With Halloween just days away, now’s the time to grab a friend or take the kids out and plan a visit to one or a few of the GTA’s best haunted houses.
Here’s a list of Halloween attractions in the Toronto area that promise to send chills down your spine.
Halloween Haunt at Canada’s Wonderland
1 Canada’s Wonderland Drive, Vaughan
Cost: From $44.99
Canada’s largest Halloween event, Halloween Haunt transforms the beloved amusement park into a spooky site with seven “scare zones,” hundreds of monsters, live entertainment, night rides and six mazes, including the new Demons of the Deep with a deserted underwater-lab theme.
Legends of Horror at Casa Loma
1 Austin Terrace, Toronto
Cost: From $45 to $60, VIP from $150 for two
Casa Loma‘s “immersive theatrical experience” is a self-guided tour through the decorated-for-the-season gardens, tunnels and the castle’s and “darkest spaces never before opened to the public.” Earlier time slots are kid-friendly with no actors and there’s also a VIP experience with food and drinks.
Screemers
80 Interchange Way, Vaughan
Cost: From $39.95 to $49.95
Walk through seven haunted mazes but be wary of angering any of the more than 120 live actors who are there to scare. Catch a stage show under the 15,000-square-foot tent or stop by the food trucks area or the licenced vampire lounge. Screemers is not recommended for kids under 10.
Haunted Office
2450 Victoria Park Ave, Toronto
Cost: $30
Take the graveyard shift at this former corporate space that once held 80 offices and 250 employees, before becoming a walk-through that looks like the scene of a horrific crime at an abandoned office, cubicles and all, with the help of actors to scare guests. The haunt is open to all ages but not recommended for young children.
Halloween at the Village
1000 Murray Ross Pkwy, Toronto
Cost: Kids $19.80; students, $22; adults $24.20. Members free.
Village at Black Creek hosts a family-friendly experience where visitors can see the Slimy Science Show, trick-or-treat in the heritage buildings, learn about witchcraft and wizardry, take in a puppet show and indulge in Halloween games and crafts.
Martino Manor
7 McIntosh Ave., Etobicoke
Cost: From $19.99 to $29.99. Cash only
Decorated to look like a rundown gothic Victorian-era house, the three-storey Martino Manor will make your blood run cold as you journey through the outdoor maze featuring a spooky well house, mausoleum, morgue, chapel and solarium — all with prowling live actors. The manor permits those 13 years of age and older.