Screamfest 2021 Review: Houses & Games (Calgary Event)

October 15, 2021 at 5:37pm
By Jason Stettner

The yearly haunted event continues in Calgary with Screamfest 2021. It continues to have some lingering elements of HEX (Halloween and Entertainment Expo) but focuses on just the standard house attractions more this time around. It runs throughout the month of October providing entertainment during the weekends. There’s also an adult only night on October 28th.

It is located at Stampede Park, being back at the Grandstand location which is a spot it hasn’t been in a number of years. In returning to that space it does feel slightly smaller in terms of scope. You’ll only notice a few stands of third party sellers this year, that being the scaling back aspect of HEX. When it comes to the current Covid situation you do need to have proof of vaccination and you’ll be checked prior to grabbing your tickets.

This may create a bit of an extra line, but the queue seemed relatively quick. There are also arrival times based on ticket choice. Masks are enforced while you’re at the event, whether that’s indoors or outside by the houses. I thought it was handled decently well, the protocols. There were even warnings being given to those that were neglecting to follow the set rules.

When I went to the event it was decently warm out which was nice, a benefit of it taking place in earlier October this year. I went on the first night where it was decently busy as the night went on. I was lucky to get there right away so that I could enter smaller queues. There are variations in what sort of passes you’ll grab. The standard one gets you a run through the house whereas the fast pass or well premium option allows two extra visits alongside quicker line movement.

So you can basically skip the haunted houses lines which is a nice feature to have available. There’s also some Killer Cash with that which can be used to play the various games that are present. Between both of these options is a mix of standard admission with Killer Cash. This year there are six houses present which includes the following options; “Clown Town”, “Reapers and Grimm”, “Bates Motel”, “What Lurks in the Dark”, “Walking With the Dead” and “What Lies Beneath”.

Fairly standard selections if you’ve been there prior years, the special premium house does not return this year either. For carnival games there’s the following options; “Feed the Demon”, “Pharaoh”, “Wheel of Misfortune”, “Witch’s Brew”, “Gary”, “Lose an Eye” and “Zomo”. You can win prizes by playing these games. Alongside that is an Axe Throwing option which costs four tokens of Killer Cash.

To access the various haunted houses you’ll head to the back area or well the open side of the Grandstand. It’s outdoors so be sure to be dressed accordingly. It can also get rather dark, so keep that in mind. The indoors area is warm and features the various games I mentioned. There are a few shops, part of what I imagine came over from the HEX side of things. It would be neat to see the whole HEX aspect come back bigger when things get back to normal at some point down the road. There’s also a screening area where movies are playing.

It’s got a haunted atmosphere indoors with some smoke machines and other spooky creatures too which you may find fund to take photos with. Finally there’s a bar area which actually featured the scariest part of the event, the drink prices. It was like $9 for a beer, that is absolute insanity and it made me jump. Anyways, it’s a fun event and something I’m sure many are used to. If you’re going for the first time it’s enjoyable. You get at least a couple hours of time from it which is good value.

There are some actors that line the houses, some timing felt a bit off but they are well set in trying to provide some scares. You’ll also find some wandering about as well outside of being set in house performances. It’s basically a return to the old form this year, and it’s been interesting to see it continue. It’s always a neat time, and something I look forward to each year. Oh, and it’s $15 for parking which is a bit wild though I believe that’s a Stampede aspect. You can check out our Calgary hub for more coverage from within the city.

Read our Screamfest 2020 Review
View our Calgary Hub