Deadmonton returns bigger than ever
Edmonton’s biggest haunted house is getting scarier
Tucked between a rail yard, automotive repair shops and antique stores south of Whyte Avenue sits a unique and spooky hot spot in Edmonton’s Halloween scene. Used rail cars litter the outside, forming an enclosure to start a terrifying tour. Inside a bustling warehouse, things only get scarier as patrons enter the real terror-dome, a place so terrifying that not everyone makes it all the way through.
This is Deadmonton, one of the city’s most famous haunted houses, a place so terrifying they sell adult diapers at the ticket booth. Now open for its sixth Halloween, this marvel of fear and fright has been attracting Edmontonians by the thousands to line up for as much as three hours to experience the terror for themselves.
The whole experience is the brainchild of Ryan Kozar, a man with no experience in theatre production or architectural design. A childhood love of Halloween, and a lack of options for adults looking for a good scare, pushed him to pick up his tools and start a haunted house.
“I just came across one out west in Vancouver,” said Kozar. “I saw a few videos of it. You see just how much fun everyone is having. Everyone is laughing and crying.”
What started in a warehouse north of Grant Macewan University and moved to the Paramount theatre on Jasper Avenue has now found a home between warehouses on the city’s south side. While the Paramount had history and lent its own spooky atmosphere, it was difficult to work with. The new location boasts almost 30,000 square feet of ghouls, ghosts and goblins.
Kozar doesn’t have a background in construction or development; he has never worked in theatre or television production; when he started, he had no previous experience with arts management or working with large groups of actors. His experience has come first-hand over the past six years, running a growing haunted house.
Deadmonton has grown beyond the bounds of even the sizable warehouse it now calls home. Patrons coming to the show will be greeted with a post-apocalyptic village, a place where they can purchase an adult beverage or enjoy some food before getting in line. They will also be treated to some ghoulish horrors while they wait, with actors making the rounds of the village to scare patrons before they cross into the haunted house.
“The word gets out. More and more people want to see it,” said Kozar. “Getting bigger doesn’t necessarily mean getting more people through. The one thing I won’t do is sacrifice the show, I don’t want to just put something up quick and make some money.”
Groups of five and six explore the house, with a new group heading in every minute.
The post-apocalyptic village isn’t the only new addition this year. Kozar makes major changes every year to keep the experience fresh and attract return visitors. New props and spooky scenes will meet visitors inside, with a two-storey house taking up a big part of the indoor experience.
Kozar built the prop house from the ground up, the entire building a monument to the hard work he has put into Deadmonton. Though calling it a prop house undersells the amount of work that has gone into the construction.
The interior of the house is done in lath and plaster, giving the entire structure an authenticity that would be difficult to reproduce if it were built with different construction materials. It’s full of old and decrepit furniture, falling apart at the seams. The walls are covered in actual wallpaper, torn and worn in just the right places, and creepy portraits stare back from the mantle. The staircase winds up from the main floor to the second, an impressive addition to any home and doubly impressive in a temporary home built inside a warehouse.
“The only thing missing is the electrical and plumbing,” said Kozar on a tour of the building.
It’s the newest addition, but it’s hard to believe it will be the last. Kozar started planning this year’s house last November, right after they closed for the year. Construction started in early December.
Things will change throughout the haunted house, a new theme will dictate the changes to be made. This year’s theme of New Dark Ages continues the storyline from last year, with a virus changing and mutating people and the environment.
Kozar started planning this year’s haunt last November, shortly after the doors closed for the season. Construction started in early December. He works on the next year’s show almost fulltime all year, with 80 staff members working the show during the busy season.
“People do not comprehend the amount of work that goes into this place,” said Kozar. “This is my vacation. I take my vacation every year in October.”
There’s a recommended age for entry of 12, but even that doesn’t guarantee the terrifying show won’t scare the pants off every patron. Last year they had 170 people chicken out, and a non-zero number wet themselves. Deadmonton is not for the faint of heart.
Tickets start at $28. Deadmonton runs until November 3. The last three nights are ‘lights out,’ where all of the lights are turned out, and each group is given a single flashlight.