Heaps of horror

Sacramento loves Halloween. People get all theatrical, dress up and take on the personalities of dark, odd characters. Such is the case with this weekend's Sacramento Horror Film Festival, which features costumes, stage performances, a zombie tribute to Michael Jackson and, of course, film. The festival kicks off on Friday, October 11, at 5:30 p.m. with the M.J. tribute followed by short films; a feature film (An American Terror); a performance by the Shadow Circus Creature Theatre and Jay Siren; and a zombie beauty pageant at 8:30 p.m. The night closes with Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon with lead actor Nathan Baesel in attendance for a Q-and-A. Saturday features a day full of short films, followed by a live shadow-cast performance of The Rocky Horror Picture Show by Amber's Sweets. And Sunday offers a family-friendly film, more shorts and a performance by aerialist Alia Omran. Basically, it's a weekend of beautiful but horror-filled sensory overload. Visit www.sachorrorfilmfest.com for more information.