For anyone curious, the blue color that was painted on the giant skull actually appears white under a black light. So, riders will see a giant white skull as they pass. This year, crews also repainted the skulls on the Skull Banister in the first room with this paint so they glow white now, with orange eyes. Pictures to come soon.
May 10, 2012
Who likes new stuff? We all do! So, here is some new stuff in Trimper's Haunted House for this year, in addition to what was installed from Phantasmagoria back in February.
Presenting "Giant Angel of Death Articulating Zombiette" direct from Scarefactory. 11’tall & 7’ wide All electric fully articulated Giant Angel of Death movements including Head raise/lower, torso breath, lantern arm raise/lower, scythe forward/back, torso pan. Includes LED eyes, Scythe & Lantern.
Presenting "GraveCrawler with Lantern Articulating Zombiette" direct from Scarefactory- Ragged zombie crawls out of the grave holding an electrically lit lantern to light the way. Movements include head, chest, independent arm, leg and torso pivot.
The old foam skull and hands from the Mad Scientist area have been mounted to the wall in the graveyard!
Several new headstones were added around the attraction this year.
Extra skeletons mean extra drunks! In the spirit of Bill Tracy, and keeping the attraction true to its seaside home, a drunken skeleton is now visible at the end of the ride on the left right before you exit. Poor fella had a bit too much whiskey for his own good! Argh!
Crews add a fresh coat of blue paint to the Skull from the Skull Waterfall at Phantasmagoria!
What a difference! Stay tuned for more as we get closer to Memorial Day weekend! Up next, a new location for the Witch and the Reacher!
May 6, 2012
This year is the 40th anniversary for Tracy's Pirates Cove attraction at Waldameer Park in Erie, PA which is the sister attraction of Trimper's Pirates Cove. Randy Skalos, ride operator and master artist for the some of the park's rides, has been restoring the stunts of the attraction back to their former glory during the winter in preparation for its opening. Check out a gallery of some of his progress. One of the photos is Randy holding Tracy's original mold for the Skull Water fall that he found when visiting Eric Princz Studios. In addition to the internal features, the giant mural behind the Pirate on the facade was also repainted by some local artists. You can learn more at the WaldaBlog.
May 5, 2012
***There is only a very limited quantity of OCHH.NET t-shirts left in the HH Store. I do not plan on reprinting them so if you'd like one now is the time to place your order. The price is discounted. Only a few left in orange with black print. Get yours now in time for summer!***
May 5, 2012
Remember about two years ago when I posted news that a web film series was being filmed in Trimper's Haunted House? Well, I have an update. The series is called "Tilt-A-World" and it's about a young man that comes back home to Maryland after his father's death to take over the family's carnival business. It was filmed mostly at Trimper's Rides. It actually debuted back in summer of 2011 I believe. I have searched the internet high and low trying to find the web series to watch, with no luck. I did however find a video with a small clip from the series. You'll recognize Trimper's Haunted House as soon as the video begins (near the Electric Chair), and the clip ends at about :50 in. You can even see my Toxic Man in the clip! Please make note that the clip has bad language. If anyone finds more footage of the series, please let me know! Take a peak.
April 30, 2012
Hi guys. Sorry I've been absent. Tons going on and hardly ever enough time to do it all in. I haven't posted updates about the ride because frankly I don't have any. Last I checked, the three new effects that came in are still in storage, but should be installed by Memorial day. The ride will undergo a few more changes, most likely a new location for the Witch as the Reacher will more than likely go in its place. All of the comments from riders so far this year have been really positive regarding the changes we made. And by Memorial Day, the ride should be tweaked even further to the tune of perfection for the upcoming year. Stay tuned and please keep our forums active in the meantime. Until the workers finish putting up the rides around the park, the HH will be on the backburner.
April 17, 2012
It's always good to be headstrong at all times.
'Memba the latex foam-filled head that was in the old Mad Scientist bar before it was moved? Well, it's still nearby. I stuck it in the fire as part of the Torture Chamber, and I think it looks just fine. Don't worry, the paper towel roll was not incorporated as a new feature in the stunt.
