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DISC ONE This tour of American haunt attractions begins right where American horror films began: at Universal Studios in Hollywood. Host Daniel Roebuck guides viewers on a journey through the Chamber of Chills haunt maze, a fun vintage look at the early glimpses of what would eventually become the seasonal extravaganza of Universal's Halloween Horror Nights.
An informal discussion on the origins of the Halloween holiday itself boasts a ghoulish gallery of horror celebrities including: Angus Scrimm, the 'Tall Man' from the PHANTASM films, and british actor Doug Bradley, 'Pinhead' from Clive Barker's HELLRAISER franchise. A Halloween historian offers facts about the holiday traditions, joined by none other than Freddy Krueger himself, Robert Englund, sharing his own insights into Halloween's origins. As discussions of all-things Halloween continue with Alice Cooper, Tom Savini, Englund, Scrimm, Bradley and Erin Murphy (Tabitha on "Bewitched"), you'll quickly see these monster mavens candidly share a true love of Halloween and celebrate it in their careers as well as their own lives. Next viewers enjoy a tour through David and Laura Lady's famous Horror Hotel attraction in Ohio, which boasts a huge private collection of excellently reproduced monsters from current and classic horror films. Even more astonishing, this haunted museum occupies the Lady's own home where the Halloween spirit never dies. Roebuck then hosts a segment celebrating the history of Don Post Studios, premiere maker of the world's Halloween masks. You'll enjoy interviews with Bob Burns and Don Post Jr. discussing the origins of the mask factory, including dozens of very rare photos depicting the most highly-sought collectible masks ever created. This is but one of the many exclusive features found only on HALLOWEEN: The Happy Haunting of America DVD. The tour of our nation's haunts continues with visits to The Haunted Schoolhouse, The Haunted Laboratory, and MuckleBones Monster Museum in the heartland of America. Another highlight is a tour of Cortlandt Hull's famous Witch's Dungeon in Connecticut, the country's longest-running Halloween attraction. This intricately sculpted collection of famous movie monsters like Frankenstein, Dracula, Dr. Phibes and The Phantom come alive with the narration and voice talents of Vincent Price, June Foray, John Agar and Mark Hamill — truly a unique and historic Halloween venue. Disc One wraps up with a look back at Bob Burns' Halloween Extravaganza, a popular home-based haunted attraction which terrorized Southern California fans for nearly forty years. Some of today's top award-winning film effects technicians contributed to the characters and design of these shows, including Oscar-winning makeup artist Rick Baker, ILM's Dennis Muren and Doug Beswick, Disney Imagineer Tom Sherman and many others. Watch this segment carefully and you'll spy two of Rick Baker's 1974 character masks which appeared in the STAR WARS Cantina Bar scene three years later! Disc One, celebrating the 10th Anniversary of this shockumentary, marks the first time HALLOWEEN: The Happy Haunting of America is available on DVD and is worthy of a spot in every Halloween fan's video library. Also included are rare behind-the-scenes photo gallery and video footage further documenting this hauntingly cool project. But the show is only getting started, as a second brand-new production expands the collection with nearly three additional hours of hauntingly good material! DISC TWO The HALLOWEEN: The Happy Haunting of America crew of ghouls is back, as Daniel Roebuck hosts this all-new shockumentary disc from the historic Magic Castle in Hollywood, California. As Roebuck introduces each haunting segment, he also offers viewers a rare tour of the performance stages, bars and the secret hidden areas (like the Library of Magic) accessible only to the Castle's distinguished members. You'll also meet Irma, the invisible ghostly pianist who haunts the Music Room and can play any song guests request. These are secrets most fans will never see anywhere else but on this exclusive DVD visit to the Magic Castle. The haunt tour of America continues with a video visit to the Bates Motel and Haunted Hayride in Pennsylvania, a large-scale walk-thru and guided ride attraction populated with live monsters and huge outdoor prop scenes. Next up is hardcore scarefest The Haunt, a multiple-attraction venue with a frightening cast of scaracters populating one of the largest haunts in the state. Host Roebuck continues the whirlwind tour across America with famous haunts such as: the historic Queen Mary's annual Shipwreck in Long Beach, CA; the Niles Haunted House Scream Park in Niles, MI; Bob Short's infamous Terrordome in PA; a tribute to Utah's Rocky Point, once called the "Disneyland of haunted attractions" which celebrated its final Halloween in 2006; and Michigan's Erebus, officially listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest walk-through haunted attraction on the planet! Yet these and other haunt visit are just the tip of the ice-chills on Disc Two, as this new shockumentary takes viewers on a exclusive trip to see Bran Castle — better known as Dracula's Castle — in the Transylvanian mountains of Romania! This historic fortress built in 1382 as a defensive fortress against the incursion of the Ottoman Empire, Bran Castle was the actual home of Prince Vlad Tepes, known as Vlad the Impaler for the spiked execution of his enemies and later the real-life inspiration for author Bram Stoker's vampiric novel character, Dracula. This segment is another exclusive treat for Halloween and horror fans, actually taking you inside the rarely-seen halls and chambers of this ancient and notorious castle. Another exclusive treat on this DVD is the complete video presentation of Dr. Shocker's Halloween Spooktacular, a live stage production starring host Daniel Roebuck at the Alex Theater in Glendale, CA. This monstrous melee of vampires, werewolves, magic and comedy won the prestigious Rondo Award of 2005 for Best Fan Event, recreating the classic theater spookshows of the 1940s and '50s. The full 25-minute presentation is accompanied by its "Behind the Screams" mockumentary and a Photo Gallery.
While the Doctor is in the house, Disc Two offers fright fans another exclusive: a video tour of Doctor Shocker's House of Horror: a brand-new museum dedicated to famous film monsters including Dracula, Frankenstein's Bride, The Phantom of the Opera and the Creature from the Black Lagoon — all excellently detailed figures displayed in scenes from their films. The realization of Daniel Roebuck's lifelong dream, this museum displays literally thousands of masks, rare collectibles and toys spanning decades of horror films, television and publications. His collection also includes one-of-a-kind figures auctioned by the famous Movieland Wax Museum. You have to see it to believe it! Two more still galleries highlight Disc Two: the first is a photo gallery of 14 additional haunted attractions and events, including Castle Blood, The Haunted Hydro, Netherworld and Terror on the Fox; second is the Things That Go Bump in the Night art gallery, featuring gothic and ghostly works by Gris Grimly, Eric Pigors, Chad Savage, Rusty Sherrill and more. Another Disc Two exclusive bonus is the pilot for horror talk show Raw Talk, a roundtable of horror mavens including actors Tony Todd (CANDYMAN) and Christa Campbell (2001 MANIACS), plus directors John Gulager (FEAST) and Don Coscarelli (PHANTASM). The entertaining pilot is hosted at the Magic Castle by Daniel Roebuck and Chuck Williams. Rounding out the three hours of material on Disc Two are the Hacker House music video "Comin' To Kill Ya", an interview on the origins and history of Halloween with expert Rochelle Santopoalo, plus complete biographies of the DVD's principals Daniel Roebuck, Chuck Williams and Bob Burns. True aficionados of terrifying cinema, nostalgic monster memories and haunted house scares wouldn't be caught dead without HALLOWEEN: The Happy Haunting of America 2-Disc 10th Anniversary Edition DVD in their library! This double-disc set packed with exclusive Halloween treats is available now, along with Dr. Shocker and Igor collectible Halloween masks and more at the official website below.
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