I'm planning on doing a spook show around Halloween and I'm just wondering if someone could suggest some books. I may do spook shows for kids but I'm looking for the really freaky stuff for the adults. Thanks a lot!

Mike

Phil Morris was one of the original Ghost Masters and I believe he has some great material out. Morris Costume.

If Vince Carmen is watching the boards (Vince?) he has done the shows and can help as well.

I'm trying to find the terrific book I have on them...and it is lost somewhere in this house darnit...but there is a GREAT book out on the Ghost Masters which has tons of material and history in it. Very funny stories too at what went on during the hey day.

I have a little bit about them in my Dark Ride book, mostly just personal experience. I can tell you this: they left the scene for a couple of reasons: one of the main ones was the UNRULY behavior of the teen and adult audiences. It was getting rough even in the late 50's! And it became downright dangerous to both cast and the crowd at the end of their run. I recommend you stick with a show for KIDS!

Most of the live spook shows were no more than magic shows, with some tricks...a few illusions, etc. and a KEY ingredient: THE BLACKOUT. Also there was a movie, usually a real turkey that had some essence of scare in them. The best one I saw was Horrors Of The Orient which had a great movie with it: Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.

The BLACKOUT would happen just before the movie began.

A live monster or two would break out of his cage and head towards the audience and the magician or Ghost Master would get frantic. Thunder and lightning would be projected on the screen.
Well, here's a section from my book, Scary Dark Rides:

"In the GHOST or SPOOK SHOWS that played darn near every theater in America during the 40's and 50's, there was one key element that sold tickets. THE DARK. Of course there was the usual 'scary' movie (that wasn't) and there was a spooky magic show but it was the 'blackout' that put butts in the seats. The lights would go out, naturally just when the Wolfman would be at the edge of the stage ready to come into the audience. (For the safety of the actor in makeup or mask, he never did leave the stage!) A few 'ghosts', (just luminous painted strips of cloth on long poles) would fly over the heads of the frightened crowd. Maybe even the spirit Of James Dean would materialize! A favorite stunt at these shows, it was no more than a picture of Dean, cut out of a movie poster and glued to a stick. Painted with luminous paint, the late actor made his ghostly appearance and as the picture was turned away from the auditorium, he would disappear again into the beyond.

Phillip Morris (these days owner of the gigantic Morris Costume Company) as the Mad Dr. Morris had a terrific stunt he made famous. "WIN A REAL DEAD BODY!" said the ads. The lucky winner was brought on stage, blindfolded and handed, just as advertised, a real dead body! This being a frozen cchicken in a little coffin shaped box. So what was so scary at these live spook shows? The dark. Nothing more.

When I was around 8 or 9 years old, my Mom and Dad took me to the Ritz Theater to see the spook show and a funny movie. I didn't know what a spook show was but I sure liked funny movies! In order to get to see the movie however, I had to experience the..."Horrors Of The Orient" in all its scary 'live on stage' splendor! The theater was packed with young and old, even so a pretty rowdy crowd. I guess many had seen one of these shows before. Spook shows, the 'live on stage' kind, had crowds lining up around entire blocks four or five deep. Sometimes there were a couple of shows playing in the same city at different theaters, both shows owned by the same outfit and in many cases performed by the same actors! There are numerous stories of performers having to race across town to repeat the show at another theater and then race back for the next show to the original venue! These shows were popular, especially in the mid to late 1940's.

'Chan Loo' (a former N.Y. cook) was the 'Ghost Host' and performed a number of magic tricks and stage illusions with an Oriental flavor. Every once in awhile something would occur to get the audience on edge, a build up to the big finish. The wolfman would break out of his cage, the 'hunchback' would go mad, anything to cause havoc on stage and dread in the audience.

Monsters Run Loose! Spooks Go Wild! LIVE On Stage! Someone Will Win A REAL DEAD BODY TONIGHT!

Folks knew it was going to get pitch black dark in the theater (I didn't!) but not when it would happen. At the conclusion of the 'live' portion of the show, the wolfman busts out again and struggles with the hunchback as the living zombie staggers across the stage. Chan Loo is frantic! Thunder and lightning is projected on the backdrop and big screen...the three monsters head for the audience in raging fury...the lights go out! Total black! Ghosts begin to appear in the air, in the aisles, in the seats! Screams are heard everywhere...the monsters were loose in the theater! Something grabbed my neck and something else brushed past my face and I was about to lose it...when the lights came on. It had only been a minute or two but that was enough for me! Whoa! Immediately the movie started...relax...oh boy...the funny movie: "Abbott and Costello Meet FRANKENSTEIN"! Yipes...Here we go again! Today of course I love this movie, funny and scary but that night I was monstered out to say the least.

A couple of years later I made my first (of many) public appearances in a theatrical 'event'. A spook show was to be at the Empire Theater in Staten Island, N.Y. and a few of us kids were hanging around the theater and were given free tickets to the show if we would wear luminous face cream. When the lights went out a bright flash of magnesium powder was set off to make us glow. We were cautioned not to go beyond the row we were strategically seated in. 'Ghosts' were prone to get the hell beat out of them by certain members of the audience who were not amused or only amused by their own behavior. So, we just stood up, turned around and made faces till the lights came back on. My big debut went unnoticed by Hollywood, Dracula got hit right between the eyes with an egg just before 'blackout' and the zombie got tripped by a piece of string stretched across the aisle by some punk. 'Drac' quit, and I refused to take his place for the next 'show'. Times were already changing, it was getting harder to entertain some folks."

