Hallowzeen Vol 1, Issue 2
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Volume 1 Winter 2002 Issue 2 HallowZeen.com Celebrating Halloween—the greatest play day of the year! 2002 Halloween Extravaganza Returns to Burbank House of Gak Ghoulish Glitter & Ghastly Gore-nies ‘Tis the season to be scary! ShadesS of WinterW Volume 1, Issue 2 Winter 2002 Editor’s Celebrating Halloween—the greatest play day of the year! 3 House of Gak Column by Dusti Lewars-Poole 5 Magic + Halloween = David Parr 6 Little Bernice by Jo Gray 7 We Wish You’d Quit Trick-or-Treating by David R. Lady Ghoultide greetings as we bring you the second issue of 10 Pumpkin Hall of Horrors HallowZeen! Our premiere issue proved very popular with 4,000 by Dennis Baum downloads to date—and counting. In this issue we bring you more 11 Ghoulish Glitter and Ghastly Gore-nies news on Halloween happenings that are sure to help brighten your by Tom Geil spirits as we face the prospect of a long, and for some of us a very 12 Little Bernice cold, winter. by Jo Gray Here you’ll find solace from the doldrums of winter in a variety of 13 Book Reviews interesting stories on Halloween. We begin with a fascinating profile Ghost Dogs of the South of three haunts in Pennsylvania which our own Queen of Quirk, Dusti Death Makes a Holiday Lewars-Poole, terms “House of Gak.” Not familiar with the term? Me 14 2002 Halloween Extravaganza Returns neither but go to page 3 and you, too, will be enlightened. to Burbank by John Pearson Two years ago I saw magician David Parr perform a show at Halloween in Milwaukee and was mesmerized. Here was someone who captured the mystery of Halloween and brought it to life in a Cover: Offering an invitation no self-respecting ghoul can refuse, Jason staged production that was as captivating as it was understated. This Poole’s drawing of the ultimate creepy greeter beckons Halloween fans to past autumn I had the priviledge of seeing him perform again, this HallowZeen. time on Halloween night at the Glessner House in Chicago. Get to know this man of mystery better in our interview on page 5. HallowZeen is published by Global Halloween Alliance Corporation, Evanston, IL Despite the odds, Bob and Kathy Burns’ Halloween Extravaganza 60202-1123. Copyright 2002 by Global Halloween Alliance Corporation. Reproduction was resurrected in 2002 and we’re bringing you the inside story with in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited (but if you ask real nice we’ll probably grant it). Advertising must be submitted camera-ready and all rates are net and rare photos of the event. Artist John Pearson aptly switches to writer must be paid by check, money order or credit card in U.S. funds drawn on a U.S. bank. mode as he takes us both behind the scenes and through the yard All advertising is subject to final approval of publisher. We reserve the right to refuse any advertising we deem inappropriate or unacceptable. haunt in his story on page 14. HallowZeen Happy Halloween! 1228 Dewey Avenue, Evanston, IL 60202-1123 Publisher/Editor: Rochelle Santopoalo Layout: Rochelle Santopoalo The mission of Global Halloween Alliance, based in Evanston, IL, Cover Design Consultant: Candace Walters is to: Staff Writers: David R. Lady, Dusti Lewars-Poole, Spookart 2000 by S.A.W. Illustrations, Scream Theme Studios, Fort Collins, CO • provide a network for Halloween lovers; Havana Street Clip Art, Original Retro Clip Art, www.havanastreet.com • promote a positive view of Halloween, a time when fantasy and festival come together to create the greatest play day of the year; Comments, opinions, suggestions, story ideas . we’d love to hear from you! • educate the public about historical and contemporary celebrations of Halloween; and Contact us by email at [email protected] • engage in activities that elevate Halloween to the status of a or contact us the old fashioned way at: national holiday. HallowZeen Rochelle Santopoalo, editor/publisher of HallowZeen, received her 1228 Dewey Avenue Ph.D. in Human & Organizational Systems from The Fielding Evanston, IL 60202-1123 Institute in Santa Barbara, California. Her dissertation, entitled ph: 847.328.3605; fax: 847.328.7841 “Hallowe’en: Play Time for Adults,” explored the story of yard Visit our web site at www.hallowweenalliance.com haunters across America. HallowZeen Winter 2002 Volume 1, Issue 2 Page 1 Page 2 HallowZeen Winter 2002 Volume 1, Issue 2 Theatrical haunted attractions HouseHouse ofof GakGak in Pennsylvania Gak: little frou frou (elaborate set Black walls. dressing) stuff Chainsaws. The Stagecraft Mailing List’s Non-Standard Lots of blood. Theatrical terminology If this is your idea of what a haunted house should be, prepare to have your defini- tion changed by three attractions in Pennsylvania