An isolated farmhouse on a moonlit night, a mysterious robot factory run by a reptile, even the deck of a cruise ship are some of the locations audiences will experience as local theaters take on the Halloween season.

"Audiences are hungry for sci-fi fantasy," said Anthony DiFranco, who describes his play, "The Salamander Solution," being presented at BACCA Arts Center in Lindenhurst, as a cross between two 1956 cult classics, "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" and "Forbidden Planet." People like being scared, he said, "that’s why they go on roller coasters."

If being terrified isn’t your cup of tea, some of the family-focused shows feature kinder inhabitants — a witch who just wants to make friends and a friendly bat. But for many, it’s all about the terror. Michael Blangiforti, a managin

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