Horror movie icon hunts ghosts in New Brunswick

Lataevia Beezer chats with horror movie icon Kane Hodder about heading to the Dorchester Jail for a paranormal investigation.

It’s not Friday the 13th but Jason Voorhees is coming to New Brunswick. Fortunately for camp counsellors and wayward teens, he left the machete at home because he’s in town hunting ghosts.

Kane Hodder was the man behind the hockey mask for four installments of the ’Friday the 13th’ franchise. He also played Victor Crowley – another deformed maniac – in the ‘Hatchet’ trilogy.

“I believe I would give a very slight edge to Victor because he’s a little less predictable,” Hodder said when asked about a faceoff between his most famous villains.

“That would be a good battle,” he said. “I’d love to do that movie somehow.”

Hodder partnered with horror author Michael Aloisi for the Paranormal Investigation of the Dorchester Jail in Dorchester, N.B., on Saturday.

Aloisi has written several books about horror movies including a book about Hodder.

“I watched one of his films and in it he had his shirt off and you could see his burn scars and I was like, ‘I want to read his biography.’”

Since that biography didn’t exist, Aloisi wrote Hodder with a proposal, and they’ve been working together since.

Hodder said he’s done many paranormal investigations with the group he co-created – the Hollywood Ghost Hunters. He said all of the members are involved in making horror movies in some way.

“We realized we both had an interest in the paranormal and we said let’s find a group of people that are interested in this subject that are not the typical ghost hunters,” Hodder said.

The team has heard a lot about the Dorchester jail, he said.

“We are very excited about this event.”

Dorchester is iconic among Maritime ghost stories. The former prison is said to be haunted by several ghosts including the Bannister Brothers who were the last prisoners to be hanged at the penitentiary, side-by-side, after being convicted of murder during a botched kidnapping in 1936.

Aloisi said he’s excited for the investigation after his last book with Steve Gonsalves from Ghost Hunters.

“My whole world has kind of revolved around ghost hunting and paranormal stuff for the last year and a half,” Aloisi said.

Hodder said they hope to find something, but it’s important not to exaggerate on a ghost hunt.

“I think that a lot of times people want to have a story, so they almost inadvertently exaggerate any occurrence.”

Hodder said ghost hunting is always fun, regardless of the results, especially with Aloisi.

“He’s easy to scare” Hodder said. “And that’s kind of my job so we’re just really looking forward to this.”

The Paranormal Investigation of the Dorchester jail takes place April 26. Tickets are still available.

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