Haunted Journeys 2: Home Haunts

Sorry for the time away, didn't mean to leave such a huge gap in between posts but I've been busy with a dozen things of late and this little project sort of fell to the wayside. I'd hope to finish this series before the month of October, but no matter. Without further adieu, I give you Haunted Journeys 2: Home Haunts.

As I'm sure anyone who reads my wife's blog will see our mutual love of autumn and Halloween is something that has really shaped and defined our relationship over the years. On our first Halloween together we bought up nearly everything we could find from the local Party City and raided her dad's front yard, much to his surprise.

Paula's dad was quite horrified to come home from work to this, though he did calm down after we explained that the hanging skeletons had not in fact been painted onto the garage door as he had assumed.

Since Paula and I have moved in together we've pretty much been apartment people, which is something that we're quite glad of most of the year. We neither have a driveway to shovel in winter nor a yard to maintain in summer. Alas, the apartment lifestyle has robbed us of the opportunity of building our own Halloween home haunt. We don't even have a front porch to decorate much less anywhere to build a cemetery or corn maze. This is a problem we are looking into remedying but for the time being we placate ourselves by living vicariously through the efforts of others.

Most of the year it's quite hard to get our Halloween fix. There are always the dark rides and haunted houses I reviewed in my previous post but they are few and far between in Ontario, and there are only so many times a year you can visit the same attraction before it starts to get dull. There are year round X-mas stores to be found in some malls but no such places exist for the Halloween enthusiast.  This year I had the very good fortune of discovering The American Scream which I've watched at least twenty times on Netflix already (if you haven't seen this movie by the way I highly recommend it. Both this movie and it's soundtrack will be the first things on my X-mas list this year). Next year my wife and I are looking into attending The Canadian Haunted Attractions Conference and Scarefest. We do what we can to keep the spirit of the season alive throughout the year until October rolls around and we can once again revel in the devilish delights of our favorite holiday.

Now again I'm going to give some clarification of terms before moving on. Genuine home haunting, setting up a haunted house in one's home or yard, is sadly more of an American past time than a Canadian one. The haunts reviewed in this post were all either hosted at a farm (which is a business of sorts, but a family business) or were non-profit charity haunts. However I think of home haunting as the realm of the competent amateur. These attractions are put together mostly out of pocket by the people hosting them, which are constructed and worked with the aid of their friends, family and local volunteers. Sadly, without the financial backing of some corporate entity, many people can't maintain these events and they tend to shut down after only a few years of operation. That being the case I've only been able to visit three home haunts as many of the attractions I stumble across online got shut down before I discovered them.

I will be rating these haunts via the same "Spooky"and "Scary"  meters I used in my previous post, where "Spookiness" measures decor, atmosphere and spectacle and "Scariness" measures the intensity of the scare tactics at play.


Screamfest, White Rock Ostrich Farm, Milton Ontario (closed)

And no, those are not "orbs", it was just raining that night...
or was it?

I remember Screamfest very fondly. This was the first haunt my wife and I found when we decided to expand our yearly thrills beyond "Canada's Wonderland's Halloween Haunt". It was also the event that made us invest in a GPS system for our car. As mentioned in my first ever guest post about Carnival Diablo we got hopelessly lost in search of this haunt. Looking for a farm out in the countryside at night is no easy task, especially when said farm is buried in a tangled thicket of infuriatingly nondescript roads named either Nth Side or Nth Line. It doesn't look that confusing on the map but trust me, once you get out there, every street you turn down will have only one of two names! It was only after we'd given up and were headed home that we finally passed the sign reading White Rock Ostrich Farm. While these may not seem like fond memories, they are. The trip is half the fun for these events and nothing adds to the tension like that feeling of being good and lost out in the countryside.

Screamfest itself was a single, guided, walk-through haunted house. The lineup was tented, which was appreciated as it was raining that night. A documentary on old horror films played on repeat on an old television set and as you waited you had a chance to"bone-up" on the Screamfest rules of engagement. The lineup was long but that isn't necessarily a bad thing as it usually means there is some form of crowd control in play. Groups maxing out at about four or five people were permitted to go through. When one group had reached the cemetery, the next group could go through and so on.

This guy would actually say what was written on the |
tombstone in a deep, grim reapery voice. It was really
cool!

