17 spooky things to check out in Montreal this Halloween

Halloween is arguably the best holiday. For starters, you get free candy for wearing a costume, a solid deal any day of the year. The weather is full of gorgeous fall foliage plus, you get to scare your friends and family without any consequences.

How good is that?

Since Halloween is officially a week away, it’s going to start sneaking up on us quickly. Trick or treating aside, we’ve put together a list of the 17 best Halloween-themed events to check out this year.

Attend the Rocky Horror Picture Show Halloween Ball

Rocky Horror Picture Show Montreal/Facebook

Halloween in Montreal isn’t complete without checking out our iconic screening of one of America’s favourite cult classic films, The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

The three-date event shows the original 1975 musical/comedy/horror film in its original version while a large ensemble cast performs live on stage with a wide range of audience participation.

Hosted at the beautiful vintage theatre in the heart of the Quartier des Spectacles, the film stars Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Richard O’Brien and Meat Loaf in what the RHPC website calls “a guaranteed party.”

When: October 26, 27 and 31
Time: 7:30 pm and 11 pm
Where: Cinéma Impérial, 1430 rue Bleury
Price: $19.95 online, $21.95 at the door

Malefycia’s Zone 4

Malefycia/ Facebook

Returning during the Halloween season for its 4th edition, Malefycia is a fuse between the traditional haunted house and interactive theatre.

The event uses custom-built scenarios with professional actors, props and settings to bring their guests’ worst nightmares into reality. Each immersive trip lasts for an hour and it looks seriously frightening.

This year’s theme is called Zone 4 and it focuses on military experiments gone wrong and the event’s antagonist, as per the Malefycia website, is “the most dangerous of all demons: the man.”

Zone 4 is open to everyone aged 18 and older and guests have to sign a waiver in order to be given access to the horror site. Actors during the performance can interact with the audience physically, unless asked not to by individual guests.

Malefycia offers thematic clothes (brown pants perhaps?) so as not to dirty your own.

When: October 25 – 31
Time: 5 pm – 12 am
Where: 2085 rue Drummond
Price: $35 – $55, available online

Play a Halloween-themed escape game at A/MAZE

Put your brain to the test this Halloween at Montreal’s very own escape room game centre, A/MAZE. A/MAZE will challenge you in more ways than you thought possible, and there’s only one way to escape: by solving the puzzle. In a limited amount of time, you’ll have to find clues, crack codes, and solve problems. And as if A/MAZE weren’t already scary enough, they’ve added a week full of discounts, special events and new puzzles.

When: Various dates and times per location
Where: 3550 rue Saint-Jacques, 1384 rue Notre-Dame Ouest, 6815 Rte Transcanadienne CF Fairfview
Price: $25 – $30 per person

Sip on some home-brewed apple cider at Petch Orchards

pumpkin patch (Romiana Lee/Shutterstock)

Just 45 minutes from Montreal, Petch Orchards gives Montrealers the chance to pick pumpkins, pears, and plums at their quaint farm in Hemmingford. In addition to the fruit and veg, the farm produces some of the best apple cider and apple juice in the province.

When: Every day until October 31
Time: 10 am – 5 pm
Where: 431 Route 202 Hemmingford, Québèc

Club La Voûte Halloween Ball

The annual Halloween Ball at the Old Port’s Club La Voûte presents a night of chills, thrills and seriously frightening costumes at the former Banque Royale turned nightclub. There will also be actors in spooky costumes presenting live entertainment throughout the night, music by Andrew Pololos and Evangelos Pavlis and a massive costume contest.

When: Wednesday, October 31st
Time: 10 pm – 3 am
Where: La Voûte
Price: Reservations online

Participate in Montreal’s Zombie Walk

Marche des Zombies/Facebook

Zombie-fy yourself at Montreal’s annual Zombie Walk. If you like blood, gore, and walking funny, then you best join in on one of the city’s undead-themed walks. All you have to do is show up with some tattered clothing, your best zombie makeup and maybe even a sword to the head or two.

Not the greatest at applying makeup? There will be makeup experts on hand at Place des Festivals starting at 3 pm sharp. $15 will cover a full application of makeup (wounds, gashes, blood and all).

When: Saturday, October 27
Time: 1 pm
Where: Place des Festivals
Price: Free 

Get spooked at the Smitheman Family Haunted Yard

The Smitheman Family Haunted Yard is the spookiest attraction in the West Island. Entrance is by donation and all proceeds go to the Starlight Children’s Foundation. Prepare to be scared out of your wits by the incredible decor at this haunted attraction. There will be swamp monsters, werewolves, ghosts, mummies, witches, and of course, lots of candy.

When: October 26 – 31
Time: 6 pm – 9 pm
Where: 116 Maywood Ave., Pointe Claire

Get your pumpkin fix at Upper Canada Village’s Pumpkinferno

Pumpkinferno/Upper Canada Village

Pumpkinferno showcases over 7,000 handcrafted pumpkins which are lit up at night along a one-kilometre path set against a 19th-century backdrop. Some are individual pumpkins and some are fused together to make some outstanding art.

