Scares Become Black And White Affair For Local Haunt

Ready for another season, a well known Windsor haunt has some new tricks and treats.

Fresh off their TV show The Boo Crew, Scarehouse Windsor (located at 1441 McDougall Avenue) is levelling up. Opening on Friday September 13, the venue has frights and fun for the entire family.

Operating for only a month and a half every year, work begins much further in advance..

“Our building phase starts as soon as the weather breaks from the winter, which is basically May 1,” said co-owner Shawn Lippert. “Our planning will begin in January on most years. We like to have everything locked down before we start the convention season, which begins in March. This current year we focused on the Immersive Dinner Experiences to take that to the next level.”

Focusing on trouble spots and things they wanted to expand on, department heads brainstormed areas that weren’t as “sexy” as the actual haunted house. This resulted in installing heating and cooling in all immersive dinner rooms along with the Deadway Bar and Kill.

Although this may not be noticeable to visitors, another addition is set to stand out. Called Frankly, Black and White, the room is set up like Universal Pictures’ classic 1931 film Frankenstein.

Inspired by the castle’s laboratory, it’s an immersive experience that also turns you black and white.

“It’s a special effects trick with lighting,” said Lippert. “It’s trippy. We got the idea from [The Boo Crew director] Gavin Michael Booth, who was researching some lighting techniques he has for an upcoming film he is working on. We didn’t know if it would work, but we did a lot of research and development and reached out to a Professor in England who helped us lock in the special effect.”

Building on it with a haunted house trick, this twist provides another unique experience.

“It’s awesome and it really is an experience that has never been created the way we are doing it,” said the co-owner. “Video and word of mouth does no justice for it. The only way to understand is to actually come into the room. For real, you will be in shades of grey just like a black and white movie.”

Adding the room also came with some extra work behind the scenes too. Doubling customer capacity with the addition, a larger preparation area was needed for immersive dinners. This meant knocking down a wall and moving their Miss Fortune room to accommodate doubling the prep area.

Having made these changes, Lippert thinks now is the time to take it all in.

“If you haven’t had dinner in the Haunted House yet, this would be the year to do it,” he said. ” Miss Fortune and the experience Frankly, Black and White got a complete overhaul. Scarehouse is always a project evolving and we are getting to a stage that when we create an effect, our skills are at the world class level. We are doing things that are iconic and have never been done before. Coming to work here is so enjoyable!”

Another big reason the co-owner enjoys his job relates to his employees. Used for the title of the series that documented Scarehouse Windsor, The Boo Crew includes everyone helping to create the haunt’s overall experience.

As part of this, Boo Skool prepares everyone and is Lippert’s favourite ramp up to a new season.

“You get to see the new Boo Crew and add onto your family of weirdos,” he said. “This year we saw a big jump in newbies — we had 68 show up for Boo Skool and we still have last years crew to add to that bunch. We will take anywhere from 100 to 120 people. The actual Production can take a lot less, but how do you turn down so many people who want to dedicate so much time and energy? We basically take everyone.”

His admiration for the team has also been echoed by those outside the haunt. After airing last year, The Boo Crew has gotten people coming in and referencing the show. Although it felt surreal to Lippert in some cases, Scarehouse Windsor has now been seen across Canada. It’s since resulted in customers visiting from as far as Sudbury and Quebec.

When it comes to the venue itself, there’s also plenty for them to choose from. Beyond the immersive dining experiences, Ward 13 is an apocalyptic wasteland with surprises around every turn and their most recent maze. Scared Evil is the main haunt, which Lippert says is still the best.

Even so, he singled out another attraction at the venue too.

“I love Haunted Darkness because it really does take away sight,” said the co-owner. “If you haven’t experienced that feeling, it can be frightening to have sight for one second and then you take it away for about ten minutes.”

Those looking for something even more intense can try a different experience as well. After years of staff reporting strange occurrences, voices and apparitions, Scarehouse Windsor decided to make the most of it. As a result, paranormal investigations are now available.

Taking place overnight however, it’s not for the faint of heart.

“We measured the levels of paranormal activity here,” said Lippert. “It measured extremely high. So one of our regular staff, Ray, said that he would love to do the tours here ’cause he knows where the highest levels happen in the building. We have been doing them ever since. Now you spend the night in the building and become part of the paranormal investigations. We have an arsenal of tools that make the tour extremely fun and I dare say ‘creepy.'”

On the flip side, the haunt added a mirror maze for kids last year. Making an effort to become an attraction for the whole family, it’s been a big success. Building upon this, Scarehouse Windsor has also included more partners to expand on what’s already been done.

It’s resulted in unique events that benefit everyone involved.

“The Windsor Police Service promotes the Lights on Tour, which will be on [Saturday] October 5, from 1-4 p.m.,” said Lippert. “We turn all the lights on and play fun music. We turn all the animatronics off and just let the kids walk through it. We raise money for the Lasalle Special Olympics and that’s a lot of fun. Scarehouse has become that family tradition year after year.”

Partnering with St Cecile Academy, the venue helps their business class as well. Allowing students to learn about Scarehouse Windsor, the haunt then helps them promote a fundraiser night. In turn, the project is then used as part of the marketing block on their curriculum.

Beyond its different spooky attractions, the Deadway Bar and Kill has also become a huge part of Scarehouse Windsor. Providing a place to hang out, it’s also an area where the freshly frightened masses can decompress.

More than that, recent renovations have allowed the space to be used in many ways.

“The Deadway is a space in the Haunt that has turned into our Piazza,” said Lippert. “There are no rules to it. If you want to host an event here during our season, just give us a call. We did the Security One AGM event. We have done Movie Premieres, Drag Shows and we did a Baby Shower. If you can think it, we can do it. This space was dead to the world for over 30 years then the City of Windsor allowed us to revive it. Its repurposed and now has become an important tradition in the community.”

Outside of the haunt, those who haven’t seen season one of The Boo Crew can do so online. Being posted on Scarehouse Windsor’s facebook and Youtube pages, the show gives a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to run such a state of the art facility. Having filmed more footage last year, plans are also underway to produce a second season.

Documenting the venue from past to present, It’s a project Lippert remains grateful for.

“[Booth] did an amazing job putting all that together,” said the co-owner. “It captures everything we have done over the last 15 years getting us to this point. It was a trip remembering all those memories, good and bad.”

For a list of dates, times and tickets, those interested can visit Scarehouse Windsor’s website.