Itinerary: No Costume Required

There are a million ways Americans are divided. Democrat or Republican. Colgate or Crest. Mac or PC. And pro or anti SUV.

Add to the list those who love to dress up in costumes and those who loathe it.

But just because someone doesn’t want to don a mask, wig or makeup doesn’t mean he or she is opposed to getting into the spirit of things. So here’s a Halloween weekend for those of you who’d like to remain in your street clothes.

Friday

To some folks, there are few things scarier than the empty streets of downtown Los Angeles after dark. But Friday night, South Broadway won’t be abandoned, as the Friends of the Orpheum theater mount the last weekend of their annual Spook-a-Thon.

The magnificent 1926 theater, at 842 S. Broadway, is itself worth a stop. But to cap the fifth annual Spook-a-Thon, the group is screening Brian De Palma’s “Carrie” at 7 p.m., Universal’s 1932 “The Mummy” with Boris Karloff at 9 p.m., and John Carpenter’s franchise-spawning “Halloween” at 11 p.m. Between films there’s a burlesque show and a seance in the Orpheum’s downstairs lounge. $15 gets you in for the whole night. Call (213) 239-0949 for information or (323) 655-TKTS for tickets.

If live horror is more your style, head to the Valley for “Nevermore,” the Edgar Allen Poe Festival of Horror. Seven stories by the master of the macabre will be staged, along with his famous poem “The Raven,” over two evenings at the Raven Playhouse (5233 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood. Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m.; Sunday at 7 and 9 p.m. $12 for one show; $18 for both. [818] 623-6465.)

Saturday

Ghost stories aren’t just for kids. Prepare to have your spine tingled at the Los Angeles Public Library (650 W. 5th St., L.A. [213] 228-7331). “The Fire Burns Blue” is an afternoon of scary tales for grown-ups. Starting at 2 p.m., actors Richard Cansino, David Coleman, Daniel Leslie, Melanie MacQueen and Marbry Steward will read stories about the ghosts who haunt places from Japanese fishing huts to French chateaus. The free event will be in the library’s Mark Taper Auditorium.

Don’t worry--it’ll still be daylight when you leave. And you’ll have plenty of time to get across town to Royce Hall at UCLA for “Dracula.”

With this 1931 film for Universal, director Tod Browning and star Bela Lugosi created the prototype of the vampire count from Transylvania--the suave, well-dressed bloodsucker. This weekend, Universal’s classic horror film gets updated with a new score by Philip Glass, who gave similar treatment to Jean Cocteau’s 1946 film “La Belle et la Bette” in 1995. This time, though, the Kronos Quartet will perform, under the direction of Michael Riesman. The film performance is at Royce Hall on the UCLA campus Saturday at 8 p.m. (also Sunday at 7 p.m. $22 to $40. [310] 825-2101).

Sunday

Start Halloween off right with a little exercise. Join the Venice Historical Society for their Ghoulish Two-Hour Walking Tour. Historical reenactors will welcome visitors to the sites of notorious murders, suicides, crimes and haunted spots of south Venice. Tour starts at 8:50 a.m. from the corner of Washington Boulevard and the Venice canals. (Also Saturday. $15 per person. Reservations recommended. [310] 676-0020.)

Campy horror is valid for Halloween, too, and Company of Angels Theater (2106 Hyperion Ave., Silver Lake) is serving it up by the bucketful.

Director Ed Trotta adapts the 1959 Roger Corman movie “A Bucket of Blood” for the stage. The story concerns Walter, a busboy at a bohemian cafe, who aspires to be an artist--and finds some success working in a suspicious red medium. (Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 7 p.m. $15. [323] 883-1717.)