Well, it's October, so that means it's about time to start shaking the dust off those (hilarious) ghost puns and calling everything "spook-tacular." It's also time to start infusing all of your usual coffee drinks with the addictive substance they call Pumpkin Spice. That'll keep you humming along at a steady pace as you check off all the frighteningly fun things to do in town this wickedly wonderful Austin weekend.

There's no better way to get in the mood for Halloween than with a haunted house. Luckily, Austin boasts one of the scariest haunted houses in the nation, the award-winning House of Torment at (eek!) Highland Mall. The builders have been working on two houses this year for the price of one: The Reckoning, a futuristic zombie apocalypse, and Cursed, a pirate adventure on the haunted high seas. So, upside: No terrifying clowns this year! One ticket gets you admission to both houses, so it won't be a scare to your wallet.

Getting right into the swing of terrifying horror classics, The Alamo Drafthouse is bringing back big-screen showings of two of our favorite scary movies: The Evil Dead and The Shining. Bruce Campbell's first (axe) swing at playing the beloved Ash Williams from the prequel to Army of Darkness finds its way in to the woods at the Alamo Ritz on Friday and Saturday. And Jack "Never a Dull Boy" Nicholson and his soon-to-be REDRUM-ed family check in at the Overlook Hotel on Sunday and Monday for the latter Kubrik classic.

Speaking of things that go bump in the night, The Blue Theatre opens its doors to the new independent music-meets-theater piece, Marvelous Things. Inspired by the discography of Tyler, Texas indie pop group, Eisley, Marvelous Things is a contemplative piece about a young woman's journeys between her imagination and her real life. Playwright Lindsey Greer Sikes directs a talented cast in this play that also comments on the dissolving separation between theater and real life that also includes new musical compositions by Paul Marbach.

Another exciting offering in the experimental theater scene is Rubber Repertory's Surprise Annie. Celebrated Austin performance artist Annie La Ganga agreed to be the guinea pig in this exciting improvisational theater collaboration where the only detail she knows about the show is what cake she's bringing to the "party." Every one of the 12 shows is in a new TBD location around Austin, and every show will be an improvisational storytelling work by Annie, who will be inspired by the people gathered in that particular space. This is the perfect keeping-it-weird kind of event for adventurous Austinites.

If a pre-planned party is more your speed, there are two awesome dance parties happening this Saturday that will raise money for AIDS Services of Austin. First, The Octopus Club is throwing OctoTea 16 at the Mexican-American Cultural Center, featuring a raffle, a live acution and live music by Nakia, MoTel Aviv, Courtney Sanchez and DJ Roland Belmares. Then, at the ND@501 Studios, fashion house Coco Coquette is throwing a Club Kid inspired fashion show and all-night dance party. Ridiculous outfits, plenty of drink specials and lots of fun. You can't go wrong at either party; and they're close enough that you might want to check out both.

When you're ready to relax, the Austin Yoga Festival stretches, breathes and holds its pose for two solid days this weekend with a full schedule of classes available to anyone who wants to improve their practice and expand their knowledge of the artform. Over forty respected yogis from across the country converge at Fiesta Gardens for this event which guarantees to put you in a centered place of satisfaction and healing.

And once you're in your happy place, The Highball invites you to take place in The Halloween Single Mingle on Saturday Night. Speed Date Austin runs this costumes-optional rejection-free zone where everyone will get to meet at least 10 single (and looking to mingle) folks while enjoying free appetizers and drink specials. We recommend wearing a conversation sparking costume and staying away from the spinach dip if you can help it.

These are just a few of the treats to make you scream with delight this weekend. No tricks here, we guarantee. We just want to make sure you have a ghoul time this Howlloween season. (Oh, it's awful and we can't stop doing it...!)