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Halloween In Coney Island: Behind the Scenes at Creep Show at the Freak Show

Posted in amusement park, Events, tagged Coney Island, Coney Island USA, Creepshow, freak show, Halloween, Haunted House, Kate Dale, Marie Roberts, The Ride Inspector's Nightmare on October 21, 2010| Leave a Comment »

On Friday night after a visit to Luna Park’s Nights of Horror, we made our way to Coney Island USA for the first Creepshow at the Freakshow of the season. Started by CIUSA artistic director Dick Zigun in 1998, the annual Halloween event takes the audience on a haunted tour of the 1917 Childs Restaurant Building which is the art organization’s home. “To be honest, this show, ‘The Ride Inspector’s Nightmare,’ is the best of them all!,” Zigun tells ATZ. “Other notables were ‘Phantom of the Presidential Wax Museum’ two years ago. Also Scott Baker playing a frozen Walt Disney… not to mention the first Creepshow about Childs Restaurant cooking the bodies of children.”

After purchasing tickets and drinks at the Freak Bar, guests are ushered into the sideshow theater for the chief ride inspector’s retirement party. Coked up and drunk, the zombie-like chief and his garrulous assistant reminisce about gory ride accidents and share the blame around. “No more reports!,” the chief barks repeatedly before sleepwalking us down a back stairway to the basement and then up another back stairway to the museum, where he is put on trial for negligence. Since this is an interactive show, the jury is the audience. Along the way, we’re treated to a series of macabre tableaux by Creepshow designer Kate Dale and spooky murals by artist-in-residence Marie Roberts. Photography is not permitted, but we did a Q & A with both artists, who give us a behind the scenes peek at the show…

We’ve been a fan of Kate Dale’s work ever since her homage to Fragonard’s Girl on a Swing in the 1999 Mermaid Parade. The Juilliard prop shop supervisor has won “Best Mermaid” and “Best Float” more times than anyone else in the history of the parade. For the past five years, Dale has been the Creepshow’s designer.

ATZ: Kate, how many sets or tableaux did you create this year?

Kate: Some of them bleed into each other, but I’d say there are 7. They vary in terms of complexity.

ATZ: Which one (or ones) is your favorite?

Kate: I have some favorites… I think I’ve been dreaming of the one I call the doll room the longest. It’s inspired by Disney’s “It’s a small world after all” and also Barbarella with a nod to Chucky. The dolls of the world have gone berserk and murdered a hapless family. The happy dolls always seem menacing. And the basement room’s water feature is one of the most inspiring parts of the building for me in for sheer weirdness. My other favorite was an afterthought, we built it in 20 minutes opening night. I won’t spoil the surprise.

Creepshow at the Freakshow 2010. Photo © Laure Leber via Coney Island USA

ATZ: Wherever did you find all those mannequins that were in the museum’s ride cars? They look like antiques!

Kate: They come for various sources, some were hanging around the museum already, some are loaners from friends. I’m always on the lookout for dummies and body parts. I got the little boys from Build it Green. Thanks Build it Green!

ATZ: Which one of Marie’s paintings is your favorite this year?

Kate: Well the stairway is pretty epic in scale, and repeated viewings really pay off. You discover different details each time.

ATZ: Which Creepshow was your favorite and why?

Kate: I loved the Phantom of the Presidential Wax Museum because I think it told a great story and the Presidential shooting gallery where patrons shot a cutout Kennedy with ping pong balls was probably the sickest most wrong thing I’ve ever been personally responsible for.

Creep Show at the Freak Show Banner by Marie Roberts. Photo © janquito2 via flickr

For more than a decade, Coney Island USA’s artist-in-residence Marie Roberts has painted the banners for the Coney Island Circus Sideshow. Her canvas advertisements, including one for Creepshow at the Freakshow, adorn the CIUSA building 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

ATZ: Marie, tell us about some of the murals that you painted for this year’s Creepshow.

