Dracula

Hannibal Lecter is no slouch, and Voldemort can cackle with the best of ‘em, but when it comes to villains, Count Dracula is the classic. A Transylvanian nobleman with blood on the brain and a cape on his shoulders, the vampire has been making lips quiver since 1897, the year Bram Stoker’s gothic horror novel was released. Over 100 years and countless adaptations later, the Pennsylvania Ballet is bringing the story to the stage, complete with blood, seduction, castle sets and a score by Hungarian composer Franz Liszt. This time, though, dancers leap and pirouette their way towards wooden stakes, making cannibalism seem rather… poetic. (And if you aren’t ready to go home after the show, a Halloween party will follow the October 31st performance.)

Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts., $22 to $124, 215-893-1999; paballet.org