Five frightening attractions you need to see this Halloween

Halloween is about more than just getting your hands all pulpy from hollowing out pumpkins and sneak-snacking on your kids’ ridiculously large haul of mini chocolate bars. It’s about getting the wits scared out of you. To varying degrees, these six haunted houses, creepy walks and terrifying mazes should do the trick. Entry will cost you, but the night terrors are free.

Legends of Horror

Casa Loma spent roughly $1.5 million to transform itself into the city’s spookiest castle of dread. Dracula hosts a one-hour, 1.5-kilometre stroll through the bowels of the historic site. Illusions and classic monsters, including Frankenstein’s monster and the Phantom of the Opera, abound in this immersive theatrical experience that runs from dusk until midnight. Daily until Oct. 31. $40–$45. Casa Loma, 1 Austin Ter., legendsofhorror.ca.

Halloween Haunt

Canada’s Wonderland’s annual freak-out fest is scarier than a downtown commute from Vaughan. Fraidy cats get to stroll through nine different mazes (with names like Cornstalkers) and six themed scare zones with everything from bad clowns to medieval plague doctors, plus they’ll be able to ride all of the park’s usual rides, like Leviathan. Weekends until Oct. 31. $35. Canada’s Wonderland, 1 Canada’s Wonderland Dr., canadaswonderland.com.

Screemers

Exhibition Place’s 24th annual indoor scream park is scarier than the food they serve at the CNE. This year’s edition features seven horrifying attractions, including a classic haunted house, an eerily dark Field of Screams maze, a Slasher wax museum and Impaled Illusions, a new gory magic show by Ryan Brown. Weekends until Oct. 31. $30. Queen Elizabeth Building, Exhibition Place, screemers.ca.

The Haunted Walk

Forget the fake blood and fabricated shock houses. Award-winning storytellers weave real-life ghost tales from downtown Toronto as you walk through the city’s most historically haunted districts. Choose from ghostly experiences at Black Creek Pioneer Village, the University of Toronto and the Distillery District, or opt for the original downtown walk—each will give you a history lesson, some mild exercise and guaranteed nightmares. Daily until Oct. 31. $25. Various locations, hauntedwalk.com.

Toronto’s Horror Hallway’s

More frightening than a misplaced apostrophe, the new Horror Hallway’s experience will have patrons trembling through “never-ending” pitch-black corridors of hell. Fifteen dollars gets you into both a maze and a haunted house too devilish for children. Weekends until Oct. 31. $15. 401 Mini Indy, 37 Stoffel Dr., torontohorrorhallways.com.