Marie: My task was to turn the back staircase into a surreal nightmare roller coaster disaster, none of which I would choose to paint on my own. I studied paintings at the MET and MOMA for ideas and made drawings. I consciously put in homages to a couple of favorites. St. Sebastian pierced by arrows became the head of the stairs person impaled on rails. My two uncles who were at Dreamland the night of the fire are painted as little kids with zippered mouths, a nod to Magritte. I didn’t realize till I was laying the mural out there that there are elements of Picasso’s “Guernica” as well.

Conversely or weirdly, I saw the abstract expressionist show at MOMA before I painted the welcome to Dreamland sign at the head of the stairs in the basement, and the Hellgate devil burning the Creation angel are probably the most expressionist thing I have ever painted.

I love how the three dimensional ticket booth works with the staircase murals.

It is all too fresh for me to have any perspective all I can think of is how to make them better.

ATZ: Which one is your favorite of Kate’s sets or tableaux?

Marie: I love the way Kate transforms the building. This year I am amazed at how she transformed the basement. Every viewpoint in the first room hangs together, and there are surprises in every cut out and nook. The second room is also together visually, not an easy task. I am amazed at how she can think so three dimensionally. I can only think in terms of flat planes.

Coney Island USA, 1208 Surf Ave. Corner of Surf Avenue and West 12th Street, Coney Island. Creepshow at the Freakshow runs nightly from Friday, October 22, through Halloween. Check website for hours. Tickets are $10 at the door. On Saturday, October 23, CIUSA will host a party and the first-ever Sleepover at the Freakshow after the last Creepshow Tour. Tickets for the fund raiser are $40-$75.

One of the creepy characters in this year's Creepshow at the Freakshow. Photo © Laure Leber via Coney Island USA

Halloween in Coney Island: Snapshots of Luna Park’s Nights of Horror

Posted in amusement park, Events, Photo Album, tagged Coney Island, Halloween, haunted event, Luna Park, Nights of Horror on October 18, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Timothy Haskell, Nights of Horror creator, with one of his spooky characters. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i

Timothy Haskell, Nights of Horror mastermind, with one of his spooky fiends. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i

When it comes to spooky characters popping out of dark corners at a haunted attraction, ATZ is a well-known scaredy cat. We made sure to arrive well before dark on opening night of Luna Park Coney Island’s Nights of Horror. The Halloween festivities, which are scheduled till midnight, were about to get started at 5 pm. At the Surf Avenue gate, we spied theater director and Nights of Horror mastermind Timothy Haskell with one of his fiends. Ax in hand, the fiend offered us a fresh brain. We politely declined and hurried over to get our wristband.

Haunted games at Luna Park's Nights of Horror. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

Spooky characters kept popping out from behind bales of hay as we made our way through the park. Our friend Stan Fox warned us, “Don’t turn around.” The ride and game operators were also costumed for Nights of Horror, except they don’t wear masks. Photography is not permitted within the maze. We’ll have to tell you about it without giving too much away! It was fun. Being a scaredy cat, we screamed a lot. Then we laughed hysterically..

Spooky character at Luna Park Nights of Horror. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

Seven of the rides on the Boardwalk side of the park have been incorporated into the maze. They spin continuously during the event without any people aboard. Something was amiss though. They were haunted! A couple of games within the maze have also undergone a ghoulish transformation. As a longtime game operator, this was probably our favorite part of the maze. We really cannot say any more! You’ll have to go and see for yourself…

Riding the Circus Coaster at dusk. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

Nights of Horror is a ticketed event. It costs $25 in advance or online, $30 at the gate, and $20 with ID for college or high school students, military, NYPD, FDNY and EMS. The price includes one-time access to the haunted maze and unlimited access to 12 rides. Among the rides are the Brooklyn Flyer, Air Race, Electro Spin, Eclipse, Tickler Coaster, Circus Coaster, Lynn’s Trapeze, Hang Glider and Water Flume. One of our friends rode the Circus Coaster 20 times! Keep in mind that Halloween season will be your last chance to enjoy Coney Island’s rides in 2010. After October 31, the rides don’t open again until Palm Sunday, which is April 17, 2011.

