THEATER: It's opening night of Thrillpeddlers' 11th annual presentation of Shoctober Fest 2010: Kiss of Blood, a series of three one-act Grand Guignol terror plays and titillating farces. Plays include Kiss of Blood, Lips of the Damned, and The Empress of Colma. At intermission, Thrillpeddlers invite audience members to partake in a "macabre demonstration of their full-size replica of an 18th century Guillotine. Steady nerves and cameras are a must."

8 to 10 p.m. // Hypnodrome Theater (575 10th St) // $25-35

FILM: Filmmaker Paul Clipson presents Elements, an evening of multidimensional film, sound, and live performance. The event features short films by Clipson, which are often improvised, in-camera-edited Super-8mm films employing multiple exposures, dissolves, and macro imagery, accompanied by live soundtracks by Bay Area musicians and sound artists including Tarentel, Gregg Kowalsky, and Jefre Cantu-Ledesma.

7 p.m. // SFMOMA, Phyllis Wattis Theater (151 Third St) // $5

LITERARY: Painter, graphic novelist, and illustrator Eric Drooker, will give a slide lecture on Howl: A Graphic Novel, based on Allen Ginsberg's epic poem. Drooker also designed the animation for the film, Howl (starring James Franco).

7 p.m. // City Lights Bookstore (261 Columbus Ave) // free