PC-GUY
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Going, going . . . boo!
At Spooky World auction, fright fans make their bids
By Brendan McCarthy, Globe Correspondent | September 15, 2004
FOXBOROUGH -- Charles Manson went for $850 yesterday. Bugsy Siegel cost a mere $650, but Harry Houdini fetched $1,500, the top price among the coveted wax figures.
All three were on display as the owner of Spooky World put on the block every item in what was once billed as New England's largest horror theme park.
The park's contents, with an estimated value of more than $1 million, were auctioned off piece by piece, sometimes appendage by appendage, to a crowd of more than 300 collectors, amusement park owners, and fans of fright.
Everything had to go, from the building facade shaped like a contorted clown face to the fake ferns that used to line the gift shop at Spooky World, which was open each Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of the weeks leading up to Halloween. David Bertolino said he decided to close the 11-acre theme park months ago, after the death of his business partner and co-owner.
The auction drew people from as far away as California, Bertolino said, each paying $10 admission to see what they could buy from Spooky World, which had been in operation since 1991. The marquee items were 13 lifelike wax figures of Manson, Houdini, Bela Lugosi, and others.
Among the bidders were John and Michelle Miele of Cranston, R.I., who spent the afternoon looking for something morose. They wanted a wax figure, particularly that of the occultist Alistair Crowley, to put in their living room. There, they said, it would fit in alongside an indoor cemetery of wooden headstones in a house that includes an electric chair, a guillotine, and assorted skulls.
''It's more than a hobby or an interest," said John Miele, a retail worker dressed in black jeans, black boots, and a black T-shirt. ''This is a way of life for us."
But Josh Hurst of Pawtucket, R.I., was content with placing the $60 winning bid on a poster for the movie ''1984."
''Other posters went for $100 and more, so I'm pretty happy," said Hurst, a 30-year-old who bid at an auction for the first time yesterday. ''I would love to bid on the wax figures, but I don't have enough money."
Yesterday's auction also served as a reunion for many of the park's former employees, who refer to themselves as ''spookies."
Tristan Gallagher, 29, and his girlfriend, Michelle Souliere, 31, made an early morning trek from Portland, Maine, to bid on a souvenir from his former place of employment. For two years, Gallagher was a Spooky World makeup artist. He currently makes and sells masks and fake teeth.
Sporting long sideburns and clad in a black leather jacket, Elvis-style biker glasses, and an Evil Dead T-shirt, Gallagher said he had little money and was hoping to take anything home.
Jasmine Hughes of Marlborough, who played Secrets the clown, was teary yesterday as she and other former employees reminisced about their seasonal job.
''This is a funeral for us," she said.
The group joked that they should try on their old costumes and scare off some of the bidders.
''We ran around, sweat, and even cried in these costumes," Hughes said. ''I don't collect these things, but it all means something to me."
Bertolino said that he and a close friend conceived of the idea that became Spooky World one night in 1991 when they had consumed a few too many wine coolers and were imagining what it would be like to run a large-scale horror house. The business started as a haunted hayride in Berlin and moved to an empty lot behind Gillette Stadium five years ago.
Bertolino decided to close the park this year after his close friend, co-owner Sean Fogarty, died of skin cancer in February.
''We started it as fun, and we never intended it to get this big," said Bertolino, who calls himself a ''hauntrepreneur" and also helps his wife, Linda, run Charades Costumes, which markets its wares online. ''I decided it wasn't fun anymore. I'm not closing Spooky World for business reasons."
The park featured six haunted houses, each with its own theme; more than 150 costumed workers; a wax museum; a midway; and a gift shop. It became a popular stop for many lower-tier celebrities, such as Jerry Springer, Tiny Tim, and Elvira, and drew more than 1 million customers over the years.
Bertolino said he plans to relax this Halloween and spend time with his son, Sam.
''I'll probably enjoy Halloween for the first time this year," he said.
