Our Listing Directory

ALC Art & Oddities Parlour is the ultimate destination for all your goulish delights! It is both a curated space for artists from across Ontario and a selection of macabre and unique oddities. Wander around this eccentric gallery of skulls and vintage taxidermy interspersed between a diverse selection of art pieces. You can also dig into a selection of rare and preloved books of Ex Mortis in the shop. That’s not all! ALC Art and Oddities Parlour also hosts flash tattoos, tarot readings, seances, and a selection of classes.

Website (click on photo)
Phone: 647-929-3249
Email: alcartparlour@gmail.com
Socials: @alcartandodditiesparlour

900 Brock Road Unit 5
Pickering

As always, let them know Get Spooked sent you!

Another Realm is the brick and mortar shop for jewellery designed by Liane Vaz. She specializes in making everyday and custom heirloom jewellery, crafted for the enchanted. Handmade in Toronto, she is drawn to what most aren’t—the otherness of things.

She gravitates towards architecture, symbols of life and death, celestial elements, and fundamental geometric concepts - all of which inform the work she creates. You can shop on her website and in her store by appointment only. Follow her Instagram so you can also catch her at various markets.

She has been making jewellery professionally for over 10 years - all in basements, bedrooms (her own), and shared spaces. After years and years of knowing she needed more space and craving an atmosphere that was all hers, she opened up Another Realm in the spring of 2025.

Part jewellery studio, part locally-made curiosity shop, part small-scale event space, Another Realm invites the maximalist-minded wanderer to explore and relax.

Website (click on photo)
Email: details@lianevaz.com
Socials: @lianevazdesigns

181 Carlaw Avenue
Toronto

As always, let her know Get Spooked sent you!

Originally built in the early 1850s as Bradford House by O.B. Bradford, Arlington Hotel was founded in 1882 under the Ealand family. It has seen over a century of community life—from WWII send-offs to multiple renovations and re-openings. In 2014, it relaunched with 23 literary-themed rooms. Arlington Hotel is a recognized Ontario Heritage Site.

Those who stay and work at Arlington Hotel have had multiple spooky experiences. Apparitions have been seen and strong sensations have been felt on several floors. The lobby is commonly home to sudden chills, goosebumps, and the feeling of the hair standing on the back of your neck. Paranormal investigations have captured noises and paranormal impressions throughout the hotel.

Haunted rooms you can stay in include Room 204 Emily Dickenson, Room 305 Mary Shelley, and Room 307 Edgar Allan Poe. People have also had experiences on the 4th floor and in the lobby.

Most of the ghosts of Arlington Hotel are unnamed, but there is a “hangman ghost” that is sometimes mentioned in paranormal circles. Maybe you can help discover the identities of the ghosts of Arlington Hotel on your next stay.

Website (click on photo)
Email: info@arlingtonhotel.ca
Phone: 226-227-1767
Socials: @arlingtonhotelparis

106 Grand River Street North
Paris

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The Black Heart Co. in Oshawa is a boutique shop that sells spooky and alternative goods to feed the mysterious soul. Inside you will discover a collection of darker themed art, books, apparel, and home decor.

Long-time vendor and owner of 'Creeps & Ghouls' dreamt of owning a little spooky store in the heart of downtown Oshawa. That dream became The Black Heart Co. Their goal is to provide an inviting and inclusive space for artists and the community to visit, shop, or just hang out and chat.

Whether you're looking for that next spooky something for yourself or a perfect gift for a ghoul in your life, they have something special for everyone, but especially the weirdos. Cause like you, they are the weirdos, mister.

Website (click on photo)
Email: info@theblackheartco.com
Socials: @the.black.heart.co

10 Ontario St
Oshawa

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Ghost Story of Flora MacDonald Denison

What we know today as Bon Echo Provincial Park once started as a spiritual retreat and inn and not all of its former owners have left.

Opened in 1901, the original Bon Echo Inn was intended to be a religious retreat by Weston and Florence Price. Florence named the area Bon Echo because of the amazing echo the rock face created (bon meaning the word “good” in French).

In 1910, the inn was purchased by “unconventional” and “controversial” artist and feminist Flora MacDonald Denison. Originally starting as a rural school teacher, Flora moved to Toronto to become a journalist and dress maker. She became president of the Canadian Suffrage Association and fought for voting rights for women. (Side note, not many people know this, but women didn’t obtain the right to vote in Québec until 1940!)

