Has anyone ever been through the Spook A Rama ride featured in this article? I would love to see this in person. In fact I would love to ride through any old
fashioned funhouse. Thought some might enjoy this read. http://www.laffinthedark.com/articles/spook/spook1.htm
0 Kudo
Spook-A-Rama ride
| Author | Comment | ||
|---|---|---|---|
 Dr Borgo |
Spook-A-Rama ride |
Lead | |
|
(06/09/08 10:18 PM) |
|
||
|
ShockDoc |
|||
|
(06/09/08 11:16 PM) |
Wow! How very cool! Makes me want to decorate my home with vintage dark ride memorabilia! Oh wifey...?
|
||
|
MyDarkSide |
|||
|
(06/11/08 5:08 PM) |
Cool find and very interesting read!
|
||
|
Koukol 5 |
|||
|
(06/11/08 9:13 PM) |
I'd love a book with Carnival photos like this...horror themed of course.
|
||
|
Rakshasa |
|||
|
(06/12/08 10:21 AM) |
Never been on that exact ride, but I went on similar ones as a kid.
That's a great website. I've visited it many times before. |
||
|
Don Glut |
|||
|
(06/12/08 11:22 AM) |
Yes, I've been on the Spook-a-Rama ride ... back in the late 1950s and early 1970s, and have to say it's the best of the old-time dark rides -- at
least the best I'd ever ridden. Let's hope it remains running. And yes, that Laff in the Dark website is great.
Way back when Chicago's Riverview Park ("70 acres of thrills!" ... "the World's Largest Amusement Park," as ol' Two-Ton Baker used to say on the localt TV commercials) was still around, there were quite a few of those spooky dark rides ... with names like Hades, Spook Town, Ghost Train, Safari and Alladin's Castle. I miss them all! But in my opinion Spook-a-Rama was still the best of the lot. Don |
||
|
DonM435 |
|||
|
(06/14/08 2:40 PM) |
They don't make 'em like that anymore. Maybe 20 years ago, when my son was little, I took him on one of these rides at a local carnival. It was so
poorly set up with light leaking in everywhere that nothing was a surprise. Except that hardly any of the gags worked.
|
||
|
The Maskahuna |
|||
|
(06/15/08 1:07 PM) |
During a visit to Coney Island many years ago
I rode Spook-a-rama and enjoyed it immensely. Some of the spookers inside are of recent vintage (I recognized the Electric chair by Distortions Ind) but many others are genuine mid-century antiques. Even the sound of the ride car itself reminded me of the dark rides of my youth, particularly "The Haunted Castle" at Beverly Park L.A. |
||
|
Dr Borgo |
|||
|
(06/16/08 10:06 PM) |
There should be a book on this subject.
|
||
|
Don Glut |
|||
|
(06/16/08 10:56 PM) |
There should also be a DVD documentary.
|
||
|
BijouBob8mm |
|||
|
(06/17/08 10:14 AM) |
As a kid in a small Midwestern town in the late Sixties/early Seventies, one of the most anticipated events was the annual Fall Festival, when the carnival came to town. (Glad I had not yet read Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes, at that age.) There was usually at least one "funhouse," sometimes two. Some of these were walk-throughs, others had the little cars that you rode. I recall one year the carnival company had given one of the funhouses a complete overhaul, turning it into a "drug house." Can't recall, any more, what they actually called the new attraction (it was only there the one year), but the monsters had been replaced by the horrors of drug-addicted fiends. |
||
|
timothymayer |
|||
|
(07/13/08 11:51 AM) |
I took my son on one of these at a theme park in Wichita, Ks. He's 22 now and still hasn't forgiven me.
"Dad, you said it was going to be a FUN house!"
"Of Course. Plan Nine."
www.kraftcreation.blogspot.com |
||
|
Rakshasa |
|||
|
(07/14/08 7:49 PM) |
Don Glut wrote: I would buy such a DVD in a heartbeat.
|
||
|
bipolarber |
|||
|
(07/19/08 6:00 PM) |
Actually, Discovery had a series some years ago on Thrillrides. I remember this sort of ride being one of the ones they covered. Essentially, these "ghost
train" type rides were conducted in a large empty room, and lights would go on and off, revealing various horror displays as the little electric car
trumbled on by, following a metal track on the floor. If you have one of the electric car systems, this is actually a great way to conduct a haunted house. You
spend very little time in building unneeded connecting hallways, and instead just concentrate on your dioramas. Very low upkeep, and also very easy to get in
and repair stuff that gets broken.
