Scare the family at Fort Fright in Kingston

“Should I be a zombie rapper or a vampire cheerleader?”

Halloween costume decisions for my kids start even before the first day of school. No other holiday captures their imagination more, so we decide to take them to Kingston’s infamous Fort Fright.

Here, Hollywood-style props, special effects and scare actors combine to frighten the living daylights out of visitors. And it turns out to be a truly unforgettable experience for our family. To be honest, there are a few bits I’d rather forget, but the kids won’t let me (“Remember how loud you screamed when the zombie jumped out, Mom?”).

What distinguishes this haunted festival from others like it is the site itself. Fort Henry, about a two-hour drive from Ottawa, is an early 19th-century British fortification and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its imposing stone walls overlook the point where the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario meet. This strategic location was chosen to defend Upper Canada against American invaders. The armies never came, but many believe the military garrison has been occupied—by residents of another world.

“It is considered to be one of the most haunted places in North America,” says Greg Gouthro, the fort’s senior interpreter. Several paranormal groups, including TV’s Ghost Hunters, have investigated the site and found ample evidence of the presence of spirits.

Gouthro says he was skeptical when he began working here. “After all,” he says, “it’s an old fort that creaks and bangs, and most noises can be explained.”

He concedes his opinion has softened over the years. “Many things have happened that just can’t be explained,” he says. People in bed who disappear upon closer inspection (a cleaner quit her job after seeing this); documented reports of breaking glass that was heard not only by security guards but by the police, who came to investigate; and the frequently sighted Nils von Schoultz, a revolutionary who was hanged on the premises.

You couldn’t ask for a better setting for a goose bump, scream-filled night. Ghoulish atmosphere oozes from every weather-beaten limestone brick and permeates every long narrow tunnel and underground chamber. The scare actors play their roles well, materializing out of nowhere to startle even the bravest of souls (though they never actually touch you). Teenagers giggle and shriek as they navigate through the mazes and dimly lit rooms filled with macabre displays and spooky special effects. In Parade Square, a hangman thrashes in his noose, a tribute no doubt to poor old Nils.

This year has added a trail between the walls, where werewolves and others lurk. There’s also double the number of scare actors, including the blood-curdling Annabelle, from the hit horror flick.

Now most (sane) visitors would go home after the haunt, but not our family. We spend the night inside the thick limestone walls of the fort, in the barracks. Just us and a single security guard outside the gate.

And the ghosts of Fort Henry.

But if Hangman Nils and all the other phantom residents are with us, we’re oblivious to their company. Perhaps the spirits are too tired from the excitement of Fort Fright or perhaps we are, but whatever the case, we actually sleep.

We leave the next morning with no ghost story of our own, but definitely a frightfully fun experience we won’t soon forget.

The author visited Fort Fright as a guest of Fort Henry.

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If you go

Distance from Ottawa: 196km

Open: Thursdays to Sundays, October 2 to October 19; nightly, Thursday, October 23 to Saturday, November 1 (7pm to 10pm).

Admission: $15 (you can also get a $23 combo pass to Fort Fright and Pumpkinferno)

Accommodation: There are three room options for two to 13 people. The overnight cost is $50 per person with a minimum nightly charge of $200.  For more information or to reserve your overnight stay, call 800-437-2233. Note: It’s an 1860 military site and as such does not have modern amenities. Guests bring their own sleeping bags and toiletries; washrooms and showers are in a separate building.

More information: Fort Fright