making haunt- ing into high art. Scattered across the state, connected only by an indisputable sense of style and theatre, Castle Blood, Graves Hotel, and Grisly Gothic Gables are unique visions of terror that break all the common dark attraction molds. Most of their props and cos- tumes are either handmade or found second-hand and altered. Ricky & Karen Dick of Castle Blood Quality, not quantity, is the guiding rule within these walls, and so customer head count takes a back seat to attention to gor- and undead brides are some of the characters that are woven geous detail. Rather than using pop-culture fears as fodder for into the show’s plot, and various themes—an ice cavern, a scares, these “Houses of Gak” have turned to classic arche- voodoo queen’s home, a pirate’s lair—bring patrons back year types—vampires, ghosts, a cursed dwelling—for inspiration. after year. Come now, and travel with me across the width of the Castle Blood celebrated its 10th year anniversary in 2002—a Keystone State. There’s terror to be found. testament not only to the impressive partnership of Ricky and Karen, but also to the dedicated staff of actors and scenic Castle Blood designers that pull together year after year to create a show that The unwary traveler driving along simply should not be missed. Beallsville’s main street in October may (if his timing is right) find his Graves Hotel attention caught by a sinister fortress There is a hotel overlooking a cornfield where no one feels bordering the road, surrounded by compelled to spend the night. And for those who make their beckoning vampires. way here, the reason for the availability of rooms quickly It looks like a dark Renaissance becomes obvious. faire—but instead is something dark- This place is haunted. er still. Welcome to Castle Blood. The creation of costumers Ricky and Karen Dick, Castle Blood is more a “Halloween adventure game” than a traditional haunted house. Visitors are challenged by a cast of beautifully garbed vampiric characters to solve riddles and gather talismans during the length of their guided tour through a twisting room-filled maze that fills the owners’ yard. Don’t let the location fool you, though—this is a professional show, through and through. From its involved storylines to its elegant room designs, Castle visitors are immersed in a gothic fantasy that changes about 20% each year and Ghosts walk the floors and beckon from the halls. Statues talk involves more female cast members to on looking guests. Cobwebs fill the corners of the rooms and than most traditional haunted attrac- cover neglected light fixtures. And in the cemetery outside, tions. Banshees, vampyrates, zombies something large and unsleeping lies in wait… ➥ 4 HallowZeen Winter 2002 Volume 1, Issue 2 Page 3 The Graves Hotel is one of Halloween’s best-kept secrets. Tucked away on a farm in Newtown, the attention to detail found here is simply astounding. Owners Allen Doak and Newton Gilchrist have taken a metal shell building and created within it a com- pletely believable old hotel, complete with wood-beam ceilings and a brick-wall wine cellar. Each room is replete with antique-looking wallpaper, furniture, and fixtures. The illusion guests experience of touring a truly old, truly haunted old hotel is utterly believable. This beautiful attraction rotates through various themes—a funeral parlor or a hospi- tal has been used in past years. But always, an old haunted structure serves as the basis for a haunted tour. And the cemetery outside the haunt is equally as impressive. A perpetual foggy mist shrouds tombstones, mausoleums, and sculptures. Small groups of visitors are forced to pick their way, unaided, through this fog-filled place to (hopefully) reach the exit unscathed. If they’re lucky. Grisly Gothic Gables The Grisly family is cursed. Above, below Every October, the living and the not-quite-dead that share the Grisly name are Scenes from Allen Doak and Newton Gilchrist’s Graves Hotel in Newtown, PA compelled to gather and build their ancestral home. The location changes year to year as this Gypsy-like clan circles around the Philadelphia area, seeking out available sites to celebrate their compulsory reunion. And when the manse’s reconstruction is completed, family patriarch Allistair Grisly opens his home up to tours for 13 nights in October. Those who enter are guided through 15 rooms by some of the more civilized family members and are told tales of kinship and mishap during their visit. Most make it back out. Some—the slower, or more curious—are not so lucky. (Or so local legend states…) Grisly Gothic Gables is reminiscent of a trip to see the Addams family. There’s humor as well as scares, an underlying sense of morbid friendliness, and a distinct lack of motorized scares.