Boston Globe
At Spooky World auction, fright fans make their bids
By Brendan McCarthy, Globe Correspondent | September 15, 2004
FOXBOROUGH -- Charles Manson went for $850 yesterday. Bugsy Siegel cost a mere $650, but Harry Houdini fetched $1,500, the top price among the coveted wax figures.
All three were on display as the owner of Spooky World put on the block every item in what was once billed as New England's largest horror theme park.
The park's contents, with an estimated value of more than $1 million, were auctioned off piece by piece, sometimes appendage by appendage, to a crowd of more than 300 collectors, amusement park owners, and fans of fright.
Everything had to go, from the building facade shaped like a contorted clown face to the fake ferns that used to line the gift shop at Spooky World, which was open each Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of the weeks leading up to Halloween. David Bertolino said he decided to close the 11-acre theme park months ago, after the death of his business partner and co-owner.
The auction drew people from as far away as California, Bertolino said, each paying $10 admission to see what they could buy from Spooky World, which had been in operation since 1991. The marquee items were 13 lifelike wax figures of Manson, Houdini, Bela Lugosi, and others.
Among the bidders were John and Michelle Miele of Cranston, R.I., who spent the afternoon looking for something morose. They wanted a wax figure, particularly that of the occultist Alistair Crowley, to put in their living room. There, they said, it would fit in alongside an indoor cemetery of wooden headstones in a house that includes an electric chair, a guillotine, and assorted skulls.
''It's more than a hobby or an interest," said John Miele, a retail worker dressed in black jeans, black boots, and a black T-shirt. ''This is a way of life for us."
But Josh Hurst of Pawtucket, R.I., was content with placing the $60 winning bid on a poster for the movie ''1984."
''Other posters went for $100 and more, so I'm pretty happy," said Hurst, a 30-year-old who bid at an auction for the first time yesterday. ''I would love to bid on the wax figures, but I don't have enough money."
Yesterday's auction also served as a reunion for many of the park's former employees, who refer to themselves as ''spookies."
Tristan Gallagher, 29, and his girlfriend, Michelle Souliere, 31, made an early morning trek from Portland, Maine, to bid on a souvenir from his former place of employment. For two years, Gallagher was a Spooky World makeup artist. He currently makes and sells masks and fake teeth.
Sporting long sideburns and clad in a black leather jacket, Elvis-style biker glasses, and an Evil Dead T-shirt, Gallagher said he had little money and was hoping to take anything home.
Jasmine Hughes of Marlborough, who played Secrets the clown, was teary yesterday as she and other former employees reminisced about their seasonal job.
''This is a funeral for us," she said.
The group joked that they should try on their old costumes and scare off some of the bidders.
''We ran around, sweat, and even cried in these costumes," Hughes said. ''I don't collect these things, but it all means something to me."
Bertolino said that he and a close friend conceived of the idea that became Spooky World one night in 1991 when they had consumed a few too many wine coolers and were imagining what it would be like to run a large-scale horror house. The business started as a haunted hayride in Berlin and moved to an empty lot behind Gillette Stadium five years ago.
Bertolino decided to close the park this year after his close friend, co-owner Sean Fogarty, died of skin cancer in February.
''We started it as fun, and we never intended it to get this big," said Bertolino, who calls himself a ''hauntrepreneur" and also helps his wife, Linda, run Charades Costumes, which markets its wares online. ''I decided it wasn't fun anymore. I'm not closing Spooky World for business reasons."
The park featured six haunted houses, each with its own theme; more than 150 costumed workers; a wax museum; a midway; and a gift shop. It became a popular stop for many lower-tier celebrities, such as Jerry Springer, Tiny Tim, and Elvira, and drew more than 1 million customers over the years.
Bertolino said he plans to relax this Halloween and spend time with his son, Sam.
''I'll probably enjoy Halloween for the first time this year," he said.
Boston Globe