1. Learn some important borough history at the book launch for A History of Brooklyn Bridge Park, which recounts the “grassroots, multivoiced, and contentious effort” to transform the park since the 1980s; the event will include a panel discussion and book signing. (Monday, powerHouse Books, FREE)
2. Or go back even further in Brooklyn history at a lecture on Samuel Gumpertz, King of the Coney Island Sideshow, a turn-of-the-century impresario who ran bathhouses, wax museums, chambers of horrors, and many more crazy Coney creations. (Monday, Morbid Anatomy Museum, $8)
3. Expect a good deal of blood at Little Cinema’s immersive screening of Carrie, complete with Love Show dancers, a live cellist, fire performers, an audiovisual DJ, and surely plenty of telekinesis. (Tuesday, House of Yes, $10)
4. Get analytical at Secret Science Club, this month exploring snap decisions, unconscious first impressions, and the neural mechanisms underlying stereotypes with Jon Freeman, director of the Social Cognitive & Neural Sciences Lab and assistant professor of psychology at NYU. (Tuesday, Bell House, FREE)
5. Laugh at some good tricks at the ninth annual Schtick or Treat, where 40+ jokesters perform as comedy legends (living or dead), including Richard Pryor, Gilda Radner, Eddie Izzard, Sinbad, and many more. (Wednesday, Knitting Factory, $12)
6. Glitch out at Animation Block Party’s GIFoween, presenting the winners of Giphy’s Halloween-themed animation loop contest, followed by a GIF dance party — costumes strongly encouraged. (Wednesday, Brooklyn Bazaar, FREE)
7. Get smarter at SASS’s Art History Happy Hour, a night of “seriously un-serious” lectures including “The History of Print Photography,” “Olympic Art,” and “Kodak Moments in the Collection,” plus the museum is open until 10pm for plenty of late-night browsing. (Thursday, Brooklyn Museum, FREE)
8. Celebrate four giggly years of the BackFat Variety Show, with Emily Galati, Joel Kim Booster, Eli Sairs, Amelita Lijek, and Frank Nelson, plus wine giveaways and free cake for all. (Thursday, 61 Local, FREE)
9. Work off some aggression at the First Annual Pumpkin-Smashing Party, where you can gouge a gourd with a variety of implements, from a baseball bat to a hatchet to a double-handed axe. Come in costume! (Friday, Gotham Archery, FREE)
10. Watch some wonderful cinema at the Crown Heights Film Festival, featuring 20+ shorts over two evenings, including narrative, animation, documentary, and experimental films. (Friday, FiveMyles, FREE)
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