Terror Train returns to Capreol but as a drive-in

In past years, the Northern Ontario Railroad Museum and Heritage Centre in Capreol has held a Halloween-themed event called the Terror Train 6077.

It was the museum's most popular attraction with more than 4,000 visitors.

Because of COVID-19, the terror train has been derailed, but the museum has a new COVID- friendly haunt up its sleeve called Inferno 6077: Bornout of Fire.

Derek Young, the operations manager for the museum, said the precautions around social distancing would have made staffing the event challenging, so they've come up with a slightly different approach.

"[This year] it's going to be a driving style hunt and it'll be held here at our Heritage Center," Young said. "What'll happen is that two cars will pull up into our truck bay, which used to be the former fire hall in Capreol, and we'll have a variety of different actors and stage performers and characters."

Young said it promises to be a "fully immersive experience" that won't be scaling back on any intensity, despite visitors being in the safety of their vehicles.

The roots of the change come adjustments to new physical distancing guidelines, but the inspiration for the event comes from an unlikely source: Japan.

"Robby Lavoie, our creative director and builder, is always in tune with what's going on in the industry," Young said. "This new trend of drive through and drive-in style haunts had started to come about."

"And we thought, that's what we're going to do."

Young said it could be considered a "driving horror movie" combined with an escape-room experience.

"When you combine people's fears of being scared and Halloween and being trapped and fire, it's got huge potential just to be a really intense experience," Young said.

For more information about Terror Train 6077: Bornout of Fire, visit the museum's Facebook page.