Kory Bessette, a clinical therapist at the University of Windsor, is one of the co-creators of a new series exploring local legends, called Strange Tales of the South Shore, pictured in his office at the University of Windsor on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025.
By Lindsay Charlton
Campus is no stranger to geese, mostly harmless, but what if one had a sinister plan?
One of Canada’s earliest hauntings tells a “wild” story of a Wallaceburg, Ont., farmer whose land was said to be cursed by a witch who takes on the form of a goose, tormenting the family to make them leave.
That’s just one tale explored in Strange Tales of the South Shore, a show written and produced by local creatives diving into urban legends both familiar and obscure to the region.
“We’re big horror fans, and we wanted to do something unique to this area,” said Kory Bessette, one of the show’s co-creators and a clinical therapist at the University of Windsor.
“It’s a really fun show, it doesn’t take itself too seriously.”
Bessette describes it as Tales from the Crypt meets Heritage Minutes, exploring local folklore and telling the stories in a compelling way.
“Once we started research, we realized just how many stories there are, a lot I’d completely forgotten. Some, like this one, I can’t believe aren’t talked about more,” he said.
The show, written by Bessette, Ken Amlin and Danielle Wigle, first aired Sept. 15 on Bell Fibe TV. It is an anthology series of four episodes exploring legends from Chatham-Kent and Essex County through interviews and actors bringing the stories to life on screen.
“The amount of collaborative art that went into this is really impressive,” Bessette said. “From lighting professionals, actors and prop builders, we even brought in a dialogue coach for one of the episodes.”
As with most urban legends, there are many versions, depending on who you’ve heard them from or where you grew up—something the episodes play into.
Perhaps the most recognized regional haunt is explored in the show’s finale: Texas Road. Most locals know someone who knows someone else who experienced a bone-chilling event near St. Clement’s Cemetery.
Bessette noted this Amherstburg myth offered many possibilities, often conflicting, which the show explores.
“The most prominent story is that of a headless bride. The ghost appears in a beautiful white dress, but she has no head. One version says a jealous lover chopped off her head, turned himself in, but would never say where he hid her head,” he said.
Others say the ghost is a headless horseman, a hitchhiker or that the story is entirely wrong—that a couple making out in a car was suddenly attacked.
“There are so many stories that have kind of shaped into one,” Bessette said.
Amherstburg has its share of eerie tales beyond Texas Road.
Bessette points to another story of a once-popular stage magician of Boblo Island’s theatre, Smiley, who, legend has it, died on stage during his act. Some say they have since seen a man in a flat-brimmed hat lurking around the now-abandoned theatre.
“We don’t dive into whether they’re true. We don’t particularly care—they’re fun. From our research, I couldn’t find a death certificate for this magician,” he said. “But this is the story they would tell us, and we turn it into a 20-minute short film.”
That episode, The Magician of Boblo Island, had key scenes filmed on campus in the Essex Hall Theatre before it was converted into a classroom.
“Many of our actors are either current or former UWindsor students, or even professors—Lionel Walsh and Meaghen Quinn (School of Dramatic Art) both had roles in our premiere episode,” Bessette said.
While researching the show, he discovered that the campus itself had its own strange tale.
According to legend, before Assumption College became part of the University, when it still housed students, one sleepless student went downstairs for a cigarette—and saw an apparition of a woman in grey roaming the halls.
“Ever since, there have been stories of others seeing the ghost,” Bessette said. “It’s mentioned in a few Ontario hauntings books, but most agree it’s been pretty much solved—likely just another student sneaking around for a smoke, afraid of getting caught.”
Bessette has been involved in film for more than 20 years, citing those he’s worked on as passion projects.
This series, he says, holds a special place in his heart as, while not his intention, a community “love letter.”
“Like I said, I love spooky things, so taking this on was a no-brainer. But it’s also about the pride you feel in your community. Once you know your own stories, you start to see how cool the area we live in is, and you think, ‘I want to preserve this,’” he said.
Strange Tales of the South Shore is now streaming on Bell Fibe TV. Learn more at www.strangetalesofthesouthshore.com.