DC's

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‘How can a director invent the female action heroine, change Hollywood’s attitude to race, launch the career of a future Oscar winner and yet still remain anonymous? These are questions that have troubled fans of exploitation genius Jack Hill for years. Pick up a copy of Halliwell’s highly-regarded Who’s Who In The Movies and you will not find an entry for the filmmaker, yet his debut offering, 1968’s Spider Baby, has recently been turned into a musical and is also lined up for a remake, while at the same time Halle Berry continues to express interest in updating his blaxploitation classic Foxy Brown. Recent retrospectives of Hill’s work in Belgium, France and Los Angeles, and a fanbase that includes Hollywood luminaries such as Quentin Tarantino and Joe Dante, would indicate that he is a man who is about to be appreciated by a wider audience. Having retired from the motion picture industry in 1982, the low budget maestro Tarantino once called “one of America’s greatest living directors” has found his acclaim, and recognition, slow in coming…

‘Born in 1933, Jack Hill studied filmmaking at UCLA alongside his close friend Francis Ford Coppola and the two even worked on each other’s student features. Interestingly, Hill’s effort – dubbed The Host – would end up being recycled by Coppola as the third and final act in the iconic Apocalypse Now (1979).

‘“A guy called Steve Burum was my cameraman on The Host and he also did the second unit work on Apocalypse Now,” says Hill. “He told me that he and Coppola were out in the Philippines joking about how they were doing Jack Hill’s student film.” Indeed, Tarantino was so impressed by The Host that he paid to have it finished, re-mastered and released to the general public (it was finally included on the DVD of Hill’s 1975 girl-gang epic Switchblade Sisters). However, just as Hill would inspire Coppola, it was the future Godfather director that got his classmate his first big break. When the young Coppola was hired by Roger Corman, he took Hill along with him – and the two would work together on outings such as 1962’s 3D sex romp The Bellboy and the Playgirls and 1963’s tawdry terror opus Dementia 13. However, when he was finally let loose to make his own productions, Hill would discover new talent and instigate new trends at the box office. For example, his 1967 film Pit Stop, which is set in the competitive world of figure-eight racing, gave Ellen Burstyn her first leading lady role – allowing her to catch the eye of Peter Bogdanovich, who would break her into the big time with The Last Picture Show (1971).

‘“Peter was at the premiere of Pit Stop because I personally invited him,” explains Hill. “That was how he discovered Ellen. I was happy with Pit Stop but I did not really want to do a movie about car racing. I was just handed assignments and did the best that I could with them.” Certainly, as a journeyman director it was always Hill’s intention to try and subvert the material that he was given.

‘“I had the freedom to improvise,” he says. “I feel quite fortunate that I worked in the low-budget sector because it meant I did not have to deal with committees who wanted to impose their ideas and prejudices on my material. I had a free hand – much more so than I would have had if I was working for the studios. As long as you put the elements in there that producers like Corman knew they could sell, such as sex and violence, you could raise the picture a little bit higher than they expected and give the audience something intelligent to chew on.”

‘It was Hill’s discovery of Pam Grier – who was cast in The Big Doll House (1971) – that really cemented his place in history. Aside from the fact that The Big Doll House would kick-start the decade-long interest in shamelessly sexy “women-in-prison” pictures, it also gave the statuesque Grier an imposing and intense supporting role – one in which she easily overshadowed everyone else onscreen. “Pam’s part was not written for a black actress,” says Hill. “I just wanted to find an ensemble that worked well and I remember how Pam walked into the audition. Even though she had never done anything before, she impressed me with her personality and authority. Of course, she was also a great-looking woman and had all of this enthusiasm. She worked very hard – she was thoroughly professional and was totally dedicated to her craft.”

‘Hill began to write parts specifically for Grier (they did four films together in total, most famously the brutal action opus Coffy (1973)) and in doing so the director launched the first international black sex symbol. Grier represented a new breed of heroine – tough, resourceful and politically aware (in 1972’s The Big Bird Cage she plays a Marxist revolutionary), the actress paved the way for cinematic females who made their male counterparts look like big girl’s blouses. The fact that it was a black woman acting in this manner made it all the more mind-blowing for 70s audiences.

