"Whisper Night" at a Halloween attraction in Surrey will be extra scary for those afraid of the dark.
With lights turned off, ticket-holders have to navigate five very dark haunted houses using just one tea light per group at Cougar Creek's House of Horrors on Saturday (Nov. 2), in a one-day-only event.
"We did it last year as well for the first time, and it was very well received," said Heather "Blue Hair" Gibbons, who handles public relations for the repurposed garden centre.
"It's very creepy because you've got a group of people, all the lights inside are turned off and just the one tea light, which throws very different shadows. So you never know if that's something moving or if it's just a shadow, and we still have actors in there. The sound is turned way down – that's why it's called Whisper Night. It is seriously creepy."
On 72 Avenue in Newton, the House of Horrors opened Oct. 4 for a 24th year of thrills including "Abomination," new among the five linked haunted houses.
The heavy rain and flooding of Oct. 18-19 made for fun nights at Cougar Creek, according to Chris Pershick, managing director.
"We're a covered event (and) were able to keep people happy and dry," he reported. "There was no damage for us because, little secret, we’re also a garden centre! This entire place was literally made to handle water from hoses and hanging baskets, etc. That’s an advantage some other places don’t have. We feel very, very bad for our friends at Maan Farms (in Abbotsford) and Fright Nights (at Playland in Vancouver) who have to operate outdoors."
Pershick said there was a drop in attendance on both days due to the weather.
"However, we still had really fun, lively crowds, and had two of the most fun nights we’ve ever had," he told the Now-Leader. "The enthusiasm on those nights from the crowds was incredible. I think everybody was so happy to have something to do on a stormy night when a lot of other places decided to call it quits."
Until Nov. 3 at Cloverdale Fairgrounds, the new Dreadworks haunted house promises "immersive dark fantasy and cutting-edge horror" at Bill Reid Millennium Amphitheatre. The "scare experience" is a movies-inspired joint undertaking between Alexander J. Baxter and the Jonkman family, co-founders of Somnara Studios.
Elsewhere this week, other thrilling attractions in Metro Vancouver include Fright Nights at Playland, which boasts eight haunted houses, 15-plus rides, creepy décor, roaming monsters and live performances.
At Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, Pumpkins After Dark returns with artful displays of lit pumpkins featuring dozens of pop-culture figures including Disney characters, Wayne Gretzky and other hockey players, the Peanuts gang, singers Gord Downie and Drake, SCTV comedians and even Terry Fox.
In Vancouver at the waterfront convention centre, HowlOver Canada offers Halloween-themed fun with a witch named Biker Mama and her sidekicks on a nighttime flight across the country, at the FlyOver attraction.