Halloween Treats at Luna Park. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

Halloween treats include candy floss, popcorn, S’Mores, hot chocolate and apple cider. Luna Park’s seasonal menu also includes chili and roasted corn.

Uh oh…it’s getting dark….Caution: strobe lights and fog effects ahead!

Favorite spookiest character at Luna Park Nights of Horror. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

Say hello to our fave spooky character of the first Night of Horror. This petite creature sneaked up on us in front of the Electro Spin. She had a delightfully creepy prop in her hand–a doll’s severed hand–and was slyly adept at wielding it. By the time our friend had finished his ride, she’d completely charmed us.

Luna Park, 1000 Surf Avenue, Coney Island, 718-373-LUNA (5862). Nights of Horror runs every Friday and Saturday from 5 pm-12 am and on Sundays from 5-10 pm through October 31.

Is Lynn’s Trapeze Still Lynn’s? What about the B & B?

Posted in amusement park, Amusement ride, Redevelopment, tagged B & B Carousell, Coney Island, Luna Park, Lynn Kelly, Lynn's Trapeze, naming rights on October 11, 2010| 6 Comments »

Sign for Lynn's Trapeze at Luna Park. October 10, 2010. Photo © Eric Kowalsky

UPDATE… October 11, 9:20 am…Yes, Lynn’s Trapeze will remain Lynn Kelly’s even though she’s leaving Coney Island for Staten Island! We received word on Monday morning from Zamperla CEO Valerio Ferrari: “A customer broke the sign. It will be replaced once we decide to renew or not all safety signs.” The altered sign was the object of intense speculation over the weekend…

On Sunday, ATZ received a flurry of messages from the Coney Island Rumor Mill about the sign on Lynn’s Trapeze in Luna Park. Something had happened to it overnight: The name of the ride had been sawed off the top! Take a look at the photo of the Mermaid Parade Kiddie flume below, for an example of intact signage.

Lynn’s Trapeze is a Wave Swinger with a center pole graced with historic images of Coney Island. It was named after Lynn Kelly, the president of the Coney Island Development Corporation, when the park opened in May. Kelly oversaw the redevelopment of Coney Island and was fond of referring to Luna Park as her park. But last week she resigned to take the job of CEO with the Snug Harbor Cultural Center in Staten Island. Our sources wondered if Kelly lost the naming right to the ride when she left her job with the City?

ATZ contacted Luna Park CEO Valerio Ferrari to ask about the sign, but we haven’t heard back yet. We can only speculate that Luna Park is about to add a commemorative plaque thanking Lynn Kelly and the flying carousel is not about to be renamed for somebody we’ve never heard of.

Or should naming rights to Luna’s rides be put up for sale to generate revenue? After all, stadiums like Coney Island’s former Keyspan, now MCU Park, aren’t the only ones to sell naming rights. Westchester County- owned Rye Playland offers annual naming rights for the park’s Dragon Coaster and other rides. The new Luna Park is a partnership with the City of New York, which owns the land and receives annual rent plus a percentage of the gross; the arrangement represents a new model for government-owned amusement parks, which are a rarity.

This brings us to a related question on the minds of Coney Island Rumor Mill members. When the restored B & B Carousell is set up in the new Steeplechase Plaza next year, will it still be called the B & B Carousell? Or will naming rights be sold? The initials belonged to Bishoff and Brienstein, who owned and operated the carousel from the 1930’s through the early 1970s. The ride was sold to Jimmy McCullough, who sold it to the City of New York in 2005. Carousell with two “L’s” was the spelling favored by Coney Island ride designer and builder William F. Mangels.