‘“Back then there was still a lot of discrimination,” laments Hill. “I remember when I began working on Coffy, I made a real effort to find black technicians. There were not many of them because it was a union film and there were not a lot of black people in the union. But we found a guy called Bob Minor – we gave him an acting part in the movie and he also did the stunt work. He learned on the job and eventually became one of the best in the business. Now he works as the stunt coordinator on blockbusters such as Charlie’s Angels and National Treasure. We also hired a black assistant director on Coffy. We made a major effort to get black people into the union and give them work.”

‘What was so outstanding about the thrillers that Grier and Hill embarked on together was that the they were giving the audience a femme fatale they could relate to – long before Sigourney Weaver in Alien or Jodie Foster in The Silence of The Lambs. To all intents and purposes, the rampaging nurse who Grier plays in Coffy was nothing more than an ordinary, white-collar worker driven to destruction after some local drug dealers kill her sister (it is also worth noting that Coffy predates the similar, city-based vigilante-action of Death Wish and Taxi Driver). “The remarkable thing about Coffy was that it pulled in a crossover audience,” says Hill. “It was very, very popular and it attracted a large white audience. Pam Grier represented the idea of black power. That was quite subversive back then. With Coffy I wanted to create a character that used her wits to get out of dangerous situations – she had to be someone that the average woman in the audience could relate to. And when you saw a black audience standing up on their seats and cheering at the screen it created a great feeling. I could never have predicted that sort of reaction.”

‘He may have changed the way that Hollywood perceived women (typically relegated to the role of passive sex symbols prior to Coffy) but Hill still wasn’t granted access to the A-list. “The general feeling was that these were just ‘black’ pictures,” sighs the director. “It didn’t matter to the studios that Coffy had reached number one at the box office. To them it was designed for black people to enjoy and some of the majors had quite a racist attitude towards these movies. I remember being told, ‘You might have had a big hit but it was with a black picture, so it does not really count.’” As a result, the filmmaker moved on to make 1974’s college sex comedy The Swinging Cheerleaders – predating the likes of Porky’s and American Pie and opening up the market in teen-orientated, coming-of-age satires. However, it would take years before Hill was considered a forward-thinking trailblazer.

‘“Jack Hill is the greatest,” enthused Quentin Tarantino back in 1995. “Pam Grier was Marlene Dietrich to his Josef von Sternberg. I think that Hill is a really terrific director. His scripts are very funny, he is a really talented man and I am a big fan of his work. He was the Howard Hawks of exploitation filmmaking.”

‘The man himself is just happy that – nearly three decades since he last stood behind a camera – a new generation is finally seeing how important his work was. “I always wanted people to feel positive at the end of my films,” he enthuses. “I was always careful to try and juxtapose humour with the violence and tragedy. I think I accomplished that, and perhaps that is why a generation or two later my films are still popular and in-demand while many of the mainstream movies I was up against at the time and, truth be known, I was quite envious of, are now forgotten.”’ — Callum Waddell

 

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Further

Jack Hill @ IMDb
Spider Baby Online Shop – Official Spider Baby Merchandise
‘Switchblades and Suffrage – The Femsploitation Films of Jack Hill’
‘Filmmaker Jack Hill on becoming a blaxploitation cult hero’
‘JACK HILL: KING OF EXPLOITATION’
Video: Watch Jack Hill’s ‘Mondo Keyhole’ @ Fandor
Jack Hill @ mubi
Book: ‘Jack Hill: The Exploitation and Blaxploitation Master, Film by Film’
‘Videophiled Cult: ‘Spider Baby’ and the B-movie delights of Jack Hill’
Jack Hill @ Horror Cult Films
‘On My Shelf: Pit Stop and Spider Baby
‘Pam Grier: Interview with the Accidental Action Heroine’
‘An Interview With Sid Haig’
‘Jack Hill: An Interview’
Podcast: ‘Naked Lunch Radio #8 – Director Jack Hill special’

 

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Jack Hill on …

Spider Baby

Coffy

Sorceress

Foxy Brown

Pit Stop

The Big Doll House

 

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Interview
from Film Monthly

 

Gary Schultz: I’m sitting here with Jack Hill the legendary cult film director considered to be the initiator of the women-in-prison genre of the seventies. As well, you helped to define the Blaxploitation genre and you discovered Pam Grier. But I guess at the center of it all you would be considered an independent filmmaker. Especially in the spirit of working on extremely low budgets with insanely short shooting schedules. Whew! That was a mouth full. How did you break into the film business?