SCARY DARK RIDES by Doug Higley copyright 1999-2004 (reprinterd here with permission of copyright holder/author/publisher).


That should give you a capsule look at the shows. The blackout for kids can be REAL FUN...it was 'luminous paint' that made the shows click. Today there is so much more available to use. Have fun! But stick with the kids.


Doug
http://SpookyBook.com

Thanks for the info Doug! Loved it.

Mike

A group of us here have also been considering hosting a Midnight Spook Show. I would love to hear what those who have performed them or only just attended them have to say.

By-the-way, I am about half way through Ghostmasters.
I second the recommendation, it is a great book on the subject.

Dave

If you can find a copy of Ghostmasters, it is a great read. A couple of years ago, Hamilton Books (a remainder house) was selling it for about $10. I don't know if they still have it in their catalog, but if they do, it's well worth getting.

It would be great to see some of these types of shows come back. I never got to see one, but the descriptions I've heard all sound like fun. A live show like this would be so old it's new! With professional haunted houses beomcing more common, now might be the right time to start spook shows.

From what I understand, most of them were pretty hokey. Many were simply a magic show with a tacked on blackout. I think there is a lot of potential in this type of show, but I think audiences today may expect something a bit more sophisticated.

I believe "Ghost Masters" is also available through the Morris Costume catalog.
Borodin's "Sheherazade" (translated by Bill Palmer) has a section entitled "Midnight Stories" and has a lot of spooky ideas.
I would also recommend "Spirit Theatre" by Eugene Burger and "Restless Plots" and "Sense and "Seance," both by Mark Edward.
Also check out Black Hart's site. Very cool stuff.

Doug,

Thanks so much! That was really fun to read.

Yours,

Paul

I know that this is on old topic, but I thought that I would try to bring this back to life. I have been asked to produce an old time spook show for a local movie theatre. I, along with one or two others (at least of one a Café member) are considering taking the challenge.

I have a few concerns, and I would love to hear more from those who have done, or even been to, Spook Shows.

I would like to produce something that is more theatrical and has more of a plot/theme than just a magic show before a black out. I am concerned about
the size of the audience. I have never performed for more than about 35 people at a time and would like to hear from anyone who has done a bizarre stage show.

Safety is my other concern. I know that one of the big reasons that these shows died out was due to safety concerns. Any input on this would also be greatly apreciated.

Anyway, I look forward to seeing more! And thanks Doug for you wonderful post above.

Dave

I believe there is a book available from Black Hart as well. http://www.blackhart.co.uk.
The book is called Ghost Illusions.
Keith Hart produces excellent quality stuff. I have his Big Black Book and its full of insight and a lot of detail so I can only assume the ghost illusions book is the same.
Simon

The Queen City Mystics (SAM & IBM - Cincinnati) staged a "Ghost Show" at the old Esquire Theatre the year before last.
Two performers did escapes and sideshow stunts.
I peformed mentalism and the Spirit Cabinet.
My wife read tarot in the lobby.
After the live show, the theatre ran the film, "Army of Darkness."

Steve

There is a great DVD out their (if you're into this sort of thing) titled "Monsters Crash the Pajama Party" Philip Morris ("Dr. Evil") does some of the running commentary on the disc. The DVD comes with a small booklet of stories of the good old days.

It's a lot of fun to watch and contains some of the old movies that were shown on the screen.

Regards,
-George Tait

Try and get ahold of Vince Carmen...he has a Magic Theater in Tampa. He revived the old spook show this past Halloween (04) and has all the knowledge and ideas you can use.

Doug

Just came across this thread on a search... Lately, I had been thinking of the possibilities with a Spook Show for surounding small towns in my area... There must be a whole generation out there that has never even heard of one of these...
Its so old its new again... Seems like this could work with some updating and safety precauctions...anyone out there been trying this in the last year?

Mark

Unfortunately, the theatre where we were supposed to perform went out
of business not long after asking us to put our show together. We
now have a partially completed show that has been placed on the back
burner for now. I still plan on putting this together, though probably
not until next year. If you go ahead with yours, please keep us updated.
If you would like to brainstorm ideas, I am willing to discuss it on or
off list.

Dave

Hey Dave,

Thanks for responding. Too bad about the theatre going out of business. Right now, I have been just looking at some of the routines that USED to be done and ways of producing effects in the audience. I would be curious to hear some of your basic ideas. Thanks.

Mark

I am sorry you never saw one. When I was a kid they were popular at the theatre about once a year. They were quite scary for me and I loved them. I played a florescent spook at one show. It would be great to see them return but am not sure our present culture of youth could appreciate them.

From what I understand, the black out in a Ghost Show needs to be *black*. The problem today is that theaters can never legally be made completely black because of the required exit signs, etc. Maybe there's a way to compensate by doing a really bright flash first and using the few moments before people's eyes adjust.

In any case, make sure to verify how dark the theater will actually be during a performance before putting together the whole show!

Doug

Mr. Morris puts on a haunted house every year in a building behind their magic store in Charlotte, NC. My wife and I go every year and have never been disappointed. In the last couple of years he has added the girl to gorilla bit and it has really done well. If anyone is in the area I highly recommend it. Not only that but Mr. Morris is one of the nicest people I have met. When we told him how much we enjoyed the show he took us on a complete 'behind-the-scenes' tour of the haunted house and showed us how everything worked.