’re talking about real zombies here.”

HYDE IN VIEW

For a different take on the season, the CM Performing Arts Center in Oakdale is presenting the Frank Wildhorn musical “Jekyll & Hyde” from October 5-19.

“With its beautiful score,” says CM President Marc Hollid-Ausset, “it gets you in the mood without overwhelming you.”

And the fantastic story is rooted in reality, says director Patrick Campbell. “The people around Jekyll face real consequences when he takes the elixir that turns him into the dangerous Hyde,” explains Campbell. “As devastating as the show is, there’s something beautiful about the way Jekyll’s friends stand by him and support him. He will never leave.”