Jack Hill: Well I went to UCLA to get my degree in music with the idea of learning to score films and that’s how I got into the cinema department. I had some experience with making films and editing them. I had some e
xperience with photography so I got into the cinema department and took a required writing course and basically I wanted to be a composer but the more I got into it the more my teachers got into it and encouraged me to go on. So I did a directing assignment that was a fifteen-minute film and then I did a student film which was a thirty-minute film called The Host. Students submitted scripts and each semester they would pick three that would be made into a twenty to thirty minute film. After that I got odd jobs writing, editing and doing photography. Then I got a job working for Roger Corman and started adding scenes to pictures that needed more running time and fixing things that didn’t quite work, shooting inserts and pick-ups. Various things.

GS: Not a bad way to start off.

JH: No, not all. Then I got a chance to do some more stuff. At about that time I met some people that wanted to finance a horror picture and they came across my script for Spider Baby and then I got to do it.

GS: That was your first feature directing?

JH: Yes.

GS: Many of your films have been said to define the so-called Blaxploitation genre? What were some of the difficulties or criticism you faced by working in this genre in the sixties and seventies especially coming off the climax of the civil rights movement?

JH: Well yeah, there weren’t that many difficulties…see it wasn’t called the Blaxploitation genre back then. They were just called black films. They had demonstrated that these pictures could make money and anytime that happens there’s people who want to hire people to do the work. The only comment that I can make about that whole genre is even though this was long after the civil rights movement there was still a lot of racism in the film industry. There weren’t many black people behind the camera and most of the black actors were just happy to be working because there were so few roles for them at that time. That’s why I’m very happy to have done Blaxploition films. It helped give black actors a chance to work, introduced black actors and black lifestyle into the mainstream film audience.

GS: How did audiences as opposed to critics receive your films back in the seventies?

JH: Oh they were both, Coffy and Foxy Brown major hits. Although often critics wouldn’t even go to see them. Critics just put it down; it’s a black movie. That’s another bit of racism. For example one reviewer referred to a role Pam Grier played in one of my films as being an unsympathetic black chick. Can you imagine somebody saying unsympathetic Jewish chick? I mean it was just an example of racism that people weren’t aware of. Actually it was unsympathetic black tart she was called. I mean nobody would say anything like that today.

GS: Out of all the many things I’ve read about you what always impresses me the most is how fast you shoot your films. I read that Spider Baby was shot in like twelve days. Foxy Brown was shot in seventeen days, one day ahead of schedule. Is there a method to this madness? Are you working with the same crew a lot?

JH: I never worked with the same crew twice actually. I never had that choice. Planning, Just careful planning. We didn’t run big overtime days like people normally do. We would run a ten to twelve-hour schedule. We would shoot very, very tight. With pictures like Foxy Brown I didn’t have a choice of an editor. Back then producers hated directors and they thought directors weren’t important. So I would shoot everything very tight and in way so that it could only be cut the way I wanted them to cut it. We had very little choices.

GS: What was it like starting your career off working with Francis Ford Coppola and Roger Corman?

JH: It was exciting. It was fun. There are always things going on when you’re shooting half dozen pictures a year. Roger would say, let’s make a movie about X, Y, Z and it would be in the theatre in four months. Roger was very, very good at getting the maximum out of very little means, which is something I learned from him. He was very good at making things look bigger than they really were and look like they had more to them.

GS: Filmmaking is cheating.

JH: Oh yeah definitely.

GS: You’re known as the man who discovered Pam Grier. She was in The Big Doll House and then you made Coffy and Foxy Brown. What did you see in Pam that made you realize her potential for being great in these films?

JH: She had what you really look for, authority and presence. She just had a natural stability to carry off a role. She stands out. I saw enough in her that I figured I would take a chance. It paid off.