Flora turned the Bon Echo Inn from a religious retreat to a “gathering place for artists, thinkers, writers, all under the northern light beside these great cliffs.” Obsessed with her hero, American poet Walt Whitman, she started the Whitman Club of Bon Echo and even carved a poem titled Old Walt into the rock face in 1920.

Like many of that time, Flora was a spiritualist and regularly dabbled in seances, tarot cards, and palm readings. She used the spirit board pictured to speak with those beyond the veil.

Flora passed in 1921 and Bon Echo Inn burned down in 1936. Her son Merrill, an artist in his own right, donated the land to the Ontario provincial government in 1959 in honour of his wife and his mother, Flora.

The visitor centre is one of the last remaining original buildings that survived the fire. Even though Flora died in 1921, she never truly left. Her ghost is said to move around objects in empty rooms. She opens and closes windows and doors when no one is around. Her light footsteps can even be heard pacing above. When encountering these experiences, the staff say, “Be careful, Flora is listening!”

Source: Bon Echo Visitor Centre

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Canadian Creepies is a spine-tingling podcast exploring the darkest corners of Canada’s history, mysteries, true crime, and folklore. Hosted by Valerie, each episode features one of her closest cohosts—Amanda (Down the Crooked Path), Ali, or her partner Kyle—as they uncover chilling tales of haunted places, unsolved crimes, hidden histories, and eerie legends. With deep research, haunting storytelling, and a dash of Canadian charm, Canadian Creepies brings the strange and sinister into the spotlight.

Valerie is a florist by trade and a storyteller by obsession, forever chasing the strange, the haunted, and the unjust. With a lifelong pull toward the arts—through singing, theatre, activism, and now performing with her band The Thumbs—she weaves her creative spirit into everything she does. A recovering addict with a sharp sense of justice, Valerie thrives at the crossroads of beauty and darkness, where resilience blooms as fiercely as any flower.

Canadian Creepies would make an excellent podcast to listen to as you travel to paranormal destinations across Ontario!

Website (click on photo)
Email: canadiancreepiespodcast@gmail.com
Socials: @canadiancreepies

As always, let them know Get Spooked sent you!

The Ghost Story of Tom Thomson

The legendary Group of Seven painter Tom Thomson found his home away from home at Canoe Lake in Algonquin Park. He spent a majority of his time there fishing and painting around the lake. He also carried out a secret relationship with a woman named Winnie Trainor, often sending her love letters and eventually asking for her hand in marriage.

On July 8th 1917, Tom left for his regular fishing expedition on his canoe, however he never returned. A German American man named Martin Bletcher casually remarked to others that he and his sister saw an upturned canoe, but he didn’t recognize whose it was. The canoe was discovered to be Tom’s with several times such as his fishing gear missing. A portaging paddle was found tied to the canoe, done in a knot that only an amateur would have tied. Tom’s body was found 8 days later.

An autopsy done by a doctor vacationing in the area ruled the death an accidental drowning. This was despite the fact that there was no water found in his lungs, a large mark was discovered across Tom’s left temple as if he had been struck, and there was fishing wire wrapped 16 or 17 times around one of his ankles.

Many people believed Tom was murdered, with the lead suspect being the man who reported seeing Tom’s canoe, Martin Bletcher. Suspicion fell upon him because he claimed to not recognize Tom’s well-known canoe, especially since he was Winnie’s neighbour. Tom and Martin had apparently argued at a recent party about the outcome of World War I with Martin strongly believing Germany would win and Tom heatedly disagreeing. Some believed the fishing wire was used by Martin to tie his body down which is why it took 8 days for the body to be discovered.

Tom’s family wanted his body entombed near their home in Leith, Ontario. Men were sent to dig him up from where he was buried in Algonquin and relocate him to the family. But did that really happen? Many people believed that a ruse was set up to trick the family and that his body actually remained in the place he loved most, Canoe Lake. In the 1950s, a group of men went to dig up the grave and indeed found a skeleton, though no official identification was made.

Today, his death remains a mystery. Many people have seen the ghost of Tom Thompson canoeing across his favourite lake in a yellow shirt, emerging from the mist and then vanishing just as quickly as he appeared. A painter from Muskoka named Doug Dunford experienced such a sighting, and inspired, he painted what he witnessed. Later, that painting was purchased by another man who had seen the same spectral image on his own visit to Canoe lake. Some suspect Tom is out there searching for his long lost fiancée, Winnie.