April 15, 2012
The Hanging Skeleton stunt, being eight feet tall and about six feet wide, was undoubtedly one of the harder pieces to place, but we found the perfect spot. In 2006, Tracy’s Mad Scientist stunt was removed from this location and replaced with a large, modern-day latex skull. The original counter of the Mad Scientist was retained and used as part of the new stunt. This location seemed to be the most practical as the Hanging Skeleton would carry the theme of the Torture Chamber to the other side of the corridor. A black light was placed in the bottom of the cabinet shining upward, and a double fixture was mounted above the newly-installed set of bang doors just after the Torture Chamber.
The counter from the Mad Scientist did not go to waste. It had a very cool look to it, so we decided to incorporate it in to the Birthday Party scene. Due to the fact that the Birthday Party only has two characters now, the large table that was part of the stunt was not only too big, but it was very low making it hard for riders to see the props, and it was blocking some of the walking space next to the track. So, we opted to put the original Birthday Party table in to storage and use Tracy’s Mad Scientist counter to elevate the display higher. Further, the old chains from Ghost Ship and barrels from Phantasmagoria were also added to bring the stunt back to life. It was a win-win situation as we were able to keep Tracy’s Mad Scientist stunt alive in some sense, but also add some more original styling and color to one of Tracy’s most memorable and freakishly grotesque stunts.
April 8, 2012
The Attic Rat in the first room has received a new buzzer. The old chirping horn mechanism broke and the stunt remained without sound for quite some time. The new buzzer does the job and still keeps the stunt true to Tracy. The Attic Rat at the downhill area is in queue to receive a new buzzer soon as well. Check it out.
April 7, 2012
The Rio Grande Wild West train ride that was constructed in the Carousel House at Trimper's is now open. I took some snapshots yesterday and I was pretty impressed. Check it out. To build it, the Land Boats and Motorcycle rides had to be retired after a very long run. The coolest thing about this new attraction is that the station is named "Granville Station". Very cool!
March 26, 2012
The sister attraction of Trimper’s Pirates Cove underwent a major makeover this winter. The Pirates Cove at Waldameer Park in Erie, PA, another Tracy attraction built in 1972 only a year after Trimper’s, was pampered over the last few months in preparation for its 40th anniversary.
Randy Skalos, caretaker of both the Pirates Cove and Whacky Shack at Waldameer, not to mention an awesome artist, has been working to restore a lot of the original Tracy stunts in Waldameer's Pirates Cove. He was also able to restore some of the original sounds which will be included in the opening of the ride this summer. Below, you’ll find one of the moving skulls that Randy has been restoring to its original glory, as well as the original sound byte that I uploaded from the “Last Drop” stunt at Waldameer, a.k.a "Pirate’s John." In addition to the interior stunts being refurbished, the entire backdrop of the attraction is being repainted.
If you love Trimper’s Haunted House and Pirates Cove, a trip to Waldameer should absolutely be on your calendar for this summer!
March 23, 2012
Tracy’s Skull from the Skull Waterfall in Phantasmagoria was a tough item to place. Not only is it gigantic, but it’s a bit awkward to situate in a location by itself. After searching for the perfect spot, we decided to put it at the downhill behind the banister where the Vampire prop previously sat. There may be future plans to remove the banister, but for now, it will stay original to the 1988 redesign. The challenge now is to find a way to make this stunt look cool. Black lights, red lights, strobe lights, lights in the eyes – what would look the best? The car generally goes by this location rather quickly and the corner is rather dark otherwise. For those who were a fan of the Vampire prop, don’t worry. It has been moved a little to the left to the corner directly across from the Attic Rat at the downhill.
It’s cool to note that Trimper’s Pirates Cove also has this identical mold in its original Skull Waterfall. Two of Tracy’s Skull molds at one park – now that is for the record books!
March 21, 2012
Check out the facade section to view our first ever color of photo of Trimper's Haunted House from 1964! It looks to be from the early fall of that year. It came from a Facebook group called Ocean City Then and Now. Join it for some great pics from the past!
March 19, 2012
I know everyone is anxious about the new additions this year, so I’ll give you a few more photos to help feed your Haunted House addictions.