GS: How has the positive endorsement of Quentin Tarantino affected your career?

JH: Well it’s been very helpful. Quentin is a very well known brand name and having his support has been very good. Over the last few years I’ve been writing new scripts doing the best work I’ve ever done. I’m not going back to what I used to do. That’s what got me out of the business in the first place. I didn’t want to make those kinds of pictures anymore and I was getting stereotyped. When you do something that is a success you are stereotyped into doing just that. People think that’s all you do.

GS: Cult movie fans although smaller audiences than the mainstream are so die hard and personal. Would you say that being revered as a cult director has helped or hurt the longevity of your career?

JH: Well for many years I didn’t have a career. Nobody knew my films and they were forgotten. Thanks to home video they have found an audience again. It’s always fascinating to see them find a new generation of audiences.

GS: I got to meet Sid Haig last August at the Chicago Comic Con. I was working with Artisan’s promotion department on their stink bomb of a movie House of the Dead doing zombie make up. On my lunch I got to meet Sid who was doing promo for the House of a 1000 Corpses. So we were in two different houses. Man, he was the most gentle, polite guy. I couldn’t believe he was the same guy playing all these degenerate characters all these years. Sid has appeared in nearly all of your films. How did you meet Sid and how had he found his way into so many of your pictures? Aside from the fact he kicks ass.

JH: Sid was in my student film The Host. A teacher of mine named Dorothy at the Pasadena Playhouse knew him. Sid was actually playing Othello.

GS: Sid playing Othello? I wonder if Rob Zombie knows about this?

JH: Anyway she called me up and said hey he’s really good. I met with Sid and I’ve been working with him ever since. Really I write parts for him.

GS: Are you guys still friends now?

JH: Oh yes.

GS: After Switchblade Sisters you made one other film under a different name and then you stopped making films. I heard you went on to write a novel or something.

JH: Yeah, I started working on a novel that was very ambitious and the more I worked on it the more ambitious it became. It turned into something that would have become a trilogy. And then stuff came up and I had to put it on the shelf because opportunities to do films came up. I had some stories I wanted to do that would only work on film. But I’m going to get back to it.

GS: I have read that you are looking to get into romantic comedies and break away from the whole mold that created Jack Hill the filmmaker.

JH: Well yeah, I’ve been there, done that. I have a romantic comedy that has found financing in England. And I have another script a friend of mine did that I did a rewrite on that’s been trying to find a home for twenty-five years and now it looks like it’s going to get m
ade.

GS: What are the titles of the features?

JH: The romantic comedy is called A Perfect Wife. And the other script is called Tangier, which is an action, adventure, comedy. It’s kind of a take on the Warner Brothers movies of the forties.

GS: Do you plan to direct these pictures?

JH: Well A Perfect Wife is a low budget film so I have no problem doing that. Tangier is probably going to be a twenty five million dollar picture. Unless I do another picture first nobody is going to hand me that kind of money. But I’ll be a co-producer on it.

GS: Any advice you can give to the up and coming generation of independent filmmakers?

JH: Pray for luck. My advice is forget it you don’t have a chance. If you can’t forget it and you won’t, then you have to give it one thousand percent. You have to make it your life. Spider Baby came together by shear luck. If it hadn’t been for that I don’t know if I would have done anything. If you keep playing you’ll come up with that number.

 

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12 of Jack Hill’s 19 films

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w/ Roger Corman, Monte Hellman, Jack Nicholson The Terror (1963)
‘Corman had the sketchiest outline of a story. I read it and begged him not to do it. He said “That’s alright Boris, I know what I’m going to do. I want you for two days on this.” I was in every shot, of course. Sometimes I was just walking through and then I would change my jacket and walk back. He nearly killed me on the last day. He had me in a tank of cold water for about two hours. After he got me in the can he suspended operations and went off and directed two or three operations to get the money, I suppose… [The sets] were so magnificent… As they were being pulled down around our ears, Roger was dashing around with me and a camera, two steps ahead of the wreckers. It was very funny.’ — Boris Karloff

the entirety

 

