Check out these events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area this weekend— as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.

Friday, Oct. 28
Brendon Walsh
The Mill
You don’t have to have a twisted sense of humor to be a comedian, but Brendon Walsh has it down pat. The prankster has been known to exploit things as innocent as birthday cakes and puppies for kicks. Walsh — who has starred on NBC’s Last Comic Standing and Comedy Central — also appeared in The Unbookables, a documentary film about the difficult task of stand-up success. Judging by the fact that he’s on tour, it looks like he’s still in the game. DeVan Penegar hosts with openers, including Chris Layton and former Charlottean, now Atlanta-based, comic Carlos Valencia. Halloween costumes are welcomed.

• Nightlife For many folks, holidays are the prime time for doing some much needed inebriation. In its sixth year, the annual Halloween Howler Costume Bar Crawl makes the drinking-too-much (at Buckhead Saloon, Town Tavern, Tilt, Howl at the Moon, and Suite) experience even better with its dressing-up encouragement. The better the costume, the more unrecognizable you’ll be when you start stumbling around like a fool. Costume contests (best overall guy costume, best overall girl costume, most creative and sexiest) too. More...

• Nightlife Most comic book fans are always looking for good reason to geek out and dress up as their favorite superheroes. Spider-Man, Iron Man, The Hulk, Thor, Captain America and their rivals are all credible candidates for a nighttime transformation at Suite’s Marvel Halloween Party. DJ Marvel spins to keep the dance floor animated, while a costume contest (no superpowers allowed) raises the bar for some friendly competition. More...

Saturday, Oct. 29
NoDaWeen
Neighborhood Theatre
NoDa is still a kick-ass neighborhood, even if some of its most prominent art galleries have closed. To celebrate Halloween, the annual NoDaWeen features four events: KiDaWeen, a child-friendly fest with apples-bobbing, face-painting, storytelling, a costume contest and a screening of Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were Rabbit; Freaky 5K Twilight Race, an evening run with prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place for fastest male and female runners and best costume; Dinner and a Movie, with Halloween-inspired trivia, dinner served from Mac’s Speed Shop and a screening of the 1976 horror flick Carrie (’70s prom attire is encouraged); and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, a midnight movie showing with prop bags. All proceeds benefit the NoDa Neighborhood Association — a nonprofit promoting the arts, supporting local businesses and aiding charities — so in addition to some fun, you’ll also be helping the ’hood continue to thrive.

• Nightlife NC Fright Factory’s creative director Martin Barry (aka Charlotte Roller Girls’ freaky clown) has added his own personal and creepy touches to the three-part haunted house at NC Music Factory. Open through Halloween, its zombie paintball shooting range is a godsend to anyone who has ever fantasized bout blasting undead fiends with goo. And for those who need something more frightening, the Music, Monsters & Mayhem at Time Warner Cable Uptown Amphitheatre features a costume party, a live performance by O.A.R. (with openers Company of Thieves, Simplified, Blizzard of Ozzy, Kiss Alive, Breaking Laces and The Hundred Days) and admission to other Music Factory venues. More...

• Film William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar has been adapted for film and television on countless occasions, with the first version produced in 1908 (and running a mere 10-15 minutes!). The definitive take, however, remains the 1953 version, which will be screened as part of the Shakespeare at the Movies series presented by the Main Library. Louis Calhern portrays the doomed title ruler, although it’s the three actors billed above him who are more known: Marlon Brando as Marc Antony, John Gielgud as Cassius and James Mason as Brutus. Directed by four-time Oscar winner Joseph L. Mankiewicz (All About Eve), this earned five Academy Award nominations (including Best Picture and Best Actor for Brando), winning for its art direction-set decoration. Following the screening, there will be a half-hour lecture by Andrew Hartley, Robinson Distinguished Professor of Shakespeare in the Department of Theatre at UNC Charlotte and author of two upcoming books on the Bard (Shakespeare and Political Theatre and a performance history of Julius Caesar). More...

Sunday, Oct. 30
Day of the Dead/Dia de Los Muertos Festival of Souls
Levine Museum of the New South
Celebrate the Mexican tradition of honoring the dead at Levine Museum of the New South. Festivities include decorative altars, storytelling, dancing, music, authentic foods, and other hands-on activities (Think: sugar skulls).

• Theater Playwright Jermaine Nakia Lee's For the Love of Harlem is a musical remembering the artistic visionaries (from Langston Hughes to Alberta Hunter) of 1920s/'30s Harlem Renaissance. On Q Productions continues performances of the inspirational and historic movement this week at Duke Energy Theatre. More...

• Music If you’re looking for great local music, Snug Harbor is where you need to be tonight. From the punk-infused rock of Modern Primitives to the blue-collar rock of Temperance League and the country-infused style of Bart Lattimore, it’s a Halloween eve treat to catch all three in one location. More...