Tag Archives: Halloween

10.28.16
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Eerie Ed’s Guide to Haunted Victoria, BC Eateries

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Supernatural tales permeate throughout most of Victoria, British Columbia and there’s a handful of ghosts who love visiting eateries. With Halloween near, interest in this world is at its peak, and some may want to dine at an allegedly haunted establishment.

As a paranormal enthusiast who is trying to keep up to date with new tales, I present a catalogue of nearly every haunted eatery in this city. Some I’ve been to dine at and others are still on my bucket list.

In a few stories I’ve personally been told, Monty’s Showroom Pub (closed) was also haunted and I was invited to investigate this place with me and my PARAVI friends. We did not find anything conclusive, but to be in this venue after hours and quiet certainly had a different ambience.

The area around Bastion Square has a fair number of haunts within a square block. With a few friends who once operated a restaurant or late-night pub in this area, they have related to me a few experiences: a past owner/operator of Baja Surf Grill (no longer in operation) mentioned finding wall hangings strewn on the floor and while I think he’s pulling my leg, the area is old enough to have some secrets. But in all the tales he tells me, I figure the ghosts of downtown Victoria love him. He used to run a downstairs pub, close to The Churchill, many years ago and recalls seeing something on the stairs!

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10.25.16
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Victoria, BC’s Evil Acres is now Fear on the Pier. So What’s the Story?

banner-fear_on_the_pier-640x360Oct 13 to 31, 2016
Evenings from 6:30pm till 11

Ogden Point
Pier A – 203 Dallas Road
James Bay
Victoria, BC

Admission: $13
(or $12 w/ non-perishable food item donation)

Monsters Haunted House, the fine purveyors of spooky attractions for Saanich, BC, changed their operation from haunted barns to … one big warehouse for this year’s All Hallows Eve spooktacular. I miss the Evil Acres name. It had meaning for those who have lived in this municipality for most of their life; to witness the transition from farmland to modern housing is scary in itself. Some folks gave up the simpler life for modern conveniences. I watched my neighbourhood change from hothouses and farmland to nothing but homes for as far as the eye can see. To fondly recall those days brings nostalgia. Perhaps nestled in those large fields of grass is a corpse of a lost pet (or part of a human body) and the imagination can have some asking if a wild animal is on the loose.

The gorgeous back story crafted in this company’s previous show made going through an abandoned-looking home all the more chilling. All those murders and bloodbaths could have happened. Nobody could have guessed until local sheriffs and hospice arrived at the abode to investigate and offer relief.

This company’s latest attraction, Fear on the Pier, feels like a work in progress. There is no story to know of before going to this spectacle. Folks are entering a modern warehouse storing a decrepit warehouse which is sealed in black. Did a bunch of octopi expel ink here? Or could mighty Cthulhu have put his tendrils all over it, thus causing it to crumble into claustrophobic nothingness?

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10.15.16
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Eerie Ed’s Top Picks for the 2016 Halloween Season

From getting my spooky fervour on as a Paranormal Investigator to enthusiast this Autumn, this downgrade is not because of the group, Paranormal Victoria (PARAVI), I was with decided to take an extended break since we all have busy normal lives. We sometimes make it a tradition to investigate a venue at this time (and sometimes it’s with media, like the Oak Bay and Victoria News back in 2012). One day, I hope the great folks who make up this PARAVI team will be back.

In the meantime, I will continue my interest on the cinematic, theatrical and storytelling front. My love for the supernatural started from discovering this genre in those mediums and here are my picks to get my muse singing the praises:

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Movie Under the Maltworks
Shaun of the Dead Movie Screening

Date:
Oct 28th, 7:00pm
(doors open 6pm)

Admission: $20

Location:
Phillips Brewing & Malting Co.
(2010 Government St)

I have often wondered what a perfect cinematic night during this season would be like? To boil down the perfect pair depends on the mood and which sub-genre best represents Halloween. Some may say zombies and others will say ghosts. For the former, comedy is needed. While not everyone will appreciate the golden age classics, my choice would be Shaun of the Dead and Fido. With kids in the audience, it would be hard to keep them down for two films, but for one, the former will do and the Victoria Film Festival committee has this choice easily nailed down. That’s tough to do for keeping a zombie still.

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09.27.16
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Last Chance Production’s Evil Dead the Musical is Coming to Victoria, BC!

file_747610_edmusicalBy Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Portland, OR
October 14-15, 2016
Alberta Rose Theatre

Vancouver, BC
October 28-29, 2016
Revue Stage at Granville Island

Victoria, BC
November 4-5, 2016
Metro Studio Theatre

Tickets can be bought online here

If you have not made any plans for Halloween yet, Last Chance Productions is taking Evil Dead: The Musical across the Pacific Northwest before, during and after Halloween 2016! This year, they are adding Victoria, BC to the list of where to hit and the timing could not be any better. Since I have seen three versions by different groups, I must say this particular troupe are dedicated film buffs who have an absolute love for the cinematic genre.

And, of course, they promise to lay the blood thick in the splatter zone! When I saw the Arts West production, I did not realize you have to sit very close to the kitchen set to get hit. Depending on whether the show can be held outdoors or indoors, there’s bound to be some hidden sprinklers to really get people soaked! Tip: wear a white shirt if you intend to get soaked with the blood effects. Afterwards, upon leaving the theatre, you can proudly show off their badge of honour.

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10.24.15
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In Saanich for Evil Acres — Take 2015

1607035_386482928176879_630313543971803379_nfrom 7 to 11pm daily
continues to Oct 31st
10375 Wilson Rd.
North Saanich, B.C.

In the month of October, some residents of Victoria, BC make a ritual out of going to Evil Acres, a haunted attraction located near Victoria Airport. Part of the joy is in entering the Slaughter House. This spooky abode has changed from what I remember last year. There’s a room that is truly dark, and you have to feel around to find the way out. There’s no joy in going through this home alone (although you’ll get the best experience out of the ‘solitude’ of the situation; some of the best horror stories involve divide and conquer) and I had to wait until two buddies of mine had time so we can go to this spookfest together.

I’m rarely disappointed, even though my stoicness is tough to break. When my writing partner James Shaw is tough to entertain in a concert, I’m harder to freak out when it comes to these walk-through tours. Yes, I can be startled but to get that creeped out feeling, it better be 100% real. That’s just one of the many reasons why I became a paranormal investigator. Although I know most ghosts can not harm you, the feelings you get when something happens and your logical mind can’t figure out, the spine-chilling feeling will just not go away!

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10.22.15
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How to Plan for the Next Nightmare at the Royal BC Museum

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Although the Royal BC Museum‘s evening party for this upcoming All Hallow’s Eve is sold out, people interested in this festival will no doubt have to plan far in advance for next year’s Nightmare at the Museum. Interest for this event has been very heavy, and Kim Gough, one of the staff’s event coordinators, reveals that the goal of expanding interest in this archive’s collections in a fun evening event is achieved.

“The best connection that was there for this time of the year seemed to be about the Victorian period’s fixation on dying [in reference to our first event],” said Gough, “Fixation may not be the right word but it was certainly an important part of that culture.”

In previous events, the gallery held a faux Victorian style séance. That was led by actors and they were probably more in line with the Victorian séances that were conducted at the time. There were probably more people out to make some money. While Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, wanted to believe, Harry Houdini was out to disprove the impossible. This escape artist believed any competent magician can muster the illusion. These two frequently clashed over what is truly paranormal.

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