With little fanfare and little advanced warning, Terror on Church Street, in downtown Orlando Florida, announced its permanent closing after 8 years of operation. The announcement was made on May 4^th, 1999 on the local 10 o'clock news, and was followed by an article in the Orlando Sentinel the next morning. "I don't know if Terror's actors knew ahead of time or what," stated Lee Sanders, an actor at Skull Kingdom, another year round haunted attraction in the area, "But we have been receiving resumes and applications for the last two weeks."

Built and owned by "Monsters & Monsters, S.L." an investment group out of Madrid, Spain, Terror was the company's only stand alone haunted house and their only United States installation. However, this group's haunted house experience is quite extensive, with permanent amusement park based haunted houses in Spain, Rome, Mexico City and Lisbon, Portugal. It is rumored that the sets and props from the Orlando location will be moved to a new franchise in Argentina.

The official word, according to the Orlando Sentinel, is that Terror closed for two major reasons. 1) Attendance, both recently and in past few years, had been lower than was expected and 2) J-mar Realty, the company who owns the building that Terror was leasing, had reportedly tripled the rent payments since their opening in November of 1990. For several years now J-Mar, who has plans to turn the whole block into office/shopping complex, had threatened not to renew Terror's lease.

Another nail in the Terror coffin is the decline of the 'Church Street Station' area. "Church Street is dying," stated David Clevinger, Terror's operations and artistic director, "They are trying to get it sold and just aren't marketing enough." The development of Downtown Disney took a bite out of the tourist market that had once populated the club and restaurant complex, and Universal Studios' City Walk which is now open as well, most likely struck the final death blow for Terror on Church Street.

The decision to close the attraction seems to be a sudden one. Expansion plans for Terror, which included a 125 seat party room and a Terror café complete with roaming ghouls, was announced by Clevinger as recently as February of this year. Furthermore, David made no mention of the imminent closing during Chicago's Haunted Attraction Operator's seminar in March. Although during his segment of the day long seminar, which was ironically entitled, "How to keep the Terror all year long," David did share some clues as to the attraction's demise. Terror's high quality actors, some of whom had been there for years, equated to high salaries. With as many as 15 full time actors, the payroll for the attraction, which was open daily, was substantial. David was quoted during his seminar that Terror's ad budget alone was $800,000 per year. A sobering thought for anyone who wishes to jump into the Orlando market.

Reaction from the haunted industry and haunted attraction fans alike, has been that of shock and sadness, and a huge outpouring of Terror remembrances. My first trip through Terror was just weeks after they had opened, and I have been there at least once a year since. Terror's closing has a very deep connection with this magazine as well. The very first article I ever wrote for Haunted Attraction, printed in Issue 1, was a spotlight on Terror on Church Street. In that article I wrote that

"Terror on Church Street is a very interesting experiment in Dark Amusements. It is among only a hand full of haunted houses in the country open year-round, and the first of these to have an actor intensive, October style. Houses that are open for more than two months are normally a Wax Museum or Display style, with only a minor live element, if at all. Terror provides an exciting, successful example of what can be accomplished in a non-October Dark Amusement."

Now that this experiment has concluded, I for one am deeply saddened by its passing. No future trip to Orlando will ever be the same without a trip through the dimly lit corridors of Terror on Church Street. Terror, you will be missed!

Leonard Pickel is the Publishing Editor of Haunted Attraction Magazine. He can be reached at leonard@hauntedattraction.com

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Transworld '99: by Ben Armstrong  

Transworld's 15th Annual National Halloween, Costume & Party Show, at the Rosemont Convention Center near Chicago, Illinois has come and gone, and most of us are brimming with ideas and mourning our now empty bank accounts. But what were the things that stole the show, the items that will wow our patrons this season, and spawn dozens of knock-offs next year? An informal poll, based upon the "Oohs" and "Ahhs" of random haunters revealed the following information. The envelopes please

Ex Mortis Stalk Arounds: These impressive walk around characters designed by the Ex Mortis professional special effects guys blew everyone away. Inside the suit a helmet controlled the motion of the towering creature's head, and hidden rods operated its long skinny arms. So many people were purchasing them, that half way through the show Ex Mortis stopped taking orders, pending hiring a larger staff. They also had several other cool items that garnered
a lot of attention, including a floating puppet rig, and half-creatures you could wear on your back.
Scarefactory Actorvatorand Hellrasier: The guys who brought you last year's winner, the Corpselator, had an excellent booth filled with a dozen variations on that popular animation, including the Chairolator, and Bedolator. But the devices getting the most attention lifted actors, rather than props into the air! Not cheap, but very, very impressive. I have no idea how many of these they sold, but everyone was talking about them. Other standouts included several affordable hanging twitching corpses (one a half body swinging gruesome viscera) and some animated furniture. As is the pattern each year, there were at least a 1/2 dozen Corpselator act alikes (made by other companies) also at the show.

