Fort Fright
Billed as Ontario's best haunted experience, step inside the walls of Fort Henry in Kingston as it is once again transformed into the terrifying Fort Fright -- Carnival of Carnage. On now until Oct. 31, each Wednesday to Saturday night from 6 to 10, the Fort is haunted by ghosts and spooky creatures. New this year is a carnival theme accompanied by nightly performances by Nikolai Diablo, an award-winning travelling sideshow artist. The show includes fire-eating, sword swallowing and Russian Roulette with a 9-inch construction spike. Ghosts of the Fort tours are also available. These 45-minute tours of the real-life ghost stories of Fort Henry are offered by the Haunted Walk of Kingston. See fortfright.com.
Howling good time
Niagara Falls gets a little spooky during Howl-O-Ween at Great Wolf Lodge. On from Oct. 15-31, there's plenty of spooktacular fun and activities at the Haunted Lodge. Families will enjoy: A trick-or-treating trail that coils through a haunted forest; a monster mash family dance; pumpkin carving; costume and other contests (with prizes); spooky story time; and wolf science. Great Wolf Lodge houses a massive indoor and weatherproof water park, including 13 waterslides, three pools, two whirlpools, a large outdoor heated spa experience, a giant wave pool, a 500,000-litre lazy river, Fort Mackenzie (a four-storey interactive treehouse water fort); and the Niagara Rapid Run, a water rollercoaster. See greatwolf.com/niagara/waterpark.
Happy haunts
For those who like Halloween more fun than spooky, there's Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Disney World's Magic Kingdom in Florida, on select dates until Nov. 1. Guests of all ages are encouraged to dress up in Halloween costumes and collect delicious candy as they trick-or-treat around the park. Entertainment includes Mickey's "Boo-to-You" Halloween Parade with Disney characters and the stars of the Haunted Mansion attraction. The parade begins with a ride by the Headless Horseman. And don't miss Happy HalloWishes, a fireworks show where Disney villains go trick-or-treating in the sky.
Around the park are favourite Disney characters and villains in special Halloween costumes. Lighting, music and other special effects transform areas of Magic Kingdom into happy haunted hollows. Event admission ticket is required. Order tickets online or by calling 407-WDISNEY or 407-934-7639. See disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/magic-kingdom/special-events/mickeys-not-so-scary-halloween-party.
Extreme Halloween
If you like your Halloween a little more intense, then check out the terror of Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando Resort in Florida. This year's event marks the 20th year for Halloween Horror Nights with all-new content. This seriously nightmarish evening includes eight new haunted houses, six new scare-zones and two live shows. Attractions include Catacombs: Black Death Rising, Zombie Gras, The Coven, Saws N Steams, Fear Revealed, Hades the Gates of Ruin, Horror Nights: The Hallowed Past, Havoc: Dogs of War, Zombiegeddon and many more. Halloween Horror Nights continue Fridays through Sundays through Oct. 31. Special Halloween Horror Nights tickets are required for the event, which is not recommended for children under 13 years of age. See halloweenhorrornights.com/orlando.
World's most haunted
In York, ghosts don't come out just for Halloween. The English city is the world's most haunted according to the Ghost Research Foundation International, which has recorded 504 ghosts sightings there. There are ghost tours year-round. Ghostly tales abound.
Spooky attractions include the 700-year-old Haunted House, where countless visitors have felt the icy touch of invisible fingers and heard eerie screeching from the attic. When ITV's Most Haunted came to film, the crew ran out screaming (hauntedhouseyork.co.uk).
Then there's the Treasurer's House, which is open to the public. In 1953, an apprentice plumber was installing a new central heating system in the cellar when he heard the sound of a horn. All of a sudden, a horse and rider came through the cellar wall. The rider wore a helmet and armour worn by Roman soldiers, and soon a column of Roman soldiers followed, dressed in green tunics and plumed helmets, carrying shields and spears. Excavations of the basement revealed the Treasurer's House was built atop an old Roman road.
And at the York Theatre Royal, the ghost of a nun known as the Grey Lady is seen in the room behind the dress circle. Legend has it the nun was the lover of a nobleman who was thrown into a windowless room when their affair was discovered. The entrance was bricked over and she was left to die. It is supposed to be a good omen if the Grey Lady is seen by the performers. A second ghost -- this one of an actor who died during a duel -- is sometimes spotted backstage or in the wings watching the performance.
For information on York and ghost walks, see visityork.org, ghosthunt.co.uk, ghosttrail.co.uk, theoriginalghostwalkofyork.co.uk and ghostcreeper.com.
Sympathy for the devils
