Halloween Chillin' in North TO
By: Patrick Metzger
By: Patrick Metzger
Looking for a place to take the kids tonight after trick or treating? Well, if
you agree with Torontoist that zombies, hideously disfigured freaks, and
dismembered bodies are just the thing for young children, the Keewatin
Horror is the place for you and your emotionally scarred offspring.
Begun in 1997 as a one-time event for local kids in North Toronto, the
Keewatin Horror has become an annual happening eagerly awaited by
Halloween buffs from all over. Every October 31 hundreds of people troop
through the backyards at 255 and 257 Keewatin (near Mt. Pleasant and
Eglinton) for a horror extravaganza that includes music, special effects,
blood-drenched props, and live actors playing dead people.
The Keewatin Horror was started by friends and neighbours Jeff Cooke and
Will Sturtridge, both only thirteen years old back in 1997. Over the years it’s
grown in size and popularity, and they expect to get more than 300 people
this year, including a group from Taiwan who phoned Jeff earlier this week.
Participants are led through a maze of creepiness that includes a haunted
outhouse, a demonic hospital, and an insane asylum.
Although the work is done by Jeff, Will, and their friends, for the last couple
of years the increasingly expensive Horror has been financially sponsored
in part by local businesses. Jeff’s mom Cheryl, who donates her backyard
every year, says in the past she’s occasionally had misgivings about the
event but generally enjoys the festivities.
Jeff told Torontoist that 2007 will probably be the last year for the Horror, as
the co-founders will be finished with school and “hopefully” move out of
their parents’ houses.
The Keewatin Horror starts at 7pm tonight (Halloween) at 255 Keewatin Ave.
you agree with Torontoist that zombies, hideously disfigured freaks, and
dismembered bodies are just the thing for young children, the Keewatin
Horror is the place for you and your emotionally scarred offspring.
Begun in 1997 as a one-time event for local kids in North Toronto, the
Keewatin Horror has become an annual happening eagerly awaited by
Halloween buffs from all over. Every October 31 hundreds of people troop
through the backyards at 255 and 257 Keewatin (near Mt. Pleasant and
Eglinton) for a horror extravaganza that includes music, special effects,
blood-drenched props, and live actors playing dead people.
The Keewatin Horror was started by friends and neighbours Jeff Cooke and
Will Sturtridge, both only thirteen years old back in 1997. Over the years it’s
grown in size and popularity, and they expect to get more than 300 people
this year, including a group from Taiwan who phoned Jeff earlier this week.
Participants are led through a maze of creepiness that includes a haunted
outhouse, a demonic hospital, and an insane asylum.
Although the work is done by Jeff, Will, and their friends, for the last couple
of years the increasingly expensive Horror has been financially sponsored
in part by local businesses. Jeff’s mom Cheryl, who donates her backyard
every year, says in the past she’s occasionally had misgivings about the
event but generally enjoys the festivities.
Jeff told Torontoist that 2007 will probably be the last year for the Horror, as
the co-founders will be finished with school and “hopefully” move out of
their parents’ houses.
The Keewatin Horror starts at 7pm tonight (Halloween) at 255 Keewatin Ave.
