Editor's Note: Each year we as Haunted Attraction owners and operators deal with Fire and Building officials who are scared to death that we are going to kill someone in our attraction. They make us flameproof everything, hard wire smoke detectors, light exit signs all of which is a financial burden, and some of which even damages the show itself. We all feel that our haunts are safe! There has not been a fire in a Haunted House in years.. Well, we cannot say that any more! In 1998 there were two Haunted House fires during operations, with patrons in the attractions. Luckily, no one was seriously injuredthis time!

It was a good first Halloween season for Terror At The Track; an upscale multi-element Haunted Attraction presented by the Hollywood Greyhound Track in Hallandale (Miami), Florida and produced by the Dallas based Terran Entertainment Group, Inc. (TEG). On Friday, October 23, 1998 the queue lines were beginning to bulge and the two haunted houses were cranking patrons through at a controlled and rapid clip. Everyone was working great. The patron's comments were good and everyone's spirits were highwhen it happened...

It was a good first Halloween season for Terror At The Track; an upscale multi-element Haunted Attraction presented by the Hollywood Greyhound Track in Hallandale (Miami), Florida and produced by the Dallas based Terran Entertainment Group, Inc. (TEG). On Friday, October 23, 1998 the queue lines were beginning to bulge and the two haunted houses were cranking patrons through at a controlled and rapid clip. Everyone was working great. The patron's comments were good and everyone's spirits were highwhen it happened.

For reasons that may never be known, a fire stared near the ceiling in the center of the Haunted Hospital show above the central technical access corridor. The "non-flammable" convention taffeta, which was used to black out the white ceiling tiles, caught fire and spread quickly along the ceiling. The taffeta purchased from Exclusively Expo in Romeoville, Illinois was certified to be flame retardant. It was site tested before and after the fire and neither time did it sustain a flame.

Seconds after this "flash fire" began, prearranged safety procedures kicked in. A TEG safety crew entered the facility to control the emergency. Actor safety guides responded with focus and courage while directing the patrons to the nearest exit. The safety systems worked flawlessly, according to the Hallandale Fire Department, and the affected Haunted House was cleared in about 18 seconds. The entire area surrounding the affected attraction was cleared within about 30 seconds.

When the dust cleared the next day, it was apparent that there had been no real damage apart from some smoked ceiling tiles and melted taffeta. This was cleaned up quickly and all fire extinguishers were replaced with fresh ones. All of the remaining 'flame retarded vinyl convention taffeta' was completely removed from the building and will not be used again. In the opinion of the Hollywood Greyhound Track and TEG it is a dangerous material.

Although two patrons were treated and released for minor smoke inhalation after the incident, Terror At The Track was given a clean bill of health and allowed to re-open at the usual time the following day, Saturday, October 24, 1998. Hallandale Fire Marshall Bob Growick approved the re-opening because it was apparent that the fire occurrence was a freak accident and that all of the fire safety personnel and systems worked optimally. Growick made a special point to praise the TEG safety crew for their professionalism and courage at containing the fire and the speed at which the attraction was evacuated. In fact, Officer Growick pledged to bring his own son on Saturday night to enjoy "Terror At The Track- Miami's SAFEST Haunted Attraction."

It is easy to see how the consequences of this situation could have been far worse. If not for the safety systems and personnel put in place by the Hollywood Greyhound Track, in cooperation with TEG, there could have been serious patron injury or even worse, a fatality. The lesson that should be learned from this, is that even with all code required advanced precautions, a fire emergency can still happen, at ANY moment. Complacency has no place in the operation of an amusement where the paying public is involved. The Terror At The Track occurrence is proof that even with code approved materials, your worst nightmare can still happen. The Hollywood Greyhound Track had spared no expense in assuring the safety of everyone at Terror At The Track and that investment paid off a thousand times over!

