'Night of the Living Dead,' 'Dracula,' more scary shows

Be afraid, be very afraid. Local theaters have some spine-chilling productions up their sleeves as Halloween approaches — including one late night show that sounds especially creepy.

“I’ll Be Back Before Midnight,” a 1997 thriller by Canadian playwright Peter Colley, is the initial offering of Studio After Dark, says Michael Blangiforti, executive director of the youth theater program at Manes Studio Theatre of Long Island in Lindenhurst, where it will be performed. “It’s a very scary show,” says Blangiforti, who’s also directing. On a dark, moonlit night, a man brings his wife, just released from an insane asylum, to an isolated farmhouse. The story takes several unexpected — and extremely hair-raising — turns. And that, says Blangiforti, is about all he can say without giving too much away.

The play will run for five performances between Oct. 18 and Oct. 26, all but one at midnight. “We’re trying to reach a younger demographic,” says Blangiforti, noting that many of Manes Studio’s regular customers aren’t likely “to stay up until two in the morning to watch a play. This is a pilot,” he says. “If it works, we’ll expand our late night offerings.”

The theater has another frightfest in the mix. “The Passion of Dracula,” running Oct. 11-27, is a “slightly amusing, slightly horrifying and slightly erotic” take on the well-known horror franchise, says artistic director David Dubin. The story is familiar — a mysterious count, lots of dead bodies — but, he says, people will be startled by the touches of humor. “I don’t want it to be a comedy,” he says, “but there are moments when they might chuckle.”

ZOMBIE ISLAND

October also brings two versions of the cult classic “Night of the Living Dead” to local stages. At South Shore Theatre Experience in Lindenhurst, Jes Almeida directs her own adaptation of George Romero’s iconic 1968 film about zombies who invade a Pennsylvania farm community.

“Romero is known as the godfather of the modern zombie,” says Almeida, but in her version, running Oct. 25-Nov. 2, she’s giving more substance to several of the minor characters to escalate the tension. An avid fan of the genre, Almeida says that “as scary as horror movies can be, there’s also a message of survival.” Most of these films, she says “are about people who have to deal with monsters every day.”

Meanwhile from Oct. 5-27, the Smithtown Performing Arts Center is doing the official version licensed by Romero. “I was honestly surprised at how many people grew up watching the film, including many in their 50s and 60s who says it’s their favorite movie,” says Michael Mucciolo, president of the theater.

While many theaters take a campy approach to the show, Mucciolo says Smithtown is playing it straight. Professional makeup artists have worked with the cast of 18 to create over-the-top blood and gore. “It’s tense,” he says, “we’re talking full-on zombies.”

HYDE IN PLAIN SIGHT

A different take on the season can be found at CM Performing Arts Center in Oakdale, which is presenting the Frank Wildhorn musical “Jekyll & Hyde” from Oct. 5 to 19.

“With its beautiful score,” says CM president Marc Hollid-Ausset, “it gets you in the mood without hitting you over the head.”

And the fantastical story is rooted in reality, says director Patrick Campbell. “The people around Jekyll face real repercussions 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 how Jekyll’s friends stand by him and support him. He is never abandoned.”

(An earlier version of the story did not include that Michael Blangiforti is executive director of Manes Studio's youth theater program.)