Source: Haunted Ontario Revisited by Terry Boyle

The Ghost Story of Jemima Howard

Like many women of the past, there is little known of Jemima Howard today. Her life story was primarily told through the lens of being a support for her husband, John. She married John Howard in England and moved to Canada in 1832. Four years later, they purchased what would become Colborne Lodge with land that stretched from Bloor to Lakeshore in Toronto with the intention of turning it into a sheep farm. They lived fulltime in this house for three years and then later used it as a country home. They were the first house in Toronto to have an indoor bathroom. However, because the thoughts on using the bathroom inside your home at the time were split between “that spreads disease” and “we pretend we don’t use the bathroom”, they had the door camouflaged with wallpaper. The house originally started as three rooms, but, as the Howards saw success, the house grew to twenty two rooms in order to accommodate the staff that worked there. They donated the house and the 165 acres of land to the city of Toronto in 1873 to turn it into High Park.

John became the drawing master at Upper Canada College, and the first architect and surveyor in Toronto. Jemima prepared copies of his presentations. As an avid painter herself, her work focused on romantic themes. She also loved gardening and was an excellent hostess. She often put together social activities for guests and local gentry at Fort York such as parties and picnics. Jemima did not have any children, but John had three with his mistress. Jemima was probably aware of this, especially since John stayed in touch with his second family and included them in his eventual will (she was dead by then).

Jemima died of breast cancer in 1877. She was the first woman diagnosed with this specific type of cancer in Toronto, and she even travelled to England to get a second opinion. She was placed on a tremendously large amount of opiates, and she began to lose bodily and mental functions due to the drugs. She would often run off and be difficult to find, or was constantly falling and spilling things. John went to the nearby Provincial Lunatic Asylum to have her committed, but the doctor there advised him against this. So, John locked her into the guest bedroom and took away the inside door handle and put bars on the windows so she couldn’t escape. She had two live-in nurses care for her during this time. I imagine this guest room had yellow wallpaper (iykyk). She was buried at High Park and her husband was eventually buried next to her.

Not surprisingly, the ghost of Jemima is said to haunt the Colborne Lodge. There is an official recording of a police officer seeing her apparition in an upstairs window in 1969. People have reported the presence of a female energy around the house. There have also been experiences of tingling sensations, a feeling of being watched, and seeing a figure in your periphery. Jemima, like many women of her time, was erased from history. Perhaps that’s why so many ghosts are known as “the woman in white” or “the woman in black”. Perhaps they are just forgotten women who are wanting to have their own stories told, too.

Colborne Lodge is a museum with free admission and is open to visitors. More than a million visitors visit High Park each year.

Source and all photos: highparknature.org

11 Colborne Lodge Dr
Toronto

416-392-6916

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Ex Mortis Books is a highly curated collection of rare and pre-loved books with the focus on the macabre, weird and otherworldly. From horror genre fiction to occult non-fiction, their cabinet of curiosities are showcased at the shared space in Pickering. Follow them on social media to catch them at conventions across Ontario. You can also visit their website to shop online and for shipping across North America and Europe.

Website (click on photo)
Email: info@exmortisbooks.com
Instagram: @exmortisbooks

900 Brock Road Unit 5
Pickering

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Folk Magick Arts is a small business run out of Penetanguishene by a one-witch artisan and crafter named T. They sell a large variety of items such as witch charms, witchcraft inspired jewellery and keychains, candles, bathsoaks, smoke bundles, loose incense, art, magickal infused crafts, spells, and DIY spellkits.

Folk Magick Arts has made it a focus to craft with intention and magick based on ancient ways. They create art inspired by the magick all around us with ritual, thought, and purpose. They pour their heart into the items, spells, and art they create. It’s important to them that the energy they put out will be positive and therefore amplified accordingly.

T is queer and witch. They’ve been practicing since the age of 18 and prefer to solo craft on their own journey of learning and unlearning and learning again. The road to Folk Magick Arts wasn't always clear, and they are still discovering and growing as a business as well as an artist, crafter and witch. They hope you'll join them on the voyage!

You can find Folk Magick Arts on their website and at the following shops:
RISE Marketplace (Penetanguishene)
Total You (Coldwater)
Dolls Funeral (Toronto)

They are also a vendor at various markets across Ontario.
Follow them on Instagram to stay up to date on where they will be next.

Website (click on photo)
Email: folkmagickarts@gmail.com
Socials: @folk_magick_arts

As always. let them know Get Spooked sent you!

GRRRL Spells is a horror and occult inspired queer and trans art and apparel brand, combining riot grrrl attitude with goth aesthetics and the gay agenda. Whether you're a witch in Sunnydale or a vampire in Austria, they’ve got just the right thing for all your spooky queer needs.