Stagefright Studios Nefarious: This 10' tall skeletal dinosaur creature ruled the Darkzone. Its animatronic head had a wide range of violent motion, and it seemed to be extremely well constructed. Even its whopping $14,000 price tag didn't scare away several haunters who were determined to purchase the monster.

Morris Costumes/Distortions Hanging Man, UFO, Gargoyles: Those of us who attended the Dallas IAAPA Convention in November, had already gawked at the sight of a massive UFO levitating above the show floor, but Morris had even more tricks up their sleeve at Transworld. The saucer was joined by a thrashing body hanging from a gallows and two very well sculpted and executed Gargoyle statues, one that opened its wings and looked around belched smoke, and the other motionless with a long red tongue, which grunted as it drooled thick blood like liquid. An updated variation on the ubiquitous electric chair added to the spectacle, along with lots of other cool new items. The only problem with these impressive animations is that they are so expensive! I purchase several items from Morris every year, but not followed by that many zeros!

Anatomical Chart Co. BonePile: Who didn't buy several $150 Budget Bucky skeletons from them last season? Well this year they were selling miscellaneous bones by the pound! I saw dozens of Haunters with ribs and femurs protruding from their catalog bags after raiding the huge bone pile for hidden treasures. I bet the x-ray attendants at O'Hare had some weird stories to tell after Transworld!

Brainstorm Studios: I was shocked that no other graphic design firms threw their hat into the ring to compete with these guys, but it probably wouldn't have mattered. Their stuff is fantastic! It was very much in evidence at the show: In the slick booth of John Burton's new high powered design firm Bad Dreams, on the tee shirts of every third haunter walking the aisles. They, like Ex Mortis, had to turn away business, a good problem to have!

Honorable mentions also include: Flexible wire that glows like neon from Live Wire, the expanded line of Softflex Masks from Scarecrow, Effect Tech's Elevator Drop, Castle Blood's great costumes, Little Spider's Egyptian themed corpses, Stilt Stalkers very affordable walk around suits, Mr. Scary's line of animatronics, the Saf-tex/Diabolico booth blasting lighting bolts every 5 minutes, and many, many more, too numerous to describe.

As you can see, the number of quality items was mind boggling. If you did not make the Transworld show this year, make plans to be there in 2000, where we will see what monsters the brain trust of the industry can come up with to top this year's list of creations!
Ben Armstrong has worked in television production for over 14 years, including a stint as the late night horror movie host Dr. Speculo. More recently, Ben is the Co-Owner of NETHERWORLD Haunted House in Atlanta GA. and can be reached by E-mail Netherworld@america.net, or check out his web site at www.Fearworld.com

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IAHA - Off and Running: 

The International Association of Haunted Attractions (IAHA) made a strong showing at the 15th Annual National Halloween, Costume & Party Show in Chicago this past March. An IAHA booth was located just outside the Dark Zone area of the Trade Show, where volunteer members handed out informative brochures and stickers boldly advertising IAHA's new slogan, "Scream as One!" Visitors were also able to page through a transcript of last year's "birth of IAHA" meeting, pick up copies of the proposed association bylaws, network with fellow haunters, and – of course - join the association.
The major IAHA event of the weekend was its first annual members meeting on Saturday night, which was followed by a silent auction and social. Over 100 people attended the meeting, which was open to non-members as well. Although the business meeting ran over the projected one hour limit, a great deal was accomplished. The bylaws were ratified and a new board of directors were nominated.

The 1999 Officers of IAHA are:

President: Drew Hunter, Sally Industries
Vice President: D'Ann Dagen, Hangman's Haunted House
Secretary: Dusti Lewars, Grisly Gothic Gables
Treasurer: Cliff Martin, Myth Adventures, Inc.