Below are some safety tips that helped TEG handle the Haunted Attraction Emergency:

• Hired official fire and rescue team for every night of the run
• Hired actual police to augment internal security
• Had numerous heat detectors hooked to an automatic alarm system
• Had plenty of emergency lights hooked into the alarm system
• Trained all personnel in fire safety procedures
• Had extinguishers throughout the attraction
• Had all safety and operational personnel on wireless headsets
• Trained all actors as safety guides
• Worked with the local Fire Department using their advice and experience
• Provided a central access corridor, accessible from each area of the attraction
• 
  

EDITORIAL

Over the last few years, there has been media focus on a very negative aspect of our industry. "Shock Shows," which disguise themselves as Haunted Attractions, have drawn more than their share of media attention. The religious haunt, or Hell House as most are called, graphically displays the consequences of sin in a walk-through presentation. At the end you are lead to salvation, (and a sermon). A lesser-known type of Shock Show, which has surfaced over time under various names, uses nudity or sex (or the promise of such) for its outrage factor. The negative attention that this press brings to our industry, is unfortunate.

Last year, Spooky World, Berlin, Massachusetts, took a "Shocking" turn of its own, which was driven purely by the marketing department. In 1998, David Bertolino purchased a darkly themed wax museum, called Hell House of Hollywood, and installed it on the Spooky World property as a separately gated, and separately marketed, 'adult' attraction. Taking the show even further, Bertolino added one scene to the attraction that included live nudity. Still needing a "hook" for the Spooky World hayride,. Bertolino looked toward the news for inspiration, he re-themed the "Chainsaw Maniac" scene into the "Attacking Lewinkys," and dressed up the chainsaw carrying actors in blue dresses, brunette wigs and berets.

There is no question that David Bertolino is a marketing genius, as owner of the largest grossing, privately owned Haunted Event in the world, "Spooky Dave" has cemented his name in the Haunted Hall of Fame. But in a state like Massachusetts, that is historically held by the Democratic Party, during an election year, the deluge of television commercials depicting a chainsaw wielding Monicas spitting milk all over the camera lens, may of stepped over the line, and onto the wrong toe!

October 1998 was to be a banner year for "America's Horror Theme Park." Workers at Spooky World in Berlin, Massachusetts had spent the summer adding two new attractions and revamping the existing ones in preparation for the Halloween season. Unbeknownst to the Spooky World crew, the Berlin building inspector was planning a horror show of his own.

October 1998 was to be a banner year for "America's Horror Theme Park." Workers at Spooky World in Berlin, Massachusetts had spent the summer adding two new attractions and revamping the existing ones in preparation for the Halloween season. Unbeknownst to the Spooky World crew, the Berlin building inspector was planning a horror show of his own.

The new additions to the horror park included the 3-D Disco Haunted House and Hell House of Hollywood. The 3-D House was built around a story line about a wax museum that was built on the site of a terrible Disco tragedy, and the show bounced back and forth from wax figures to 1970's clad corpses. The Hell House was purchased from a defunct amusement that was on Hollywood Boulevard and incorporated wax figures of several notorious killers. Narrated by Christopher Lee, this attraction was a separate admission from the rest of the park due to adult themes and nudity.

Spooky World's owner, David Bertolino felt that the addition of these two elements would give the many visitors who attended the park in 1997 good reason to return in 1998. Major renovation of Spooky World's original attraction, the Time Sliding Adventure Hayride, gave the former farm an even greater appeal. The 1997 purchase of Silo-X, a nearby competitor, gave Jamie Wronaand his staff a good supply of materials and props with which to work.

On September 29, 1998, After breaking an earlier appointment, Lawrence Brandt, a second year building inspector for the town of Berlin, arrived at Spooky World for a pre-opening inspection. After a four-hour assessment of the premises, no issues of non-compliance were reported. A Certificate of Occupancy was issued and signed on October 30. Then on the 8th of October, after Spooky World had opened to the public, Mr. Brandt returns. This time, Brandt claims to have just read something in the codebook, and that Spooky World had some serious code violations that required immediate modifications to the premises. The inspector insisted that sprinkler systems be installed in the new building, which housed both the 3-D Disco Haunted House and Hell House attractions. Brandt further insisted that a sprinkler system be provided in an existing building, which houses the Haunted Mine Shaft and Spooky World's retail area. According to Brandt, these "violations" had to be corrected before the attractions could reopen to the public.

