Thursday

Costumes & Couture

If you're the type to make your Halloween costume yourself, this is the party for you. The winner of the costume contest will nab $250, and finalists get to walk the runway. Also on tap are DJ Bach, drinks, a haunted house and a creepy couture fashion show hosted by boutique Design Collective. Whatever you do, don't arrive in a store-bought costume lest a fashionista turn up her nose at you. (7-10 p.m. Thu. $5-$7 or free before 7:30 p.m. Ignite Models Studio, 600 Washington Av. N., Mpls., 612-354-2415.)

Thursday-Saturday

Halloween cabarets

This weekend provides a bevy of options for variety show-goers. Bryant-Lake Bowl hosts Voluntary Nightmare's "Zombie Fun Show," which promises "music, thrills and frivolity." Also at BLB: Minneapolis duo the Bewitched perform their highly theatrical medieval pop sounds in "An Evening of Cabaret Macabre." Get your creeps, burlesque-style, at Midnight Muse Revue's "A Zombie Cabaret" at Ground Zero. (10 p.m. Fri. $6-$8.) Over at St. Paul's Jewel Theatre, see the one-man circus sideshow "A Spirit of Halloween." (8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., $12-$15.)

Friday

Tortured Cinema

Horror godfather Lon Chaney's two best-known films, "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" and "The Phantom of the Opera," will be shown, accompanied by the spooky sounds of the Fitzgerald Theater's Wurlitzer organ. In between screenings, actor Peter Moore will spin some yarns and musicians deVon Gray and Alicia Wiley will perform. (7:30 p.m. Fri., $10-$12. Fitzgerald Theater. )

Friday-Saturday

'The Rocky Horror Picture Show'

Local performance troupe Transvestite Soup is known for performing to one thing and one thing only: that cult classic horror-comedy romp "Rocky Horror." The group is back after a years-long hiatus to perform live in front of the screen as the movie plays. Expect the rabid fans to get into it. (Midnight Fri.-Sat., $9. Uptown Theater.)

Saturday

First Avenue's Halloween Party

First Ave's bash is always a can't-fail plan for Halloween. Some of the most creative costumes find their way to this party emceed by "Drinking With Ian" host Ian Rans, no doubt lured by more than $1,000 in cash prizes. If you're in the mood for something less crazy and more quirky, cross over to 7th Street Entry for the Monster Mash, a dance night with Mike the 2600 King and King Otto devoted to '50s and '60s novelty rock with a spooky twist.

Halloween Tribute Rockstravaganza

In a city full of bands donning costumes for Halloween shows, none does it better than Electric Light Orchestra cover band E.L.nO. The all-star band dons Jeff Lynne wigs, tacky polyester flared suits, open-collared shirts and platform boots for its live performances. A Night in the Box opens with its best Elvis impression.

L'Etoile-O-Ween

Clubhouse Jäger's cozy yet debauched environment is the setting for online fashion magazine L'Etoile's Halloween shenanigans. The agenda includes sexy-spooky visuals; DJs Demietoile and Deux ex Machina playing darkwave, electro and synth; costume contests for most stylish, most scary and most original; and a styled-out photo booth.

Tonight We Abide: The Big Lebowski Party

By combining three Minnesota favorites -- bowling, Halloween and the Coen brothers -- Bryant-Lake Bowl hit on something ingenious. The premise: People dress up like the characters in "The Big Lebowski" and have a bowl-off while the film screens next door in the theater. This year BLB adds Lebowski karaoke, Lebowski-themed drinks (Dude-a-reeno, anyone?) and tunes from the Coens' film catalog. (7:30 p.m. Sat.; screenings 3 p.m., 6 p.m., 9 p.m. & 11:30 p.m. Free to attend, $45/team to bowl. Bryant-Lake Bowl.)

Monster Print & Poster Show

Self-proclaimed "geek art gallery" Pink Hobo hosts a print and poster-art show that's "monster" both in scope and in subject matter. Creepy crawlers, fanged creatures and ghostly figures are at the center of this show assembled by top Twin Cities' poster artists Amy Jo, Jennifer Davis, King Mini and others. With booze, food, costume prizes and DJ Kenny Kingston. (7 p.m.-2 a.m. Sat. Pink Hobo Gallery.)

Hot Roxx Halloween

Hot Roxx, the popular record night hosted by '70s rock aficionados Jen Hughes and Nick Ryan, celebrates Halloween with the haunting two-piece Invisible Boy (Chris Bierden of Vampire Hands and Freddy Votel of Skoal Kodiak), noise-pop band To Kill a Petty Bourgeoisie, garage rockers Teenage Moods, Is Is (the latest project from the Sarahs of First Communion Afterparty and Gospel Gossip) and Jen and Nick DJing in between sets. Arrive in a '70s-era rock 'n' roll costume and you might win a piece of rare vinyl.

Ground Zero Halloween Masquerade Ball

For those who regularly appreciate the darker side of life, Halloween is either not that big a deal, or a chance to pull out all the stops. Ground Zero regulars tend to err on the side of over-the-top, so it should be no surprise that its long-running ball always garners a line down the block of dark-wavers and curious onlookers. Could there be a more perfect place to celebrate the darkest night of the year than this cavernous, black-walled warehouse? View the full event listing.

The best of the rest

Spin: The club gets naughty with the sixth annual Fantasy and Fetish Ball. They'll have a dominatrix, stockades and cages. Ouch. (9 p.m. Sat., $6. 18-plus.)

Envy: The theme this year is "Silverscreen Halloween." Dress as your favorite film character or movie star and walk the red carpet. Please, no coked-out Lindsay Lohans. Costume winners get mini-Oscars. (10 p.m. Sat.)

The Lounge: "Wicked Wonderland" is the theme. Maybe a good time to check out the remodeled main room if you haven't already.

Aqua: It's "Thriller II" at Aqua. Besides the costume contest, $40 gets an all-you-can-drink pass for the night. Just like New Year's Eve.

414 Soundbar: Looking to hook up on Halloween? Soundbar has "Love at First Bite." A bloody bite on either side of your neck will indicate your availability.

BarFly: "Sinfully Sexy" is the party here. Expect an abundance of naughty school girls and the ilk. Costume parade at midnight.

W Minneapolis: The "Red Carpet to Hell" party will take over the Living Room and Prohibition bars. The costume contests will give out several awards, including best celeb, cheesiest male, tackiest, etc. The cost? "Only your soul."

moto-i: The sake brewpub will be a beacon for epic geekdom as it invites bargoers to dress up as their favorite Japanese anime/Manga characters.

Lowertown: The BOOs Crawl is back in downtown St. Paul. $10 passport gets you a drink at each of the following bars: Barrio, Bulldog, Black Dog Cafe, Rumours & Innuendo, Trattoria da Vinci, Señor Wong, Station 4. (6 p.m. Sat. More info: www.lowertowned.com.)

The Gay 90s: Big costume contest and a special Halloween-themed La Femme drag show.

• Tom Horgen