Syndicated Post

Have a devlish Halloween party with WITCHES, RUM, AND DARK DISCO

We here at Nightmarish Conjurings have been so honored to see Drunken Devil transform into a premiere nightlife event company this past year.  They have been able to combine their love for horror and 70’s disco in a way that few other entertainment companies can do and it brings us such joy to announce their newest Halloween endeavor.  

Hot on the heels of a critically acclaimed event this past summer, Drunken Devil, an entertainment company with an emphasis on horror-infused nightlife events, returns this Halloween with The Witches’ Ball: A Halloween Bacchanal. 

Inspired by black mass gatherings and clandestine sabbat ceremonies of arcane pagan culture, The Witches’ Ball is a Halloween party unlike any other in Los Angeles this season. Aesthetically, the production will take cues from horror films of the 1960’s and 1970’s, bringing an eerie, psychedelic vibe to the show.  Think garish, Dario Argento-style lighting, pulpy noir atmosphere, and an unapologetic sense of camp, kitsch, and theatricality. 

Upon arrival at the event, guests must trek through a shadowy, highly immersive ‘scare zone,’ inhabited by a host of terrifying witches and creatures from the beyond.  Once they have passed through the darkness, guests will find themselves treated to a hosted bar, presented by Stolen Rum, which will feature hand-crafted cocktails starring the New Zealand-based smoked rum, as well as an array of additional options including wine, beer, and various spirits.  Guests can also enjoy complimentary tarot readings, horror installations, and, as per usual at a Drunken Devil event, a performance segment featuring top Los Angeles talent. 

Scarlette Fox, returning to the Drunken Devil stage for the fourth time in a row, will dazzle guests with burlesque and aerial acrobatics, while The Rigomortettes, a duo of dancers who perform with acid doom rock band Old Blood, will bring their phantasmagorical movement art to the event. In addition, Bob Baker alum Matt Scott, with his company Rasputin’s Marionettes, will enchant audiences with darkly humorous marionette performances, and Go-Go Amy, of the Pretty Things Peepshow, will entice the crowd with a series of decadent and dangerous vaudevillian acts. 

Acclaimed DJ Chris Bowen, a pillar in the eastside gay nightlife scene and one half of Critter Control, the driving force behind parties like Bear in Space at Akbar and Cub Scout at the Eagle LA, will be spinning an all-vinyl set of dark disco and techno for guests as they dance into the night.  The founder of Disco Dining Club, Courtney Nichols, serves as hostess for the evening, presiding over the nocturnal rituals with the Drunken Devil himself. 

The Witches’ Ball will take place on Saturday, October 29, 2016.  In the spirit of secret witch gatherings of old, the venue will only be revealed to ticket holders the day of the show.  Doors open at 9pm, featuring performances from 10:30pm – 11:30pm, with the event concluding at 2am.  Tickets are $60 and are highly limited in number. 

This event is 21+.  As always, the Drunken Devil invites his guests to dress to impress. 

Tickets available at www.thedrunkendevil.com/events

 

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Knott’s Scary Farm Reveals All Programming for 2016 During Season Passholder Event

This past week, Knott’s Berry Farm hosted a special event for its Season Passholders, lifting the veil and shedding light on every aspect of Scary Farm 2016 that fans can look forward to experiencing very soon! Hosted by the always-exuberant more »

The post Knott’s Scary Farm Reveals All Programming for 2016 During Season Passholder Event appeared first on Theme Park Adventure.

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A Peek Inside Catalina’s Avalon Casino

One of the most iconic images of Catalina Island and its harbor in the town of Avalon is of “the Casino building.”

You can see it from high up in the wild interior…

…and from the sea, as you arrive via boat.

No matter where you are on or near the island, you’re aware of it.

And that’s by design. While the island is full of many ornamentations (like Catalina Tile), monuments, recreations, and attractions to lure tourists from the mainland, there’s no other gathering place quite like this one.

Contrary to our modern interpretation of its name, the Catalina Casino wasn’t dedicated as a gambling hall (though gambling has occurred in the past on the island and in its harbor).

People instead flocked to this circular building (like many other rotundas throughout history) to socialize amidst music and movies.

And if it looks a bit like a baseball stadium, that’s by design, too—because it was built at the behest of William Wrigley, Jr., former owner of the Chicago Cubs and founder of Wrigley Field. (The Cubs actually flew all the way from Chicago to train on Catalina.)

But as soon as you get to the forecourt, its ornate box office window, and its resident mermaid, you realize you’re there for anything but an afternoon ballgame.

Designed by Walter Webber and Sumner A. Spaulding, the Art Deco casino building was completed in 1929, built to replace the “Sugarloaf Casino” dance pavilion named for the Sugarloaf rock formation that was eventually blasted away to improve the view.

Construction was managed by David M. Renton, Wrigley’s partner in many aspects of building up Catalina (and also the builder behind the 60-Inch telescope building at Mt. Wilson Observatory).

As the Casino is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean on three sides, while facing inland you can gaze upon ornate designs that are inspired by the sea…

…a design motif that continues into the interior—especially in its movie theatre.

The Avalon Theatre is credited as being the first theatre built with acoustics specifically designed for the projection of “talkie” movies.

That drew famous filmmakers of the time like Cecil B. Demille to the island to not only see their movies, but also to hear them.