Deeming that the demands of the officials were unreasonable, Spooky World sought an injunction from the Worcester Superior Court, and hired an independent firm to look into the code requirements. The independent report stated that the attractions in question do not fall under the Special Amusement codes section of the Massachusetts State Building Code. He determined that the code requires sprinklers only in maze-type buildings that entertain visitors by confusing them about their location and where they might exit and enter. After a review of the situation, a Worcester Superior Court judge agreed with Bertolino and ordered a 30-day stay, allowing the Spooky World attractions to reopen.

On the 14th of October, Lawrence Brandt arrived unannounced on the premises, with Stephen Coan, the state Fire Marshal and Robert Tervo Berlin's Fire Chief, to perform a third inspection. This time, the fire officials 'discovered' even more violations which, according to Coan, were "...compounded by the failure of the owner to produce certification that the materials met the (flame rating) requirements in (code) 527 CMR 21 on interior decorations."

According to the building and fire officials, Spooky World was offered an opportunity to continue operations if Bertolino would agree to pay for a 'fire watch,' which includes 3 fire fighters and a tanker truck on site during all operating hours. Originally misled to believe that the fire watch was merely an additional "fire detail" at the rate of $28 per hour, Bertolino was floored when told that the watch would cost him $400 per hour. The town hourly later reduced the quote to $200 per hour, the maximum rate that a fire department can charge. According to an Associated Press article, Bertolino rejected the offer, stating that the officials were misapplying a state building code. "My position is we don't need it." Bertolino said after filing an appeal with the state board of building codes in Boston, He further states, "This is just a case of an overzealous building inspector." According to Bertolino, however, this "compromise" offer was pulled by the inspectors rather than rejected by him.

The attractions in question are equipped with fire extinguishers and both heat and smoke detectors, according to Bertolino, who maintains that the buildings are safe. Each house has 11 employees on hand to help visitors to safety in the event of a problem. The "Phantom Mine Shaft" and the "3-D Disco Haunted House" also have doors that open into emergency access corridors for quick evacuation. One firefighter and four police officers were already hired and stationed at the park during the hours of operation. After a second review by Worcester Superior Court, Spooky World was ordered to close the attractions on Friday, October 16. One hour later, Bertolino filed Chapter 11 under the U.S. Bankruptcy code, 'As a hold harmless against a hostile government.' This action gave the federal court jurisdiction over Spooky World's assets and was a legal attempt to stay the Superior Court's closure order.

The following day, in defiance of the stay of bankruptcy, the building and fire officials enlisted the assistance of Massachusetts state troopers of the Code Compliance and Enforcement Units from the Office of the State Fire Marshal, to close and secure the buildings by force. According to the Coan, the State Fire Marshal, "If the owner refused to comply with the building code order, the Fire Chief was prepared to seek additional restraints to ensure public safety." On Monday, October 19, Spooky World's attorney, Carl Aflame, asked the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to halt the town's interference in park operations, stating that the filing automatically stayed the Superior Court's closure order. This request was not upheld, however, and the attractions remained closed for the rest of the Halloween season.

The town of Berlin is clearly divided on this issue. At a special town meeting on January 27, 1999, the voters surprisingly approved the expenditure of more than $12,000 to cover the "detail" wages of police officers and firefighters incurred by Spooky World in October 1998. State officials recommended that the town not pay the $9,112.50 to the police officers and $3,337.50 to the firefighters, as it is their position that David Bertolino is liable for the expenses. In the first of what may be many legal victories for Spooky World, the town ultimately decided to approve the articles and to pay the expenses incurred by America's Horror Theme Park.

