| Wildwood Affirms Fright Legacy With 3 New Walk-Throughs |
| Wildwood is a place in constant evolution and much has changed since our article of 2004. The once-popular dark "walk-through" funhouse format in amusement parks had long been in decline to the point of near-extinction, but in earlier decades this New Jersey resort hosted many such attractions including the Tracy-built Skua pirate ship and Crazy House, Frankenstein's Castle and Castle Dracula to name but a few. These days, dark attractions tend to be in the form of rides which provide tighter patron control and lower staffing requirements. But this summer saw a resurgence, a reincarnation if you will, of not just one but three walk-throughs at Wildwood with echoes of some gone-but-not-forgotten Wildwood rides in the mix. The new attractions are furnished with a combination of mechanical stunts and live actors. Often requiring a large staff, it's a familiar formula for seasonal Halloween haunts but utilized to a much smaller extent in commercial amusement venues. |
Morey's Piers' $1 million Ghost Ship on Mariner's Landing Pier - A spectacular revival of the large-scale haunted walk-through. |
The first to launch was Morey's Ghost Ship which began construction in relative secrecy in January and threw down the gang plank in May. Loosely based on a fabled sea voyage that fell victim to a toxic experiment, its nautical motif recalls the legendary Skua pirate ship that designer Bill Tracy beached on the former Hunt's Pier several decades earlier.
Next up is House Of Haunts on Ted Snyder's Sportland Pier. A joint venture of Creative Design & Engineering's renowned haunt builder Eric Princz and Fright Times magazine owner Robert Kocher, the new project rises near the site of the former Dr. Blood's House Of Horrors dark ride, demolished in 2007. Princz delivers a modern attraction that includes many elements that veterans of Wildwood's haunted past will surely recognize. |
Visitors can expect a classic haunted experience with some familiar and much loved connections to the glory days of the 1970s, including some figures and trim detail produced from Fred Mahana's original Morey's Surfside Pier Haunted House molds and other props from Brigantine Castle and Castle Dracula, including an appearance by Bill Tracy's Giant Skull. |
Finally, on the boardwalk, the former Zombie World (an interactive dark ride which ironically originated as live-actor-staffed Monster Mash) has been transformed into Horror City 3D. Now the tracks are gone and the actors are back. Patrons follow the original track path through a field of pneumatic props and 3D scenery. |
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