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Blood Bath (1966)
‘Blood Bath is one of the most cockeyed creations ever to emerge from the Roger Corman camp. The nearest I can figure, Corman hired Jack Hill to make the movie. Then Hill was fired and replaced by Stephanie Rothman; she was charged to shoot new footage, but also to incorporate footage from a Yugoslavian vampire movie. Apparently footage was also taken from a movie called Portrait in Terror (which may be the same Yugoslavian movie? I’m not sure.) The theatrical cut of Blood Bath runs just about 62 minutes; to make matters more confusing, someone cut in about 10 more minutes of outtakes and other stuff to pad the TV version. William Campbell stars as a painter named Sordi. He works in a bell tower and lures beautiful women to his studio, kills them, covers them in wax, and paints their pictures. He also believes he is the reincarnation of his ancestor, and that the beautiful Dorean (Lori Saunders, credited as “Linda”) is also a reincarnation. He may also be a vampire, for some reason.’ — Combustible Celluloid

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Mondo Keyhole (1966)
‘A deranged sociopath relishes his attacks on women, but are they only fantasy, real though they may seem? A debauched classic of the “roughie” genre, complete with S&M; fantasies. Jack Hill is the auteur of this production, so put down your demitasse coffee cup, fasten your seatbelt and expect the unexpected!’ — Fandor

Excerpt

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Spider Baby or, The Maddest Story Ever Told (1967)
‘Jack Hill’s SPIDER BABY is a sweetly perverse 60s exploitation concoction pitched somewhere between THE ADDAMS FAMILY and THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, but made before the latter franchise existed. This is one of the ultimate cult films. Once seen, it’s never forgotten, and the legion of movies that were influenced by SPIDER BABY have sadly all ended up more well-known than the should-be-iconic original. It’s the type of movie that begs for a marquee Blu-ray release to give it the attention denied for far too damn long. Thankfully, that’s what Arrow does best, and now it’s time for horror fans to dedicate a few hours to adoring appreciation of the disc, followed by some well-warranted dancing in the streets. For those unfamiliar, Hill’s flick opens up with one of those post-PSYCHO B-movie prologues discussing an odd psychological disorder that will be delightfully exploited for the next 80-odd minutes. In this case it’s the “Merrye Syndrome,” a bizarre disorder that causes youngsters to regress into childish psychosis once they hit puberty. Conveniently, all the remaining Merrye Syndrome sufferers are limited to one family who share the syndrome’s name. Former family servant Bruno (Lon Chaney Jr.) now looks over the three Merrye siblings, two girls Elizabeth (Beverly Washburn) and Virginia (Jill Banner) – who like to engage in murderous games of “spider” (unlucky visitors to the family home are the bugs) – and Ralph (Sid Haig), a massive man-baby with a taste for house cat flesh. They’re a creepy lot, and in accordance with classic horror movie convention are unexpectedly visited by two lost family members (Carol Ohmart and Quinn Redeker) as well as a lawyer (Karl Schanzer) and his secretary (Mary Mitchel) who hope to claim the family home as their own. They unwisely decide to stay in the overnight and as expected, the family reunion doesn’t go well.’ — Fangoria

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Pit Stop (1969)
‘Pit Stop is an amazingly well-executed movie by the inventive Jack Hill, revealing the independent writer/director in one of his best moments, running hard on virtually all cylinders in this fascinating study of the inhumanity of winner-take-all competition, set against a backdrop of automotive icons from the trailer-trash side of the street: stock cars, wrecking yards, racetracks, custom cars, drag racing, dune buggies, oval track racing… and craziest of all, figure-8 track racing. Originally released as The Winner — an incredibly ironic title, given the film’s anti-heroic stance — the decision to rename it Pit Stop also appears misleading, as there isn’t one pit stop in any of the races in the entire movie. But then, pit stop also means a short rest, a chance to get recharged, get your bearings, and then get back into the race. For the lead character, Rick Bowman (played by Dick Davalos), the time of the movie is a pit stop for him, as he takes a little time off in the move from his prior career of drag racer to his future job of oval track stock car racer. Trouble is, this is a Pit Stop on the Highway to Hell.’ — Culture Court

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the entirety

 

