Canada's Wonderland Halloween Haunt Is Now Open & Here's A Terrifying First Look (PHOTOS)

Spooky season has officially started with Canada's Wonderland Halloween Haunt opening night on September 24.

Halloween Haunt is best known for its late-night rides, haunted houses, and mazes, but this year Canada's Wonderland has pivoted in a new direction.

Instead of indoor haunted houses or mazes, guests can get their frights by walking through 11 scare zones and haunted attractions spread throughout the park and those faint of heart can catch some of the live "sinister shows."

However, from 7 p.m. to 12 a.m., you can still ride all of the park's terrifying rides as usual.*

Online Halloween Haunt tickets are $31.99, but if you plan on riding all of the roller coasters without waiting up to an hour in line, you may want to invest in a fast pass, which will cost you $95.

I attended opening night on Friday, and here's what you can expect if you are planning to visit Halloween Haunt this year.

Live Scare Zones

This year the haunt has 11 scare zones, including Gates of Terror, Kingdom of Carnage, CarnEVIL, Trick-Or-Treat, Wicked Hollow, Ghostly Pines, Forest of Fear, Streets of the Undead, Frontiers Revenge, The Farmstead, and Zombies! scattered throughout the park.

I hadn't visited Halloween Haunt since I was a kid, so I was initially disappointed to hear that there wouldn't be any haunted houses or mazes to walk through. However, the live scare zones did provide some of the fright that I was looking for.

Brooke Houghton | Narcity

Ghouls, zombies, clowns, and horrifying creatures prowl through the scare zones jumping out as you walk through the park, and while you probably won't actually get scared as an adult walking through it, it does add to the Halloween mood.

The entire park is decorated with creepy alternating themes that you can navigate on your map, with fog rolling through the streets, pumpkins galore, and live attractions to stop and watch.

Brooke Houghton | Narcity

My favourite fear zone would have to be Farmstead, a corn maze-inspired walkthrough with tall cornstalk walls and live actors around every corner.

Brooke Houghton | Narcity

That being said, if you are a veteran of haunted houses and can hold your own when it comes to fear, don't expect to be terrified, but you can bank on being entertained.

Sinister Entertainment

The live shows are a must-see, and I would honestly prioritize catching a show over walking through every scare zone.

The six live shows playing throughout the park are Inferno, Freak Show, The Illusionist, Skelton Crew, Sink The Jerk, and Vampire Disco.

I attended the 9:30 p.m. showing of Inferno and the 10 p.m. showing of Skeleton Crew and was honestly quite impressed.

The Inferno show was hot! The performers danced with fire at the gates of hell and even lit a performer completely on fire.

The "fire demons" swung around two-ended batons with flames on either side and even swallowed fire.

Brooke Houghton | Narcity

Another agent of hell made an appearance towards the end of the show as a contortionist and displayed her impressive flexibility before sentencing another pour soul to hell who showcased an impressive jump into what appeared to be a vat of water behind the stage.

Brooke Houghton | Narcity

The show was only about 15 to 20 minutes long and was a great way to break up rides and see some quality entertainment.

Skeleton Crew had a host of circus-like performers that took turns on stage performing their craft from knife throwing to juggling to ladder work and a trampoline-aided skeleton dance.

Brooke Houghton | Narcity

While Skeleton Crew wasn't as intense as Inferno, it was really fun to watch.

Food, Drinks & Shopping

Wonderland also dropped a new Halloween-themed menu on opening night, so there are plenty of new dishes to try if you get hungry at the park.

I tried four of the spooky-looking new dishes at Backlot Cafe, including Troll Lint Fries Poutine for $14.99, Canary's Mistake Fries Poutine for $ 14.99, Grilled Chicken Burger for $18.99 and the Chorizo Burger for $18.99.

The Troll Lint Fries Poutine almost looked too gross to eat, but it was actually quite tasty. The poutine was, in fact, not made of troll lint but green curry pulled chicken and your typical poutine fixings of cheese curds and gravy.

Brooke Houghton | Narcity

The Canary's mistake Fries Poutine had less of a scare factor and was actually a sticky red smoked beef brisket poutine. The meat was incredibly tender and melted in your mouth.

Brooke Houghton | Narcity

The two new burgers on the menu both come with kettle chips on the side and black charcoal buns. The Grilled Chicken Burger also comes with jalapeño cheese, whereas the Chorizo burger comes with an in-house-made chorizo beef patty.

Brooke Houghton | Narcity

Along with some new Halloween-themed desserts and drinks around the park, if you're over 19 years old, you can also grab an alcoholic blood bag pouch for $11 from the bar.

Brooke Houghton | Narcity

If you're a really big fan of the Halloween Haunt and want some merch to remember it by, you can check out the new Halloween BOOtique near the front of the park for some cool photo op spots or to grab some gear.

Brooke Houghton| Narcity

Halloween Haunt

Brooke Houghton | Narcity

Price: $31.99 per ticket (Online pricing)

When: September 24 to October 31

Address: 1 Canada's Wonderland Dr., Vaughan, ON

Why You Need To Go: To ride all of your favourite rides in the middle of the night and celebrate Halloween with some spooky frights.

Website

*This article has been updated.

The opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.