By Mike Renzella
The Haldimand Press
CAYUGA—Are you troubled by strange noises in the middle of the night? Do you experience feelings of dread in your basement or attic? Have you ever seen a spook, spectre, or ghost? If so, you should probably call the Ghostbusters. If they don’t pick up, however, your next call should be to filmmaker Darrin Drugan. He is the man behind a new documentary film, ‘The Hauntings of Haldimand County’, and he’s looking for locals to contribute their stories.
Drugan has spent the past 20 years working on both indie and larger-scale productions in a variety of roles. When the pandemic struck and film production ground to a halt, he found himself in need of some money: “I decided to sell some of my childhood toys, which included the Ghostbusters from the 80/90s,” he explained. He found a buyer in Barrie, and while driving out to make the delivery, he decided to do what he called a ‘Haunted Simcoe’ road-trip, in honour of the cherished toys he was about to give up: “I stopped at about four different places of interest, including the Simcoe Hotel, the Queens Hotel, Fort Willow, and the ghost town of Ballycroy.”
Drugan filmed the visits on his cell phone. While editing the footage, he found something unsettling: “I noticed the face of a woman manifesting behind the glass at one of the locations. It sent shivers up my spine; I had to walk away.”
Inspired by this experience, Drugan spoke with a former instructor from George Brown and came up with the idea for a project he named ‘Northern Paranormal’.
“I was always skeptical but loved paranormal shows and the lore and macabre. I wanted to be a believer, so I started as a skeptic with no knowledge whatsoever and taught myself along the way. I even learned how to build my own ghost hunting tools such REM pods, IR night vision cameras, and a SLS camera,” explained Drugan.
Since then he has travelled, “researching the history and documenting what I can. From actual hauntings to urban legends, I have been close to two dozen places and cases with a plethora of experiences; it seems like with each new investigation the interactions get more intense.”
It was an online posting in a paranormal group that first drew his eye to Cayuga: “A lady from Cayuga was renovating her place with her boyfriend when they tore down some old drywall and discovered a bunch of hooded robes, banners, and spears,” he explained, positing that the property at one point was a “headquarters for a secret society.”
Drugan claims that the homeowners and their neighbours in the area have all experienced “strange things and unexplainable activity,” leading him to investigate further. Over the course of several visits, he says he experienced activity not only in the home, but at a local bar as well, where patrons regaled him with their own paranormal encounters.
Some of the activity Drugan claims to have witnessed in Cayuga includes disembodied voices, footsteps, motion-activated devices going off on their own, and an “unknown force” that came up behind him and nearly gave him a heart attack.
He said he has been enthralled by the town’s history: “You start finding all these interesting stories when you start looking a little deeper and you start to see all these crazy things that have happened in the not-so-distant past that are real stories and have almost been forgotten.”
He offered a description of what he hopes residents may be interested in sharing with him, including:
Ghost Stories! Authentic, factual tales that can be backed up by witness accounts or traced through historical research. We may ask to conduct a paranormal investigation to see if we can find evidence to support the claims.
Tales of the Unexplained! Have you experienced some type of phenomenon you can’t explain? Mysterious creature sighting? Unidentifiable lights in the sky? We want to know about that too!
Tales of Folklore! Old stories and urban legends that can be researched. Any family stories you are comfortable sharing with us and a wider audience.
Drugan said he has already been in touch with several locals who have helped him with accommodations, put him in touch with other community members, and have helped him access historical records.
“I am filming this with respect to the First Nations people in the area and with respect to the Haldimand Tract. They have so much history in the area, and I believe there is also a voice there that can bring a strong element of truth and awareness to this as well,” he added. “I am interested in hearing everyone’s stories.”
In the end, Drugan aspires to create a piece of work that “envisions the unknown, paranormal, and spotlights the reality of Canadian history and lore in a way that hasn’t been presented before.” Interested participants can email
northernparanormal.on@gmail.com or reach out on social media @Northernparanormal.