In 1998, Spooky World was in its eighth season. The 26-acre farm typically draws 5,000 to 7,000 visitors each evening paying from $15.50 to $19.50 per person. The theme park employs more than 500 local workers for the month of October. Closure of three major elements and the retail area had a serious impact on the venue. The Horror Theme Park dropped in attendance from 121,000 visitors in 1997 to less than 60,000 in 1998. Over 40,000 tickets were refunded. Untold revenues were lost due to the closure of the retail building where Halloween masks, props, costumes, and artwork was given away to irate guests, rather than sold for a profit.

David Bertolino has filed a $3 million dollar damage lawsuit in federal court, against both the individuals and the various government agencies involved in the situation. Included are charges of Civil Rights violations which allows that attachments be levied on the homes and property of the individual defendants. Additionally, he is asking for triple punitive damages ($9,000,000.) A trial by jury is scheduled for the first week in June, and it may take weeks to come to a final verdict.

Down but not out, David Bertolino reassures everyone that Spooky World will be bigger and better for the 1999 Halloween season. With all of the negative attention being focused on Haunted Attraction industry by building and code officials in recent times, it would be a great boost to the industry if and when Spooky World and David Bertolino come out on top in these legal proceedings. Don't be surprised if in the very near future the name of Berlin is changed to Bertolino, Massachusetts!

Michael Hios is an I.T. Professional and Halloween enthusiast from Beverly Massachusetts. He can be reached at mhios@ma.ultranet.com

A casual look around any suburban neighborhood during October 1998 revealed an extraordinarily decorative Halloween spirit. Homes and apartments alike sported spooky graveyards, cobwebs, blinking pumpkins and even orange, icicle light strands. For some time now we have been hearing that "Halloween is the second only to Christmas in holiday retail revenue." It's a flashy statement, but what is it based on? Organizations such as International Mass Retail Association (IMRA) and National Retail Federation (NRF) conduct surveys on the retail industry. Over the years, they have come up with some very interesting facts:

In 1997, 65% of the people polled planned to participate in Halloween, in 1998 that number grew to 73%. In 1998, 72% of homes were decorated, up from 63% 1997. Of those who responded, 69% spent up to $50 on Halloween related materials and 20% planned to spend up to $100. Today there are more adult Halloween costumes being sold than ever before. Creativity in costuming seems to be on an increase, as more adults dress up for the holiday. Nearly 10% of households will dress up their pets for Halloween. Sales figures from Holiday Party Ware stores show that Halloween is second only to New Year's for number of parties thrown each year.

More candy is sold during the month of October than any other time, making Halloween a bigger sweets market than even Easter. An amazing 82 - 93% of children planned to participate in Halloween activities in 1998. Halloween specialty stores open up as early as August to cash in on the growing popularity of the holiday, make up only about 10% of the yearly retail market. Discount department stores make up over half the shopping revenues for the Halloween market. Major chains such as Target, Wal-Mart and K-Mart, dominate Halloween retail sales with seasonal areas devoted entirely to the holiday. For the retail market, Halloween fills the gap between the back-to-school and the Christmas sales season.

In the past few years, Halloween seems to have changed from a children's only holiday, to one that is celebrated by adults and children alike. Adults are now sharing their love for the holiday with their children and focusing more on Halloween as a family activity. As the baby boomers get older, they are growing more nostalgic for their past. Generation-Xers want to catch up on the trick-or-treating fun that they missed during the candy tampering and Tylenol scares of the 1980's. Rather than sending their children out to go trick-or-treating, parents are either accompanying the kids or keeping them safely indoors by throwing Halloween parties or organizing home/yard haunts.

Despite the impressive statistics, these numbers could be even better. There is an apparent imbalance across the country as to when Halloween merchandise goes on display. An informal polling of Halloween enthusiasts on the Internet, shows that some area stores delay putting out their holiday merchandise until late September, and one wonders how much revenue is lost as a result.

