THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 23, 1996 TAG: 9610220104
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: COVER STORY
SOURCE: BY DOUG BEIZER, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: 325 lines
HOCKEY-MASK WEARING, chain-saw wielding, psychotic murderers don't exist. Right?
Well, it depends.
If you think your life's in danger, forget it. But if you believe there's nothing to be scared of, you're dead wrong.
Deranged characters have been sighted prowling the woods of South Hampton Roads' favorite haunts this month. And for a small fee, you can be led to their hideouts to meet face to face with your worst fears.
If frightful fun is what you're looking for this Halloween, then join us for the Tour of Terror. Vietnam Veterns Haunted Forest
Where: Norfolk Botanical Garden, Azalea Garden Road (next to Norfolk International Airport)
Dates: Oct. 25 to 27
Hours: 7 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Sunday
Price: $6 in ADVANCE (Call 498-2541 to reserve tickets)
Walking through the tranquil paths in the Norfolk Botanical Garden on the way to the Haunted Forest, visitors might let down their guard, however unwise that might be. Once past the 20-foot-high lighted scarecrow, anything can happen.
The entertainment begins before even reaching the line for the tram that goes through the forest. On the way, Beetlejuice, from the movie of the same name, hams it up on a small stage with a supporting cast of freakish characters. Walk by him quickly with your head down to avoid ending up on stage.
Once aboard the tram, a costumed guide narrates the tour with corny jokes and malicious cackles.
A torch-clad gate flanked with ghoulish witches warning not to enter is the first scene the tram passes.
The tram eerily brushes against the trees and bushes from time to time. Look out, because monsters and ghouls occasionally jump out of the woods.
Of the 40 scenes, some of the better ones include a freakish beauty salon where more than hair is cut off the clients. Don't forget to look over to the left and check out the non-traditional manicurist.
In another scene, Hannibal the Cannibal makes an appearance with shackles and a cage that can't hold him secure. A crowded witches village in Witch-consin shows what the spellmakers do when not flying around on their brooms.
A scene from the ``Night of the Living Dead'' movie is re-enacted when the tram passes a graveyard. Its residents wake up and chase the tram in the familiar zombie walk. An occasional normally dressed person begs to get on the tram, but to no avail.
The only scene that is a repeat from years past is the ``Tunnel of Terror.'' The ride stops in the 100-foot-long black tunnel. The entrance and exit are blocked off and the lights are turned out. Sound effects blast from every direction as creatures pop out from hiding places.
The last scene is Dr. Mad Blood in a makeshift laboratory with a transporter device. Beware of what his machine produces.
Strobe lights, smoke machines and sound effects complete the package that transforms the woods into a spooky world.
But the 200 volunteer actors are what make this production. They are enthusiastic and work hard to entertain. About 60 percent of the actors, made up mostly of high school and college students, have returned from previous years. It takes about three weeks to put the whole production together after its creator, Frank Lipoli, comes up with the blueprint.
``It's part scary, part entertainment and a big dash of fun,'' said Lipoli, who expects 14,000 visitors this year.
The actors never touch the tram or its occupants. Even so, the Haunted Forest might be too intense for younger kids.
Ticket proceeds benefit various charities supported by the Vietnam Veterans of America. Virginia Beach Jaycees Wicked Walk
Where: Woods behind Mount Trashmore YMCA, 4441 South Blvd., Virginia Beach
Dates: Oct. 25 to 31
Hours: 7 to 11 p.m.
Price: $4 at the door (Call 340-5823)
What the Wicked Walk lacks in effects it more than makes up with setting.
The tour starts at sundown on a bridge at the edge of the woods. A guide takes groups with 10 or fewer people ``over the bridge, which takes you into unsafe territory,'' says Mark Stevens, a Jaycees representative.
Every twig that snaps or bush that rustles will send chills up your spine. This is no place for campers who are afraid to walk in the woods at night.
Wear boots if it has been raining because you'll walk on a narrow dirt path from scene to scene. The fun gets started at the first clearing where a monster leaps out of the woods and cuts off a seated mannequin's head. But the headless mannequin's arms somehow continue to move. Then the monster looks into the crowd for another victim.
Next up is a werewolf scene, where glowing eyes can be seen in the fog. Then there's a butcher shop, complete with a butcher chopping up human arms and legs.
After walking through some cargo netting, visitors are hit with a blinding strobe light. Two caged monsters behind bars try and break out. A restaurant scene follows, with a chef cutting up body parts for eager patrons.
Especially scary is the madman who hasn't had his medication and enjoys eating human limbs. Don't stay too long there, because he doesn't like people watching him eat.
When you make your way through a graveyard where everyone isn't quite dead don't forget to pay attention to the trees - monsters may come from above.
Finally, you have to make it through the pitch black bat cave, where the bat's master is ready to flush out intruders. Listening for the high-pitched bat chirp may save you.
About 2,000 people visited the Wicked Walk in 1995 and the same amount is expected this year. About 20 volunteers put together the project in three weeks. The 15 actors will tone down their show if kids or adults get really scared.
