Maybe the best thing about this, the second-most-magical time of the year, is that there’s such a glorious abundance of things to do. You can literally just walk down the street during the tail end of October and you’ll get hit with big dose of Halloween flavour. The leaves have changed (or just fallen off completely), decorations are up, and there are fun-size Snickers as far as the eye can see. Glorious.
The only problem with so many events being available is that it’s actually kind of tough to pick which ones you want to check out. Friends, we’re here for you. The following list, presented in no particular order, will either help you whittle down your list or add more choices, thus making things tougher for you. Enjoy!
Fort Edmonton Park’s Dead Centre of Town
October 27
Cost: $24.15
“This year, Edmonton’s only traveling historical live action horror show possesses Hotel Selkirk. Exhuming the sordid stories of some of Edmonton’s worst kept secrets, locked behind the guest room doors of some of the city’s best known hotels, Dead Centre of Town dares you to get your scare on.”
Cool, right? If you’re a fan of those creepy, Unsolved Mysteries style stories about creepy events and legends from the past, this’ll be right up your alley.
It’s worth noting that Fort Edmonton Park has a whole line-up of Halloween events this year, and this is the only one that’s not yet sold out, so act now if you want in! Other events include an improv show featuring some talented, funny folks like SCTV’s Joe Flaherty and the 2016 Spooktacular, which was probably less “Haha! Joe Flaherty’s really funny!” and more “Oh, dear. It appears my terror has resulted in me soiling my pants.”
Movies a-plenty at Metro Cinema
Various dates
Cost: ticket prices range from $6-$12
As always, Metro Cinema has a nice selection of thematically appropriate films for the Halloween season. You’ve got Ringu (which really is pretty scary), Young Frankenstein (which is pretty funny), Army of Darkness (which isn’t scary but is funny and awesome and features a man with a chainsaw arm so why not?), and more.
Capping it all off is the 3rd Annual Metro Halloween Mash, which sounds like a pretty great throwback to the movie-going experiences of the late 50s and early 60s.
“This Halloween Metro Mash doubles down on the thrills with a terrifying double feature of Vincent Price and William Castle. The night starts out with our annual tradition of House on Haunted Hill, a bloodcurdling supernatural murder mystery with an appearance by a very special guest. Next up we have The Tingler wherein a scientist discovers a mysterious parasite that feasts on fear and lives in every human's spine. In honour of Mr. William Castle’s films and the spirit of spookshows both films will be presented as they were meant to be seen in Emergo and Percepto! Please join us for an uncanny evening of spine-chilling scares.
Live special effects by Allan Mulholland and Maggie Hardy”
Pay special attention to that last line. Live special effects. I’m sold.
Deadmonton Haunted House
Open until November 5
Cost: $20 before Halloween week, $25 during
“Are you ready to conquer the fears that lurk in the dark corners of your mind? Can you handle what is waiting for you in the depths of Deadmonton Haunted House?”
A perennial favorite, the Deadmonton Haunted House is your best bet if you want some good old-fashioned scares. Essentially, they’ve turned the Old Paramount Theatre into a professional, frightening, and oh-so-cool haunted house. People walk in, confident that they’ll be able to handle it, and then they leave with bruised egos and throats hoarse from screaming.
Their website features a big warning (the best rides and attractions always do) and they keep a running tally of the number of people who chicken out. So, you know, maybe be prepared to scream a bit.