Once inside you waited for a few moments in the front foyer of the house to be greeted by your guide who leads you through the haunted hallways beyond. This haunt was a descent length, three or four rooms  inside as I recall and a cemetery at the back. There were a number of store bought decorations that I recognized but they were all used appropriately, meaning that decorations were not just randomly placed like you might see in a decorated yard. Creepy pictures were hung in the hallway, tombstones in the cemetery, a place for everything and everything in it's place as it were.

Screamfest utilized quite a few beloved gags of the haunting world. Picture frames opened so actors could howl at you from the walls, the thing you think is a stuffed dummy that leaps out of its chair at you, the prisoner who taunts you as you pass and then escapes from his cell to bar your exit. Many of the actors were quite whimsical in their performances however, making this a more fun for the whole family affair.

At the end we got to meet the people hosting the event, which is something I always love about home haunts over professional ones. We bought some ostrich burgers and learned that ostrich is actually a red meat and does taste very much like beef only without the fat and grease and everything that makes beef unpleasant to digest. We also told them about all the trouble we had getting there and they said we weren't the first. A lot of road names out in the rural regions of Ontario require some much needed updating on MapQuest as it turns out. For this reason we not only bought a GPS, as I mentioned, but we also try to scout out haunt locations about a month in advance. Unfortunately in doing my research for this post I have learned the Screamfest is currently no longer in operation. As mentioned in their statement however this seems to be more of a hiatus than an end, either way they will be missed.

Rating

Spookiness:
Not perfectly beveled around the edges, a few blank halls and rooms and a few noticeable, unmodified store bought decorations, but everything present is used appropriately and a solid attempt at a haunted house atmosphere is given.

Scariness:
Good use of actors and misdirection with just the right amount of whimsy to keep things from becoming too intense.

Haunted House of Horrors, Guelph Ontario 

I remember this particular haunt being something of a last minute find. It was nearing the end of October and we'd visited all the haunts we'd intended to when I stumbled across a news article online about a free haunt being hosted in Guelph on Halloween night. We threw the word out and before we knew it Paula had assembled a small posse of friends to accompany us, which is funny because we usually declare our plans about a month in advance only to wind up visiting most haunts on our own.

The Haunted House of Horrors was a butcher shop themed haunted house, although in truth there were a variety of settings inside from the bedroom of a possessed child undergoing an exorcism to an unnecessary surgery ward. This was good length haunt, about 5 rooms as I recall. Quite big on spectacle although personally I found its varied themes weakened the overall atmosphere. It was also oddly well lit for a haunted house, which worked to its detriment as well. Despite these few flaws the Haunted House of Horrors was a tonne of fun. It drew quite a crowd and our own group went through a total of three times before the evening was out. We arrived early so the attraction wasn't in full swing yet. When we first went through the entire haunt consisted of animated props but as the evening went on the actors began to appear. It was actually pretty cool because the haunt got more and more intense each time we went through.

This attraction  is the brainchild of haunter Shawn Gusz. He makes haunts for charity but to my knowledge both this haunt and all it's incarnations since have been free of charge for guests, so I'm not entirely sure how he manages to raise any money. I do know he sold the property where the Haunted House of Horrors was held and moved on to make a Victorian style haunt named The True Fear Haunted Funeral Home, which I didn't even hear about until after it was auctioned off. I would love to have purchased it but at the time I didn't have $75,000 to spare... I also had nowhere to keep it, which is always a problem. Almost every year he puts on a completely different show and as such this review can only speak to the butcher shop haunt I attended and not to his work as a whole.

Rating

Spookiness:
There were one or two exceedingly detailed rooms, but the well lit interior and overly varied themes watered down the atmosphere a bit.

Scariness:
Good use of scary props and actors. Use of gory images, loud noises and frightening performances from actors make this a little less playful than other haunts.


Scream Shack, Cold Water, Ontario


This one was a little out of our way. Cold Water is over an hours drive north of where we are and the first night we tried to go the weather made us turn back. We tried again the following weekend and made the trip successfully. By this time Paula and I had been going to haunts for a few years now and we had the forethought to scout Scream Shack out ahead of time so we wouldn't get lost.