The Wicked Walk is the Virginia Beach Jaycees' second biggest fund-raiser. The proceeds support several community projects throughout the year, including the Christmas Shopping tour, Easter baskets and Thanksgiving dinner boxes. It also helps the Kids to Camp program that sends mentally handicapped children to camp. Norfolk Jaycees Chamber of Horror
Where: Southern Shopping Center, Little Creek Road and Tidewater Drive, Norfolk (behind K&W Cafeteria)
Dates: Oct. 24 to 31
Hours: 7 to 11 p.m.
Price: $5 for adults, $4 for children (call 459-1023)
The Chamber of Horror gets more elaborate each year, and this one is no exception. To make the experience a little scarier, visitors are guideless during the beginning and end of the tour.
Left on their own, groups of six wander down a long, dark hallway filled with fog. Setting the mood for the unexpected, the ceiling of the hallway gets progressively lower, as do the cob webs hanging from it. At the end of the hall, a costumed guide waits, along with a coffin and its inhabitant.
The skeleton pops up and announces the rules of the chamber. The guide never speaks; he leads with his flashlight.
Once inside the main part of the chamber, monster mannequins sit here and there in the maze of scenes. Occasionally one turns out to be an actor in ghoulish costume, and it's nearly impossible to tell which ones are real and which aren't until they move.
The first room has a caged monster chomping on body parts. If properly provoked, he breaks out and heads toward the crowd.
Next, a sleeping vampire in his casket is waiting. Suddenly, he disappears and comes at the crowd from another part of the room. He'll chase the group through a morgue where everyone isn't quite dead.
The group ends up in a mad scientist's room. In there, Frankenstein comes to life in comedic fashion.
One of the most elaborate scenes is the crashed space ship. The futuristic-looking room is filled with fog and crisscrossed with laser lights. Smashed electronic workings hang from the ceiling and walls, some sparking. Sirens and other sound effects blare as you make your way through. After a loud crash, an injured alien emerges.
Some of the scarier monsters are next, in the graveyard area with a realistic swamp and bridge.
To finish up the tour, the group is put into the maze without a guide and the door is shut behind them. The only way out is by feeling your way through the pitch dark, and of course, there are creatures that don't want to let people out so easily.
This is the third year the Norfolk Jaycees have used the Southern Shopping Center location. However, this year's Haunted Chamber is completely different from years past, said Jaycees member Brian Bock. The group worked on the project for a month and a half.
He said to expect bigger lines the closer it gets to Halloween, but Bock said the group plans to keep people entertained as they wait.
Bock expects between 200 and 400 visitors a night. Kids younger than 5 or 6 years old are probably too young for the chamber, but that discretion is left to parents. It takes about 15 minutes to get through it.
The proceeds support Jaycees' projects like the Thanksgiving basket give-away. The baskets go to 50 to 100 families and include everything for a full dinner. Haunted Fun House
Where: 25th Street and Atlantic Avenue, Virginia Beach resort area
Dates: Open daily (year-round)
Hours: 7 to 11 p.m. Monday through Friday, noon to midnight Saturday and Sunday
Price: $3, and children 5 years old and under are free
Since the Haunted Fun House is 16 years old and a permanent attraction, some of its special effects surpass the seasonal haunted houses.
Located in the old Beach Theater, the 50 displays are connected by narrow hallways that slope and dip in places following the original movie house floor, explained Mark Brownell, owner of the fun house.
Brownell doubles up on the number of actors in the house during Halloween to make sure repeat visitors have fun.
Probably the scariest aspect of this attraction is that there is no guide. So when one of the costumed actors dare you to ``come closer'' while you're standing in the pitch dark, you're on your own.
The tour starts off with a gatekeeper and loud screaming and moaning sound effects. Making your way down the first dark hallway is tough because the floor slants down.
You enter a strobe hall that appears to go on forever. As you continue, an occasional loud siren or other sound effect will make you jump nearly out of your shoes.
From there, displays range from corny to gross. Some of them include a pit of decaying body parts, a dungeon and a graveyard that has the feeling of being outdoors. The shower scene from ``Psycho'' is recreated. And one of the sickest displays is a rat lady - a full-bodied woman covered with the rodents.
Some of the other static displays sometimes lull you into forgetting that another live demon might be lurking around the next corner.
A caged monster with a lead bar provides an electric scene. As he hits the cage with his bar sparks fly.
The longest wait to go through the fun house is usually 15 minutes, Brownell said. He suggests parents use their best judgment when bringing children.
``The actors will back off if someone looks really scared, or even humor you to get you through,'' he said.
Tickets to the fun house include a free ticket to the nearby dinosaur museum. Northwest River Park Ghost Train and Haunted House
Where: Northwest River Park, Indian Creek Road, Chesapeake
Dates: Oct. 24 to 26 and 28 to 30
Hours: 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. weekdays and until 10:30 p.m. weekends
Price: $4 tickets available at the park store from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Call 421-7151 to check availability)
The Northwest River Park Ghost Train, which opens this week, traditionally sells out on weekend nights, so call ahead.
