Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Creepshow, Peepshow, or Both?!?


What is this, Wonka, some kind of funhouse? Why? .. Having fun?


JUST whipped this one up fresh for Wendy .. who seems to just keep filling my caption trading folder with captions! I was in the Halloween spirit and remembered some pictures I had saved back a few weeks ago of some new "vintage" photos so I looked them up to see what I could work out.

Haunted attractions are big here in New England. Something about Halloween and the autumn season just brings out all the creepy vibes. The sun sets earlier, leaves are falling from the trees, and outline the sky like boney arms trying to smother the moon. We have cemeteries, many old and abandoned, and I often will do grave rubbings of really interesting designs. We have Zombie 5k races, haunted hayrides, monster mini-golf, haunted military forts, haunted corn mazes, haunted islands, and lots of haunted factory buildings since the industrial revolution has pretty much left New England many years ago. With many colleges around, that means cheap labor to haunt those old buildings and many are run for charity. That gave me all the idea I needed to whip up this hopefully interesting caption.

One of the things I do miss is the old-fashioned "dark ride" as they call it in the carnivals, where you and hopefully a girl you like, ride around in a cart and get startled by neon glowing ghoulish art lit by black light, and hopefully snatch a few kisses (or make out!) during the 2 minute ride .. as your friends watch for the few times you are visible outside. You get bonus points if the two of you are kissing when you are seen by the public! I haven't been to the Haunted Mansion in Disneyworld in over 20 years, but its my goal to get down there again in the next few years and enjoy it from an adults standpoint. I know all the technical designs from having read books, and it would be so nice to see it all in action. If I ever hit the lottery, trust me, I will try to buy many of the old carnival rides and have them operational at my spacious mansion, along with skee-ball and a roller rink!


DISCUSSION QUESTION: What are some of your favorite memories of carnivals, old time amusement parks, and such? Didn't it seem like such a magical, yet dark, place for all your wildest fantasies to come true? Even if it was just touching a girl's boobs through her t-shirt? Did you go and check out the Freak Show or visit the fortune teller?

9 comments:

  1. Ah, Madness, we miss you! House of Fun was always a bit cleverer than it first appeared and a brilliant video - anarchic and, well, they look like they're having so much fun. Have you heard the Casualty? A much bitterer and seedy take from Madness, never been able to track it down. I wonder if youtube has it now?

    As to the caption, clever use of colour, as always, and a lovely trademark twist - what's not to like?

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    1. Ahem, am foolish, it is called "Elysium" and it IS now on youtube.

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  2. you guys must really love Halloween in the usa. love the caption. have not been to a haunted house or ghost train in a long while can't say that even as a kid I was that scared by them. remember going down the dungeons at a castle near here with my father, as part of the tour they turn all the lights out for the full prisoner experience
    that did put me in a panic but I was only 4 .

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    1. I guess it depends on the country. I also think that when it comes to the age of countries, the US is still quite new, so anytime we can have some spooky past, we take what we can get! Its much easier here on the East Coast, since we had many battles before the country was even formed with the French and Indian Wars, then most of the Revolutionary War and Civil War was fought here. Also, the different religious factions that formed most of the New England states have left quite a bit of folklore and intolerance for us to digest, including the Salem Witch Trials that happened not that far from here.

      I've also been interested in the dark side of things anyway, so Halloween has always suited me.

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    2. yes I love watching programs about ghost and witches etc. I do read a lot of history but I think generally people in the usa are more aware of theirs than over here. you guys have packed a lot in plus there is the pre Columbian sites as well I think the serpent mounds a further south ?

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  3. Indeed dangerous for Wendy.
    wonderful cap.
    Madness, yes. Great music, as Ska in general is.

    "The Haunted Castle" in "de Efteling" is one I would like to visit again.
    I could call the efteling the Dutch Disneyworld, if it didn't predate Disneyworld;). But really because Anton Pieck's designs are Totally different from Walt's.
    I like mirror mazes as well, the one in "Prater," Vienna, Austria, made a real impression on me.

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    1. Did they include the Pepper's Ghost trick? That is one of the most memorable parts of Disney's Haunted Mansion ride. People think it must be holograms or modern technology, but Pepper's Ghost was invented back in the Victorian Age.

      For anyone interested, look up Pepper's Ghost to learn how it is done.

      I am not a fan of all ska. For instance, I tend to veer more towards punkier ska. Less horns and more guitars, but its hard to really find fault with Madness, right? LOL

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    2. I had to look up if they used Pepper's Ghost trick, it has been about two decades for me since I last visited the Efteling. But yes, they they include that too. Actually a simple, effective and brilliant tric.

      I can appreciate horns as well as guitars, I guess that's why I like ska in general.

      "Indeed dangerous for Wendy. " I forgot to include some curves here:)

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  4. Perfect for Halloween. Maybe next time you can do a cap, where they're tearing down an old store, which has a few mannequins still left over (* Actually they're bodysuits with men or women imprisoned within ) and they see this as a chance to escape their enchantment. So they reveal themselves and entice to workmen to their lair and switch places for the night and they attend a Halloween party. But they must return before dawn. Just an idea.
    Ftygrl

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