Disney, of course, took it to a whole 'nother level with "The Haunted Mansion" where he recycled a system called the "Omni-mover" in the now famous "Doombuggies." |
||
|
laffinthedark |
|||
|
(07/23/08 12:26 PM) |
Laff In The Dark recently released a behind-the-scenes DVD on Knoebels Haunted House dark ride:
|
||
|
Rakshasa |
|||
|
(07/23/08 9:36 PM) |
laffinthedark wrote: Just bought a copy off your link. Thanks. BYW ~ I see this is your first post. Welcome to the boards!
|
||
|
Tom Powers |
|||
|
(07/25/08 9:49 PM) |
I remember going on a fairly innocuous ride at Adventurers' Playland in Queens, NY.
Most of it was glow-in-the-dark painted faces and scenes on the walls, fake cobwebs, and a few manikins and parts in horror tableaux. But with real cunning, right at the end was a articulated gorilla prop with red light bulb eyes that popped out at you. This ensured that almost everyone hit the exit giving a big scream, enticing the crowds. 
|
||
|
Rakshasa |
|||
|
(08/06/08 7:24 PM) |
laffinthedark wrote: Got my copy in the mail and watched it twice already. Great fun seeing the behind the scenes of the dark ride. So glad I bought this, as I know I'll be watching it often. Any more of these types of DVD's planned or available? Great stuff.
|
||
|
laffinthedark |
|||
|
(08/08/08 10:36 PM) |
Thanks for the kind comments. We're delighted that you enjoy our DVD which was our first production. We haven't chosen our next
subject yet as we have many locations to consider.
|
||
|
Rakshasa |
|||
|
(08/11/08 3:44 PM) |
Not sure if I'm talking to George or Bill, but regardless, great DVD guys. Something I've always wished would be produced.
Even as a kid, I used to dream I could step off a dark ride car, turn the lights on, and explore the secrets of a spook house. This DVD is the closest thing to a fulfillment of that childhood dream. I can't thank you guys enough for taking the time to realize this project. Here's To More In The Future ~ Doug Kennedy |
||
|
laffinthedark |
|||
|
(08/17/08 8:49 PM) |
This is George. Bill and I are thrilled that you enjoy the DVD. We hope to work on another one next year. We haven't selected a location yet.
|
||
Add Reply
- Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards
- Announcements
- Forum Guidelines
- Discuss change to Yuku here
- Getting Started
- Help a Very Special Monster Kid
- Universal Horrors
- Golden Age Horror
- Kong - 8th Wonder of the World
- Poverty Row
- The World of Sherlock Holmes
- Murder and Mystery
- Thrills and Chills
- Silent Horror
- '50s Sci-Fi and Horror
- '60s and '70s Sci-Fi and Horror
- Hammer Horror
- The Psycho Ward
- Foreign Horror
- Japanese Giants
- Horror and Sci-Fi of Recent Decades
- Current Films
- Independent Films and Documentaries
- Coming Soon
- TV Terrors
- Classic Horror on DVD
- Horror Film Books and Magazines
- Horror Comics and Art
- Monster Toys and Collectibles
- Classic Horror Movie Memorabilia
- Horror Music
- Old Time Radio and Audio Horror
- Classic Horror Online
- Horror Tech
- CHFB Member Reviews
- Our Favorite Horror Hosts
- Classic Disney Scares
- Horror Film Stars
- Men Behind the Monsters
- Monster Kid Memories
- General Horror and Sci-Fi
- Movie of the Day
- Off Topic Discussions
- Classic Horror News
- Horror Events
- Special Days
- Final Farewells
- VCR / TiVo Alert
- Classic Horror Polls
- Classic Horror Classifieds
Quick Reply
