Most of the scares that greet visitors to horror attractions this Halloween will be familiar, but the thrill-makers behind them say a terrifying experience is downright off-limits: the terrors of COVID- 19
Before the pandemic rocked our lives, haunted houses sometimes plunged into fear of contagion, splashing themed rooms with signs of a viral outbreak, combinations of hazardous materials, and contamination warnings
But with these uncomfortably close to reality experiences this year, horror masters like Shawn Lippert say reminding people of the virus is a line they are not ready to cross
« We use the analogy: Treat ‘COVID’ like the F word in church, » said the owner of Scarehouse, an industrial-sized indoor haunted house in Windsor, Ont.
« It’s too real and so close to home. It’s almost like when you tell a joke and they say, ‘Too soon' »
Lippert said this was one of the many rules he introduced in his home to make people feel safe and to keep health officials happy Ticket holders arrive at staggered times and everyone is required to wear a mask
Creepy objects that once brushed against visitors have been removed, and giant airbags that evoke the feeling of claustrophobia have been stowed away to reduce the potential spread of germs
Many haunted operators were eager to continue their usual Halloween festivities, as health officials could close homes without notice if the area experiences an increase in local cases This would leave a brutal breach in their investments
« If we can keep our doors open for the full race at this point, it would be a success for us, » said Lippert
Several Toronto haunted houses decided the risk was too high The legends of horror from Casa Loma and the 28-year-old pillar screemers at Exhibition Place were among the operators who decided to sit down this year, even before the city introduced stricter restrictions that would have closed them down anyway
Some organizers have taken advantage of the pandemic to imagine ways to scare people away from the living daylight – often from the safety of their own vehicles
The Pickering Museum Village gave its spooky experience a historic twist with a drive-through tour that had visitors slide their cars along a checkered road with old houses, as ghost stories played out on their FM radios
Others have gone online with virtual group parties for kids or, for those of legal drinking age, which is being sold as Canada’s first virtual Halloween cocktail tour
Mentalist Jaymes White has decided to embrace the digital world this year for his annual Halloween shoots His new Zoom experience, called Evoke, invites a small circle of friends to channel a spirit through video chat He admits that the idea goes against the traditions of a session, where people usually hold hands around a table, but he is convinced that spirits will always be ready to unsettle his guests
Paul Magnuson, one of the leaders of the Calgary artist collective Big Art, will take over a downtown self-service car wash for three days for a drive-through to the dead later this this month
Scare Wash is described as a journey to hell and back that begins when a wash participant’s seemingly normal car rinse turns into a nightmare
Magnuson came up with the idea when it was clear that plans for his usual neighborhood show would not be possible during the pandemic
« Last year I turned my garage into a Dexter killer room where we did performances all night long. Previous years I had an interactive graveyard, » he said. p>
Robby Lavoie felt a similar conviction for keeping Terror Train on track this year at the National Railway Museum and Ontario Heritage Center Annual Halloween event draws thousands to Capreol , in Ontario, which is part of Greater Sudbury, and provides the museum with a healthy dose of revenue
Lavoie said he was inspired by the videos he saw of a haunted Japanese zombie house driving during the summer He knew there was a way to dull the blood and make the idea a little more Canadian
After speaking with museum organizers, Lavoie secured board approval for « Inferno 6077 », an immersive horror experience inside the fire station garage
With his own knowledge of working in theater and live cinema, Lavoie began to think on a large scale He hired a local writer who wrote a story about townspeople seeking revenge on an old man. man and built rolling sets for the show, which reaches its peak when space is engulfed in flames, an illusion created with lights and projections
« We almost put you in an interactive movie, and it all came together in a month, » he said
Kathrine Petch understands the urge to keep Halloween on the calendar As the general manager of Dead Edmonton Haunted House in Edmonton, she has established strict COVID-19 precautions for their Area 51 themed hideout
« As long as we can pay the bills and have some money to make another haunted house next year, I think we’ll be pretty happy »
« One of our biggest goals was to provide people with some sort of escape from all the shit of 2020, » she said
« And when they reach the end of our haunted house, at least they know the fear is done »
Haunted House, Toronto
News from the World – CA – Not Afraid of the Pandemic, Haunted Houses Find Ways to Bypass COVID-19
SOURCE: https://www.w24news.com
