Thrillvania: The Best
Little Horrorshow In Texas!
By Thomas Riccardi
Fast Facts
Web Site: www.verdunmanor.com
Number of Attractions: 2
Houses, 1 Hayride, 1 Stage Show
Dates: Friday, Saturday and
Sunday Nights September 21 - October 21
Nightly October 26 - October
31
Hours: 7 PM, until midnight
Fridays, Saturdays and Halloween, 10 PM on all other days.
Price: $22 for unlimited one
night admission
Contact: Lance Pope
Phone: (972) 524-5700
Location: Off Highway 80 at
the Wilson Road exit 503, turn south and follow the signs.
Parking Fee: $2 per vehicle,
Hearses always park for free.
It sits on a hill enshrouded
by mist and fog as if something out of your worst nightmare. You want to run
but instead you feel yourself being drawn closer to it, like a moth to a flame.
As you enter the giant mansion, werewolves, vampires and various types of
gruesome monsters surround you. You barely escape peril and death at every
turn. Finally you manage to make it back to the world alive. Sound like fun?
Well, it is to Lance Pope and the crew who run the horror amusement
park, known as Thrillvania.
This year marks the 7th
season of Thrillvania in Terrell, Texas, and the 17th season for Haunted
Verdun Manor, Lance’s signature Haunted Attraction with an elaborate
storyline.
Haunted Verdun Manor
In 1901, construction of a
strange, twisted structure began on the banks of the Voodoo Bayou, the creation
of a psychopathic scientist, Baron Michael Verdun and his vampire wife Lady
Cassandra D’Arque. The antebellum style Manor quickly
became the subject of horrifying rumors and much speculation. The new Manor
adjoined an old plantation cemetery, and Baron Verdun brought in foreign
workers to dig the deep cellars. Wild stories circulated about Verdun exhuming
the dead for more space, or perhaps some darker purpose. When the manor was
finished, all the workers disappeared overnight, although some say their
spirits still haunt the grounds of Verdun Manor.
A werewolf, Baron Verdun
keenly desired to release the beast that lies within all men, and deep within
the hidden recesses of his Manor. He conducted cruel, painful experiments on
human beings abducted by Lady Cassandra from the surrounding countryside. These
mysterious experiments created hideous, malformed creatures. Neither wholly man
nor animal Verdun considered these failures and turned them loose on the
grounds to fend for themselves, devouring any unwary and unwanted visitor.
Nightmarish masquerade balls were held at Verdun Manor on nights of the full
moon, with human flesh served openly to the guests. Stories about Baron Verdun
hosting nocturnal hunts, chasing human prey for sport caused the townsfolk to
take shelter at night.
Enraged by the creatures' attacks, the townspeople eventually took to the
streets. The angry mob tracked the monsters back to Verdun Manor, locking them
in the Baron’s laboratory to die in a raging chemical fire. Cassandra, caught
sleeping in her crypt, was decapitated and her body mutilated. Chased down by the
vigilantes, Verdun was bludgeoned and stabbed to death, and his bloody corpse
laid to rest in a deep grave in front of his Mansion. Gathering their injured,
and their dead, the townsfolk tried to forget the horrors they had seen that
night, but for creatures like Baron Verdun and Lady Cassandra, death is more of
an inconvenience than an ending.
The townsfolk did not know
how to truly end their existence, and restless spirits still haunt the rotted
mansion and its many hidden corridors, seeking to take physical form once more.
Supernatural creatures and humans of evil intent have come to Verdun Manor
since that night. Some summoned by Verdun and some seeking his secrets.
Others came hoping to keep Verdun and his horrors imprisoned here and to keep the
curious away. Verdun Manor is silent now, at least by day, but older members of
the town remember the Baron’s fierce vow of vengeance upon all those who dare
to enter his realm. Now, in the eerie glow of the October moon, ghostly wolf
howls emanate from the mildewed halls as the creaking doors of Verdun Manor
open for those brave enough to take a terrifying journey into the unknown.
