Gallery Stroll: Haunting October’s Gallery Stroll

Salt Lake’s Gallery Stroll is held on the third Friday of every month. Most galleries participate, so I find it important to prioritize. My metrics include location, duration of the exhibit and theme or mood.

An October Evening is a one-night-only event on Oct. 18, meaning if you don’t get your arse over, you’ll forever hear, “Remember that awesome show? Oh yeah, you weren’t there.” Produced by Christel Edwards and Stephen Simmons, An October Evening is a multi-medium event celebrating all things that go bump in the night. Held at the glamorous and slightly spooky Masonic Temple on 650 E. South Temple, the “theater in the round” style event hosts everything from fashion shows and short films to musicians and performance artists. Celebrating its eighth year, An October Evening is taking the audience where the best ghost stories begin: the campfire. Featuring set designs by Dustin Everett, the creators have captured the feel of sitting with your friends around a campfire deep in the woods, roasting marshmallows and trying to freak each other out. The night’s spectacular spooks will be dished out by many talented artists. Short filmmakers John Lyde, Roco Devilliers, Chris Larsen (of Kill Ship), Conor Long and Stephen Simmons will be freaking you out on the big screen. Death never looked so good than when fashion designer Pretty Macabre dresses you for the occasion, musician Tom Bennett sets the mood with a killer soundtrack and dancer Whitney Smith has you wishing you could dance like the dead. Bring a backpack, compass, flashlight, snacks and possibly an extra pair of underwear—whatever you’ll need for this journey deep into the woods on An October Evening. The event starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door. For more info, visit facebook.com/anoctoberevening.

I love looking for art in nontraditional places, and though I usually run screaming through a haunted house too freaked out to slow down or fully open my eyes, I can appreciate the art of haunting and the many talented people who create this psychologically stimulating environment. The Fear Factory on 666 W. 800 S. makes my October Gallery Stroll hit list for taking the old business of haunting and adding a contemporary and local appeal. A family business, owners Bob Dunfield, Rob Dunfield and Keith Sharp take on over 100 actors and 20 makeup artists, such as Brett Hamilton, a veteran from the film industry whose close attention to detail, blood splatters and flesh decay can only be described as realism. Kier Defstar, painter and all around badass, created the eye-popping, accident-inducing mural that can be seen from I-15 and 800 South. The Fear Factory provides a complete experience, including a ride on the new zombie shuttle bus, designed by Defstar, from the Gateway Shopping Center to the venue and back. If you’re there on a weekend, enjoy the Fear Factory’s live music, beer garden and zip line. For cost, times and dates, visit fearfactoryslc.com. More zombies, please? For those wishing this haunting season would last throughout the year, photographer Jon Diaz and the Fear Factory artists have teamed up to create a 2014 Zombie Calendar. The images have been described as Norman Rockwell meets The Walking Dead. Calendars are available at the Fear Factory or at facebook.com/zombiecalendar2014.

Until next time, stay safe, look both ways, carpool, drink responsibly, Gallery Stroll!