“Zombie wanted.” “Auditioning for ghouls”. Announcements like these aren’t surprising any more. A few months before Halloween, amusement parks across the world start their witch hunt — in this case, looking for actors to play the role of vampires, demons or any character from the other world. The idea is to scare their clients and make it as realistic as possible.
The Chamber of Horrors at Madame Tussauds in London was perhaps one of the earlier public spaces to hire actors dressed in spooky make-up and costumes. They hid in dark recesses and leapt out on unsuspecting visitors. The actors no doubt did a brilliant job, in fact so brilliant that frightened people lodged complaints and it had to be shut down a couple of years back. But astute businessmen picked up on the idea of scare artistes and it is now a popular Halloween tradition the world over. After all, this is the time for travellers with a taste for horror to seek out spine-tingling thrills in various parts of the world. Nearly every amusement park and museum has a ghostly theme during Halloween, where the customers are put through horrific rides and encounters with (fake) dead people.
A female zombie in a Halloween haunted house. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Nowhere has this trend peaked more than in the United States, particularly in its entertainment capital Los Angeles, where Americans are willing to pay good money to get scared. According to www.haunting.net, nine companies in Los Angeles were producing immersive horror theatre shows in 2014. Four years later, there are 20 horror-themed companies in LA, all of which have special shows on just for Halloween. This has led to an increase in jobs for people to dress up as creepy characters in amusement parks during the festival.
The Universal theme parks across Singapore, Japan and California are all geared up for thrill seekers. The one in Florida this year is heavily inspired by slasher films and has 10 haunted houses.
Entrance to the Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios, Florida | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Scare Kingdom Scream Park in Lancashire, that has been voted one of the best Halloween attractions in the UK by Trip Advisor, is all set with its team of serial killers, zombies and a satanic cult prowling around their premises. Jason Karl, creative director of the park, on the official website says, “For our 10th year, we are redeveloping our attractions with all new storylines, characters and scares.”
Débuting this year is Nightmare Nights, a 20-minute scare attraction, at Castle Rushen. The otherwise serene surroundings of Isle of Man are shrouded in a veil of terror, with the master of the castle and his spectres running amok.
Among the other leading attractions this year, is the Samhain (pronounced ‘Saw-In’) Festival in Dublin, Ireland, considered the home of Halloween. ‘A phantasmal walk’ in Marlay Park is scheduled to be held on October 28, when “ghouls and goblins like the Wicked Woodsman, Crane the Mad, Witches of the Woods, Phantom Tailors and Banshees may all once again make an appearance,” says the official website.
A neon zombie pretending to choke a clown behind bars in a Halloween haunted house. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Elsewhere, New Orleans in will be showcasing its haunted hotels and ‘Krewe of Boo’ parade, while Romania’s Transylvania, with its association to the legend of Dracula, promises to be a treat for thrill-seekers and culture tourists alike.
Celtic roots
The obsession with and celebration of death and the spirit world during Halloween owes its roots to the Celtic people, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the UK and northern France. “Halloween originated in the pre-Christian Celtic festival of Samhain. The Celtic new year started on November 1 and it was believed that at the end of the old year and the beginning of the new, the boundaries between the living and the dead became blurred,” says Frances Gillespie, a natural history enthusiast and freelance writer based in Fortingall, Scotland.
“We have a world-famous ancient sacred tree, the Fortingall Yew, growing in the churchyard next to our garden,” says Gillespie. “Yew trees were sacred to the Celts and it pre-dates the church. There are people around who practise the old religion and I know that on Halloween they will gather under the tree and sing to it.”
The American touch
Much of what has become associated with the festival — the outlandish costumes, fright fests, carved pumpkin lanterns and trick-or-treating with candy — is usually attributed to its celebration in the US, where Halloween comes second only to Christmas and New Year festivities.
The US National Retail Federation (NRF) estimates Halloween spending to touch $9 billion this year, with more than 175 million Americans planning to celebrate the festival by spending at least $90 per person.
Trick-or-treat began in the second half of the 19th Century, and is thought to have been popularised by Irish immigrants in the US. But over the years, the elements involving witchcraft and horror were toned down to make Halloween celebrations more family-friendly, with candy being given out young costumed celebrants.
As multinational companies spread Halloween-themed ideas, celebrations are becoming more common in the bigger Indian cities. Yogendra Patil, co-founder of Mumbai-based Small Steps Adventures travel company, says, “Our October 27-28 Halloween camping night in the coastal town of Dahanu (Maharashtra) this year has attracted around 40 registrations so far, mostly from young professionals in the IT sector, who are familiar with the festival. We have limited the intake to 100.”
For a fee, campers will be met by ‘aimless spirits’ at the remote leased premises 137 kilometres from Mumbai, in what promises to be a thrilling night-time adventure. “Besides the regular Halloween features, we will also have games and a musical night for campers. It’s becoming easier to set up Halloween celebrations because shops in India have started offering high-quality props in the past few years,” says Patil.
(With inputs from Priyadarshini Paitandy)