As an abbey town hailing from the turn of the millennium, Paisley has seen thousands of people pass in and out of its borders – as well as both in and out of this gentle realm of existence. It has something of a reputation for the paranormal.
Scholars point to a curse placed on Paisley in 1696 by witches as the source of this supernatural turmoil but, real or not, the facts rarely matter after the arrival of October’s spooky season.
Entertainment
Everybody is awaiting nightfall on October 31st. In entertainment, and according to GameRant, there are fourteen horror game releases pencilled in for the month, in addition to a quintet of new movies including Pet Sematary and The Exorcist sequels, and the upcoming adaptation of Five Nights At Freddy’s.
Source: Pexels.
One niche aside, the casino operator Paddy Power has contributed to Halloween with the exclusive Red Tiger slot Spooky Carnival.
Of course, the entertainment industry is usually content to scare people all year round. The fun online slot machine games at Paddy Power boast the horror-themed Blood & Shadow and Blood Suckers Megaways (and have for some time), while Disney has been on an alien tip recently with the dialogue-less No One Will Save You.
Inevitably, with all this spooky stuff going on, it’s easy to overlook in-person activities at Halloween – so we’ve come up with a few picks for you.
Victory Baths
People have become a bit more sceptical about ghouls and ghosties since the 17th century but the number of Halloween events going on in Renfrewshire seems to climb every twelve months.
The annual Halloween Festival in Paisley town centre is the obvious candidate for a mention. That runs until October 29th. There are almost twenty other places residents can be over the month though.
For the brave, the Haunted Rooms company will host a ghost hunt inside Renfrew Victory Baths. A building built in 1921 and located on Inchinnan Road, the Victory Baths reportedly experiences disembodied voices and visitations from several female spectres.
Source: Pexels.
A ghost named James MacKenzie stalks the Edwardian halls too. So creepy is this place that it featured in an episode of Paranormal Investigations in 2009.
A Murder Mystery
Returning briefly to movies, the original The Exorcist will be shown at RocknRollas in Paisley on October 29th. This is joined in Renfrewshire by an RSPB ghost hunt and pumpkin hunt at Lochwinnoch Nature Reserve. The latter event runs all month.
Hunts seem to be the theme for this year’s festivities. There’s a Misfits Trail in Paisley town centre from October 13-31, for instance. Find and name a dozen little monsters for entry into a prize draw.
Finally, there’s a murder mystery at Beacon Arts Centre in Greenock on October 28th. Designed to be a more comedy-minded affair than the usual detective experiences, Halloween Hell features a cast of creatures including Count Chickens, Gore the Ghost, and the Monster Mistress. You’ll have to pay for this one (it’s £35) but it comes with a three-course meal and the satisfaction of knowing that you’re not the murderer.
Overall, Renfrewshire is one of the busiest places in the UK at Halloween time. The question is, dare you venture out?