A Brief History of Canadian Horror Films
by MARIANA SANDOVAL-ANGEL | illustrations by amanda GOUGEON
5 min read
Illustrations in order of appearance: The Mask (1961), Costume Designer: Olga Lehmann; The Fly (1986), Costume Designer: Denise Cronenberg; They Wait (2007), Costume Designer: Kate Main; Orphan (2009), Costume Designer: Antoinette Messam; Poltergeist (2015), Costume Designer: Delphine White; and Blood Quantum (2019). Costume Designer: Noémi Poulin. Unofficial costume illustrations by Amanda Gougeon. Copyright CAFTCAD 2025.
Canada’s horror cinema, known for its atmospheric dread and psychological edge made its big debut in the 60’s with The Mask (1961) by Julian Roffman followed by iconic horror films like Black Christmas (1974), My Bloody Valentine (1981), and Pin (1988). However, we cannot talk about Canadian Horror Films without mentioning David Cronenberg, Director of horror masterpieces like Shivers (1975), Scanners (1983), Videodrome (1985) and The Fly (1986). Cronenberg’s films are considered iconic references in the industry, blending the psychological and grotesque worlds. Cronenberg’s ally in the 80’s for some of his greatest hits is the late Costume Designer, Delphine White, who worked a large part of her career in the horror genre with movies like Scanners, Videodrome, The Brood (1979), In The Mouth of Madness (1994) and Poltergeist (2015). Besides being a master in horror costume design, Delphine White was a CAFTCAD founding member honoured with the Industry Icon Award at the first annual CAFTCAD Awards in 2019. We owe her much of the legacy that we have today.
As we entered the 2000’s, films like They Wait (2007), Pontypool (2008) and 5150 Elm’s Way (2009) have also become great references to horror productions that have made history. More recent productions such as Seven Days (2010), Ravenous (2017), Blood Quantum (2019) and Possessor (2020) have kept Canada’s horror bar high and strong. All of the above include costumes proudly designed by Canadian talent.
Other CAFTCAD members have made phenomenal contribution to this list including Maya Mani for Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II (1987), Alex Kavanagh in Saw II, Saw III, Saw IV, Saw V, Saw VI (2005 - 2009) and Splice (2009), Antoinette Messam in Orphan (2009), Luis Sequeira in Mama (2013) and It: Chapter Two (2019), Linda Muir in The Witch (2015) and Nosferatu (2024), and Leslie Kavanagh in Thanksgiving (2023). Business member and jewellery designer Peggy Li also designed an emerald birthstone necklace that was used in Thanksgiving.
Costume design in horror films has always served more than an aesthetic function: it tells stories. Whether through industrial workwear, grunge rebellion, or Indigenous futurism, it reflects a layered identity by shifting fears, all while being both subtle and shocking. With a full team of Breakdown and SPFX Artists, costume design in horror films can really transform creatures into what we have only seen in our worst nightmares.
It is impossible to summarize 65 years of history, but it's always nice to see these great pictures that are part of our industry and acknowledge the journey and great minds involved.
