{"data":{"id":"559dd7f0-86ae-43c4-8e9a-936e7491f9fb","originKind":"SYNDICATED","title":"Fringe Review: Fear Fables delivers something delightfully horrifying to the Fringe","summary":"Fear Fables: The Horror Drag Anthology\n\n4 stars (out of 5)\n\nStage 1, Westbury Theatre, 10334 84 Ave.\n\n“Any noise is good noise when you’re gay and love attention!”\n\nHorny as hell in the sense of being covered in giant demon horns protruding from a camp counsellor uniform, this is show emcee Emmonia declaring a mission statement of sorts for this terrifically brutal and hilariously offensive drag show.\n\nSet in the deadest of forests with a bloody tent and campfire, the costumes and set alone would make Pinhead lick his lips and moan, “Pleasure, pain: the same!”\n\nI was there at the ’91 GWAR show at the Bronx and only once since — when Alice Cooper “cut” his own daughter’s head off — have I been as delightfully shocked by a show to this level watching a packed Westbury Theatre crowd cheering for the capture, murder and entrails dancing of various hapless campers of Camp Fear Fables.\n\nIn impossibly great costumes Mørtis X, Sir Papi, Damien Ghoul, The Red Silence, CallMeKeeks and Karly Klimax dance in bare butts and exposed ribcages to Aurora’s Under the Water, Karliene’s Black Annie and even Metallica’s Enter Sandman in an especially sick number.\n\nAlberta premiers past and present are roasted to loud cheers, and not to play favourites, but CallMeKeeks’ Valentine’s Day, heart-winged demon in itself was less gory but more creepy than almost anything shown … until it wasn’t.\n\nBut the best way to sell this show would probably just be to roll out the content warnings: Adult Language/Content, Cartoonish Violence, Death, Gunshots, Mental Illness/Disorders, Nudity, Political Content, Sexual Content, Smoke/Fog, Strobe Lights, Faux Gore, Loud Music.\n\nHell(raiser) yeah!\n\nDon’t miss for Fear Fables for more likeable horrors.\n\nfgriwkowsky@postmedia.com\n\nBookmark our website and support our journalism: Don’t miss the news you need to know — add EdmontonJournal.com and EdmontonSun.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here.\n\nYou can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun.","url":"https://edmontonjournal.com/entertainment/theatre/fringe-review-fear-fables-delivers-something-delightfully-horrifying-to-the-fringe","imageUrl":"https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/edmontonjournal/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/fear-fables_304763927.jpg","publishedAt":"2026-08-18T22:01:35.000Z","sourceLabel":"Edmonton Journal Music","tags":["Entertainment","Festivals","Theatre"],"authorName":"Fish Griwkowsky","contentHtml":"<img alt=\"Fear Fables at the 2026 Edmonton Fringe Festival.\" src=\"https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/edmontonjournal/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/fear-fables_304763927.jpg\" title=\"Fear Fables at the 2026 Edmonton Fringe Festival.\" /><p> <strong>Fear Fables: The Horror Drag Anthology</strong> </p><p> <strong>4 stars (out of 5)</strong> </p><p> <strong>Stage 1, Westbury Theatre, 10334 84 Ave.</strong> </p><p> “Any noise is good noise when you’re gay and love attention!” </p><p> Horny as hell in the sense of being covered in giant demon horns protruding from a camp counsellor uniform, this is show emcee Emmonia declaring a mission statement of sorts for this terrifically brutal and hilariously offensive drag show. </p><p> Set in the deadest of forests with a bloody tent and campfire, the costumes and set alone would make Pinhead lick his lips and moan, “Pleasure, pain: the same!” </p><p> I was there at the ’91 GWAR show at the Bronx and only once since — when Alice Cooper “cut” his own daughter’s head off — have I been as delightfully shocked by a show to this level watching a packed Westbury Theatre crowd cheering for the capture, murder and entrails dancing of various hapless campers of Camp Fear Fables. </p><p> In impossibly great costumes Mørtis X, Sir Papi, Damien Ghoul, The Red Silence, CallMeKeeks and Karly Klimax dance in bare butts and exposed ribcages to Aurora’s Under the Water, Karliene’s Black Annie and even Metallica’s Enter Sandman in an especially sick number. </p><p> Alberta premiers past and present are roasted to loud cheers, and not to play favourites, but CallMeKeeks’ Valentine’s Day, heart-winged demon in itself was less gory but more creepy than almost anything shown … until it wasn’t. </p><p> But the best way to sell this show would probably just be to roll out the content warnings: Adult Language/Content, Cartoonish Violence, Death, Gunshots, Mental Illness/Disorders, Nudity, Political Content, Sexual Content, Smoke/Fog, Strobe Lights, Faux Gore, Loud Music. </p><p> Hell(raiser) yeah! </p><p> Don’t miss for Fear Fables for more likeable horrors. </p><p> <a href=\"mailto:fgriwkowsky@postmedia.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">fgriwkowsky@postmedia.com</a> </p><p> <strong>Bookmark our website and support our journalism:</strong><em>Don’t miss the news you need to know — add <a href=\"http://edmontonjournal.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">EdmontonJournal.com</a> and <a href=\"http://edmontonsun.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">EdmontonSun.com</a> to your bookmarks and <a href=\"https://edmontonjournal.com/newsletters/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">sign up for our newsletters here.</a></em> </p><p> <em>You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: <a href=\"https://edmontonjournal.com/subscribe/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">The Edmonton Journal</a> | <a href=\"https://edmontonsun.com/subscribe/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">The Edmonton Sun.</a></em> </p>","slug":"fringe-review-fear-fables-delivers-something-delightfully-horrifying-to-the-fringe","publicPath":"/news/2026-08-18-fringe-review-fear-fables-delivers-something-delightfully-horrifying-to-the-fringe"}}