As I bundled myself up on one of the coldest nights I can recall, I began to understand why they call this time of year the dead of winter: the frigid air pierced through every layer of fabric I had on straight to my bones as I made my way to one of my favourite haunts, the Red Sandcastle Theatre. I was there to witness two nights of terrible delights at Spindle Collective and Eldritch Theatre’s Dead of Winter horror theatre festival. With six short plays and two musical acts, and emceed by the incomparable Doctor Pretorious Wuthergloom, Dead of Winter was able to capture a festival-like atmosphere while maintaining a spectral spirit throughout. Dead of Winter might have been the first of its kind, but it certainly won’t be the last.
Night of TerroR
The aptly named “Night of Terror” began with the Spindle Collective’s own spilleHOLLE – the haunting story of Perchta (played by Kathleen Welch) and her daughter Spilleholle (played by Natalia Bushnik). A figure in Germanic folklore, Perchta is able to spin beautiful threads which appear to be made of light, and though her daughter Spilleholle takes little interest in the spinning, Perchta tries to endow in her the hard work ethics which she holds everyone else to. We witness Spilleholle at several major milestones in her young life, and how her mother’s magic is both a blessing and a curse.
SpilleHOLLE is already an award-winning play, placing first at the Grand River Arts Festival this summer, and I eagerly anticipate the fully staged version. Welch and Bushnik perform beautifully together; you can feel their passion for this kind of storytelling throughout spilleHOLLE. This is the third part of Spindle Collective’s Dark Mother Trilogy, with Síofra coming later this year.
Photo by Robbie Harper
The Matchmaker, by Aaliya Alibhai and directed by Nina Kaye, was a twisted tale of passion and possession. Cordelia (Medha Arora) is looking for love and so far she’s had no luck. She’s turned to Madame Velius (Natalie Stephenson), a medium and a matchmaker, to help her find her true love. But Madame Velius’ services aren’t totally as advertised, and Cordelia finds herself a little closer to her “soul mate” than she bargained for.
The Matchmaker had a delightful twist which was truly kept in the dark until the moment it happened. Arora’s physicality in that moment and Stephenson’s sultry yet sinister performance were both impressive, and brought the story vibrantly to life. I appreciated the projections of the tarot cards which are discussed in the play; it was helpful to have the correct visual and let nothing be up to chance within the play itself.
After the interval, Andra Zlatescu and their Willow Switch bandmate Tim, graced the stage with haunting melodies and creepy European lullabies. Andra plays the singing saw, which folks will recall from Spindle Collective’s production of SAMCA from 2024. We’re all familiar with the spine-tingling sound of a singing saw, but it’s incredible to watch one be played live; there’s such a finesse to it that’s marvellous to watch.
The final play of the Night of Terror was The Hag of Bell Island, written and directed by David Ferry. When a young German man wakes up on a beach covered in sea water, he has no idea what to make of it; the last thing he remembers was falling asleep at a desk in a library in Munich. But Helmut (Aaron MacPherson) has actually travelled thousands of miles to the shores of Newfoundland, where he’s interviewed by Ray Guy (Michael Kash) about his trials. From the stories Helmut’s told him, Ray thinks he’s seen the famed Hag of Bell Island (Kyra Harper), a spirit who’s been haunting the shores for generations. But has the Hag truly let Helmut rest, or will she find him once more?
I have to commend Kash and MacPherson on their accent work for this production, both of them had their accents down and it made for a totally immersive experience. This is another play which left me delightfully full of questions and wanting more. Christo Graham’s sound design and Joe Madziak’s set design made for a shocking ending I won’t soon forget!
Photo by Robbie Harper
Evening of Fear
Starting off the Evening of Fear was Faizan Bokhari’s Perfect Pains, directed by Rachel Abramovich. This hilarious yet tension-filled piece was a perfect way to start off this second part of the Fest. Dr. Teller (Rachelle Mazzilli) and Dr. Spencer (Liam Armstrong) have a clinic where you can exchange those pesky body parts you have kicking around for money! A finger or part of your liver can’t hurt, can it? But when a patient (Darius Rathe) comes in, he finds out that the experience isn’t quite as advertised.
Mazzilli and Armstrong maintain this intense sexual tension throughout the piece which makes you want to laugh despite the fact that there’s a lot more cannibalism depicted than anyone should find funny. Body horror and comedy come together to make a strange yet entertaining baby with Perfect Pains and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Jimmy, written by Marcia Tratt and directed by Cara Hunter, was a total tonal shift from anything else in the festival. Three women sat on chairs, telling the audience about Jimmy, a man who works at the retirement home where the three women live. Jimmy has been having inappropriate relations with all three women, but each of them have a very different perspective. Performed by Elva Mai Hoover, Susan Wesson, and Sarah Machin Gale, Jimmy shows us that sometimes the monsters aren’t imaginary at all.
Jimmy was simply staged, and that’s all it needed to be. The terror and disgust you feel for what’s happened to these women doesn’t need to be seen. This is a show which will haunt me for a long time.
The musical guest for the Evening of Fear was Morgara – an impressive songstress. Her theatrical performance style was fitting for the evening and her song choices were equally as thrilling. I particularly liked her song based on “Tess of the Dubervilles” it was moving and frightening in equal measure. I look forward to her upcoming album in November.
The final play of Dead of Winter was the hysterically funny Mercy of the Vampire, written by and starring Jeff Dingle and directed by Jennifer Dzialoszynski. Ashlyn (Victoria Urquhart) has sought out the Vampire (Dingle) for some help. Someone she loves is very ill and she needs his assistance. Despite protestations from his lackey Mort (Joel Bazin), The Vampire at least toys with the notion, until he finds out this being is Ashlyn’s cat. Hilarity ensues as Ashlyn attempts to convince this immortal being as to why her cat means so much to her, with deadly consequences (for Mort anyways).
Photo by Robbie Harper
Mercy of the Vampire had an almost “What We Do In the Shadows” type vibe, where they’ve used the many tropes around vampires to create a chilling yet deeply funny story. The lighting for this play was certainly noteworthy, as they used only two hand-held lanterns to light the whole story, making it feel cinematic and allowing for a final perfect jump scare to end the play.
Dead of Winter was a total success; from sold-out houses to enchanting and terrifying material Dead of Winter is proof positive that a horror festival is not only a possibility here in Toronto but something which is sought out and desired. Folks braved the cold and the snow to gather together and be frightened by live theatre. I certainly hope that this will merely be the inaugural festival, and that I’ll be attending for many years to come.
Unfortunately Dead of Winter was only able to have a short run, however you can keep up with the Spindle Collective and Eldritch Theatre at the following links:
https://natbushnik0.wixsite.com/spindlecollective
Cover Image from Spindle Collective
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