Below, you’ll find Phantasmagoria’s Hanging Skeleton now located where the Giant Skull and Mad Scientist were once located, directly across from the Torture Chamber. The cabinet for this item fit perfectly in the corner. You’ll notice the doors were up and ready for painting when I took this photo. This particular stunt took five men to move and is about 8 feet tall. A monster! Scott was able to mount a double black light fixture above the new set of doors to make the stunt glow like Tracy originally intended it. He was also able to place a single black light in the cabinet's base. After looking it over, I concluded that it still has the original paint from when it was installed in Phantasmagoria in 1973. Click here to see how the stunt originally looked in the Mirror Room of Phantasmagoria.
Next up is the location for Tracy’s Pop-up Coffin which is across from the Knit Wit and Witch, right before heading in to the Graveyard. The skeleton in this stunt actually sits up upon activation. It is very creepy. This location allowed us to tap in to the air line for the Old Mill stunt which is on the other side of the wall. We plan to make it activate at the same time as the Witch so it is certain to scare you regardless of where you are looking. A double black light fixture was mounted on the wall behind this stunt to bring it alive! Click here to see how this stunt looked in the Graveyard of Phantasmagoria. Stay tuned for future updates.
March 16, 2012
Good news all around!
Trimper's Haunted House will be open on weekends starting March 31! That said, I spoke with Scotty today and he has confirmed that the new vintage effects from Phantasmagoria have all been lit with blacklights and are ready to scare visitors. They are still in the process of getting the effects operational but hope to have them ready by Easter weekend.
In all, six effects from Phantasmagoria have been installed, and two brand new effects from Scare Factory are in transit. Several older effects got moved around to make room for the new stuff. I am working on an article that will outline all of the changes complete with installation and construction photographs. I hope to have the article done shortly after Easter this year, so stay tuned! I think it's really going to blow your socks off!
In the mean time, I will include one teaser photo below of the new bang doors we constructed upstairs. We have talked about this dream for many years in the forum, and we have finally executed it! Stay tuned!
February 22, 2012
Crazy coincidence!
I was thinking today about the new additions in Trimper's Haunted House from Bill Tracy's defunct Phantasmagoria as well as the Ghost Ship installation in 1988. The Ghost Ship stunts were welcomed in to Trimper's Haunted House in 1988, exactly 24 years after the ride was built in 1964. The Phantasmagoria stunts were being welcomed into Trimper's Haunted House exactly 24 years after the Ghost Ship stunts were installed in 1988. Add the two together and that makes 48 years, the exact age of Trimper's Haunted House this year. As of the current age of the ride today, the Ghost Ship stunts were installed halfway through its lifetime. We seem to be on some sort of 24 year cycle. I wonder what will happen in 2036? An installation and expansion including stunts from Waldameer's Whacky Shack? Hmmm?
Stay tuned for updates regarding the placement of the Phantasmagoria stunts as well as some other major changes!
February 20, 2012
Check out an awesome advertisement from The Deadline featuring the famous animated talking door knocker that adorns the wall above the entrance door. The Deadline was a company set up as a joint venture between V.P. Productions and Boneyard Productions. Although, whenever service or parts are needed for the effect, the management calls V.P. Productions directly. Special thanks to Randy Skalos, caretaker of Waldameer’s Whacky Shack for sharing this piece from his collector’s vault!
February 18, 2012
Oh, how I love the smell of progress! ... or fresh paint.
So far this year, several key things have received a fresh paint job in Trimper's Haunted House:
The floor (ceiling) of the Upside-Down Room
The floor of the first room (if you can remember, practically all of the paint was worn off)
The Lobby floor
The HVAC unit above the Torture Chamber
The HVAC duct work above the downhill area
The front wall in the Wave Room that was showing a lot of screws and washers from when it was reattached to the wall after being vandalized.
The door and trim for the lobby ticket booth was replaced and repainted, as well as the entire interior of the ticket booth.
In addition, we spent a considerable amount of time combing the ride and painting any miscellaneous pipes or wires black that would have otherwise stood out. Part of the agenda for the remainder of this winter is to start repainting floors on the second level. We might get there, we might not. Either way, we are making great progress!