Another important point to stress is that these figures do not reflect any revenue generated from the amusement component of the holiday. While home and yard haunts can be assumed to be represented in the figures reported by IMRA and NRA, professional Haunted Attractions are more likely to purchase costumes and supplies from wholesalers, which would not show up in the surveys conducted thus far. Income from admissions generated by haunted houses, hayrides, and other Haunted Attractions are also absent from the statistics. Considering these omissions, it would seem that the success of Halloween as a revenue generator, is being vastly underestimated.

While the growth of Halloween is a surprise to many, it is a long way from competing with Christmas for the number one slot. However, the rapid growth of All Hallow's Eve, is demanding the attention of the retail industry. For those of us, who love the autumn festival, the rapidly increasing popularity of Halloween is long overdue.

Dusti Lewars haunts with Skeletons In My Closet Productions in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is both a lead actor, and in charge of costuming for Grisly Gothic Gables, the company's main Haunted Attraction. She can be reached via Email at: elionwyr@onix.com

Attendance at the 1998 International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions trade show and convention in November, was the second largest ever recorded. Over 26,000 attendees, came to explore the 4,800 booths, showing the products and services available from 1,100 different companies. Whether you were looking for a three-tiered carousel, or a life sized space alien, the IAAPA Convention had something for you.

This international show filled every corner of the Dallas Convention Center with an eclectic display of lights and motion. Not only was there a great mixture of products to peruse, but also a mix of nationalities wandering the floors searching for something to take home to their own countries. Germany, France, Australia, Switzerland, and many more were all represented both as buyers and exhibitors. If one grew tired of walking up and down the many aisles full of 'toys and treats', then there was always a lecture or seminar to attend. Anything from "How to Prepare Business Plans and Get Financing" to "Safety Issues" was being taught in a conference room somewhere in the building.

One booth that drew a lot of attention from the crowd was a large cavern looking display done by the people at Chiodo. A scenic company selling everything from small details to full sized sets. On one side of their display was a large red dragon with 20-ft. wings, spread over an evil cave filled with skulls and corpses. Cine-Art who shared the booth, displayed several lifelike animatronic figures within the exhibit, and Elvira, "Mistress of the Dark" was there to sign autographs. The other side of the same display, the rock cave changed into an ice cavern, complete with frost monkeys and an animated snow wizard.

The Morris Costumes booth was a show in itself. Their large display included everyone's favorite, the "Black Hole." A small section was dedicated to their new airbrush face painting system, and new for 1999 was a large area dedicated to UFOs, complete with evil little aliens and an automated flying saucer. Every few minutes the flying saucer would rise off the ground complete with lights and smoke, and hover high over the attendees.

Another eye-catching booth was presented by UV/FX. They were exhibiting several samples of the work they do with GITD paints and Ultraviolet lights. ChromaDepth™ 3-D glasses where handed out as you gazed at the brightly painted murals. My first experience with this new technology, I was expecting the old blue/red filter glasses. The red fish in a large aquatic scene at the back of the booth, sprang off of the wall when viewed through the glasses. Everyone that stopped at the booth was very impressed with the 3-D effect and UV/FX's artistic ability.

The Caufields booth was full of some wonderful Haunted House props. The centerpiece of the display was a large automated killer complete with a huge knife, springing out of a full sized wooden shed. This was a big hit with the conventioneers, who would watch the victims walk calmly up to the booth to get a big shock when the door swung open and this knife wielding killer came jumping out at them. For smaller haunts and Halloween parties, Caufields also displayed several variations of a moving tombstone, bleeding fountains, and other great centerpiece props.

A parking lot outside was filled with items too large to fit under the roof of the convention center. This impromptu amusement park was filled with all sorts of virtual rides, carnival rides, and motion theaters, in full operation to delight the buyer's. The trade show is so large that it is impossible to see everything in a single day, and IAAPA has now out grown the 485,000 square feet available at the Dallas Convention Center. The trade show cannot be held in Dallas again until new convention facilities are built.

