Director Quinn Monahan’s Spooktacular! is the story of David Bertolino, who, after being part of the audience on a haunted hayride that was laughably bad, went away thinking to himself, “I can do better than that!” Indeed, this man, who was equal parts P. T. Barnum and Stephen King, went away and created America’s first horror theme park called SpookyWorld. All the triumphs and the tragedies of the rise and fall of the iconic park are examined in this documentary written by Gail Jorden.
What Bertolino thought would draw a couple of hundred people to a restored farm outside Berlin, Massachusetts, soon drew thousands. For what began as simple, the Spooky Hayride would soon combine the Halloween fun with the explosion of horror cinema into the best place on Earth for folks who love to be scared.
Over 11 turbulent years, SpookyWorld attracted millions by expanding its attractions and drawing in the icons of the horror community. With names like Alice Cooper, Elvira, and Linda Blair, Kane Hodder and Robert Englund, including the participation in creating his own haunted house by the master of horror effects, Tom Savini (who also produced this film), SpookyWorld went from strength to strength and became the only place to be in October.
But Spooktacular! shows how it was far from smooth sailing. Accounts from “haunters” who used to thrill and delight customers share a variety of personal horror stories from their time working at the fabled and faded theme park. The tales range from the warm and nostalgic to shocking and abusive, as members recount everything from being beaten and molested, to a story of one haunter who was nearly crushed beneath one hayride. PETA even launched a protest regarding the treatment of mice and rats that were included in part of the park’s attractions. Bertolino engaged the services of a pet psychic to reassure the concerned organization that the animals were not being exploited or harmed.
“David Bertolino… created America’s first horror theme park called SpookyWorld.”
Then there was the battle with the elements, and finally, disenchanted members of the community of Berlin started rattling SpookyWorld’s cage. Though the park employed a good number of its staff from the town and supported local businesses, it was also a thorn in some people’s sides. And when the park continued to grow and began to include entertainment that was directed strictly toward adults, the locals got together and pushed back.
However, ultimately, the powers that be decided that the ancient nature of some structures on the grounds posed a potential danger, so SpookyWorld was forced to close its Berlin location. Though it rose again, albeit briefly, by 2001 the horror show was at an end, and following the death of his longtime business partner, Bertolino finally called it quits. Thus, SpookyWorld was no more.
Yet nothing is gone forever, as long as we remember it, and with Monahan’s Spooktacular! we can see the joy, hear the life-changing accounts, and see that the once mighty institution is all in its terrifying splendor. Christmas may still be king of the season holidays, but Halloween is right, they’re thumping a bloodied fist on its door. So, since it’s the season to be scary, take a haunted hayride down memory lane and witness the pioneering adventure that changed a generation and an industry.
"…see that the once mighty institution is all in its terrifying splendor."