Their brand was created as an alternative to your usual Pride merchandise. As lovers of gothic and alternative subcultures, it was hard to find anything that could express their queerness that wasn't full of rainbows and bright colours. They wanted to create products that would suit their aesthetics and fully represent both their spooky and queer identities. They ended up with the added benefit that many of their queer and trans themed products are also subtle and/or different enough to not be as immediately recognizable as queer, so that folks could be safely "incognito" while still expressing themselves if needed. They hope that you'll join them on their spooky queer journey!

GRRRL Spells is run by En Tze Loh (they/them) (art & design) and Morgan-Paige Melbourne (she/they) (admin & operations) out of Toronto, Canada. You shop virtually and find them at various markets across Ontario and Canada. You should wear one of their awesome shirts on your next adventure, and let them know Get Spooked sent you!

Website (click on photo)
Email: mail@grrrlspells.com
Socials: @grrrlspells

As always, let them know Get Spooked sent you!

For those interested in paranormal tourism, Guelph Urbex is a delightful nightmare come true. Discover the darker side of Guelph through the myriad of experiences being offered.

Guelph Urbex offers guided historical walking tours of the Guelph Correctional Centre grounds, Downtown Guelph’s hidden burial grounds, and a Bootlegging History tour with an optional spirited twist in a secret location. Other experiences range from a traditional Ghost Walk to full out Ghost Hunting Adventures!

The Haunted Pub CrawlTM allows you to gather with your old and soon-to-be-made new friends while sharing ghost stories and pints in haunted locations around Guelph. Your guide will bring some ghost hunting tools along so you can see if you are in fact sipping spirits with spirits.

Supernatural Sundays at the Albion have a variety of activities and interesting classes, workshops, and guest speakers.

That’s not all! Guelph Urbex also has Ghost Hunting Adventures you can join, where you can learn how to ghost hunt and use all of their equipment in haunted locations such as Tyler Public School.

To see what all Guelph Urbex has currently in store and to buy tickets visit their website at guelphurbex.com.

What will YOU discover?

Website (click on photo)
Phone: 844-265-1515
Email: gulephurbex@gmail.com
Socials: @guelphurbex

As always, let them know Get Spooked sent you!

Up in North Eastern Ontario, the Jocko River near the City of Temiskaming Shores is known to be haunted by the ghost of a most evil lumberjack named Toussant.

In the early 1900s, the lumberjacks that ruled in the wilderness of Ontario were a rough and tumble group. Becoming a lumberjack was an easy escape for men who were running from the law. Toussant was such a man. They were looking to apprehend him for a long list of horrible crimes such as stealing, fighting, raping, conning, and murdering.

These acts caught the attention of the devil, who decided one spring day that it was time to collect Toussant. The lumberjacks were busy hauling logs into the river in order to deliver them to the sawmills. Toussant was doing the dangerous task of hopping from log to log to make sure none of them were stuck and all were flowing smoothly down the river.

He looked up to see a large, black wolf with glowing red eyes pursuing him. Toussant tried to escape but fell into the water. He swam to shore only to find that he couldn’t climb out as the wolf was there waiting for him. He begged for his life, but every time the lumberjack tried to grab a log to help himself float, the wolf would attack him. Finally, the struggle was over. Toussant drowned and the devil took what he came for.

Or did he? The ghost of Toussant is said to still haunt waters and the forest around the Jocko River. He rises out of the river as a figure made of dense, black smoke with skeletal hands and the same glowing red eyes as the wolf. Reports also say his presence can bring about the sounds of screaming and a sense of foreboding.

A camper staying at the Jocko Rivers Provincial Park recounted one night that he, his girlfriend, and another couple were gathered around the campfire. The camper felt a great feeling of unease. He looked up to see a smokey figure watching them. He looked away and when he looked back, the figure had disappeared but not the sense of being watched or the feeling of dread.

Source:
Cottage Country Ghosts, Ontario Hauntings by Maria Da Silva and Andrew Hind

Kirby Road in Vaughan

The hauntings of Kirby Road in Vaughan are spun from a mixture of local legend and real-life tragedy. The most prominent story is that of 15 year old Selina Degasparis who lost her young life in a car accident. Stories claim she continues to remain on the road, with her presence being witnessed in and around a tree. If you park at the location of the accident on Kirby Road and Pine Valley Drive, it is claimed that Selina will yell and tap on your windows. A tombstone was placed in memoriam, however years of vandalism lead to its removal.