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The Big Doll House (1971)
‘I’ve been a huge fan of Director Jack Hill (Spider Baby) since I first saw Coffy (1973) 15 or so years ago. The Big Doll House was Jack’s first real big hit for Producer Roger Corman and this was the film that sparked off a resurgence of the Women In Prison Exploitation subgenre. The plots for most WIP films are relatively simple: A group of women are thrown in a foreign prison for different crimes (often for no solid reasons. The real thrill of these genre films werent so much the intricate storylines, but seeing all the ultra-horny sexy girls in the shower or watching them fight! The Big Doll House is full of Exploitation thrills including mudfights, food fights, S&M; torturings including snakes and much more. The explosive climax of the film goes into overdrive as the women plan a breakout and uncover who the mysterious person behind the S & M sessions really is. The film was shot in The Phillipines and was co-produced by Eddie Romero, who was a popular producer-director known for his Blood Island films which were made around the same time.’ — Quentin Tarantino

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Snake People (1971)
‘An evil scientist runs a veritable army of LSD-crazed zombies.’ — IMDb

the entirety

 

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The Big Bird Cage (1972)
‘In The Big Bird Cage, Pam Grier plays a woman named Blossom who, along with her boyfriend Django, knocks off a Filipino nightclub to finance a revolution (what the globals are revolting against we never find out), then breaks into a prison run by a sadistic warden where she frees the multi-ethnic female population in a spectacular, burn-it-all-to-hell escape. Grier’s indoctrination into the prison is memorable: on her first day in the outdoor mess tent, she tactfully asks her fellow inmates, “Which one of you dykes thinks she runs this place?” When one of them asks her who she is, she says, “My name is Blossom, but that don’t mean shit. All you have to know is that now I run this place. Any other questions?” A woman steps up and says, “Yeah. Where do you want to be buried…nigger?” Grier kicks her ass, then puts the period on the sentence: “And that’s Miss Nigger to you. Okay?” If this is up your proverbial alley then rest assured that the remainder of the film delivers on the same level. Critics have called this Roger Corman production a feminist movie, but it’s the kind of “feminist” movie where all the actresses wear cutoff hiphuggers and wet midriff shirts (when they’re not cavorting in the group shower). From the distance of twenty five years it’s also strange to look at what was considered correct in 1972: racism is bad, but faggot jokes are okay (the guards are all giggling sissies and would rather French kiss a cobra than mess with any of the inmates). Along with Grier and the lovely Anita Ford, The Big Bird Cage features another junkhead performance by long-suffering blaxploitation veteran Carol Speed and a wild turn by the great Sid Haig as the hippie adventurer Django.’ — George Pelecanos

Trailer

Q&A: Pam Grier, “The Big Bird Cage”

 

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Coffy (1973)
‘Good as Bird Cage is, it is in 1973’s Coffy where the Hill/Grier collaboration begins to hit its stride. Pam Grier stars in the title role of a woman seeking revenge on the drug dealers who got her little sister hooked on H. As the Roy “Ubiquity” Ayers soundtrack kicks in (“Coffy is the color of your skin/Coffy is the color of the world you live in….”) you know you’re about to witness a classic of 70’s blaxploitation. And the picture delivers like Karl Malone, coming at you with big fros and big bellbottoms, righteous violence, a pimp named King George (Robert DoQui), and several scenes of Grier in all her And-God-Created-Pam glory (watching this film gives a two-word answer to anyone who’s ever wondered why there’s a pause button on the house remote: Pam Grier). With Sid Haig as Omar.’ — George Pelecanos

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Foxy Brown (1974)
‘In Foxy Brown, the heroine’s boyfriend is exposed as an undercover government agent, and when the mob shoots him, Foxy gets a job at the syndicate’s most exclusive escort agency to take them down from the inside. The story takes a while to get ramped up, and the pacing’s a little slack, but there’s a good reason why Foxy Brown is generally (if wrongly) considered the 1970s Pam Grier film. Writer-director Jack Hill’s success as a drive-in movie-maker was largely due to how well he could work sex and violence into pictures without it coming across as overly sleazy. It’s not irrelevant to the popularity of Foxy Brown that Foxy dresses up as an expensive prostitute, seduces no-good louses, and then abuses and/or shoots them. But as handled by Hill, the sensationalistic elements seem both natural and marginal. Grier as Foxy would be fun to watch even if she kept her clothes on and her claws in.’ — The Dissolve

