Secret Souls Walk finds a creepy industrial setting under torrential downpour

If the heavy rain scared you off of the idea of heading down to Public Dreams' Secret Souls Walk last night, you missed out.

Those who braved the torrential downpour to head out to the event in and around Strathcona Park discovered that the group just may have found the perfect, creepy location for its annual procession.

The diagonal streets and alleyways that jut off the park provided an eerie industrial setting for the event, with atmospheric old factories, big walls for animated projections, and wide-enough thoroughfares to handle big crowds (although the weather put a damper on that last factor).

Something about the rain and mist, cut by spotlights and projector lights, somehow made the evening more haunting. Antlered ghost figures stalked the streets, grim reaper types performed a bone-chilling symphony by rubbing wine glasses and hitting gongs, and a giant shadow-puppet head regurgitated a bicycle and other things across a three-storey wall.

Until now, the Secret Souls Walk (which happens under the banner of the Parade of the Lost Souls) has taken place on or around Commercial Drive with varying degrees of success. In past years, the procession has struggled with crowds. This new setting could offer a better solution. But if it became the regular location, well, I guess it wouldn't be "secret" anymore, would it?