Science can be a frightening word, particularly when it's listed under "cause of death" and followed by three exclamation points. Overcome your fear of knowledge with today's Groupon: for $29, you get two tickets to Spirits & Skeletons on Friday, October 28, at 8 p.m. at the Houston Museum of Natural Science (a $60 value).

Under eerie lights and towering skeletons that once occupied prehistoric beasts, costumed carousers gather at the Houston Museum of Natural Science for Spirits & Skeletons, an evening of spooky, retro entertainment and epicurean concoctions. While '80s-themed rock band Molly & The Ringwalds conjure the ghosts of legwarmers past, a cash bar dispenses libations, and the museum's Bug Chef tempts the brave with creepy, crawly treats. Though the menu is subject to change, Café Natalie will supply party-goers with a buffet of snacks ranging from caprese skewers to pumpkin-spiced macaroons. Meanwhile, a magician tests the strongest of skeptics and the most scrupulously emptied of top hats with paranormal prestidigitation. Guests can memorialize the evening in zombified caricatures and a phantom photographer before sitting in on a planetarium show, where vivid shapes and images zip through the darkness to the sounds of Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd.