Lynne Ellis-Smith says her two children always had “the coolest mom at Halloween.”
And it only takes one peek into her taxidermy-filled home or her popular online gothic shop to understand why.
“I’ve always loved cemeteries, I’ve always loved vampire movies. I don’t like zombies – they’re too messy,” said Ellis-Smith, who sells high-end gothic home decor to fans of the “darkly inclined” around the world.
Ellis-Smith herself has been a fan of the historic horror style since she was young. She calls her Cochrane home the “gothic cottage,” she seeks out rare collectible items for her Insomniac’s Attic online store, and she even named her daughter Rowan after a character in a novel by famed gothic fiction writer Anne Rice.
“I don’t like to call myself a goth, though. I’m too old,” she said with a laugh.
This season, Ellis-Smith decided to turn her mania of the macabre and flair for the fantastical into a unique and exclusive Halloween event. The inaugural Creatures of the Night Moonlight Soiree will take place Oct. 29 at the Rockyview Hotel.
“We decided to create an event that’s all about just what I really love,” she said, while sipping coffee in the space she will transform into a southern gothic setting.
Ellis-Smith helped with interior design during the restoration of the historic 112-year-old hotel earlier this year, and she said it really is the ideal place for this type of affair.
“It is old and it is spooky,” she said, adding Room #3 is said to be haunted. “I just feel really at home here.”
Ellis-Smith will serve as host of the eerie evening, which begins at 8 p.m. with Cryptkeeper Cocktail Hour. Guests will sip on the Eternal Sleep sangria, the Kiss of Death martini (yes, it’s black) on Dogfish Head Pumpkin Ale while a psychic wanders the room, offering glimpses into guests’ futures.
A harpist will play through a dinner of creepy cuisine, like skewered alligator kebab, freshly-skewered boar or bludgeoned quail, topped off with a choice of a dark chocolate square with a severed lady’s finger garnish or pears poached in the blood of virgins. The party moves to the Texas Gate Saloon next door after 11 p.m.
Ellis-Smith said she’s hoping to offer this out of the ordinary holiday option for years to come.
“I’m already thinking about next year and the year after that,” she said. “It’s really for people who are into the old school horror and looking for something unusual to do at Halloween.”
Tickets for the Oct. 29 soiree, which includes a signature cocktail, dinner and a souvenir, are $55 for one or $100 for a couple – and they’re already more than 50 per cent sold. To reserve a seat, call the Rockyview Hotel at 403-932-2442.
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