OPENING
The Haunted Basement
The Soap Factory's dark and decrepit basement is back for a sixth year, filling those smelly depths with psychological terror and grotesque perversions. This time around, acclaimed Twin Cities theater director Noah Bremer takes the creative reins, with a résumé suggesting a Haunted Basement unlike any other. Most recently, he directed a gangster musical, a one-man absurdist play and performed as a clown in Cirque du Soleil. Scary. Tickets are selling quickly. (Fri.-Sat. and Oct. 11-14, 16-21 and 23-31. $22. 18 & older. Lights-on "Fraidy Cat Tours," 10 a.m. Oct. 21 & 28, $10. The Soap Factory, 514 SE. 2nd St., Mpls. www.thesoapfactory.org.)TOM HORGEN
SATURDAY
Legs McNeil & Gillian McCain
Two leading punk-rock scholars, McNeil -- co-founder of Punk magazine and a former senior editor at Spin -- and McCain are making a rare appearance to help ring in the soft opening of the new restaurant and venue (working names: "The Belmore" and "the New Skyway Lounge") from Doug Anderson of Nick and Eddie. The pair, who co-wrote the iconic "Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk," will read from the book, and McNeil will preview new material from his forthcoming book, "Please Blow Me," said to be a "history of Pepsi and porn." Note, the venue will not yet be offering food or liquor sales, so BYOB. (8 p.m. Sat. Free. The Belmore/The New Skyway Lounge, 25 N. 4th St., Mpls. www.pleasekillme.com.)JAHNA PELOQUIN
