Presented by Powell River arts collective the Vale Society, the Haunted Ball returns to Dwight Hall for a fourth year on Saturday, October 29.
According to the co-creators Autumn Skye Morrison and Blake Drezet, their reasons for presenting the masquerade ball come from childhood disappointment, which, in itself, is an ominous beginning for a Halloween tale.
“Growing up in Calgary, I became so excited about it because of the atmosphere and mystery around it,” said Drezet. “I would spend all of this time on my costume, dress up and go looking for some party.”
Drezet said he had many disappointing Halloweens drifting the suburban streets.
“I’ve long wanted to create the Halloween party of my dreams and something that really rose to the occasion I thought Halloween could be for people,” he said.
For Morrison, who was born and raised in Powell River, she said there was never much going on for Halloween other than a few high school parties. Drezet said he and Morrison consider Halloween one of their favourite holidays.
“We both really love Halloween,” he said. “We love dressing up and Halloween has always been a favourite.”
Now, the Haunted Ball gives them the opportunity to create atmospheres of other worlds; some playful, some contemplative and some spooky. Morrison describes the mood of the night as magical.
A haunted ball is a mainstay of Halloween. In movies, it is celebrated in malevolent masterpieces such as the original Phantom of the Opera starring Lon Chaney. Masquerade balls are usually ghostly rather than full-on gore, creepy and spooky more than frightful.
According to Morrison, the Haunted Ball is not meant to scare, but rather to create mystical moods.
“I usually shy away from the horror side of Halloween and go more for the mysterious, magical, playful and a little bit retro,” said Morrison. “Fantasy is more our interest.”
As for the theme of this year’s Haunted Ball, Drezet said he doesn’t want to give too much away.
“We’re sort of gearing more toward the medieval, gothic quality,” he said. “Last year was a bit more witches and stuff.”
Installations, some of which are “castle-esque,” said Drezet, create a haunting atmosphere for people who attend the ball.
“We create these atmospheres that you walk into and it feels like you’ve stepped into another world,” said Morrison. “There many different little aspects that are different worlds.”
For more information, search for the Haunted Ball Powell River, 2016, on Facebook.
