For most of the year, Playland, an amusement park just outside of downtown Vancouver, is pretty much your average family theme park: roller coasters, cotton candy and plenty of chances to win a big stuffed monkey at the ring toss. But during the last part of October, Playland indulges its darker side: Haunted houses are brought in, Jason masks are donned and the lights are dimmed low for the yearly Halloween spectacle known as Fright Nights.

This year, Fright Nights runs during the evenings from October 16 to October 31. I had the chance to check it out earlier this week, on a dark, blustery night with a damp chill in the air. Fright Nights plays on the classic horror movie plot line of the haunted theme park after dark. And while it’s plenty of fun, it’s also genuinely scary. Walking down the fairway, I was drawn to the Haunted Mansion by sounds of screaming coming from inside. A sign at the entrance warns that the ride is rated PG-13 for blood and guts. A Playland staff member launches into a speech at the door: Once you’re in, there’s no turning back – You have to navigate the entire house.

In the dim light inside, you can make out a scene of domestic bliss gone terribly wrong: blood spatters on the wall, body parts scattered around the living room. Down a hallway, a door rattles uncontrollably. Shuffle in further and things get worse. Rotting corpses pop out from closets and under the bed. In the kitchen, a whole clan of undead surges out from the oven. I don’t want to give it all away, but there’s a reason children under 12 are discouraged from attending.Apart from the scary stuff, however, the other reason to check out Fright Nights is the rides. Included with the cost of admission ($25 during the week; $30 on weekends) is a free pass to the ferris wheel, the roller coasters and a dozen stomach-churning classics. An added benefit is that lines tend to be much shorter than during the summer. Plus, Playland’s Wooden Roller Coaster – recently named one of the world’s best by American Coaster Enthusiasts – is run entirely in the dark during Fright Nights. The drops and hairpin turns are even more harrowing when you don’t see them coming. In fact, I probably heard more grown men scream on the coaster than in the haunted houses.

So anyone else been to this year’s Fright Nights? Am I exaggerating? Or is it really a pretty good scare?  Let me know by leaving a comment below.

Remy Scalza

www.remyscalza.com

A travel blog about places you haven’t been