Monstrous movie fun: Join a day of eerie events at the Academy Museum

What would the movies be without monsters?

The thought of a flickering flick that is lacking in a strange, supernatural, and misunderstood superstar is scarier than any monster we can think up.

For these frightful and always fantastical figures form the backbone of so much of the film industry, or, if you prefer to stay on theme, the industry's sturdy skeleton.

Like us, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures adores the vampires, werewolves, and ghouls that give the silver scream, er, screen so much of its fearsome flair.

And to celebrate those fabulous, often furry, and sometimes straight-from-the-grave greats? There is a merry Monster Mash , which will shamble, cinematically, into the mid-city institution Oct. 26.

Nope, this isn't a dance party, as the timeless song might suggest, but it is a day of seasonal and cinematic activities at the Miracle Mile museum.

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And some of those events are free, like the chance to take a spooky snapshot with some of the iconic Universal Monsters. The Bride of Frankenstein will be there, and Frankenstein's monster, too, and Dracula will forgo his "never go out in the daytime" policy to swing by as well.

Or "caper" by, if you prefer. (It's hard to pass up a cape reference when discussing the Drac man.)

Other chilling and charming goings-on including a make-up and special effects demonstration and the chance to help create a Community Monster Mural.

You will need to purchase museum admission for a few of the Monster Mash-inspired activities and presentations, like the Magic Lantern Show; you'll also want to get a museum ticket if you'd like to take part in the Monsters and Heroes Encounters Tour.

And lest you think that the spooky stuff only haunts the Academy Museum in October, be feared, er, cheered: The museum screens great works of horror throughout the calendar, while its permanent exhibits include nods to some of the enduring monsters and haunting screenplays of the last century.

Still, if you're a movie lover and a monster maven, you'll want to moan-and-groan your way to Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue, Frankenstein-style, on the final Saturday of October.

(Indeed, we know he is Frankenstein's monster, but given how busy he is as Halloween grows near, we think calling him simply "Frankenstein" is the quicker and catchier way to go.)