In classrooms across the country, French teachers (including me) are gleefully blasting Max Maxwell’s unforgettable hit “C’est l’Halloween”, much to their students’ delight/chagrin.
Est-ce que tu as peur des méchants esprits ? the singer asks, right before the chorus drops. (Are you afraid of evil spirits?)
The response, chanted eerily by children, is: Ô monsieur, oui, oui, oui, oui !
Lunenburg is also afraid of evil spirits. The town is steeped in weirdness. There is currently a stack of lobster traps adorned with pumpkins on the waterfront, resembling some sort of pseudo-religious lobster altar. Many of the buildings look like the sort of place a posh European vampire would rent for the winter while they write their memoir.
As Halloween approaches, it’s important to pay our respects to Lunenburg’s spookiness. On a foggy autumn evening, grab a lantern and head out to see a haunted Lunenburg location. If you’re lucky, someone (or something) might be looking back at you.
It’s a dark and stormy October night in Lunenburg. Where can you be found?
Hosting a spooky murder mystery with a few close friends.
Sleeping restlessly, plagued by nightmares of the Kentville pumpkin people invading Lunenburg.
Reading a novel by the fireside, sipping a cup of tea.
Roaming around town in the darkness, using a lantern to light your way.
What truly is the most frightening thing on Halloween?
The fact that the line between the living world and the spirit world becomes blurred enough to let evil spirits pass through.
The fact that some people now give out Nutrigrain bars instead of Coffee Crisps to trick-or-treaters.
The fact that some hooligans get up to no good and light firecrackers or vandalize properties. You’ll have to stay vigilant!
The fact that you have to look at ugly, plastic Halloween decorations and rotting pumpkins likely for another two weeks.
If the Kentville Pumpkin People invaded Lunenburg, what kind of force would you assemble to defend the town?
An ancient and chaotic wizard who will rise from the grave to assist you.
Intelligent, wise-cracking ghosts of sea captains and pirates who can easily outsmart their pumpkin-brained foes.
A legion of zombies that will obey your will.
A family of deadly vampires.
You’re attending a costume party on Halloween night. What do you dress up as?
Something terrifying, with lots of fake blood and probably a scary mask.
Something classic, like a witch or a vampire.
Something sophisticated, most likely involving a beautiful velvet robe or a cape.
Something light and fun. Scary costumes aren’t your thing.
You hear from a neighbour that the previous tenant of your home believed it to be haunted. How do you react?
You shrug and accept this. Ghosts are a natural part of life, and if there is one, it hasn’t bothered you so far.
You panic and immediately Google “how to tell if your house is haunted” followed by “ghost hunters near me.” You don’t sleep that night.
You buy a Ouija board and invite friends over. You attempt to taunt the ghost out of hiding.
You tell your neighbour that is foolish; ghosts aren’t real. And if they are real, a ghost wouldn’t waste its time haunting someone as practical as you.