For the next two years the convention will be held at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia. For more information, contact the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions Convention and Trade Show at 1448 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA 22314-3664. Phone: (703)836-4800, email iaapa@iaapa.org or web page http://www.iaapa.org

The Psycho House façade at Universal Studios Florida was taken down to make room for a new kids' area at the Orlando Park. Woody Woodpecker's KidZone will open this spring in an effort to overcome the park's reputation as appealing mainly to teens and adults. Universal Studios often has been described as a park with adult themes and rides. Its biggest draws, Terminator 2 and Back to the Future, are too intense for small children...

The two-story Psycho facade was an empty shell, which was used as a set in the filming of Psycho IV: The Beginning, a made-for-cable movie in 1990. No word on what will become of the structure. "It's been up for a long time,'' states spokesman Tom Schroder of the popular Universal icon. ``It will come down unceremoniously.''

The KidZone will be a significant expansion for the 8-year-old theme park. It will tie together four existing attractions, A Day in the Park with Barney, Fievel's Playland, The Animal Actors Stage and ET the Ride, with a new Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse Coaster and a Curious George Goes to Town play area.

Opening at the same time as Universal's second theme park, both the Islands of Adventure, and the KidZone are designed to attract young children and their parents to the two Universal Studios parks.

It has only been one year since a group of over 100 industry haunters joined together to discuss the possibilities of a Haunted Attraction Association. Since that meeting, the International Association of Haunted Attractions has become a reality. IAHA has been incorporated as a non-profit organization. It has a volunteer board of 18 directors and a membership of over 90 haunters. At the IAAPA Convention in Dallas, (see related article) the organization pulled off its first fundraising event in the form of an all-day seminar, followed by a social mixer at a local haunt. The overwhelming success of this first ever IAHA event was evident by the sold out seminar and popularity of the social mixer and Haunt tour of Dr. Blood's (R) ScreamScapes! TM in Dallas, Texas....

It has only been one year since a group of over 100 industry haunters joined together to discuss the possibilities of a Haunted Attraction Association. Since that meeting, the International Association of Haunted Attractions has become a reality. IAHA has been incorporated as a non-profit organization. It has a volunteer board of 18 directors and a membership of over 90 haunters. At the IAAPA Convention in Dallas, (see related article) the organization pulled off its first fundraising event in the form of an all-day seminar, followed by a social mixer at a local haunt. The overwhelming success of this first ever IAHA event was evident by the sold out seminar and popularity of the social mixer and Haunt tour of Dr. Blood's (R) ScreamScapes! TM in Dallas, Texas.

With cash in the bank and members on board, the first ever Haunt association has set its sights on the 15th Annual, National Halloween, Costume and Party Show, March 12 - 16 in Chicago. IAHA will be in force at the upcoming trade show with two meetings, another social mixer and an exhibit booth on the trade floor, manned by volunteer members. Memberships will be available for $50 per person at the IAHA booth #4345. A members only meeting will be held at the Hyatt Hotel on March 13th from 7 to 8 p.m., and is open to all IAHA members in good standing at the time of the meeting. This is an opportunity to go over the goals of the association and to discuss the future direction with the members. At 8 p.m. the meeting adjourns and the social begins. The IAHA Social is open to everyone in attendance at the convention. Those attending are encouraged to bring haunt-related scrapbooks to share, as well as posters and T-shirts to swap with other Haunters. Light snacks and drink will be served.

Meeting room numbers have not been posted as of this printing, and interested parties should go by the IAHA booth for further information. Or, check out the IAHA web site at http://www.hauntedattraction.com/iaha for membership information and an application form.

The International Association of Haunted Attractions is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of Haunted Attractions through communication and education. To Join IAHA, fill out the enclosed application and send it along with $50 check or money order to: IAHA, PO Box 1310, Pilot Mountain, North Carolina 27041. Or contact them at: mailto:info@iaha.netinfo@startle.com