Of the home haunts I've been to this one impressed me the most. It was easily on par with a professional haunt, hell it was better than a lot professional haunts! Every year Scream Shack presents three different haunted houses. When we went there was another butchers shop, a hotel and a jungle with ancient ruins. If I had to pick a weakness that would be it as each attraction was quite short. Personally I would have preferred that Scream Shack had been a single, longer attraction than three shorter ones. Despite its limited space however what Scream Shack accomplishes is truly astounding. As I'm sure I've mentioned I love my haunts heavy in atmosphere and Scream Shack has atmosphere in spades. Just stop by their website and look at their Ghoul Gallery. The level of detail in each scene quite incredible, but this attention to detail goes beyond visuals. In Granny's Butchers Shop there was a newsreel playing in the front room detailing Granny's atrocious crimes. In Hotel Crow there was a rickety elevator complete with blinking lights, grinding gears and discordant elevator music. The creators of Scream Shack are true craftsmen utilizing sights, sounds, props and actors to horrifying effect.

Despite the level of professionalism Scream Shack is still a home haunt and as such it relies heavily on local volunteers for support, including children. This can take the teeth out of the horror a bit, as a kid's attempt at this...

... squee

comes across more like this...

Dawww!

 Also, as with Screamfest the performances of the adult actors were a bit light hearted. But these are more general comments than negative criticisms, for although giggling kids and whimsical performances can take some of the edge out of the horror it ultimately adds to the overall charm of the haunt. Everyone involved in a home haunt is there for the sheer love of haunting. They genuinely enjoy what they're doing and as a guest you get a bit of a contact high off of their enthusiasm that no professional haunt can replicate.

Rating

Spookiness:
Overwhelming attention to detail and very immersive environments. This haunt only falls short of a full 5 due to the shortness of each event. Each haunted house really draws you into their world, but you're not there long enough to be really be swept away by it.

Scariness: 
Incredible use of actors, props and environments to deliver scares but performances are light hearted enough to keep things feeling friendly and fun. Plus, kids in ill fitting costumes are just adorable :)

Well, I guess that's it for my home haunt segment of Haunted Journeys. Only one more post to write now, and with any luck it won't take me another month to write it. Stay tuned for Haunted Journeys 3: Professional Haunts, coming to you... whenever I get to it.

Richard Vaughan

Haunted Journeys 1: Year Round Attractions

I suppose I should start this post off by touching on some terminology. In my introductory post I tended to generically refer to everything as a 'haunted attraction'. The term 'haunt', however, more commonly refers to seasonal attractions, 'Halloween Haunts', that appear in the month of October. Year round attractions on the other hand are either referred to as haunted houses or dark rides. A haunted house is pretty much what it sounds like, you walk through the halls of a creepy castle or mansion and are scared by gags (mechanical props) or actors that jump out at you from the shadows. A dark ride is similar only you're strapped into a cart that takes you around on a track. Dark rides also aren't always scary. The 'Pirates of the Caribbean' and 'Small World' attractions at Disney World are both dark rides but for the purposes of this article when I say dark ride I'm referring specifically to hard top (fixed location) and trailer top (temporary location) ghost train type attractions. (For more information on dark rides visit: http://www.laffinthedark.com/)

Dante's Inferno at Coney Island, never been but a good example of the sort of dark ride that you used to be able to see at the CNE.

It was actually the dark rides at the CNE that sparked my love for scary amusements. I would always stare up at them in horror when I was a kid, holding my mum's hand as we walked through the crowded CNE midway. Horrible, rickety metal contraptions they were, towering two stories high (which looks enormous when you're a kid). Some were all painted in red, orange and yellow with depictions of monsters, demons and people suffering in Hell, others were all greens and deep blues with skeletons in crows cages, vultures on castle ramparts and rotting ghouls clawing their way out of the earth. I was too scared to go near them as a young child, I was even scared to walk past them lest something pounce from one of the clattering double doors and drag me kicking and screaming to my doom. At some point however, I forget exactly what age, I dared to finally ride one and had the time of my life! Sadly this was only a few years before they went out of style. If you go to the CNE now you'll likely only find pithy one story trailer top dark rides like the "Haunted Mansion", pictured below.

The type of Dark Ride you're more likely to see at the CNE today

These just take you around in a short C shaped route and in this particular model they hadn't even bothered to fill in the cracks along the seams so sunlight came pouring in from all directions, lighting the whole thing up.

