Liberty Entertainment Group delivers frightful scenes in one of the city's most historic settings
By: Lisa Naccarato (Photos: Eugene Sirianni)
Fans of the macabre will be over the "blood" moon with the return of Captain Morgan Presents Legends of Horror at Toronto's Casa Loma. Now in its seventh year, this fright fest is not for the faint of heart. Toronto's historic castle's grounds have been transformed into a tour through the history of horror. From vampires to zombies, werewolves and ghosts, the ghoulish and gory are on full display.
The immersive experience is a theatrical interpretation of classic horror characters and décor known as promenade theatre, in which patrons wander at their own pace through a dream-like illusion starting at dusk, interacting with a cast of ghoulish characters. The 2 km outdoor walking trail begins in the lower gardens on the Casa Loma property and winds through dimly lit tunnels to the deepest, darkest basement of the castle and under the street, to the historic – some say haunted – Stables on the property’s north end. Thrill seekers be warned, chills, terrors, and pop-ups will shock -- culminating in dramatic lighting and 3D imagery projections, designed to awe.
Each location introduces a new ghostly character and creepy scenario; the mist-shrouded castle itself lends an ambience of foreboding, while the show’s décor and elements are devised to give the audience a resounding night fright.
Among the best features, the sound deafening haze and tricks of the red light within the castle's tunnel. The eerie experience puts guests on edge, yet still unable to anticipate the jump-scares that can easily come out of the gloom.
Just when the terror seems too much, a welcome break, in the form of the Captain Morgan lounge in the glass pavilion half way through the self guided tour. Here, guests can pause for a signature cocktail and food before completing the creepy journey to the stables.
New this year is an immersive experience created in partnership with Secret City Adventures – overseers of the fan favourite, the Casa Loma Escape Series – called Zombie Apocalypse. Toronto’s newest and largest zombie themed haunted house invites patrons to enter the world of fictional pharmaceutical giant, Biolux and its new wonder drug: the Biolux Serum, a purported solution to aging and disease, which renders subjects into cannibalizing contagious zombies. Guests start in the unsettling Biolux showrooms, only to uncover grisly secrets in the Biolux labs, full of gruesome experiments and maniacal scientists; then, explore rooms and haunting displays in the survivor camps, as the last of humanity struggles in a doomed battle against the zombie apocalypse. Located in an abandoned facility south of historic Casa Loma at 175 Kendal Avenue (southeast corner of Kendal and Davenport Ave.) the 45-minute activation featuring live actors promises to take the fear factor to the next level. The event runs evenings from October 13th – November 5th.
Legends of Horror at Casa Loma runs from September 30th - October 31st.