As someone who grew up loving everything Halloween and haunted attraction related I knew of Spooky World and the catch phrase and jingle “America’s favorite horror theme park…..SPOOKY WORLD!” Even though I lived in Missouri.
Unfortunately, I never personally experienced the theme park located at the Berlin Fun Farm in Massachusetts. Now, we get an inside look behind the scenes of David Bertolino’s Spooky World in a new documentary called ‘SPOOKTACULAR!’ premiering at Fantastic Fest.
Built in the middle of a Massachusetts cornfield, was the destination for all macabre-leaning folks and horror-curious tourists. Spooky World was more than just a theme park; it was a meeting point for horror celebrities, a bacchanal for horny young workers, and a home for lovers of the grisly and the goofy.
Executive produced by SFX legend Tom Savini, ‘SPOOKTACULAR!’ is a delightful look back at a thriving moment in American horror culture, featuring appearances by a who’s who of iconic figures from the genre, from Linda Blair to Robert Englund, Tiny Tim and Elvira, Dee Wallace, and Kane Hodder.
The doc tells the story of Spooky World’s founder, David Bertolino, a PR-savvy mix of P.T. Barnum and Stephen King who parlayed his experience working in his father’s costume shop into creating the largest horror scream park of its kind. Interwoven into Bertolino’s narrative, the film delves into the lives of the aspiring actors and misfits from the nearby rural community who grew up working as the park’s haunters. The romances, the scandals, and so many potentially flammable scenarios…
‘SPOOKTACULAR!’ is a worthy work of archival research and new interviews.
If you are lucky enough to attend Fantastic Fest you can catch the following screenings:
Sat, Sep 23rd, 2:00 PM @ Theater 3
Wed, Sep 27th, 11:10 AM @ Theater 7
Wed, Sep 27th, 11:10 AM @ Theater 9
