With Halloween just around the corner, it feels terribly un-festive of me to admit that I’ve never been an incredibly celebratory person. I’ve never carved a pumpkin, I hardly ever put much effort into a costume — if I dress up at all — and I oft’ pass up going home for Thanksgiving in favour of spending the long weekend at home in bed. But fret not, high and low I’ve scoured for events, traditions, movies, and more to get in the spirit (pun intended) for All Hallows’ Eve. I figure, to kick things off, a good scare is in order if I’m going to properly throw myself into October. It’d serve to get a jolt of fear in as practice before visiting home over the winter break. Y’know, microdose terror before sitting through those conversations around the family dinner table?
With that in mind, the labyrinthine woodland fog of Tanglebank Estate called to me. Their haunt runs until the end of October with a number of time slots available. That scheduling flexibility was a big pull for me, as I am indecisive when it comes to these things. For my personal first swing at something like this, the vibe they’ve got going at Terror at Tanglebank did not disappoint. From fog machines to nearly daily operation, from themed food and beverages to scare actors lurking in the shadows, my expectations were sated through and through.
Their menu was brief but efficient, some vegetarian options and then “gourmet” sausages and buns. Now, I’m no expert, but that’s a hot dog — a very tasty hot dog, certainly, but still. It was also during this time that I was informed their “Bloody Mary” was in fact one of the options for their sausage toppings, and not the alcoholic beverage I thought they had cleverly chosen so as to stay on theme. A lesson here folks: read more thoroughly.
A friend and I splurged on the full $55 on their R.I.P. Access tickets, which let us skip lines, get discounted merch, and of course a free themed cocktail (we knew we’d want to try them either way)! The syringe-stuffed blood moon elixir perfectly encapsulated the energy I was seeking from my Halloween festivities this year, much like the attraction itself: sweeter than expected but silly and fun nonetheless. Even without the extra accoutrement, at $27 general admission seems a steal for a night out like this. Or if you’ve got little ones you want to enjoy the season with without too much of a scare, they have family hour, actor-free tickets to take in Tanglebank in a more child friendly environment.
Silliness in mind, I’ve never usually been one for amusement parks, or thrill seeking. Scary movies need to be the right kind of scary, or I get squeamish and hide my face. Rollercoasters are an exercise in flexed abs so that my stomach doesn’t do flips. It’s a thin line to walk when it comes to entertainment for me, so maybe it was the companionship I brought along — the knowledge my friends would be subject to the same fate — or maybe it was the alcohol, but I definitely got less a sense of “terror,” as much as some shock value followed by laughter.
The scare actors are having fun and you get to be in on it too! It was a weird, exciting, collaborative bit of jump-scaring, without crawl-out-of-your-skin-and-shit-your-pants level fright, which is just about where I normally tap out. Ominous but grounded, what Terror at Tanglebank lacked in immersion, it made up for with special effects and dedication. Though never wandering too far, the ever-present shroud did craft a compelling illusion of a more distant and stranded place, something most haunts lack due to crowded spaces and glaring exit signs. Tanglebank benefits from being widespread and outdoors, but is hurt by the whimsy that their theming (and my friends) brought to the attraction.
I am taking this year to become the cool, spooky, Halloween-enjoying version of myself I always should have been, and Tanglebank was a phenomenal place to start. If you’re looking for a good time it has my recommendation! How should I sign off on such raving reviews? Zack the Pumpkin King? Fitzpumptrick? Fitzenstein(‘s Monster)? Regardless, a Zack O’Lantern stamp of approval.
