POWELL RIVER, BC

Our final stop on our Powell River road trip, takes us back to the historic Townsite area of the city, to the much adored [and very haunted] Patricia Theatre. 

As Canada’s oldest continuously operating movie theatre, the Patricia first opened its doors in 1913 at its original location across from the Rodmay Hotel. In November 1928 it opened at its current spot on Ash Avenue. The Spanish revival style building that houses it was designed by Henry Holdsby Simmonds, a Vancouver architect who also designed the Stanley Theatre and many in the Canadian Odeon chain.

Simmonds’ new incantation of the Patricia was far more lavish than the original, featuring seating for over 400, an orchestra pit, and gorgeous hand painted murals. It was opened in partnership between R.H. Scanlon—the stepson of one of Powell River’s founding fathers, M.J. Scanlon—and businessman Myron McCleod. McCleod would go on to own the Patricia until his passing in 1994. It’s believed that his spirit is one of the ghosts that call the old cinema home–unsurprising considering the decades of his life he devoted to the place.  

However, the theatre’s most famous spirit is of a man who had nothing to do with the film business. On the contrary, he likely would’ve shaken his head at the chocolate and candy decades of young filmgoers munched in the auditorium below his office, as in life he was a dentist. Though the lower floors of the Patricia operated as a theatre, the upper level housed offices and it was in one of those offices that Dr. Samuel Paul Marlatt held his practice from 1928 until 1956. As told in Robert C. Belyk’s 2006 book, Ghosts: More Eerie Encounters, it seems Dr. Marlatt, a former army dentist, wasn’t a fan of children, who he didn’t believe in “wasting” anesthesia on. One can image the pain endured by his many younger patients over the near three decades he ran his practice. Despite a false rumour that Marlatt committed suicide in his office [he died in Vancouver, four years after leaving his practice] it’s still little wonder that many believe the Patricia’s “man in white” is the good doctor, who, in death, is not the friendliest of ghosts. 

It was during extensive renovations in the late-90’s/early-2000’s that the hauntings in the Patricia became particularly active. Under new ownership, a series of tradespeople were hired to restore the theatre to its former grandeur and it’s from these folks that some of eeriest experiences come from.

One account tells of a painter who was working alone in the auditorium. As he went about his duties, he was suddenly startled when the huge, velvet curtains over the projection screen opened by themselves. Surprised as he was, he was further spooked to see what looked like a pair of hands pressing through the screen from behind!

Workers felt unexplained cold spots, heard moans and creaks on the floor with no visible source to make them, had their tools and materials moved [including a supply cart that would move from room to room on its own], and had the unmistakable feeling of being watched while working alone, particularly on the upstairs level. 

One man who, while working in one of the former offices, witnessed what looked like a man in a “white smock” pass by an open doorway. Thinking it was the painter, he later learned the painter hadn’t even been in that day. Another described seeing something similar moving quickly up a stairway while working in the lobby. White smocks were common attire for dentists many decades ago.

One particularly disturbing event occurred in 2001. Dan Kressel, a contractor tasked with the bulk of the renovations at the Patrica, was making his way down the concrete stairs from the street level with a load of tools, when he was “pushed” down the flight by some unseen force. He described the sensation as if someone had pushed the back of his leg out, causing him to slide down the steps on his back and injure himself. 

Kressel also experienced problems with a number of the building’s doors during his time there, including having them lock by themselves, resist against him when trying to open them—as if something unseen were pressed against the other side, and, on one occasion, had one slam hard enough to knock out bits of plaster from the wall above. Once, while navigating a darkened stairwell, the contractor’s flashlight clicked off in his hand, despite his finger being nowhere near the switch. 

In the end, it proved too much for Kressel, who called the then owner and quit on the spot. 

As mentioned, Marlatt is not the only ghost residing in the building. Long time owner Myron McCleod is believed to inhabit the Patricia as well and is a seemingly friendlier entity. A man refinishing the hardwood floor in one area of the building was surprised to look up and see an older, bespectacled man sitting at an old fashioned desk across the room from him. The man wore an old timey vest and was smiling at the worker with his thumbs in the vest pockets, as if quite pleased. It only took the worker a moment to realize that the room he was working in had been empty, before the grinning man and his desk disappeared. Later, he would identify the man he saw as the late-Mr. McCleod, after theatre staff showed him a series of pictures of those once associated with the building.  

Another story tells of a pair of girls who, while deciding where to sit in the empty auditorium, watched a pair of the antique red velvet seats spring down for them. 

Yet another more sinister account tells of a patron who was tripped by something unseen as she made her way down the aisle to her seat, spilling her popcorn.

A medium who toured the Patricia some years ago, picked up on a mother with three children, one of whom was a little girl named “Natalie.” The medium claimed Natalie “liked” the female TV reporter accompanying her and decided to follow them as they made their way from the upper level.

The Patricia Theatre is arguably the best preserved, if not most haunted spot in Powell River. Any film buffs out there with an appreciation for the otherworldly may want to pay a visit and cross this one off their bucket list! 

Thanks so much for joining us on our road trip to Powell River’s most haunted locations. For a city of just 14,000, there seems to be a disproportionate amount of haunted places and I believe we’ve only touched the tip of the iceberg on our tour.

So please, if you’ve had an experience at any of these places or wish to share another area location, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at coastalshadowscontact@gmail.com