Photo by Hau Ngo

Right. So today’s feature is not so kid-friendly. In fact, tomorrow night, I’d recommend keeping your kids far away from the West Bank area of Minneapolis.

October is a great month to find scary fun all over the Twin Cities. But for the past six years, the Zombie Pub Crawl has been one of the creepiest, scariest freakshows in town.

Ok, so there’s nothing terribly scary about drunk college students stumbling around like…well…zombies. But those that get caught up in the spirit of the event can end up looking pretty scary after applying makeup, copious amounts of (fake) blood, and dressing up in costumes. Some of the more creative costumes have entrails exposed through torn flesh, rotting teeth, red eyes, or even scarier stuff.

I repeat: keep your child away.

For those that are still with me, Zombie Pub Crawl can be a fun time, even if it’s not all about the drinking. Sure, zombified folk get cheap drinks, but there is much more fun to be had. Case in point: “Karaoke of the Dead” at Red Sea.

Also in effect: a triumvirate of block parties and dance parties. Doors open at 4pm on Brains Fest and ZPC Block Party, and later (doors at 8, music at 10) at the Cabooze is the ZPC Finale Dance Party.

Brains Fest is in the parking lot at the 501 Club and features live music from Impaler and Savage Aural Hotbed, as well as a real freakshow complete with stilt walkers, zombies, burlesque, hula hoopers, bed of nails, glass walkers and lots of other sideshow oddities. Also on hand will be makeup FX artists helping to zombify people, NC-17 ice sculptures and Yelp “Blood Bath.”

At Acadia in the meantime, the ZPC Block Party happens with lots of live music from local indie faves First Communion Afterparty, as well as Phantom Tails, Bight Club, Fattenin’ Frogs and more. You can get wristbands at both Acadia and the 501. Then start crawlin’.

Finally at 10pm at the Cabooze, get crunk at the freakiest party of the year: the ZPC Finale Dance Party, featuring underground local hip hoppers MC/VL, freaky local DJ collective the Moon Goons, and freak funk hero Har Mar Superstar.

Go to the Zombie Pub Crawl website and you can get $5 off your wristband. Get ’em now. They’re $10 at Acadia and the 501. The website also has makeup tips for zombifying your bad self, as well as videos, an itinerary, and a handy checklist for the night.

For all these goodies and all the details you’ll ever need, visit www.zombiepubcrawl.com/2010.