Photo: David Prasad (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Apparently the acoustics are so good—and the auditorium is so sound-proof—that a full band could be playing for a room full of dancers upstairs, and it would never interrupt the sound of the movie being projected below.

The domed auditorium is lovely, especially with its Art Deco wall murals…

…painted by famed Hollywood production designer / art director / set designer John Gabriel Beckman, who also directed the design of the undersea fantasy in the forecourt.

Beckman had just completed work on Sid Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, and also painted murals (which are now sadly faded into near oblivion) in the Fox Theatre Fullerton.

Because of the highly accelerated construction schedule for the casino…

…Beckman managed to complete his depictions of early California history and his version of The Birth of Venus in just three months.

Amazingly, the Avalon Theatre still shows first-run movies every night of the week…

…preceded by a performance of its Page Organ Company pipe organ, which is original to the theatre.

Although it was built for film, the Avalon Theatre also has the capacity to put on various live entertainment stage productions…

…with a vintage fly system…

…and original lighting board and other controls.

In the projection room…

…you can find antique projection machinery like a Simplex Model E-7, a 1927 Brenkert Model F3 (with combined effects, slide, and floodlight projector)…

…and a Brenkert Enarc carbon-arc projector—a rare artifact that only gets used once or twice a year and can only be found in one or two theaters in the entire country.

In the circular ballroom on the upper level (the equivalent of about 12 stories up)…

…the dance floor, 180 feet in diameter, is the world’s largest and reportedly can accommodate up to 3000 dancers at any given time.

If it gets a bit too crowded inside, you can exit through one of the many French doors that encircle the ballroom and take a stroll out on the balcony, nicknamed the “Romance Promenade.”

From there, you can stare out onto the sailboats and yachts and ferries and other sea-worthy vessels…

…and wonder who out there—or up in the wild bison territory—is gazing out or down upon you.

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Grave Harvest Halloween Fest Debuts in SoCal this Fall

Halloween and horror lovers rejoice, a new October festival called Grave Harvest will be haunting SoCal this autumn! From Abracadaver Productions, hosts of a summertime open house and macabre market [my coverage here], comes a new Halloween festival and market to be held in Fullerton, California. The event will feature workshops, classes, haunt displays, Halloween vendors, special guests, and more! I am so excited for this event and can’t wait to check it out.

For more info, check out the official press release and vendor/presenter list below:

Grave Harvest, a new Halloween Festival in Orange County, CA, is less than two months’ away! Hosted by Abracadaver Events, Grave Harvest will be held at The Hotel Fullerton, 1500 S. Raymond, Fullerton, CA on Sunday, October 2, 2016 from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

“Abracadaver Events is proud to bring a new Halloween event to Orange County” said Larry Carr, Abracadaver Events owner and producer. “Our venue will accommodate Abracadaver’s growing list of Halloween artisans giving attendees a unique Halloween shopping experience. For home haunters out there, Grave Harvest will provide not only last minute shopping for props and goods for their home haunt but also demonstrations and presentations from Haunt Industry professionals. Joining us again this year, we’re also pleased that actor, Philip Friedman, who was in Insidious and Shadow of the Blair Witch, will be with us to meet horror movie fans.”

About Abracadaver Events: Abracadaver Events is a sister company to Abracadaver Productions which has been in the film, entertainment, amusement park and haunt industries for over 30 years. Abracadaver Productions designs and manufactures props, set displays, and custom art sculptures. Abracadaver Productions has held Halloween markets for the last six years and this year is pleased to announce expansion to Grave Harvest and a new indoor venue.

Announced Vendors (more to be announced soon):

• Abracadaver Productions
• A Corpse Maker
• Benjamin Russel Arts
• Black Magic Cakery
• Blood and Teeth
• Cal Haunts
• CranieYums
• Dreadful Little Things
• Kitschy Cat Lady
• Frankie N Zoila
• Philip Friedman
• Frightwares
• Fog It Up
• Ghouls Gone Wild
• Halloween Psycho
• Horrific Homes and Gardens
• Monster Maker Lab
• Prolifx
• Rabble Rouser Jewelry
• Refab Studios
• Sadie Luca
• Scarlette’s Gems
• Silver Skull Creations
• Tee No Evil
• The Haunt Store
• The Poisoned Apples
• Tyrannical Piratical Treasures
• Vespertine Dream/Gloomy Goods

Presentations and Demos (more coming soon):

• Kelly Allen: Getting Started in the Haunted Attraction Business. 
• ​Ryan Banfield: Skeleton Corpsification. Take a cheap skeleton and corpsify it like a Pro with latex and cotton.
• Steve Bjork: Light your home haunt like a Pro on a DIY budget.

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Industry Insider: Charity Hill of The Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor

On this Industry Insider, we spend a few minutes with Charity Hill. Charity is the assistant director of entertainment for the Queen Mary and producer of Dark Harbor & Chill as well as many other events. DF: How long have you been at Dark Harbor? CH: Since 2009. DF: What sets Dark Harbor apart? What stands […]

The post Industry Insider: Charity Hill of The Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor appeared first on Designing Fear.

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My Haunt Life podcast: Midsummer Scream recap

Episode 16 – Midsummer Scream! Midsummer Scream came and went this past weekend. The anticipation, curiosity, and wonderment we all felt leading up to it was all worth it. This was such a good and fun convention. There was such a good mix of all things haunts, horrors, escapes, and immersive experiences. In this episode, […]

The post Episode 16 – Midsummer Scream! appeared first on My Haunt Life.

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