TORONTO — Halloween is almost here and there is no better way to get into the spirit of the season than by turning off the lights and watching scary movies.
Over the years, a number of creepy flicks have been made in Canada. Some have been hits (2013’s Mama), some have been flops (2012’s House at the End of the Street) and some have gone straight to video (2012’s The Barrens, 2013’s Haunter).
READ MORE: 10 scary movies for Halloween
Canada has also hosted production of plenty of horror remakes and reboots — including 2006’s Black Christmas, 2011’s The Thing, 2013’s Carrie and next year’s Poltergeist.
Just in time for Halloween, here are some frightening made-in-Canada flicks.
The Saw sequels (2005-2010)
All of the Saw movies, except for the 2004 original, were made in Toronto. The six sequels, released between 2005 and 2010, earned a combined $770 million at the box office and millions more in home video revenues. Even though the most recent chapter, Saw 3D, was billed as The Final Chapter, plans are reportedly in the works for a Saw VIII in 2015.
Carrie (2013)
The remake of the 1976 classic, based on a novel by Stephen King, was filmed in Toronto. It stars Chloë Grace Moretz in the title role as well as Julianne Moore and a pre-Fault in Our Stars Ansel Elgort. The reboot was a flop — opening in third place and going on to gross a mere $85 million worldwide.
Wrong Turn (2003)
This movie about six people hunted by cannibalistic mountain men in the woods of West Virginia was shot in Southern Ontario — including Uxbridge, Dundas, Hamilton and Toronto. It earned only $28.6 million but spawned several sequels. 2007’s Wrong Turn 2: Dead End was shot in Vancouver and 2011’s Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginning was filmed in Brandon, Manitoba.
House at the End of the Street (2012)
This creepy thriller was shot in the summer of 2010 but didn’t get released until September 2012, several months after The Hunger Games made Jennifer Lawrence a star. Audiences weren’t impressed, though. The film made a paltry $39 million.
Black Christmas (1974 and 2006)
Both versions of this horror flick were made in Canada. The 1976 original, starring Olivia Hussey and Margot Kidder, was made in Toronto (the film’s sorority house is now a private home in the St. Clair and Avenue Road neighbourhood) and the 2006 remake, starring Katie Cassidy and Michelle Trachtenberg, was filmed in Vancouver. Fun fact: Andrea Martin appears in both versions.
The Changeling (1980)
George C. Scott stars in this classic horror film, which won the first ever Genie Award for Best Canadian Film. Though some of the exterior scenes were shot in Seattle and New York, the bulk of the movie was filmed in the Vancouver area (watch for the Orpheum and Hotel Europe) and in Toronto.
Joy Ride 2 (2008) and Joy Ride 3 (2014)
The first direct-to-video sequel to 2001’s Joy Ride was shot in B.C., including locations in Cache Creek, Kamloops, Ashcroft and Vancouver. Joy Ride 3, which also bypassed theatres, was made in and around Winnipeg.
Silent Hill (2006) and Silent Hill: Revelation (2012)
These psychological horror films, based on the video game series, were shot in Toronto, Hamilton and Brantford, Ont..
Mama (2013)
This supernatural horror film, starring Jessica Chastain and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, is set in Virginia but was shot on soundstages in Toronto and on location in Quebec City.
The Thing (2011)
John Carpenter’s acclaimed 1982 film The Thing got a prequel in 2011 starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Joel Edgerton — and it was made almost entirely inside Pinewood Toronto Studios. The movie, which cost a reported $38 million, earned only $27 million at the box office.
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