A Ghoulish Guide to Canada’s Spookiest Halloween Attractions

Courtesy of Six Flags

Halloween Things to Do Across Canada

Cool autumn air, crisp leaves softly drifting to the ground and the unsettling murmur of the wind: it must be the season of All Hallow’s Eve. As Halloween approaches, Canada comes alive with hideous and haunting events. Whether you’re looking for a ghoulishly good time with your kids or legitimately want to give yourself nightmares, check out these haunted houses, terrifying trains, repulsive rides and creepy corn mazes from ghost-to-coast.

Courtesy of Saunders Farm

Fright Fest at Saunders Farm

Munster, Ontario

Do you ever daydream about outrunning a chainsaw-wielding maniac through a farm’s desolate back woods? If you answered “yes,” you’re bound to love Fright Fest at Saunders Farm, located in Ottawa’s beautiful countryside. The popular immersive attraction features a haunted hayride, a barn of terror and a gory walk through the farm grounds. But this attraction does more than just scare: it also supports the local community, as all the props and thematic sets are made by local artists.

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Courtesy of Nightmares Fear Factory

Nightmares Fear Factory

Niagara Falls, Ontario

You’ve probably seen the iconic photos on social media: grown adults screaming and desperately grasping at each other in an attempt to escape an unknown, unseen terror just off camera. The Nightmares Fear Factory in Niagara Falls tends to have this effect on people. It’s no wonder more than 179,000 have chickened out since the attraction opened in the early 1990s. Nothing will make you feel safe as you blindly navigate pitch black rooms, crawl on the floor and encounter walls that slowly close in on you, all while being hunted by unknown creatures.

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Courtesy of Train of Terror

Train of Terror

Mossleigh, Alberta

Are you one of those fearless souls who can breeze through a haunted house without flinching? Maybe it’s time to crank the fear metre up a few (dozen) notches with a heart-pounding 1.5-hour haunted train ride. This attraction is not for the faint of heart: there are no emergency exits on the Train of Terror at Aspen Crossing in Mossleigh, about 45 minutes southeast of Calgary. Manoeuvre through two haunted rail cars as the train propels forward, surprising and horrifying you with each twist and turn. If you seek an unforgettable Halloween adventure, this is your ticket to terror.

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Courtesy of Adrena LINE Zipline Adventure Tours

Haunted Night Zipline Tours

Sooke, British Columbia

Are you afraid of heights? The dark? Monsters? Haunted Night Zipline Tours in Sooke, just west of Victoria, is one Halloween attraction that’s sure to scare you in more ways than one. While suspended dozens of metres in the air, you’ll race along a zipline at speeds of up to 65 km/h through a dark haunted forest, surrounded by eerie ghosts and lurking monsters. Brace yourself for an unforgettable, high-octane adventure with terrifying thrills, chilling tales, and breathtaking mountain and ocean views.

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Courtesy of Six Flags

Fright Fest at La Ronde

Montreal, Quebec

In the light of day, Montreal’s La Ronde is a fun-filled, family-friendly amusement park. But every October, a troubling transformation occurs. As the sun sets, the park is shrouded in an eerie cloak, casting a frightful spell on all those who dare to pass through its gates. As you make your way through the annual Fright Fest at La Ronde, you’ll laugh and scream in equal measure as you ride rollercoasters in the dark, navigate haunted mazes, enjoy unnerving live shows and discover ghouls and spectres lurking around every corner.

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Courtesy of Travel Manitoba

Heebie Jeebies

Winnipeg, Manitoba

Mazes, even the tame ones, are generally pretty unsettling. Walls stand sentinel as you traverse their enigmatic corridors, shrouding your escape route and enveloping you in a sense of the unknown. Heebie Jeebies in Winnipeg plugs the ordinary disquiet of a maze into an amplifier and cranks the dial to the max. This Halloween attraction features five menacing mazes, spanning two acres, where you won’t necessarily want to find out who (or what) lies around the next corner. The crème de la crème of scares? Bobo’s Funhouse maze, featuring an unhinged clown with blood-red hair, rotten teeth and a less-than-inviting ice cream truck…

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Courtesy of Magnetic Hill Zoo

Boo at the Zoo

Magnetic Hill, New Brunswick

As Halloween approaches, New Brunswick’s Magnetic Hill Zoo—already a pretty magical place in its own right—transforms into a realm of wonder and bewitchment for all ages. At Boo at the Zoo, the zoo’s annual Halloween fundraising event, young kids can get their faces painted, enjoy spooky music, visit more than 75 indigenous and exotic animal species in their Halloween-styled homes and play on the zoo’s playground, which is the tallest in Atlantic Canada. Older (and braver) souls can explore haunted houses and interact with frightening creatures (and we don’t mean the ostriches). All proceeds from the event go towards improving animal enclosures.

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Courtesy of Canada’s Wonderland

Camp Spooky and Halloween Haunt at Canada’s Wonderland

Vaughan, Ontario

With its thrilling rides, fun games and a 20-acre waterpark, kids love Canada’s Wonderland. Unfortunately, during Halloween, so do local ghouls and ghosts. In late September, these spectral beings make a haunting return to the country’s largest amusement park to revel in the eerie atmosphere of the Halloween Haunt, a nighttime event for those seeking eerie mazes, scare zones and terrifying live shows. Thankfully, they are barred from entering Camp Spooky, a daytime Halloween event for the park’s youngest enthusiasts, featuring trick-or-treating, costumed characters, pumpkin decorating and amusement rides.

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Courtesy of Tourism Victoria

Festival of Fear at Galey Farms

Victoria, British Columbia

Galey Farms transforms into a nightmare playground for its annual Festival of Fear Halloween event. For those seeking a mild dose of fright, the Cornfield of Horror awaits, featuring a haunted mansion and a pirate’s island. While the daytime experience is suitable for families, the ambiance takes a much spookier turn as night falls: the 6,000 square-foot Carnevil Haunted House beckons those looking for a more heart-pounding scare. It won’t be long before you understand why three “chicken” exits have been incorporated, providing an escape for the more faint of heart. Ghost stories, live entertainment, train rides and kid-friendly games complete the haunting experience.

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Courtesy of Alderney Landing

Bluenose Ghosts Festival

Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

The Bluenose Ghosts Festival in Dartmouth puts a Maritime twist on the Halloween experience by combining local history with spectral mystery. One of the standout attractions is the “Fear the Darkness” Haunted House. Here, visitors step into a world of spine-chilling adventure, encountering eerie pirates, ghostly ships and the haunting remains of sailors. For the brave-hearted looking to push the boundaries of fear, there’s the option to embark on a simulated casket ride. This harrowing experience lets you (safely) embrace the terror of being buried alive. The festival also provides guided cemetery tours, where you’ll hear tales of restless Maritime spirits and haunted legends that have been whispered through the generations.

For more Halloween things to do, check out the most haunted places in Canada.