Alas, the Golden Age of the dark ride is behind us. There are, however, still a few hard top dark rides to be found in Ontario, though in truth they really aren't all that dark. Interactive shooting dark rides have become all the rage in the modern amusement scene of Ontario. Such attractions utilize dark lighting and fluorescent paint, like the "Putting Edge" indoor mini-golf courses. You're armed with a lazer gun and as the cart wheels you around you fire at targets to trigger the various ghastly gags along the way. These attractions are aimed at children, but being a fanatic I've been on two anyway.

Before I proceed I intend to rate the following six attractions I review below based on two 1-5 scales of criteria. The first is 'spookiness'  which will measure the attractions atmosphere and spectacle. The second will be 'scariness'which will deal more with the attractions effectiveness in scaring it's visitors eg. jump-scare props, actors and effects designed to disorient the senses.

Scooby Doo's Haunted Mansion

"Scooby Doo's Haunted Mansion" is an interactive shooting dark ride located at "Canada's Wonderland". The first thing I remember about this ride was it's grueling line up. Each cart can only carry two people, and I think there are only about four or five carts total, which have to be evenly spaced so there are never two in the same room at the same time. Because of this the line moves very slowly, a problem made all the worse by the fact that the line is mercilessly un-shaded. So, as you melt away beneath the blaring summer sun you will occasionally pass a sign declaring: '45min from this point', '30min from this point' and so on. I think this is meant to ease your passing but in truth all it does is make your suffering more acute.

After what feels like a hike through the seven circles of hell you at last arrive at the ride. Once you're seated they reset the score board on your cart and you're on your way. Now, keep in mind this ride is on the border of Hanna Barabera Land (or whatever it's called now), which is the kids section of Wonderland. This attraction is more dim than dark and the gags are all cartoonish and Scooby Doo themed. As you fire at the targets you'll make grinning ghosts appear in portraits, grimacing ghouls pop up from behind graves, top hatted skeletons play pipe organs and, of course, there are various appearances from the title character and friends. Not at all scary but good fun for kids if you can stand the wait. At the end your score is tallied with whoever you attended the ride with, but there's no prize for winning so unless you have extremely competitive friends this doesn't add much to the experience.  

Rating
Spookiness:
While there is no shortage of decor and spectacle it is more silly than spooky, owing largely to the rides Sunday morning cartoon show subject matter.

Scariness:
It's hard to be startled by a gag you consciously trigger and all of the gags pop out rather slowly and are not accompanied by any loud, startling noises.

Ghost Blasters

The second year round dark ride attraction I visited was called "Ghost Blasters". Located on Cliffton Hill in Niagara Falls this is another interactive shooter. It's similar in many ways to "Scooby Doo's Haunted Mansion" sans the trade mark character theme. It's a little bit longer and, while still cartoonish and kiddy, comes across a little less silly than Scooby's. On the plus side this ride is located in the Midway arcade, so the line up is indoors making it not only shaded but air conditioned.

The main problem with shooter attractions like this is that you can't actually see the lazer beam, which makes the targets difficult to aim at. If you have naturally lousy aim, like me, it's possible to go through the entire ride without triggering a single gag. It also tends to detract from the atmosphere since you're so focused on the activity you don't really get a moment to take in the setting. All in all just another watered down family attraction, not scary but still fun.

Rating
Spookiness:
I'll give this one a slightly higher spookiness score. Like Scooby's there is a lot of spectacle only here it doesn't suffer from excessive cartoonishness. This particular attraction also has a few props (like a swooping grim reaper headstone gag) that are pretty cool.

Scariness:
Again, self triggered gags, slow moving, no loud noises. 

As it happens nearly every other year round scary attraction in Ontario is also located on or near Cliffton Hill. These are walk-through haunted house attractions and they run the gambit from charming to horrifying. Starting at the bottom of Cliffton and working our way up we begin at...

The Haunted House

This is actually my favorite attraction in Niagara Falls, I make it a point to visit "The Haunted House" nearly every time I'm there. It is still considered a family attraction as evidenced by the fact that it's sold as part of the Cliffton Hill family value package. As I mentioned in the introductory post, though, I prefer attractions with a lot of atmosphere and while I wouldn't say the atmosphere in "The Haunted House" is thick or particularly convincing an attempt is at least made. This is by far the most visually interesting haunted house attraction on Cliffton Hill.