An hour and 40-minute drive from the island of Montreal, the award-winning Pumpkinferno features a pumpkin planetarium and park, historic village and fur trading museum, vineyard, and witch exhibition to get you ready for Halloween. There is also, of course, pumpkin pie.

When: October 21 and 25 – 28
Time: 7 pm – 10 pm
Where: Upper Canada  Village – County Road 2
Price: $12 – $16

Spooky Soirée

Dashing Date/Submitted

It’s time to meet your boo this Halloween. Spooky Soirée is a spooky speed dating event for people aged 25 to 35. The event will be serving “monster-martinis” as well as pumpkin decorating (the perfect ice-breaker).

Dashing Date has been in business since 2013 and hosts speed dating events in Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Calgary and have completed over 500 events to date, literally to date.

When: Tuesday, October 30
Time: 7:30 pm
Where: Industria Brasserie, 100 rue Peel
Price: $50 per ticket, available online

Marvel at the Gardens of Light

@jfsavaria/ Instagram

No Halloween costume is needed to visit Gardens of Light, a Montreal fall event staple that is oozing with gorgeous photo opportunities. However, you’ll need to schedule a time slot for your visit due to the popularity of this once-a-year event. While not necessarily Halloween-oriented, this unique display is sure to add a little sparkle to your evening in Montreal.

The lantern festival includes a lighted path through the Botanical Garden’s three cultural gardens, the Chinese, Japanese and First Nations Gardens, all looking at nature from a different perspective.

When: From now until October 31
Time: 6 pm – 9 pm (until 10 pm on Fridays and Saturdays)
Where: Montreal’s Botanical Gardens
Price: $10.25 – $20.50

Haunted Red Light Ghost Walk

Local tour company, Secret Montreal, is giving guests a chance to learn about the city’s indecent past.

The tour is led by a professional actor and storyteller and the path leads to tales about the dark and lewd history of Montreal’s old Red Light District. Many of the sites are said to still be haunted.

When: Friday, October 26
Time: 8:30 pm – 10 pm
Where: 1219 Boulevard Saint Laurent
Price: $26.50, available online

Experience Fright Fest at La Ronde

rubenslimamoraes/Instagram

La Ronde has been transformed into a haunted village. Prepare to run into zombies, ghouls, convicts and scary clowns. Quebec’s biggest amusement park has also added a slew of mazes, haunted houses and The Cursed Farm, where a string of people have gone missing.

Plus, as if that’s not all scary enough, the rides are in full-tilt and Le Goliath might still be the scariest thing there.

When: October 27 and 28
Time: 11 am – 10 pm
Where: La Ronde – 22 Chemin Macdonald
Price: Varying prices

Run through a corn maze at Le Verger Labonté

If you’re looking for a fun weekend with the fam, then you have to visit Le Verge Labonte. In addition to their huge crop of pumpkin and squash, they also boast corn mazes, a haunted labyrinth, a children’s playground, a petting zoo, a quaint bistro, and some seriously scrumptious apple muffins.

When: Monday to Friday until November 1
Time: 1 pm – 5 pm on weekdays, 9 am to 4:30 pm on weekends
Where: 2291 Perrot Blvd., Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot
Price: $12.75 – $13.75

Jump out of your seat at the SPASM film festival

Festival SPASM/Facebook

Hocus Pocus and Casper, though they’re classics, have nothing on the seriously frightening films from the SPASM film festival.

Returning for its 17th edition, the SPASM film festival was created to encourage and explore the various horror genre films from Quebec cinema and international French films.

SPASM aims to showcase all films that are gruesome, quirky, terrifying, thrilling and edge-of-your-seat enjoyable.

When: From now until October 27
Time: Varying times
Where: 1225 Boulevard Saint Laurent – Club Soda
Price: $20.25, available online

Costumed flash mob dance at the Quartier Dix30

Head to the Quartier Dix30 for a massive party featuring pumpkin decorating, a labyrinth maze and a costumed dance flash mob that happens every hour.

They’ll be music, candy, treats and plenty of dancing. Plus, the Quartier has arguably the best movie theatre in Montreal. Once you’re done dancing, go catch a scary flick.

When: Saturday, October 27
Time: 12 pm – 5 pm
Where: l’Oasis Urbain, Quariter Dix30
Price: Free admission

Get frighteningly creative at the Museum of Fine Arts

Little monsters and their parents are invited to get into the Halloween spirit at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. The museum’s mystery workshop will host a spooky workshop where families can make an assortment of Halloween accessories.

As a Halloween deal, the MMFA invites the general public to visit their Alexander Calder: Radical Inventor exhibition for half price. Calder was the Canadian artist who set sculpture in motion.

When: Wednesday, October 31
Time: 10 am – 9 pm
Where: 1380 Sherbrooke Ouest
Price: Varies per age

Get blacked out at a Halloween neon party

Shutterstock

There’s a massive dance party happening at Electric Avenue on the Saturday before Halloween. The dance floor is decorated with neon lights for their Blackout Party.

The resident DJs will be blasting classic Halloween tunes and there are cash prizes ($275 to $675) to be won for both a costume and a dance contest.

When: Saturday, October 27
Time: 7 pm
Where: Electric Avenue, 1476 rue Crescent
Price: online$8, available