Celebrating ‘spooky season’

Rosser

Winnipeg

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This article was published 16/10/2024 (541 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With Halloween — or “spooky season,” as its sometimes referred to — hastily approaching, those who love to celebrate the season are beginning to brainstorm costumes, decorate their yards, and seek out the latest scare.

As we move further into October month, scares will certainly abound, with both classic and brand-new Halloween events and destinations popping up around seemingly every corner — outdoor mazes, Halloween haunts, interactive experiences featuring haunted houses, animatronics, and live actors can be found both in and around the city.

A “haunt experience” differs from exploring a maze, said James Thevenot, who co-owns Six Pines Haunted Attractions with his wife, Judy. The Thevenots, with their son, Thomas, have been putting on their Halloween-season attraction — which features paid actors, live music, and sets made completely from scratch at the family’s plot of land in Rosser, Man. — for the last 26 years.

“Our stuff happens all indoors,” he said, noting that’s a benefit when facing unreliable autumn weather. “Sure, it was windy (recently), but if you’re inside it’s not.”

This year, Six Pines will feature several indoor haunted houses, including the headliner, Sixth Night at Freddy’s, based on the popular 2014 video game, Five Nights at Freddy’s, and its corresponding movie of the same name, which was released last year.

“It’s the secret sixth night that no one talks about,” the couple teased.

Alongside the new haunts, which include revamped versions of older sets, Six Pines is offering a number of new features, such as a new photo area, a tarot card reader, and a gift shop featuring original, horror-themed art.

Returning attractions include food from an on-site kitchen and photo opportunities with an original Ghostbusters car. All funds collected from the latter will benefit the Children’s Hospital of Winnipeg.

For more information and ticket prices, visit sixpineshaunted.com

Alongside Six Pines, a brand-new place to scream is the Farmageddon’event, taking place every weekend until Halloween at Deer Meadow Farms, just east of the Perimeter Highway at 21155 Springfield Rd.

Different from the indoor haunt, Farmageddon is all outdoors, using the plot of farmland — which includes a forest and corn maze — to its advantage. It features three shows, the biggest of which being The Forbidden Forest & Haunted Hayride, which contains nine “larger than life” sets (such as a cage containing asylum patients, and more) visitors will encounter while on a stroll through the forest.

Farmageddon also includes live actors in its three shows. While The Forbidden Forest runs at 30-minute intervals, the others are unscheduled and open for entry at any point throughout the night. Ticket purchases include guaranteed entry. Along with the outdoor experience, participants are also treated to a ‘Blood Bar’ and concessions.

Tickets cost $34 to $49, depending on the night. For more information, visit deermeadowfarms.com

Returning haunts also include Terror on 12, located in Anola, Man., a haunted house — or, according to organizers, “interactive haunted scream park” — built to be a “full sensory assault on your psyche.”

Heebie Jeebies is also back in action this year, featuring 30 new characters, 60 new animatronics, nine photo ops, and brand-new rooms for previous attractions Bobo’s and Cell Block 13, which include the return of a classic frightener and an inside-look at shock therapy, among others.

For more information and ticket prices, visit terroron12.ca and heebie-jeebies.ca, respectively.

When looking into which haunt to visit this year, make sure to read all disclaimers referring to health concerns, accommodations for young children, and more, so that the experience is as fun as it is scary. For example, Six Pines offers a ‘chicken pass’ and ‘monster protector’ for participating kids.

“It’s all about fun, not traumatizing people,” Judy Thevenot said.

Travel Manitoba has a full list of the haunted attractions available in the province at travelmanitoba.com