A well-known second story stemming from Kirby Road is that of “Hell House”. Both versions of the history behind this building involve a father murdering his family. In one, he is a member of the KKK and murdered his daughter and her black boyfriend. In another, the father goes insane without a cause and murders his three daughters, with their names eventually becoming the name of the roads that intersect with Kirby. People have experienced strange noises, unexplained footsteps, and have seen figures in the windows. A 2016 movie titled “The Haunted House on Kirby Road” was loosely based on the urban legend of Hell House. The house itself was demolished.

A final story is that of a phantom truck that has been described by some as an old fashioned truck and others as a semi truck with one headlight. This truck is reported to chase people for a period of time on Kirby Road, before disappearing into thin air.

Sources: hauntedkirbyroad.home.blog/ and Reddit

The Ghost Story of Stephen Leacock

You may have or may not have heard of Stephen Leacock. I dare to guess that most people today have not. Which makes it so strange to think that at one point in the not too distant past he was the world’s most famous English speaking humorist for an entire decade.

Leacock was born in England in 1869 to a large family. He was the third child out of eleven total. The family moved to Canada when he was six and they settled in Simcoe, Ontario. Three years later, his father abandoned the family and left his mother to raise all the children on her own. Despite this, like many of his siblings, Leacock went on to become very successful. He attended Upper Canada College, the University of Toronto, University College, and the University of Chicago. Beyond a humorist writer, he became an economist, a historian, and a political scientist.

Leacock’s most well-known books are “Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town” published in 1912 and “Arcadian Adventures with the Idle Rich” published two years later. He won not only the Mark Twain Medal for humour, but also the Royal Society of Canada’s Lorne Pierce Medal and the Governor General’s Literary Award for non-fiction. Like I stated before, he was wildly famous peaking from 1915-1925.

Leacock fell in love with and married an actress named Beatrix Hamilton. After struggling to have a child, they eventually had one son, Stephen “Stevie” Lushington Leacock, who was born in 1915. Leacock Jr. suffered from a glandular malfunction that caused his physical development to stop around the age of nine or ten. Leacock Jr. was known to be very raucous and lived a troubled life until his death in 1974.

Leacock’s home in Orillia is now a museum. He treasured this home so much that some believe he never left. There are rumoured to be several ghosts which inhabit the home. A gentler spirit who helpfully opens doors, believed to be Stephen. A more sinister spirit associated with Leacock Jr that is felt most strongly in his old bedroom. The third is a woman in white who is seen carrying flowers, which people think might be Beatrix though the home was finished being constructed after her tragic death from breast cancer in 1925. To find out more about the extremely rich life of Stephen Leacock and the ghost stories involving his home, visit the Leacock Museum in Orillia and catch one of their yearly ghost tours during the month of October.

Sources and Photos:
Simcoe county, “Simcoe has a haunted past”
The Canadian Encyclopedia
The Leacock Museum, City of Orillia
Government of Canada

As always. let them know Get Spooked sent you!

MENTAL HEALTH IS HORRIFYING is a podcast about the mental health benefits of horror. Journey into the horrifying depths with Candis Green, Registered Psychotherapist, (and all around spooky ghoul), as she explores how mental health themes are portrayed in your favourite horror movies and beyond in this inclusive genre where there is truly something for everyone.

Candis Green is a Registered Psychotherapist who lives in a bat-filled cave in Toronto. She spent her childhood summers locked in the public library researching the origins of Halloween and the occult. Surprisingly, her parents were not concerned.

Check out her podcast as you drive around to paranormal tourist destinations near you this spooky season!

Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Website (click on photo)
Email: candis@manymoonstherapy.com
Socials: @mentalhealthishorrifying

As always, let them know Get Spooked sent you!

Merry Creepmas Market: Courtice

Enjoy a fun morning while grabbing a creepy, odd, or unusual item for someone you love at the Merry Creepmas Market at Sir Monty’s Brewing Company. They will also be collecting non-perishable food items.

Sir Monty’s Brewing Company
1540 Durham Region Highway 2
Courtice, Ontario


Sunday, December 21st
10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
FREE

As always, let them know Get Spooked sent you!

For the past four years, Next Door Ottawa’s Mystic Markets have been bringing together local artisans, healers, and crafters for a mystical gathering full of creativity and community.

At their Mystic Markets you can find tarot and oracle readings, local artisans and makers, handcrafted ritual tools and candles, workshops and seasonal crafts, and herbal magic and heartfelt blessings.

When the creators started the Mystic Market they had no idea how much this space was needed in their community. They thought, "Hey we love oddities and have friends who sell witchy stuff. Let's make a niche market and see what happens."