February 16, 2012
Artifacts in Trimper’s Haunted House? Oh Rats!
While the installation of the newly-acquired stunts from Phantasmagoria was taking place, we also spent a lot of time cleaning the ride and collecting a decade of trash. Attention was given to places in the ride that otherwise would have been ignored, and as a result, we found an artifact that is incredibly interesting!
While contemplating the relocation of the Mermaid on the second story, we were cleaning the diorama where it was originally located and in a far corner found something odd. It didn’t really look like anything at first glance other than a melted pile of rubber. I picked it up and realized it was a rubber Rat that apparently melted as a result of multiple summers of hot beach weather. There was also a possibility that the Rat melted during a small fire that took place in the Mermaid area some years back.
I turned the Rat over and realized it was hollow and stuffed with newspaper to keep it “full” in its prime. Out of curiosity, I pulled out the piece of newspaper inside and discovered it was a New York Times issue from July of 1964, the same time period that Trimper’s Haunted House was being installed!
So, since we know the Rat is dated back to the ride’s inception, the question is, where was the Rat located and how did it end up in the Mermaid?
Back in the 1990s, I vividly recall a Rat of similar dimensions (sans the melting) being mounted in the Falling Barrel room on one of the timbers. There was only one Rat in there, but it always stood out to me. One day, the Rat disappeared and I always wondered where it went. My guess is that some rider grabbed it, held on to it until the Mermaid area, and then threw it in the diorama afraid that he or she would get caught with it. And, there it stayed for almost 20 years.
The only other place in the ride where I remember a similar prop was in Body in the Cellar before entering the Falling Beam hill. But, my logic tells me this Rat did not come from that effect as the water in the stunt would have deteriorated the newspaper within minutes. The Rat we found clearly came from a “dry” area.
As this historical ride continues to make millions of people smile, we continue to piece together the mysteries of the mysterious! Awesome find!
February 8, 2012
Okay, I'm about to drop two gems on you. I hope you're sitting down...
This video is the first of its kind; a ride through Trimper's Haunted House in 1986 when it was one level. It was expanded to two stories in 1988, only two years later. The video also contains shots of Morbid Manor on the Pier, and the interior of Marty's Playland. Credit for this exclusive goes to Chris Evans, historian of all things retro and nostalgic.
Although this video was shot prior to night vision on cameras, you can still make out a lot of your favorite features and their sound effects. Although the effects were clearly in different locations back then, it's awesome to see the original placement of the stunts when they were installed in 1964. Most visible is the Rat, Crooked Timbers, Upsidedown Room, Old Mill, Knit Wit, Torture Chamber, Franenstein's Monster, and Last Drop effects. Back then, it appears the interior sound effects were actually played at a faster speed, making them sound different. But don't be fooled, they are indeed the same! Enjoy!
Below, check out an awesome video featuring a ride through of Trimper's Haunted House in 1991, only three years after the second story was added which included installation of Bill Tracy gags from Ghost Ship at defunct Ocean Playland Park on 65th street. In this video, you can see several long lost stunts including the Wolfman, Body in the Cellar, Wine Cellar, Mermaid, Crab, Attic Stairs, and Mad Scientist. You can also see the original location for the Birthday Party before it was moved to the downhill area. It's awesome to see how fresh the paint is on some of these effects! Credit for this video goes to Chris Evans, historian of all things retro and nostalgic. He allowed Trimper's Haunted House Online to show this exclusively.
February 6, 2012
WHOA! Check out a video just added to our YouTube Channel of Trimper's Haunted House and the Ocean City Boardwalk from 1986 shot while riding on the boardwalk train! A one-story Haunted House can be seen at the very end of the video, complete with the organ music playing in the lobby! Special thanks to Chris Evans for sharing!
February 3, 2012
I posted some old photos from 1991 of the Crab and Headslinger on the Facebook page. Check them out! Also, I have been in touch with someone who might have video footage of inside of the ride from 1986, back when the Haunted House was one level! Stay tuned.
The installation of the new "old" effects will take place in about a week. I'll be updating the Facebook page with the progress. Check back for updates!
