The much-anticipated DreadWorlds: Realm of Horror will not open this Halloween season after a court injunction halted operations on opening night.
In a statement released Tuesday, organizers confirmed that a Supreme Court of British Columbia injunction had been granted, preventing access to the 14,000-square-foot event site at 3987 232 St., Langley Township.
Court documents showed that Alexander James Baxter, CEO of DreadWorlds and Constellate Films Inc., is restricted from operating the haunted-house themed attraction between the dates of Oct. 3 and Nov. 1 at that property.
The petitioner on the court documents is listed as a numbered entity.
In an Instagram post, DreadWorlds posted, "Over 70 people – actors, artists, crew, and managers have been locked out of work after months of hard work to create something truly special." There are additional vendors who are also being impacted.
The legal action, according to DreadWorlds, is from former investors of last year’s Dreadworks haunted house at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds.
Last year, Black Press Media covered the Dreadworks haunt experience.
“On what was meant to be our opening night, we were informed that a court injunction had been granted which prevented access to the event site and halted all operations,” the DreadWorlds team wrote.
“Since then, countless hours have been spent trying to mediate between parties and find a path forward... Unfortunately, despite our efforts, a resolution could not be reached in time to proceed.”
The injunction capped off a turbulent week for the new Langley haunt, which had opened briefly before cancelling the haunt nights just two days later, citing “unforeseen circumstances” on its Facebook page.
Refunds for early ticket holders have since been processed.
Additionally, in response to a Black Press Media request, Langley Township said events on a property in the Agricultural Land Reserve require approval from the Agricultural Land Commission before the fire department can conduct safety inspections and reviews.
“The operator of the event received detailed information on these aspects in a letter from the fire department dated Oct. 2,” the Township noted, adding that additional permits, such as Highway Use and Special Event permits, may have been required.
Meanwhile, the Langley Pride Society, which had scheduled an Oct. 9 event at DreadWorlds, has been unable to reach organizers.
“We’ve been contacting DreadWorlds and they haven’t gotten back to us about whether or not our time slot will still be valid,” a society organizer wrote in a Facebook post on Oct. 7.
DreadWorlds was marketed as Metro Vancouver’s largest haunt, promising a 60-minute, movie-scale experience with immersive sets, midway games, and live performances.
“Our goal is to create a haunted experience that’s immersive, terrifying, but also affordable,” Baxter said.
Park managers Adrian and Christine Holloway had hoped the event would become a community Halloween staple.
“The feedback from our preview nights and media coverage filled us with pride and excitement for what was to come,” the DreadWorlds team said in its statement. “It makes this outcome even harder to accept, because we truly believed we were building something special for the community.”
For now, organizers say their focus remains on refunds and communication, with hopes that DreadWorlds may “rise again in the future.”
