FRIGHT DELIGHTS
Events to get you in the Halloween spirit,
Halloween is the only time of year performers want to hear plenty of boos. Creativity gets a ghostly boost in the GTA around Oct. 31as seasonal sights, some heavy on frights, rise again to elicit smiles or screams.
Embracing music, film, dance, puppetry and walks in the park — as well as Toronto’s most famous castle — there are several performance events around the region with Halloween themes.
Take note: not all of these events are suitable for younger audiences. Halloween High: Unsound Does Halloween Location: Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, sonycentre.ca Date: Oct. 27 Cost: $35-$85 Suitable for: Adults What: Polish-born festival Unsound brings its trademark “euphoria and darkness to the stage,” with a Canadian exclusive sound-and-sight performance, featuring a screening of sci-fi thriller Under The Skin set to a live score.
The program opens with Autobiography Edits, choreographed by the U.K.’s Wayne McGregor, with an original score by Jlin, performed by dancers from Company Wayne McGregor.
That’s followed by the screening of Under The Skin, starring Scarlett Johansson as an alien dispatched to Scotland, searching to satisfy a specific hunger.
Mica Levi’s mind-bending score will be performed live as the film unspools, performed by the Unsound Toronto Ensemble, made up of some of Toronto’s top string and percussion players. Evan Mitchell conducts. Legends of Horror at Casa Loma Location: 1 Austin Terrace; attraction entrance is on the southwest corner of the property at Davenport Rd. and Walmer Rd., casaloma.ca Dates: On now through Oct. 31, tours run every half-hour from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Cost: $40 online in advance; $45 at the door. Tickets and information at legendsofhorror.ca/ tickets Suitable for: Older kids and up. Children under13 must be accompanied by an adult What: Take a walk on the wild side with heroes of horror as your companions. Billed as “an immersive theatrical interpretation” of classic screamfest star characters from literature, movies and maybe your nightmares, prepare for scares on an hour-long, self-guided walk around the gardens and grounds of Toronto’s Gothic-inspired hilltop castle. Go deep into tunnels and dark spaces of Casa Loma not usually opened to the public — and perhaps with frighteningly good reason. Wear comfortable walking shoes. Night of Dread by Clay & Paper Theatre Location: Dufferin Grove Park, 875 Dufferin St., south of Bloor St. W., facebook.com/ clay and paper Date: Oct. 28, arrival from 4 p.m., parade starts 6 p.m. Cost: Pay what you can Suitable for: All ages What: This popular family-friendly event returns for the 18th year with a fanciful, seasonal mix of pageantry, puppets and fun.
Say bye-bye to your fears by gathering in Dufferin Grove Park to don masks and follow towering puppets made by Clay & Paper Theatre to join an hour-long parade. There’s music, fire spinners and an assortment of marching bands to entertain as you circle back for a “theatrical spectacle showdown with the Fear of the Year for 2017.”
There’s music, dancing, a bonfire and even a taste of traditional Mexican pan de muerto (bread of the dead), a sweet treat baked in Dufferin Grove’s park ovens. Live music starts at 7:45 p.m. to wind up the evening on a high note. The dress code is black, white and dreadful, so use your imagination to create a Halloween costume. Grimm Grounds Scare Maze Location: 16 Fleming Ave., Brampton, grimmgrounds.com Dates: Daytime Family Walkthrough for young visitors: Oct. 2731, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Night Time Scare Maze: Oct. 27 and Oct. 31, 7 p.m.-10:30 p.m.; Oct. 28, 7 p.m.-10:45 p.m. Cost: Family-friendly, scare-free daytime tour: $5; night maze with scares: $7; cash only What: For 10 years, Peter Distefano has been finding new ways to scare people with his increasingly elaborate walk-through Halloween maze. “There’s not a person that has gone in who hasn’t screamed for their lives,” says Distefano, “especially the guys.”
It takes him more than three months to create the maze, which includes theatrical stage lighting, special effects, props, fog, a custom soundtrack and actors who know just how and when to make a terrifying impression. It takes about 15 minutes to complete the walkthrough, although the website boasts unnerved patrons have been known to do it much faster. Kids under 10 must have adult accompaniment. Daylight walks are done minus ghouls and scares.