Trick or Treat: From Creepy Cocktails to Murder Mysteries, 5 Ways for Grown-ups to Celebrate Halloween

Trick-or-treat might just be for kids, but Halloween is not. Once our favourite holiday, always our favourite holiday. In fact, some of us think it should be statutory. Long after the little ones have grown, many of us still decorate our homes as soon as the calendar turns Oct. 1 or at least count down the days until it’s acceptable, about two weeks in. But what to do on Halloween weekend or on the actual All Hallows’ Eve, Oct. 31?

We’ve compiled a list to help give you some ideas.

 

Fortune Tellers and Séances

Ever notice, as you’re stuck in traffic, the number of shops with that neon sign in the window: Fortune Teller or Palms Read or Psychic? Ever wonder if anyone ever goes in? Well, now’s your chance. In the lead up to Halloween, keep your eyes peeled. We know there must be at least one soothsayer in your neighbourhood. Next time you see one, pull over, run in and make an appointment for Halloween. It’s also fairly certain that one of your friends regularly consults a psychic or knows “a good one.” Even if you don’t believe in it, it’s a pretty fun thing to do. And to go one step further, in Toronto Jaymes White is conducting his Victorian seance at the haunted Howland Inn this month. For an at-home version, pick up a Ouija board.

 

Ghost Walks and Haunted Spots

 

Speaking of haunted, coast to coast, there are ghost walks everywhere in small towns to big cities. A quick Google search of, say, Calgary ghost walks turns up that exact url. Halifax has a “dare to be scared” tour at the Citadel and Vancouver has The Lost Souls of Gastown Tour. Toronto has a number of haunted walks from Pioneer Village to various roams around downtown, hitting everywhere from the University of Toronto to the Keg Mansion. One can also investigate the paranormal at the SDG Jail in Cornwall, Ont. We’re not sure why all ghosts have negative pasts (usually murdered), but ask your spirit guide why people who died of natural causes never seem to come back as ghosts. They almost always “died in that chair” or were murdered upstairs. 

 

Escape Rooms and Murder Mysteries

 

Almost every city now has escape rooms. Operating year-round, they are usually themed and involve varying degrees of difficulty. For Halloween, though, seek out the ones in scarier environments or with threats of death if you can’t escape. How do they work? Typically, you and your team are locked into a room or a space and have to solve clues and puzzles to bring you one step closer to unlocking the door, in a specific amount of time. It’s not for everyone. You might just suck at it. If you think that level of frustration and brain usage will cause murderous rage, then try your local dinner theatre instead for a theatrical murder mystery or performance of the classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

 

True Crime and Lock Your Door Horror

 

After you’ve finished doling out candy to those little doorbell-ringing ghouls, settle in for the night with the leftovers and watch some good ol’ frightening TV. The current Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story on Netflix is a horrific retelling of the serial killer who kept body parts in his refrigerator and devoured some of them. Why not begin the evening with a documentary on the case, like The Jeffrey Dahmer Files, Jeffrey Dahmer: Mind of a Monster or the new Netflix series, Conversations With a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes. If you want something lighter, choices range from 1922’s Nosferatu to the ’60s TV series The Addams Family, 1973’s The Exorcist and 1976’s Carrie to binge-watching as many of the Halloween and Nightmare on Elm Street films as you dare. And the finale Halloween Ends is in theatres now. 

 

Creepy Cocktails

The Black Lagoon Halloween-themed pop-up bar began in New Orleans by Erin Hayes and Kelsey Ramage (too bad their surnames aren’t Hades and Rampage), but is now in many North American cities, including Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto. But after getting up to answer the door dozens of times, you might prefer to rest your weary bones at home and make your own creepy cocktails. The LCBO sells such wonderfully titled alcohol as the skull-shaped Crystal Head Vodka, Coffin Ridge Back From The Dead Red and Hobgoblin Ale, and also shares some drink recipes online, like the Drac-quiri and black coloured Tropical Dusk. And for those of us who don’t drink alcohol, just plonk some eyeball ice cubes in a virgin Bloody Mary or Caesar or drape a plastic spider on the side. Dollarama has all kinds of fun tumblers and mugs. Again, not just for kids. 

Happy Halloween!

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