That being said it isn't exactly what I would call scary. There are no live actors, it's all props and gags, many of which are not too startling. The decor is all quite ghoulish and not as family friendly as "Ghost Blasters", so if you have sensitive kids this might not be for them. This attraction is also pretty dark with lots of shadowy, low lit rooms and hallways and there are a few areas that are pitch black. Lastly, in an amusement area with many disappointingly short attractions "The Haunted House" is quite a satisfying length. Ultimately it's this combination of spectacle and duration that really makes me feel that this attraction is money well spent in comparison to much of what Cliffton Hill has to offer.

Rating
Spookiness:
Not a terribly immersive atmosphere but the attempt is made to create a spooky ambiance which, though lacking, is very much appreciated.

Scariness:
While there are no live actors some of the gags can elicit a jump or two. There are also a few disorienting uneven floor tricks and dark spots.

Dracula's Haunted Castle

Next on our trip up Cliffton Hill is "Dracula's Haunted Castle". It is at this point in our journey that the haunted houses make a polar flip from the family friendly fare I've reviewed thus far. They focus more heavily on the scare than the aforementioned attractions. Sadly this is often to the detriment of atmosphere.

Named after the infamous vampire as portrayed by the legendary Bela Lugosi this attraction is fittingly dark. This is also the only attraction I've ever been to that lets you choose your spice level, as it were. When purchasing your tickets you'll be prompted to choose a 'scare level' of 'daring', 'crazy' or 'hardcore'. My wife and I went 'daring' the first time and 'crazy' the second. This attraction utilizes live actors and the scare level dictates exactly how vigorously they are allowed to harass you (mid level up permits them to prod and grab you).


As stated there isn't much by way of atmosphere in Dracula's. There are a few diorama style scenes but for the most part you'll be stumbling around in the dark. I was rather amused to see some of the more classic catalogue  dark ride gags though, including a 'Phantom of the Opera' themed Charmin' Charles. (For more info on classic gags read this article http://www.laffinthedark.com/articles/gunmountain/gunmountain.htm)

Rating
Spookiness:
Despite a few props and dioramas there is very little spectacle overall and really no attempt is made to give you the feel of walking through a haunted castle.

Scariness:
In fairness I've only done "Dracula's Haunted Castle" on the middle 'scare level', it might score a 4 on 'hardcore', I don't really know. Live actors snarling, growling and pawing at you in the dark. Scary yes but nothing terribly clever going on.

The House of Frankenstein

Continuity error... No one will notice that!

Hands down this attraction has the most flamboyant facade of any haunted house on Cliffton Hill. It's got gargoyles, a giant bust of Frankenstein's monster chowing down on a burger from Burger King and an animated diorama of the monster and Igor that sings "Wild Thing" next to the entrance.

While scarier than "The Haunted House" it is a lot less intense than many of it's competitors. The ticket lady will warmly invite passers by, boldly declaring: "Nobody touches ya, it's just good clean fun!" (Not like that dirty Dracula's down the street). Frankenstein's does use live actors who snarl and scream in the dark, so there is still a decent scare factor that might make this too intense for young children.

I also find this attraction one of the more interesting as they'd mixed it up a bit every time I visited. When my wife and I first visited it was like Dracula's in almost every way, you went from a dim lit diorama to a pitch black hallway. When we went again on New Year's Eve they had the place lit with low level dark lights and costumed actors would jump out and scare you. There is also the perplexing phenomenon of the movie room which plays the old black and white Frankenstein 24-7 and has a pin ball machine in the corner. Not really a very scary room but no other haunted house on Cliffton has a pinball machine, so :P

Rating
Spookiness:
This was a bit of a tough call. For the most part this haunted house relies on darkness. Spectacle is sparse but there were a few dioramas and gags. Also, when the place is lit up the actors are costumed. Granted they were dressed as a clown and the killer from "Scream", which is wildly inappropriate for a Frankenstein themed attraction, but they were visible just the same so it counts as spectacle in my book.

Scariness:
More screams in the dark. They don't prod at you but when lit up they do jump out at you, so it all balances out to another even 3.

Nightmares Fear Factory

At the end of our trip is "Nightmares Fear Factory". Don't be fooled by the unassuming, non-descript facade. This is the big one! Check out the website to see their chicken out score and top ten  weekly photos http://www.nightmaresfearfactory.com/. If you've ever watched a cat toy with a bird or a mouse before eating it and wondered what that feels like, visit Nightmares.

