Canada: a hotspot for Hollywood’s horror season
By: Ruby Asgedome
Fall has always been a well-loved season. The changing colors of leaves on trees, the cold breeze, the pumpkin spice lattes, it’s no wonder the season is so appealing to many. Of course, with fall comes the Halloween season. During the spooky season, many of us have different traditions and whether that’s handing out candy to trick-or-treaters or dressing up and going out ourselves. This year, many traditions are going to have to be altered to adhere to the social distancing regulations in place. Though things are different, one beloved season tradition that can still be done is a horror movie marathon. Here’s a list of some of the spookiest movies that have been filmed in locations across Canada.
1) IT
The top-grossing horror movie of all time, and for very good reasons. This movie filled with jump scares, laughter and an amazing storyline was a huge cultural moment in a lot of our teen years. The movie follows Bill who with his friends, attempts to solve the mysterious killing of his five-year-old brother, Georgie. They eventually come face-to-face with a clown outside of an eerie mansion on the outskirts of the town. Said mansion can actually be found in Oshawa, Ont., a small suburb surrounding the border of Toronto. Due to the fact that Oshawa is filled with quite a bit of empty land, this filming location adds to the idea that the mansion was further away from where most people lived. The interior of the mansion was filmed in Toronto near the Riverdale neighborhood. This mansion is known as The William Harris House to Torontonians. The film also has notable scenes on the University of Toronto campus, Memorial Park, and Port Hope, Ont.
2) The Cabin in the Woods
If you scare easily, you may want to watch this one with a pillow near your face. This sinister movie accompanies five university students who embark on a weekend trip to a cabin in the woods. Upon their arrival, they are placed in what seems to be a bet between sick scientists and are killed off one by one. The entire movie is set in the Coquihalla Canyon Park in Vancouver, B.C. British Columbia is known for its massive trees and forest land, making it the perfect location for a horror movie set in the woods. Other locations in the film include the British Columbia Institute of Technology, also in Vancouver.
3) Orphan
The movie title itself sets the ominous atmosphere. The story follows a married couple after their daughter dies a tragic death. They adopt what seems to be the ‘perfect’ child but soon after, sinister events begin to take place. In the playground scene, we can see Toronto’s very own High Park area which is a normally fun and loving park – clearly not the case in the film. The film also uses various other residential areas in Toronto and St.Thomas, ONT., to set the background scene for the film. A prequel to the film is rumored to be in the works and various people predict Canada will be the home for filming once again. Go Canada!
4) Scary Movie
Who doesn’t love some comedy mixed with a couple of jump scares? The acting in Scary Movie is so bad that it’s good. A group of friends accidentally run over a body and dispose of it, promising not to tell anyone. Following the disposal of the body, the friend group begins to get stalked by an all too familiar face. There’s no real storyline, but at least you’ll never stop laughing. The film was shot in Vancouver, along the Fraser River. The highschool in the movie, known as B.A Corpse High school is a real technical school in Vancouver.
5) Final Destination
Even though this film was released 20 years ago, it’ll still manage to send shivers down your spine today. The main character in the film has a vision that the plane he and his classmates are boarding is going to crash. They all eventually miss the flight but one by one, they each face their inevitable fate. The film was mostly shot in Vancouver, including the airport scenes at Vancouver International Airport.