Spook-a-Rama
Encyclopedia
The Spook-a-Rama is a dark ride
from the Pretzel Amusement Ride Company
located at Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park
on Coney Island
and run by Million Amusement Corp.. The rider is pulled around in a car resembling an old wooden barrel
. These barrels look like connected cars, but separate from each other at the beginning of the ride, so the rider must go in alone, passing paintings that change imagery, and a skeleton before the car itself forces the doors open. Inside, the ride is one large, poorly-lit room. One can see many of the exhibits in the distance before one approaches them.
Views include zombies, the face of an ogre
composed of light bulbs, a devil
slashing an axe toward the rider, a man in a straitjacket
being electrically shocked
, heads popping out of barrels, and a gruesome man being killed in an electric chair
. On the way out of the ride, stringy objects hang from the ceiling to provide an extra fright.
The ride lasts about 45 seconds and proceeds in roughly a u-shape, with small sharp curves. At one time, the ride ran over ten minutes and was billed as the longest ride on Coney Island, and the longest spook ride in the world. The current area is less than one-third of the original ride, and its views may be quite different from what was once located there. The arcade and shooting gallery that now stand next to it were once part of the ride, while another portion of the ride was outdoors, the displays there lit only at night. This area is now the walled walkway to the children's portion of the park.
Outside the ride is a mechanical emcee in the form of a Grim Reaper with many beings quivering about in his upper chest. On the roof is a very large, broad skeleton holding a spear that appears to be a caricature of a jungle native--an Impaler animatronic from The Scarefactory, Inc.
The current admission price is $5.00.
Dark ride
A dark ride or ghost train is an indoor amusement ride where riders in guided vehicles travel through specially lit scenes that typically contain animation, sound, music, and special effects....
from the Pretzel Amusement Ride Company
Pretzel Amusement Ride Company
The Pretzel Amusement Ride Company was a famous manufacturer of pretzel dark rides. Pretzel built over 1400 pretzel rides and sold them to carnivals and parks. Leon Cassidy invented and patented the single-rail dark ride in 1928. The company originated in Tumbling Dam Park on the banks of Sunset...
located at Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park
Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park
Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park is a small amusement pier located at Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City featuring mostly family and children's rides with a few adult rides. Their main attraction is the Wonder Wheel, a hundred and fifty foot eccentric Ferris wheel. This wheel was built in 1920...
on Coney Island
Coney Island
Coney Island is a peninsula and beach on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Brooklyn, New York, United States. The site was formerly an outer barrier island, but became partially connected to the mainland by landfill....
and run by Million Amusement Corp.. The rider is pulled around in a car resembling an old wooden barrel
Barrel
A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container, traditionally made of vertical wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. Traditionally, the barrel was a standard size of measure referring to a set capacity or weight of a given commodity. A small barrel is called a keg.For example, a...
. These barrels look like connected cars, but separate from each other at the beginning of the ride, so the rider must go in alone, passing paintings that change imagery, and a skeleton before the car itself forces the doors open. Inside, the ride is one large, poorly-lit room. One can see many of the exhibits in the distance before one approaches them.
Views include zombies, the face of an ogre
Ogre
An ogre is a large, cruel, monstrous, and hideous humanoid monster, featured in mythology, folklore, and fiction. Ogres are often depicted in fairy tales and folklore as feeding on human beings, and have appeared in many classic works of literature...
composed of light bulbs, a devil
Devil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
slashing an axe toward the rider, a man in a straitjacket
Straitjacket
A straitjacket is a garment shaped like a jacket with overlong sleeves and is typically used to restrain a person who may otherwise cause harm to themselves or others. Once the arms are inserted into the straitjacket's sleeves, they are then crossed across the chest...
being electrically shocked
Electric shock
Electric Shock of a body with any source of electricity that causes a sufficient current through the skin, muscles or hair. Typically, the expression is used to denote an unwanted exposure to electricity, hence the effects are considered undesirable....
, heads popping out of barrels, and a gruesome man being killed in an electric chair
Electric chair
Execution by electrocution, usually performed using an electric chair, is an execution method originating in the United States in which the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes placed on the body...
. On the way out of the ride, stringy objects hang from the ceiling to provide an extra fright.
The ride lasts about 45 seconds and proceeds in roughly a u-shape, with small sharp curves. At one time, the ride ran over ten minutes and was billed as the longest ride on Coney Island, and the longest spook ride in the world. The current area is less than one-third of the original ride, and its views may be quite different from what was once located there. The arcade and shooting gallery that now stand next to it were once part of the ride, while another portion of the ride was outdoors, the displays there lit only at night. This area is now the walled walkway to the children's portion of the park.
Outside the ride is a mechanical emcee in the form of a Grim Reaper with many beings quivering about in his upper chest. On the roof is a very large, broad skeleton holding a spear that appears to be a caricature of a jungle native--an Impaler animatronic from The Scarefactory, Inc.
The current admission price is $5.00.
External links
- Spook-a-Rama 50th birthday
- http://youtube.com/watch?v=4d5GtclbEmU