Though most commonly associated with Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, the tradition of winter’s tales – scary stories to tell in the dark – goes back hundreds of years, and evolved into the Christmas ghost story in the Victorian era and beyond. Authors such as M.R. James, E.F. Benson, Algernon Blackwood, Elizabeth Gaskell and Canada’s own Robertson Davies excelled at the Christmas ghost story and were prolific writers of tales meant to be read aloud by the fireside during the Yuletide season. In that tradition, Kraken Underground and Spectacular Optical bring you the first annual Winter’s Wake: a celebration of the seasonal ghost story in all its forms, but with a special emphasis on the oral tradition of gathering in the dark and the quiet to listen to chilling tales read aloud. A selection of short ghost stories new and old will be read, culminating in M.R. James’ essential “Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad” (1903).

The winter ghost story tradition extended to radio, and later television, in the form of the BBC’s annual A Ghost Story for Christmas series, a staple of 1970s television that was revived in the mid-aughts. In 2023, Pender Island’s own Kier-La Janisse launched a North American counterpart on horror streaming channel Shudder called The Haunted Season, the second episode of which — Janisse’s own adaptation of Algernon Blackwood’s The Occupant of the Room — will have its island premiere as part of Winter’s Wake. The Occupant of the Room stars Canadian multi-hyphenate Don McKellar (Roadkill, Last Night, Exotica, Crimes of the Future) as a schoolteacher whose late night arrival at a hotel in the alps without a reservation leaves him with no option but to take the room of a missing hotel guest – leading to a sleepless night of strange and uncanny occurrences.

So join us for some wintry tales of terror along with themed drinks (the “Marley’s Ghost”, anyone?), snacks, and a wealth of seasonal door prizes courtesy of our event sponsors Severin Films, Spectacular Optical, “Siren Head” creator Trevor Henderson and more.

Doors will open at 3:15, the show starts at 4.
Full bar and menu will be available.

All attendees will receive a free collectible poster designed by Rob Carmichael of SEEN Studio, including photographic source material from Pender Island photographer Rachel Lenkowski.