About 60 volunteers have gotten together this year to create the nine scenes along the park's 1 1/4-mile gravel road, said Tom Rummel, the park's programmer.
Farm wagons with benches will take visitors through a narrated ``mild horror'' program.
The story line for the train ride involves a family that is under a witch's curse. The daughter goes to do battle with the witches in an effort to free them. Some of the scenes include a torture chamber, a clan of witches and the final battle scene. Flashpots, pyrotechnics and lighting effects are used throughout the ride.
``We keep it toned down enough that 4- and 5-year-olds won't be too terrorized,'' Rummel said, ``but it is active enough and interesting enough that people enjoy it.''
Following the Ghost Train is a short walk through a haunted house. It has five scenes that involve a little girl who has stayed up late watching horror movies. Visitors are led through the house by a guide.
Famous movie monsters like Freddie Krueger, Jason and Frankenstein make cameo appearances.
Ticket can be purchased at the park store, which is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. There will be a vendor selling hot dogs, hamburgers, drinks and other refreshments on nights the train is running. Haunted Trails of Lone Star Lakes
Where: Lone Star Lakes in Suffolk, starting at Pembroke Lane, next to Oakland Elementary School on Godwin Boulevard
Dates: Oct. 23 to 26
Hours: 6 to 9:30 p.m.
Price: $3 for age 14 and younger, $4 for everyone else. Tickets available at Lone Star Lakes or Birdsong Recreation Center. (Call 631-5383 or 925-6328)
You gently commune with Mother Nature as you hike down a lovely trail, taking in the colorful leaves and merry sunshine of Lone Star Lakes.
Oh, look at the animals enjoying dinner - filet of camper. You've hit upon Werewolves Campground.
Run, run away from the stomach-turning scene.
And onto another gross dining scene, a vampire feast.
The peaceful Lone Star Lakes Nature Trail is just a memory. Now you are on the Haunted Trails of Lone Star Lake. You're now traipsing on what creator Merrill McCubbin calls ``a major spook trail.''
McCubbin, a nail- and fire-eating magician and illusionist, delights in scaring the yell out of people.
The 30-minute walks he has orchestrated take place down a dark, long, twisted road.
McCubbin's disclaimer: ``Children under the age of 9 - parental discretion advised.''
``This is not one of those $5 for a 5-minute walk through a haunted house,'' McCubbin boasts. ``Big tough macho guys - a lot of times they brag - something like - show me no mercy. Then, they come out screaming.''
The frightmeister, really a gentle, soft-spoken guy, does his own lighting and production, writes the scripts and makes many of his creepy creations.
McCubbin grins as he repeats the phrase he hears most often at the end of the tour: ``I ain't goin' through that again.''
Groups of 15 go through each time, waiting, watching for the wild and weird.
Narrators lead the way as the frightened travelers cross paths with 45 people in the forest.
The unexpected, the lightning quick transformation from dark to light, from quiet to noisy are surprise elements that keep you gulping. Movie scare champ Freddie Krueger is all over the place.
A wax museum offers a potpourri of monsters, rabid miners come screaming out of a dark cave, a chemical spill causes Civil War soldiers and Indians to pop back to life.
And, of course, there is the old favorite - ghouls with rotting flesh.
The sponsor is Xi Beta Iota, one of six Suffolk chapters of Beta Sigma Phi, a social and cultural organization known for raising money for a variety of civic endeavors. MEMO: Staff writer Frank Roberts contributed to this report. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos, including color cover, by L. TODD
SPENCER
Of the 40 scenes in the Vietnam Veterans Haunted Forest at the
Norfolk Botanical Garden, some of the better ones include a freakish
beauty salon where more than hair is cut off the clients. Don't miss
the non-traditional manicurist.
Especially scary in the Virginia Beach Jaycees' Wicked Walk is the
madman who enjoys eating human limbs.
Staff photo by JOHN H. SHEALLY
Wayne Leonard, left, and Merrill McCubbin delight in scaring the
``yell'' out ofpeople along the Haunted Trails of Lone Star Lakes in
Suffolk.
Graphic
OTHER HAUNTS
Nightmare Mansion. The mansion, 20th Street and Atlantic Avenue in
Virginia Beach, will be open nightly through Halloween from 6 p.m.
to midnight. Admission is $4. Call 428-FEAR.
Ghost Ship of Terror. The ship, 22nd Street and Atlantic Avenue in
Virginia Beach, has frightful entertaining fun with live actors,
Blackbeard, ghosts and treasures. Hours are 7 p.m. to midnight
Friday, Saturday and Sunday and 6 p.m. to midnight to Nov. 3.
Admission is $3. Call 491-0756.
Haunted Hayride and Graveyard. Scary family fun is offered at Hunt
Club Farm Market, 2400 London Bridge Road in Virginia Beach. Hours
are 7 to 11 p.m. today through Oct. 31. Cost is $7 for hayride, $4
for graveyard tour. Call 459-4275.
Phantom's Hollow. Take a haunted hayride through the forest of fear
from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Oct. 31 at Fleet Recreation
Park, Hampton Boulevard and 90th Street, in Norfolk. Cost is $3.50. by CNB