Trailer

Watch the film here

 

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The Swinging Cheerleaders (1974)
‘While Hill himself calls The Swinging Cheerleaders “a Disney sex comedy,” I doubt if Disney could have pulled it off. On the cynical side, it’s a skillfully blended montage of target-group-driven scenes. Jack himself calls it a “tissue of cliches”. We see a lot of firm flesh from young, nubile actresses. We see college football games (intercut with real footage — one of Jack’s big moneysaving moves — it’s just that he edits it in so well). There’s a token college “radical” who does grass and cocaine and turns out to be the story’s misogynist. Adults are dopes and worse: the football coach, the president of the alumni association, and a black prof (who’s screwing one of the cheerleaders in his office after class) are involved in fixing the football games and betting on the spread. We come to realize members of the football team are sensitive boys after all, and we all receive our demographic thumbs-up at the climax, when the cheerleaders and players — in full uniform — attack and overcome some evil campus cops who have kidnapped and likkered up the star quarterback so they’ll lose the last game.’ — Culture Court

TV spots

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Switchblade Sisters (1975)
‘Jack Hill’s drive-in cult classic Switchblade Sisters is really one of a kind in the world of Exploitation cinema. It was originally released under the title “The Jezebels” back in the 1970s, but after Writer-Director Quentin Tarantino bought the rights to the film and released it under his great Rolling Thunder Pictures label on DVD in the mid 90s, he changed it back to its original slashingly cool name. The film takes place in a sort of parallel universe. Hill actually envisioned the film to have a sort of a post Nixon era apocalyptic atmosphere. The acting in the film is really well done for a low budget drive in film and Jack Hill really does have a unique style as an Exploitation autuer. He also manages to combine elements from several Grindhouse subgenres into the film including: women in prison and blaxploitation films. If you go through his filmography you will pick up that Hill always injects his work with a certain level of intelligence and depth. They are definitely Grindhouse fare, but at the same time, much more. This is just one reason why I’m such a fan of his films. The cinematography was done by a young Tak Fujimoto, who later went on to do many great movies including Silence of The Lambs.’ — Quentin Tarantino

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Sorceress (1982)
‘Jack Hill’s Sorceress is one of the greatest movies featuring twins confused about their gender ever made. The central conceit of this brilliant tale is that two girls, kidnapped from their sorcerer father as babies are raised as boys, despite the fact that they are really, really sexy blonde chicks with big knockers. Their father Traigon, returns from the dead in search of his virgin daughters because their blood will give him all the powers of the masters of the universe or something like that. The girls, (boys?), surrogate parents are killed Owen and Beru style, and before long they notice a Dwarf and a really creepy faun spying on them and their murdered parents. The weird airport cult wizard that rescued them as infants appears just in time to not save the day and walk into a bonfire. Thus begins the quest of Mira and Mara, to, I don’t know, keep Traigon and his evil endeavors at bay. This film really underscores the classic battle between the giant snake faced lady in the sky and the cool Lion-Dragon in the sky. The cheapest special effects are used to no avail in order to emphasize the lack of relevance that anything in this story has. Some boobs pop up. The faun bleats. The dwarf has a belly laugh as one twin loses her virginity to a curly headed doofus and the other, (who feels what her sister feels), lay on the ground and writhes around in orgasmic ecstasy.’ — Book of Dread

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the entirety

 

 

