‘Splatter Theater,’ though online this year, will not skimp on gore

The flagship show of the Annoyance Theatre, “Splatter Theater,” won’t be drenching any stages with blood this Halloween season. Instead, the long-running North Side horror spoof will be dirtying people’s homes.

The key gimmick of “Splatter Theater” is its lavish use of stage blood, which drenches the walls and the performers as characters are slashed, stabbed and disemboweled.

With indoor stage productions all but prohibited by the city’s COVID-19 restrictions, the Annoyance has moved the show online but promises to keep the gore abundant.

Actors across the country will be performing live from their homes — some with white walls and white costumes, the better to accentuate the splashes of crimson. Taped video segments will amplify the carnage.

Also new for 2020: a music video for the title sequence, featuring Chicago musicians Adam LeBlanc (of 16 Candles) and JC Brooks.

“Splatter Theater” is an Annoyance fundraiser this year, and only three 9 p.m. performances are planned. Tickets for the first two, Oct. 24 and 30, are pay-as-you-can, with a suggested donation of $20.

The price is fixed at $20 for the Oct. 31 show, with an optional virtual costume after-party for $10 more. For tickets, go to theannoyance.com.

“Splatter Theatre” premiered in 1987 at Cabaret Metro (now Metro) as the inaugural production of the Annoyance, then called Metraform. A sequel, “I Know What You Did Last Splatter,” debuted last year.