Always a big fan of horror
movies and special effects, Lance wanted to get into a business where he could
use these trades to entertain other people. His greatest influences are Rick
Baker and Dick Smith. “I believe in delivering high gore, high detail and high
standards,” explains Pope. “To shock the patrons at each and every turn, never
let them rest.” The desired effect is to leave them wondering if the experience
was real or fake? Focusing on entertaining the patrons as well as giving them a
good scare is essential to the high approval ratings of Thrillvania. “My
favorite part of this business is seeing the reaction of the patrons,” explains
Pope.
Lance started Verdun in 1984
in a small one-story residence in Arlington, Texas. Each year he filled it with
more and more ideas to terrify, shock and scare his devoted followers, but
Lance felt that there was something missing; that more could be done.
Eventually, Lance bought a plot of land and moved to Terrell to fulfill his
vision of a theme park where the theme was horror. The plans for Thrillvania
were simple; to create a park with Verdun Manor as the showpiece and add more attractions
over time to keep the guests entertained.
Rides, games and additional
attractions would be created to keep patrons entertained and horrified for
hours on end. One of the first things added was Dr. Phineas’s Phantom
Phrolics. Instead of just traditional magic, Dr. Phineas focused on
combining magic with horror to keep the audience on edge. Another new addition
to this growing theme park was Cassandra’s Labyrinth of Terror, home to
a number of freaks, monsters and creatures. Here patrons are thrust into a
world of madness and insanity that is the projection of Lady Cassandra’s
restless spirit.
Hayrides are very unique
attractions, which add variety to enclosed Haunted Houses, and soon Sam
Hain’s Hayride was added to Thrillvania. With no shortage of scares, some
of Verdun’s misshapen experiments prowl these forbidden grounds. There is even
rumored to be a secret lab in the fields where the US military is trying to
recreate some of Baron Verdun’s experiments.
One thing that stands out in
each of the attractions at Thrillvania, is the vast selection of custom made
props and effects. The few pieces that are purchased off the shelf are modified
and dressed out until you would not recognize them. One such example is Lance’s
favorite new prop, an animatronic dragon located in the swamp queue line of
Verdun Manor. Built on a stock Nefarious by the now out of business Stage
Fright Studios, Pope and company have taken the piece to a new level. “Now
it sports a computer controller, wings and 46 circuits that control the
attraction,” describes Lance. “It’s pretty neat!”
Like any event of this size,
Pope could not do it alone. Besides himself and the dozens of people that
volunteer their time and services, Lance credits several talented people who
are key to Thrillvania’s success. Wolf Corlett is the event’s computer
wizard, anything that deals with computers or high tech he takes care of,
including the intricate web page. Mike Malleck is the event’s general
manager, who handles most of the stuff that Lance cannot take care of. Mike
Wood and Jeffery Johnson are the lead technicians that keep
everything running smoothly at Thrillvania.
Animal Rights
A side of Lance unknown to
many is his beliefs in animal rights and the preservation of wildlife. From the
beginning, Lance has donated a part of the Verdun proceeds to local wildlife
refuges, and uses the Verdun grounds to care for wild animals that were either
rescued from crowded zoos or from owners who neglected them. From time to time,
the property is home to various exotic beasts such as wolves and lions.
One such rescued female
lioness attacked lance in 1998. The lioness was a new acquisition and she was
in heat.. “She literally tried to tear me to pieces and did so for about an
hour,” said Pope. “I tried to fend off her attacks but it was no use.” Finally
a male lion named King that Lance had had for years, broke through a fence and
intervened by getting between Lance and his attacker. “I grabbed onto his mane
and he pulled me out of there.” Later Pope found out that the lioness had been
abused as a cub. “It hurt,” describes Lance who spent a great deal of time in
the hospital recovering. “It was also very scary.” This attack has not stopped
him from taking in wild animals. He still tries to do what he can for these
endangered creatures. He looks at this attack as just a risk, something that
goes with the territory of working with wild animals.
People come from far and wide
every October to visit Thrillvania, and to see what Lance and his crew have
dreamed up for them this year. If you happen to be east of Dallas in the fall,
and are looking for a good fright, then you might want to visit the Baron and
Lady Cassandra and see these horrific sights for yourself…that is…if you dare.
Thomas Riccardi has always
been a fan of horror since he was a kid. He now works as a freelance writer in
Las Vegas, Nevada, searching the country for the strange and paranormal. He can
be reached at j_blanco2000@yahoo.com
