The Winchester Mystery House is weird enough with the lights on. Imagine taking the grand tour of the Bay Area’s most bizarre house in the dark—like the gang from Scooby-Doo, hunting for ghosts. This Friday—the 13th, natch—the Mystery House opens up for the adventurous to explore the house by flashlight (The $49 admission price comes with a souvenir torch). The event is held to honor the house’s eccentric matron, Sarah Winchester, who was apparently a bit obsessed with the number 13. One lucky guest will get the chance to ring the house’s bell at 1pm (the 13th hour of the day).
Flashlight Tour
Fri, 5:30pm, $49
Winchester Mystery House, San Jose

Magician and apparitionist Aiden Sinclair, who has wowed national audiences with his appearances on America’s Got Talent and Penn & Teller Fool Us, brings his show to San Jose’s eeriest estate. Illusions of the Passed—A Theatrical Séance is a mix of illusion, history and ghost stories, all modeled after a Victorian-era séance. These spooky social gatherings were very much in vogue during Sara Winchester’s life and have long played into the myth and mystery of the Mystery House. This show is not suitable for children under 10, so leave the kiddos at home.

Illusions of the Passed
Wed, 7pm & 9pm, $59+
Winchester Mystery House, San Jose

Much like the proverbial movie monster that once again rises from the grave to wreak havoc across the countryside and feast on more hapless victims, “Kirk Von Hammett’s Fear FestEvil” is coming back for a well-deserved sequel.

The horror convention meets heavy metal thrash fest celebrated its inaugural outing last year in San Francisco—for the second installment in the franchise, Hammett is moving the show to San Jose; kind of like moving from camp to camp on the shores of Crystal Lake if you will, spreading the blood…er, love.

Hammett—best known to millions of fans around the globe as the lead guitarist for Bay Area music legends Metallica—has been a horror film aficionado since his youth and has amassed a huge collection of memorabilia, including original props, costumes, posters, toys and more over the years. It has grown into such an extensive repository that in 2012 it spawned the awesome coffee table-style book “Too Much Horror Business” and inspired him to put on these events for like-minded fans.

Select items from Hammett’s “crypt collection” will be on display over the weekend—which will feature performances from Meshuggah, High On Fire, Orchid, Ghoul, Agnostic Front, and Asada Messiah, as well as a special VIP murder mystery dinner, hosted by Hammett himself.

If you missed your chance to pick up a ticket for the VIP dinner, or don’t feel like getting bludgeoned by the brutally heavy sounds of bands like Meshuggah or High On Fire, you can check out the just-announced, and totally free, “Carnival of Chaos.”

The outdoor event will feature a “Fiend Market” with plenty of vendors, an “authentic freak show,” carnival games, a hearse car show and more.

Descendants of some of Universal Pictures’ classic monster royalty—the Karloff, Lugosi and Chaney families—will be in attendance to share their memories and stories on stage, as will cult classic actor Bill Moseley and others.

Kirk Von Hammett’s Second Annual Fear FestEvil is April 11-12 at the RockBar Theater. More info.