by Jenn Reid
Halloween will be here sooner than you think, but we’re ready for it. Get in the Halloween spirit by doing these frightening, freaky, spooky and scary things to do in Toronto. Don’t say we didn’t warn you! [Photo courtesy of Haunted Walks]
At Home with Monsters
The AGO’s latest exhibit couldn’t be more perfect for Halloween. At Home with Monsters is a look at director Guillermo del Toro’s art collection, which is spooky and macabre. Check out art work, statues, props and more from his collection, including pieces from his own films like Pan’s Labyrinth, Pacific Rim, Hellboy and more.
CN Tower Edgewalk
Doesn’t matter what time of year it is, Edgewalk is always scary. You’re walking along the outside of Toronto’s tallest building, 365 metres up in the air! The 2017 season will come to a close soon, so right around Halloween is the last chance of the year to try this adventure-seeking stunt. Bonus: the days are getting shorter, and you can head up in the evening for a great view of the city at night.
The Keg Mansion
Normally there’s nothing scary about the Keg, but considering this one is haunted, it’s worth a Halloween visit. The story goes that Lillian Massey, who’s family once owned the mansion, still resides in the building, as does a hanging spirit of her former maid.
Toronto After Dark Festival
What’s your favourite scary movie? You might find a new favourite at Toronto After Dark, a nine-day horror and sci-fi film festival. Different nights have themes so you can choose what kind of scare you’re in for: slasher, zombie, etc. Get ready to scream and don’t forget the popcorn!
Legends of Horror
Casa Loma is a historic home in Toronto that is reportedly haunted. While we can’t guarantee you’ll see a ghost while there, you will see some scares during Legends of Horror. Casa Loma becomes a real haunted house for you to explore, complete with monsters like Dracula, Frankenstein and more.
13 Sedah Ave.
Escape room games can be fun, exhilarating and thrilling, but this one from Nowayout is downright terrifying. It’s like a horror movie come to life, with you as the star: there’s strange writing on the walls, signs of paranormal activity and apparently, a pit you can fall into and not make your way out of. Be careful and be brave!
Check out more escape games in Toronto
Spooky Lagoon
If you’re brave enough, you can take a nighttime boat ride to the Toronto Island and hear all about it’s dark past. Local historians will fill you in on what’s lurking in dark waters, including the notorious story of death and ghostly sightings at the Gibraltar Point Lighthouse.
Toronto Ghost Tours
Our city has a lot of stories from over the years, and not all of them are good. Toronto Ghost Tours take you through some of the city’s oldest locations, and recount that dark history and the spirits that allegedly still haunt them. You can learn about the spirits of the Distillery District, the mysterious sightings at the Hockey Hall of Fame or the secret chambers in the depths of U of T.
More Haunted Walks and Tours in Toronto and the GTA
Where the Dark Things Dwell
The village is cursed, and only you can save it. That’s the story at Black Creek Pioneer Village’s massive escape game, where you explore several historic buildings and the grounds themselves. Groups race the clock to break the evil curse and save the village from a mysterious cult. If that’s not creepy enough, the game is only played at night. Do you dare?
Take a look inside Where the Dark Things Dwell
Haunted High Park
In the summer, High Park is home to a lot of nice things: beautiful nature, cherry blossoms, Shakespeare plays and gardens. Those days are over, and now High Park is offering ghost tours and séances. If you’re brave enough, join historians at Colborne Lodge who will walk you through the real history of the home, Victorian traditions related to funerals and death, and then perform a Victorian séance.
Elgin/Winter Garden Theatre Tour
The Elgin and Winter Garden theatres are some of Toronto’s most beautiful and historic — and haunted. The Edwardian-era theatres have plenty of stories from over the years: seats moving on their own, elevators stopping on floors that don’t exist, sightings of a trombone player and a lady in lavender perfume.
More Haunted Places You can Visit in Toronto
Mount Pleasant Cemetery Tour
Mount Pleasant is one of the city’s older cemeteries, and holds many important and notorious figures from Toronto’s history. The cemetery tour takes you through the grounds to visit different tombstones and learn about the people who now lie there, including the Massey family, former prime minister William Lyon Mackenzie King and more.
Screemers
Admit it, sometimes nothing still scares you like an amusement park haunted house. Screemers goes above and beyond the typical haunted house experience, with terrifying mazes to weave your way through. Don’t feel bad if you scream when the monsters start to give chase – you won’t be the only one.