You're told before you enter that if you want out you just have to yell "nightmares!" and you'll be escorted back to the entrance (no refunds for chickens, by the way). This attraction is completely dark save for the little red lights that guide you through. As for what it utilizes, well, damn near everything! This attraction is certainly populated but whether it's live actors are truly "alive" is anyone's guess. Beyond this I will say nothing more, you'll have to go and experience this one yourself. Be warned, though, this haunted house really isn't for the faint of heart.

Rating
Spookiness:
I give this attraction a low spookiness rating namely because it is totally dark with no real spectacle. I will however give a higher atmosphere score than other pure dark walk-throughs because despite a lack of spooky decorum this attraction really makes you feel as if you are being haunted and tormented by evil spirits.

Scariness:
If you love to be scared this attraction is the biggest bang for your buck of all the year round haunted houses I've ever visited. "Nightmares Fear Factory" is an all out assault on your senses, no punches are pulled here.

Well, that concludes this installment of "Haunted Journeys". The attractions listed above aren't all the year round haunted houses and dark rides in Ontario, just the ones my wife and I have visited. I hope you've enjoyed reading and stayed tuned for "Haunted Journeys 2: Home Haunts".

Richard Vaughan

Haunted Journeys

Richard has decided to write another post on this blog talking about something we are both very passionate about: Halloween! Since he has been doing a bunch of guest posts on the blog we decided to give him a different signature at the bottom of his posts so you can tell who's writing them. Enjoy!

...

Fall is swiftly approaching and with it comes Halloween, pumpkin flavored coffees and beers and, of course, a plethora of haunted attractions; all of my favorite things in life. However none of this is happening right now so I'm left with nothing to do but watch scary movies and start planning ahead.

As mentioned in earlier posts my wife and I have, over the past few years, traveled all over Ontario to visit numerous haunted attractions in the month of October. Personally I love the more detailed attractions. I love my haunts with a theme and thick atmosphere. Its fun being scared sure but I really love that immersive feeling of temporarily walking into another world. That being said I'll still have loads of fun in any generic black walled haunt where psycho clowns, zombies and Hollywood movie serial killers all live and laugh together in harmony.

It's usually around the close of summer that my wife and I start looking ahead and sorting out which events we intend on visiting this year. In our search for new thrills and chills we usually find our way to this webpage: http://www.ontariohaunts.com/. Now while this site is an excellent guide to haunted attractions in the Ontario region I find its rating system to be a tad misleading.

{Source}

This site utilizes a "skull meter" rating intended to help you sort out which haunts are family friendly and which are more suited for older children and adults. Trouble is the number of skulls the haunt gets depends on "gore and horror". Well, horror is subjective and I have no idea what they mean by it here so I'm guessing this meter is slanted more towards gore than anything else.

So, looking at the list one would see that "Fort Fright" in Kingston has been given two and half skulls while "Nightmares Fear Factory" in Niagara Falls has received only one. Anyone looking at this would assume that "Fort Fright" is scarier than "Nightmares" and, having visited both, I can assure you this couldn't be further from the truth. Now, if we're going by gore alone, "Fort Fright" did have decorations depicting corpses and skulls and the like while "Nightmares" is pitch black attraction so if this meter measures gore alone it is technically correct. However, as I've mentioned in a previous post, I did not find "Fort Fright" to be a scary experience at all; I'd think even some younger children might find it a bit boring at times. "Nightmares" on the other hand is probably the scariest, most harrowing haunted attraction in Ontario. I would not recommend this attraction for children at all. They boast hundreds of chicken-outs yearly and these are not idle boasts. I was in line once to witness one, it really ramps up the tension.

Over the next few weeks it is my intention to write a series of reviews about the haunted attractions my wife and I have visited. Now I'm not going to give detailed walk-throughs or anything of the sort as I don't want to spoil any of the surprises awaiting the unwitting victims... er, patrons. What I do hope to create is a somewhat more in depth and comprehensive guide to local scary attractions than what is currently available. So, keep your eyes peeled for "Haunted Journeys 1: Year Round Attractions", my first... well, technically second... installment in my haunt review series.

Richard Vaughan