September 22, 2025 is the autumnal equinox – meaning that light and dark will be equal. From the 22nd onwards, the days will grow shorter, day by day, minute by minute, until the darkest part of winter.
And, to welcome and honor the coldest, darkest half of the year, most ancient cultures have some sort of festival or celebration in October. Samhain, Dia de los Muertos, Halloween…
Despite their diverse origins, these festivals share common themes. Spirits are in the spotlight, and the cycle of life and death is explored through a variety of games and ritual practices.
And, to play with the invisible and the frightening without getting lost in it, many of these celebrations include masks and costumes – and, of course, scares.
Nowadays, we find all this in our Haunted Houses! We’ve got until Halloween to visit them all…
Haunted Houses
1.Hotel Dracula
This is the most family-friendly and technological of the season’s haunted house experiences, for neophytes and those who want to introduce children to haunted houses. Vampire teeth and capes optional…
Where? 1610 rue Saint-Denis
When? Wednesday to Friday, 1 p.m. to 9 p.m., weekends 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
How? minimum age 10 years/ duration 30min /from $24.90 for adults, from $14.90 for under-15s – tickets here!
2Festival de la Frayeur à La Ronde
La Ronde’s annual Fright Fest takes place throughout October and features 3 haunted houses, and plenty of zombies and monsters roaming the park. We’re awaiting the full program for this edition, which will be unveiled very soon.
For spooky families, there are also rides in the dark and an immersion area dedicated to nightmares…
Where? La Ronde, 22 chemin Macdonald Île Sainte-Hélène (metro Jean-Drapeau or Papineau)
When? weekends from October 4 to 16, and Monday, October 13
How? Day tickets at $70 for adults, $47 for children – for tickets, click here!
3.the Haunted Village: the Curse at Drummondville’s Haunted Village
The Village Québécois d’Antan, where butter is churned by hand in period aprons the rest of the year, organizes an entire, extremely elaborate haunted village. It’s adults-only, it’s scary as hell, and it’s worth taking the train or driving to Drummondville…
This year marks the 16th edition, and the village is terrorized by a curse : “In 1877, a lady, wrongly accused of witchcraft, was murdered. Her son, despite his immense grief, left the village to continue his life with his distant family. Sixteen years later, the son, dead of grief, makes an unexpected return. He has come to avenge his mother, and will spare no one. Villagers will know the nameless wrath of the one they call… the Revenant. His vengeance is so unsatisfied that he casts a spell over the entire village. All the villagers are afraid to cross paths with this man. No one knows where he’s hiding, but they all feel the curse entering their homes. When you visit their homes, you’ll discover what really lurks in our villagers’ homes at night.” – Haunted Village
Where? Village Québécois d’Antan, 1370 rue Montplaisir, Drummondville
When? Fridays and Saturdays from September 26 to November 1, 2025 (+ Sunday, October 12), 6:30 to 11:30 p.m.
How? to be discovered in a group / experience lasts a minimum of 3 hours / adults only / adult admission 39.99, teens 32.99 -tickets here!
4.MalefyciaChannel 9
Not exactly a Haunted House, but an immersive, anxiety-inducing theater show -the haunted house of those who want to live a night in a nightmare.
This year’s show is “Canal 9”, and the sophistication and storytelling elevates the haunted house experience to an artistic…
Where? Montreal
When? October 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26, 30 and 31
How? adults only/ from $90, tickets here!
Enjoy your visit…