Their first market was on Halloween during Covid. They had restrictions on how many people could be in the building AND it was raining, yet to their amazement they had shoppers lined up around the block for an hour waiting to get in! The community showed up! It was very validating and affirming and they knew they were on to something that others wanted to experience.

They now host mystic markets monthly and try to position them according to the pagan wheel of the year's Sabbath's. 2026 will be their 5 year anniversary and the market will again land on Halloween day. They are so excited for what's yet to come for the market, their vendors, and their wonderful shoppers!


Website (click on photo)
Email: nextdoorottawa@gmail.com
Socials: @ottawamysticmarket

955a Gladstone Ave
Ottawa

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Natures Misfits brings to you specialty handcrafted curiosities of spooky décor. They create ethically-sourced gypsum crystal vessels, molded gothic candles, creepy-cute sticker collections, punked-up keychains, and trinket trays conjured with a witchy, punk rock soul. Every piece is handmade with intention, grit, and a touch of witchcraft — perfect for the weird, the wicked, and the ones who don’t do basic.

Natures Misfits was born from a love of the eerie, the witchy, and the unapologetically weird. Shay, a lifelong maker and misfit, started hand-pouring candles and vessels from ethically-sourced crystals and expanded into gothic décor, punk rock oddities, and sticker art that celebrates individuality and rebellion. The shop thrives on building community with fellow misfits, punks, and spooky souls.

Natures Misfits can be found all over Ontario. Look for their things near you at the following stores:

Maison Noir in Hamilton
Dream By Day in Kitchener
ALC Art Oddities and Parlour in Pickering
Black Heart Co. in Oshawa

Alternatively, you can also find links to their shops on Square and Etsy through their Instagram profile.

naturesmisfitsshop@gmail.com

@natures.misfits

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The Niagara Falls’ Screaming Tunnel was built in the early 1800s as a 125 foot long tunnel that was to be a drainage tunnel for the Grand Trunk Railway and a pedestrian and animal crossing for those traversing under the bridge.

The story of the ghost of the tunnel varies. In two versions she is the young daughter of a nearby farmer who catches on fire. Sadly, in one of those versions it is by the hand of her drunken father looking to seek retribution on the girl’s mother during a custody battle. Another version has the girl murdered in the tunnel. A final one, the least eerie, is that a woman who lived nearby would go into the tunnel to scream out her frustration.

Legend has it that to summon this ghost, you must go into the tunnel at midnight and light a candle. The candle will be blown out and you will hear the ghost of the girl scream.

The tunnel is also famous for being featured in the David Cronenberg movie adaptation of the Stephen King novel “Dead Zone”.

Source and photo: https://www.cliftonhill.com

The Ghost Road on Scugog Island in Port Perry is haunted by the ghost of a motorcyclist. Legend has it that one night in the late 60s a young man took his new motorcycle onto the deserted road to test its speed. Going too fast to stop at the end of the road, he crashed into a fence near a willow tree and was decapitated.

Today, many people see the glowing red light of a phantom broken tail light racing by. A couple using the secluded road as a lover's lane said the care mechanics started going haywire with the locks clicking up and down and the lights turning on and off. In 1986, students from Niagara College caught the spectral rider on film.

Scugog Island, Port Perry

Source: Haunted Ontario Revisited by Terry Boyle

Rottities and Straight and True Tattoo Studio: Penetanguishene

If you are a lover of the macabre, art, witchcraft, books, thrifted clothing, silk screen shirts and bags, odd and unique items, and beautiful antique treasures, then Rottities is your dream come true. Owners Melissa and Anthony love to cater to those who enjoy the haunted Victorian mansion vibe. Decadence juxtaposed with decay.

Melissa practices reiki and creates candles and aromatherapy. Anthony paints, welds, and can make most anything your mind desires. They love crafting unique and custom artwork.

Rottities is also home to Straight and True Tattoo Studio. Anthony uses his over 25 years of experience as the resident artist and tattooist.

Usually when putting these posts together, I try to weave what people would like me to say with my own voice. However, the owners of Rottities have such a romantic and poetic style of writing, that moving forward in this post I’m going to keep myself out and let them speak for themselves…

“For over two decades we swirled around one another.
Simply stardust floating past on the breeze.
Slipping through fingers.
Just out of reach.
Until we finally collided.
Our energy bonded together.
Red Nova.”

