La Ronde has two new haunted houses which I tried at my own risk

In Montreal, journalist Louis-Philippe Messier travels mostly on the run, with his desk in his backpack, in search of fascinating subjects and people. He speaks to everyone and is interested in all walks of life in this urban register.

Haven’t reached your October scare quota yet? Roaring aliens tormenting captive humans and the unfriendly ghosts of dead actors fill La Ronde’s two spooky new maze playgrounds to celebrate Halloween.

Does anyone remember the old haunted mechanical house in La Ronde, called the “Witch Mill” with a red dragon on its facade?

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We moved around in a cart on rails in front of primitive machines that were more tacky than scary. Well, those days are over.

The two new haunted houses that La Ronde is presenting during its traditional competition at the Oktoberfest Horror Festival are inspired by cinema.

There are references to the franchise alien In the new “space” haunted house called “Alert Base” which was set up in the Nintendo building in the 1990s.

As for the New Phantom Theater, which is agitated by unhappy and noisy spirits, it has a Parisian character since the end of the nineteenth century.^H The horn gives it a picturesque look.

Phantom theater sets are sometimes pretty cool… unlike the ghosts that inhabit them.

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Carl Desjardins

These decorations are often artfully assembled with pieces of old and dilapidated toys, and are sometimes impressive.

We widen our eyes and say to ourselves: Great! Momentarily forget to be afraid.

Real theatre

The haunted houses shown in 2023 are plays divided into several scenes, with about a dozen actors animating each of the five houses.

Confronted by an actress playing Panic Behind the Window, I was motivated to try to get the prisoner out of there before telling myself that if I broke the window, I would be expelled from La Ronde for vandalism.

In the hallways, you sometimes have to feel your way around, arms outstretched in the dark to find your way… hoping that no one suddenly appears screaming (which happens several times).

Two French visitors who were screaming wildly took refuge behind me in fear during the haunted trails. But since surprises often come from behind, they had more than their share of fears. Well done for them!

Like movie scenarios

“I build haunted houses like horror movie scenarios, where there are moments of surprise and fear, quieter moments, and sometimes two surprises in quick succession,” says Paul Patrick Hebert, the big man behind five haunted houses.

“We have been working on two new homes since last winter, and it is a long-term team effort.”

“With Base en Alerte, we went into territory that is still unexplored for us aliens, to scare without the supernatural aspect,” adds Martine Gagnon, a La Ronde veteran who runs the Fright Festival.

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Paul Patrick Hébert and Martine Gagnon

Louis Dominique Lamarche

In addition to the two new cycles, three other haunted houses from past years are being produced again: there are “Nightmares” (a long, bad and disturbing dream), “Diabolique Circus 3D” (with evil clowns), and “La Ferme Modette” (open-air , which is only open in the evening).

At 5:30 p.m., the parade was called the awakening She exists. About forty monsters come out and dance in style excitement by Michael Jackson before heading into the crowd to “scare” the children.

There are new monsters: a bloody Angelica, similar to Carrie, a majestic skeletal king, which greatly impresses children, a mummy equipped with a club, and a porcelain doll, which looks like it came out of a Japanese horror movie.

Hearing children laughing and screaming as they run around the monsters immerses us in a truly cheerful Halloween atmosphere.

Porcelain doll

Louis Dominique Lamarche

Skeleton King

Louis Dominique Lamarche

The mummy

Louis Dominique Lamarche

Photo by Louis Dominique Lamarche