Fill Your Weekend With Spooky, Haunted Sarasota

Celebrating Halloween is in full swing in Sarasota. Here are some events for you to check out this weekend to satisfy your ghoulish desires.

This weekend in Halloween ...

Zombie Town: A Documentary Play — Backstage at Players Theatre

Plays Thursday-Sunday, Oct. 18-21; 8 p.m. with 2 p.m. matinee on Oct. 21

This play is a "parody of eyewitness-theater which tells the story of a San Francisco actors’ collective traveling to a small Texas town to interview the survivors of a horrific zombie attack. The cultural clash between the earnest black clad thespians and the Lone Star state’s down home provincials is as alarming as the appearance of reanimated corpses," according to Players.

Show runs in the 60-seat black box theater. Tickets are $15; $10 for College Students with ID on Oct. 19. Call 941-365-2494 for tickets.

The Rocky Horror Show—Venice Theatre

8 p.m. Thursday-Sunday; Midnight Saturday; Runs through Nov. 3

It's astounding. Time is fleeting, and madness takes it toll at the live stage production of The Rocky Horror Show as it was originally intended—a play.

It's rare to find a live stage production of Rocky Horror as oppose to some dancers in front of a movie screen (though the play seems to be more common in Florida this year), so by all means, drive to Venice. This production is in Venice Theatre's Pinkerton Cabaret Theatre.

If you don't know the story by now, it features two virgins getting lost in Transexual Transylvania, aliens, music and scenes not appropriate for children and pre-teens.

Tickets are $13 to $28. Call 941-488-1115 or purchase online.

 — The Aquarium at Mote Laboratory

6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19

Children will enjoy trick-or-treating inside Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium, make a Jack-O-Lantern in the shadows of sharks and children 8 or older can go inside the spooky Dr. Frankin-Fish's Lab of Horrors haunted house. 

Tickets are $10; Call 941-388-4441 or visit http://­www.­mote.­org/­halloween.

Halloween Zombie Zumba Master Class—Sahib Shriners

6-8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19

You're welcome to exercise in the costume, but then again, you are doing Zumba. Vendors will be on hand with clothing, jewelry and more and there is a bar at the Shriners Hall for a post-exercise social.

Pre-registration is encouraged. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Visit http://­www.­zumba­sarasota.­com for more.

Zombie Pub Crawl — Starts at Mr. Beery's

5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20 

Dress like a zombie, drink some beer and meet some undead friends in Gulf Gate. Bars so far include Mr. Beery's, The Thirsty Turtle, Hurricane Mikes, West End Pub, Sarasota Brewing Company, Molly Malone's, Gulf Gate University, Madd Hatter, Queen Anne Pub, Il Panificio and Pastimes Pub. Includes contests and games. Bring an ID (and probably a DD).

Tickets are $16 in advance; $20 at the door. Call 941-993-9043 or visit www.srqzombies.com.

15th Annual Howl-O-Ween Fall Festival — Sarasota County Fairgrounds

1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20

This one's for Fido. The Humane Society of Sarasota County features a popular pet costume contest, which had almost 100 entrants last year, and pet-friendly vendors including Sarasota Pet Pages and Eager Beaver. Safe trick-or-treating and a bounce house will add to the fun for families with children.

Those interested in entering their pet in the pet costume contest should call 941-955-4131, ext. 107. The contest entry fee is $10 per dog.  

All proceeds from this event will benefit the Humane Society of Sarasota County.

Frightmares Haunted House — 7111 S. Tamiami Trail

7:30-11 p.m. each Friday and Saturday in October plus Oct. 21 and Oct. 28-31. Opens Friday, Oct. 12

Frightmares boasts itself as Florida's best haunted attraction-pitting itself above those theme parks in Tampa and Orlando. This isn't some amateur hour—horror director John Rusnak has been in the haunted house business for 20 years and produced his own horror film, House of Blood. This year it's doubling the blood and terror with two haunted houses—Tomb of Terror and Psycho Asylum— at one location.

Tickets are $16 for two houses; $30 for a cut-the-line pass. For more info:www.frightmareshauntedhouse.com/.

24th Annual Fruitville Pumpkin Festival—Fruitville Grove Farm Fresh Market, 7410 Fruitville Road

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sunday, Oct. 20, 21

Oh yes, there will be pumpkins. Plus a ton of events and activities for the family including pony rides and hayrides, live music, pumpkin painting, hay play area, a 40-foot slip-n-slide, giant human water balloons, craft vendors and more.

Free