The silent auction following the meeting was a fundraiser for the organization, and was hosted by "Crazy" Bob Turner and his Haunted Hydro staff from Fremont, Ohio. Items available to be bid on included a "Rotted Bones and Body" corpse from Scarefactory, autographed photos of various horror stars, and "How To" books by the likes of Leonard Pickel, Tim Harkleroad, and JB Corn. The auction was a great success, raising nearly $1400, which just about paid for the cost of the meeting room and refreshments.

Plans are already in the works for next year's social, which promises to be even more ambitious and fun. In the meantime, watch for expansion of the IAHA web site, further development of the newsletter, publication of a member's directory and the creation of a Public Service Announcement video for members.

By the end of the convention, the IAHA membership was 142 strong, and still growing!

The International Association of Haunted Attractions is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of Haunted Attractions through communication and education. For more information, via email info@startle.com via mail, IAHA, PO Box 1310, Pilot Mountain, North Carolina 27041. Or Via web site www.IAHAweb.org

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What is a Halloween Global Convergence? : by Rochelle Santopaolo

What is it? Why have it? Who's it for? No doubt you asked at least one of these questions upon hearing about the 1st Annual Global Halloween Convergence, scheduled for August 12, 1999 (afternoon/evening) and August 13 (morning/afternoon), in Salem, MA. Here's the inside story on this exciting event. While interviewing folks around the country for my dissertation on Halloween, I discovered that people who loved Halloween were very isolated. While they had a passion for all things related to their beloved holiday, there were few people with whom they could share ideas. Each person I interviewed was surprised to find that there were other people who were just as crazy about the holiday! At the time I thought, "Wouldn't it be great if we could all get together and have a fun time?" And the idea for the convergence was born.

In contrast to the formality of a convention or trade show, a convergence is a coming together—a forum for people to gather and share information in a relaxed, fun and joyful environment. And so, the purpose of the convergence is simple - to provide an opportunity for people who love Halloween to get together. The highlight of Friday the 13^th, will be the kick-off of a petition campaign for the United States Post Office to issue a stamp celebrating Halloween.

The 'Halloween Convergence' will be held at Salem's Hawthorne Hotel, where we will exchange haunting ideas and stories. Learn what's new in the world of Halloween and share in two spooktacular Halloween parties. The 'Gala Costume Party' will be held on Thursday evening, and the 'Murder Mystery Luncheon' will be held on Friday during lunch.

Everyone is welcome to attend. Please come with photos and stories and a desire to have a good time. No doubt you will leave with new ideas, new ghoulfriends and memories of the quintessential Halloween celebration. Just think, now we can celebrate Halloween twice a year!

Rochelle Santopoalo is the Publishing Editor of Happy Halloween Magazine. For information on how to register for the 1st Annual Global Halloween Convergence, contact Rochelle Santopoalo at rstpaul@halloweenalliance.com or (847) 328-3605 (CST).

 

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SpookyWorlds: ON THE MOVE!

In what continues to be a bizarre year in the Haunted Attraction Industry, both SpookyWorlds, the one in Minnesota and the one in Massachusetts are moving to new locations!

Barry Zelickson of SpookyWorld, Minnesota gives 3 main reasons for the chance of location (1) people were waiting 30 - 40 minutes just to park in the present lot and overflow parking was at a theme park which now does a Halloween show, and (2) due to the historic nature of the previous location extremely limited what we could build or changed to the site and (3) continued restraints on our installation time (less than ten days) became a problem as the event continued to grow. "Other then that we have a great relationship with our previous site owners," explains Barry, "We are going from the known issues to the yet to be determined new ones at our new site. But that is what makes this all so fun and more importantly fresh to our guests!"

David Bertolino of the original SpookyWorld in Berlin, Massachusetts announced at the Chicago Convention, that he had completed a deal with the owners of the New England Patriots to move the Horror Theme Park to their 350 acre facility in Foxboro, Massachusetts. This move is partially in response to the town of Berlin closing part of the venue during October of 1998 for alleged code violations. The 3 million dollar lawsuit, which Bertolino has filed against the city that was slated for June 1, has been pushed off to August by the city. (See related story in issue 16)

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