“With a shared appreciation for the macabre, rare, antique and odd, coupled with our mutual respect and fascination for the cycles of existence we began working together.
It was Ritualistic. Passionate. Powerful.
Then came our desire to create something more.
Something beautiful.
Tangible poetry.”

“And thus Rottities was born.
We specialize in sacred bones and ritual pieces.
Alter decor and witchcraft supplies.
We offer a selection of rare and unique curiosities.
Antiques repurposed and rottified.
Creations by local artists.
Handcrafted one of a kind pieces.”

“A celebration of magic and the beauty found in the dark places.
All our bones are collected with respect and great care for the life that once inhabited them.
It is all sacred.
All life and thus the cycles of that life are precious, have value, and meaning.
A great deal of our energy is put into the collection and ritualistic work with the animals that the universe presents to us.”

Rottities Antiques, Art, and Oddities
Straight and True Tattoo Studio
1 Simcoe St
Penetanguishene, ON
604-355-3794
rottities@gmail.com

@rottities

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Grab a warm cup of tea and settle in to talk about some spooky, magical, and downright weird stories. From paranormal happenings and eerie history to witches, magickal things, and mysteries of the universe and others, Tea Tales & Talks dives into the darker depths of life. Join hosts Sarah and Mackenzie for some spooky tales, weird talks, and lots of tea.

Sarah and Mackenzie both share a love for art, history, and all things witchy. While Sarah dives headfirst into the spooky side of it all, Mackenzie always enjoys a good ghost story—as long as it’s not too terrifying. They just want to cultivate a gentle environment where people can talk about the paranormal, the spooky, the weird, and everything in between.
Listen with a good cup of your favourite tea or on your next spooky season road trip!

Available anywhere you listen to podcasts

Website (click on photo)
Email: teatalestalks@gmail.com
Socials: @teatalestalks

As always, let them know Get Spooked sent you!

The Krampus Market hosted by Snakeroot Productions: Guelph

Gruɓ Vom Krampus to all! Snakeroot Productions invites you all to come Celebrate Snakeroot Productions 4th Annual Krampus Market!

The market will offer you 20+ amazing and unique vendors featuring; oddities, curios, antiques, art, literature, and more! If you're looking for something off the beaten path, for someone you never know what to buy, chances are you'll find something here.

There will even be a few appearances by Krampus for some fun photo opportunities!
All ages are welcome. They look forward to seeing you all!


The Krampus Market hosted by Snakeroot Productions

Saturday, December 13th
12-6 p.m.

Red Chevron Club
34 Elizabeth Street
Guelph

Free Entry
Free Parking is available beside the building, as well as across the road.
All ages

@snakeroot_productions
@burnt.toast.creations
@too.old.too.cold.oddities

As always, let them know Get Spooked sent you!

Wilno Part One: Vampires

In 1972 Slavic folklorist Jan Perkowski created a report for the Museum of History titled “Vampires, Dwarves, and Witches among the Ontario Kashubs”. The report was partially funded by the federal government and created a stir on the parliament floor. In it, he interviews residents of Ontario’s first Polish community about their supernatural experiences.

The vampire legend is the most well known to come out of Wilno. There were, however, some differences between our modern day idea of a vampire and the ones the residents believed in at the time. In their community, vampires were people who were not given a proper burial who came back to life to suck the blood of their relatives until the bloodline ran dry. A farmer said that he woke up one day to find his daughter pale and weak having had the blood and marrow drawn out of her arm overnight. Luckily, the girl did recover.

Vampires would also rise from their graves and ring the church bells. The lore was that if any relative had heard the bells chiming, they were doomed to die. One woman claimed her father was a vampire and caused the sudden and mysterious death of 14 people in her family in a year, including her son.

A cure for vampire bites was drinking the blood of the vampire. Vampires could be prevented by giving the deceased a proper burial. Suspected vampires would have their graves dug up and either have a nail driven through their forehead or be decapitated. This has brought a lot of interest to their graveyards, Much to the chagrin of the current community in Wilno (more about this in Part Five).

This series on Wilno will be in five parts and is a collaboration between Get Spooked Trips and Cemetery Photography by Chantal Larochelle. Stay tuned for Part Two… witches.

All photos are of Wilno, ON ©2025 Chantal Larochelle
Source: Strange Reports of Vampires, Dwarves, & Witches in Wilno, Ontario by Haunted Talks Podcast (click on photo)

Check out Chantal Larochelle’s Work:
Instagram: @cemeteryphotographybycl
Website: https://chantallarochelle.ca/

Wilno Part Two: Witches

In 1972 Slavic folklorist Jan Perkowski created a report for the Museum of History titled “Vampires, Dwarves, and Witches among the Ontario Kashubs”. The report was partially funded by the federal government and created a stir on the parliament floor. In it, he interviews residents of Ontario’s first Polish community about their supernatural experiences. We are now on to part two of our five part series… witches.

