It’s that spooky time of year, when dimensions descend upon one another and the energies of heaven and hell collide into our physical realm. Some call it All Hallows Eve, All Saints Day Eve, Allhallowtide, or Allhalloween. Whatever you call the old Gaelic Harvest, it’s a perfect time to test your psychological terror threshold with a visit to Vancouver’s best escape room.
While ringing the church bells for the souls in purgatory, noticing the jack-o-laterns on guard to ward off evil spirits, or watching a flick before heading to Krakit, it’s a day to honour and recount the top ten movie creatures that go bump in the night, i.e. our worst fears manifested.
10. Tyrannosaurus Rex - The evil, dragon-like badass still holds his rein of terror on this list for one simple fact: the T. Rex is real (and, he’s been dancing since he was twelve).
9. Werewolf/Werecar - On the full moon, men and women having been bit or influenced by a werewolf, with wolf’s blood coursing through their veins, undergo and powerful transformation and rampage until dawn. Weres are endowed with the spirit of a superpowered, half-human, half-lycan; or, auto parts from various evil vehicles. The werecar? “Bender” from Futurama is a robot that changes into an evil, bloodlusty car with parts from the most sinister movie automobiles.
8. Jigsaw - Let’s face it, we’re here for a reason. Jigsaw is the nefarious serial killer who made all of this awesomeness at the Burnaby Escape Room possible.
7. Ghosts and Ghouls - Who is the most sinister? The ones from Ghostbusters, the Babadook, Thirteen Ghosts, The Ring, The Grudge, or Ghost Dad? My vote is an undead Bill Cosby—who knows what that is capable of!
6. Aliens/Predator - Especially HR Geiger’s Xenomorphic, hive-minded abomination who, in its singular form, is the a prized capture of the Predator—another dark, violent creature inside Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett movie mythos. See also: Independence Day and Mars Attacks.
5. Vampires - Sensual and violent, these date-rapey (see Bill Cosby, above) creatures roam the night, looking for human victims. Who did it best: Dracula, Lestat, or Blade?
4. Gremlins - When you buy anything from a pop-up shop in Chinatown, you’re going to have issues. From mythical Mogwai to venomous gargoyle, these creatures will make you watch out for the wet spots for more reasons than a slip-and-fall danger.
3. Zombies - They started out slow, they moved into space, now they’ve evolved into fast moving, ever multiplying, brain-sucking scum. Watch out, they’re coming for you! Best movies: Event Horizon, Dawn of the Dead, and 28 Days Later.
2. The Undead - The difference between zombies and ghouls—versus simply ‘undead’—is clearly articulated in Pet Cometary. Please, bury your children responsibly.
1. Party Monsters - These creatures are number one because they aren’t included on most lists. There’s nothing more terrifying than the real-life events experienced by characters from Requiem for a Dream and Trainspotting.