Along with vampires (see part one), both male and female witches were believed to be a part of the community. One resident said that there were so many of them that several members of her family were married to one.

Witches were believed to be people possessed by the devil. When the witch died, the devil or demon would hop from one person to another along the family line for generations. They could also be passed through food. A famous story from the report recounts a gathering where a witch hexed a pierogi dinner and caused the immediate death of a priest.

Witches had many powers. They could be in two places at once. Their hexes could create sudden and long lasting illnesses as well as death. They could cause crop failure and livestock death. Horses who were hexed by a witch’s evil eye were said to sweat.

People were very limited on how they could protect themselves against witches. Hexes were nearly impossible to detect and therefore to defend against unless you caught them in the act. Often residents turned to other, known witches to try and counter black magic in kind. Fighting perceived hexes with magical solutions. Open black magic practitioners were similar to faith healers in the town, curing illnesses and healing minor ailments like eczema. At the time of the report, there were several people openly practicing witchcraft and were greatly admired by the locals.

This series on Wilno will be in five parts and is a collaboration between Get Spooked Trips and Cemetery Photography by Chantal Larochelle. Stay tuned for Part Three… dwarves.

Most photos are of Wilno, ON ©2025 Chantal Larochelle
Source: Strange Reports of Vampires, Dwarves, & Witches in Wilno, Ontario by Haunted Talks Podcast

Check out Chantal Larochelle’s Work:
Instagram: @cemeteryphotographybycl
Website: https://chantallarochelle.ca/

Mother Barnes: Witch of Plum Hollow

Mother Barnes would go on to become one of the most famous clairvoyants in Canadian history, but her story started as Jane Elizabeth Martin on November 5th, 1800 as the seventh daughter to a seventh daughter in a wealthy Irish family. She has two birth records, one in Ireland and one in Spain (her mother’s background was a Romani in Spain), so her actual birthplace remains a mystery to this day. Legend has it that she started using her clairvoyant powers as young as the age of seven, helping her father become “Star of Connaught” in the English army.

She was set to marry the friend of her father, a man twice her age, in an arranged marriage. Instead, like the heroine she is, she decided to abandon her life of leisure and wealth for love by running off with the young sergeant Robert Harrison. She was promptly disowned and the couple ran away to New York.

The couple had a son and moved to Canada, where tragically, Robert died. Elizabeth then married David Barnes, a shoemaker. It was while she was with him that she learned how to read tea leaves from a neighbour who told fortunes. Perhaps if she had read her own, she would have seen her husband abandoning her and their many children.

A woman of grit and perseverance, Elizabeth bought herself and her children a small cabin in Plum Hollow, Eastern Ontario in the 1850s. She opened up her business reading tea leaves, providing remedies, doing midwifery, and helping to solve murders. One of her most famous cases was solving the murder of one of two American cousins who had come up to the area. Mother Barnes correctly envisioned that one cousin had drowned the other and was even able to tell the police the location of the body.

People came from all over the US and Canada to see her and carved their hundreds of names into the wood of the room downstairs while they waited to be called up to see “The Witch of Plum Hollow”. Sir John A Macdonald even asked for her advice on the location of the new capital and asked her to see into his own future in politics.

Like many “witches” before her, Mother Barnes was a strong willed and resourceful woman who stood on her own two feet and didn’t play by the patriarchal rules of society. She is considered a founding mother in Canadian feminism. Her house still remains, and it was open to the public until 2016. The family who inherited it unsuccessfully tried to offer the house to the Upper Canada Village and Ontario Heritage society and obtain public heritage designation. It is now closed to the public and maintained by the current owner. You can visit the outside and a monument to Mother Barnes in a nearby cemetery.

Source and all photo: Heritage Prints of Canada

The octagonal Woodchester Villa (aka Woodchester House and The Bird House) in Bracebridge, Ontario is reportedly haunted by original owner Henry J Bird and his youngest daughter May as well as those of two young children, a cook, and a doctor. Stories include that of cold spots in the house, the phantom sounds of children playing, and ghostly specters in the upstairs windows.

15 King Street
Bracebridge

Sources: Discover Muskoka, Muskoka's Most Haunted 2 by Andrew Hind

As always, let them know Get Spooked sent you!