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p.s. RIP James ‘Blood’ Ulmer. ** jay, Hi. Do you think that park would be as scary in person? I’m thinking … no? On the coast, gotcha. Or she and her family will surprise you with adoption papers? Thanks so much about ‘Flunker’. Yeah, I’m pretty okay with ‘Gold’. I worked on that for ages. I’m going to make your week the role model for my week. xo. ** Carsten, Yeah, I get why people find bars and especially dive bars romantic, and I used to really like and frequent hustler bars way back in the day, but not because I wanted to be around people drinking, of course. That place you went to almost sounds like a cafe, which makes its magnetism more understandable. No, we read the assigned texts on our own and then just talk about them in the Zoom club. I think most if not all of us prefer reading over listening. ** Bill, Thank you again. Yeah, I read that Spreepark was originally going to be rebuilt/restored but then they just gave up and mostly decimated it. Fools. That Artspace place sounds really cool. My next gig is seeing Stephen O’Malley and Kali Malone do music amidst an installation of Anthony McCall’s laser sculptures at IRCAM tomorrow. And I just bought tickets to see Chic! ** Adem Berbic, I think I might walk over to the cave today if it doesn’t start raining. A car certainly helps via exploring those places not to mention a good eye for active surveillance cameras and/or vicious guard dogs. ** Dominik, Hi!!! Email is a never ending leak. Bill looks, dare I say it, sort of embarrassing. I guess he always looked a little embarrassing, but it used to be a little cool and sexy too. Takakanonuma Greenland is a good pick. Me, I have to be predictable because I’ve talked about it so much, but I have to pick Pacific Ocean Park because I went there frequently as a kid and it’s kind of permanently fused with my dreams and imagination. Love wondering why every new store that has opened in his neighborhood in the past two years is a sports clothing store, G. ** scunnard, Hi, J! Good to see you. I’m fine. That’s funny, I too came across probably the same World of Sid and Marty Krofft thing in my feed to, but it was a day too late to stick in that post. I do know it ended up being CNN, thanks, I think, to that thing in my feed. New? Just winding up ‘RT’ screenings and getting ready to figure out how we’re going to make our new film. And wandering about. And you? What’s your recent life story? ** Larst, Thanks, got it! I might watch ‘Obsession’ tonight. Debating. Oh, okay. Everyone, Larst is also Laurence Livik, a superb writer and zine proprietor and other things, and he has a new book of poems just now out that I guarantee will feel like your destiny once you’ve read it, and here is where you can score it and read about it. So do that, folks. ** Sam F, That yellow brick road really photographs well. I hope it’s charismatic to the naked eye too. I don’t know about Garden of Monsters. Wow, how interesting. Obviously I’m going to go add online evidence of it my my knowledge. Thanks! Yeah, it was great to actually explore and begin to know and really like Baltimore as more than just where John Waters came from. Big day to you, sir. ** _Black_Acrylic, I don’t know Mr. Blobby’s single, but now I will. Yikes. I have middling expectations for ‘Obsession’ so hopefully I’ll find a way to find it agreeable. ** Alice, Hi! Well, yes, our conversation here inspired that post very obviously. So thank you for your big part in that. Paris also used to have an indoor amusement park called ‘Planet Magique’ in a big building near the Marais that is now the music/art venue Gaite Lyrique. Apparently the ruins of that park were extant for years, and my Paris friends tell me there used to be incredible indoor raves in there. Well, it’s nice that two structures from that China park survive although the context sounds pretty depressing. Plans this month? A bunch of different friends of mine are coincidentally visiting Paris around the same time later this month, so I’ll be hanging with them. Otherwise, just the usual stuff, I think. No travels in the works. Has it been almost a year? Crazy. Yes, that was lovely. ** laura w, Thanks. Yeah, Disneyland birthed a lot of parks all over the place. And Disneyland was birthed by my favorite amusement park in the world, Efteling in Holland. Walt Disney visited it and was blown away and used it as his role model. It is weird and inexplicable how few amusement parks there are around NYC. I suspect at least some of the French people who read this blog saw your Vuong-Louis comparison and said, ‘Ah, ha!’ Autofiction needs to take a multi-year nap asap. Or most of it. We’re still cool and wonderful here, but it’s supposed to scorch again next week. No! ** ⋆˚꩜｡darbbzz⋆˚꩜｡, Hey, bud! You made it! I did see ‘Backrooms’ and I liked it. The dialogue was sort of meh, but the rest was pretty terrific. Alice Cooper in the 70s from their first record ‘Pretties for You’ up through ‘Billion Dollar Babies’ are fantastic. What do you mean about where to start? You mean getting it or pieces of it published or … ? Enjoy Virginia. Never been there. It’s pretty in my mind’s eye. ‘Punching Flowers’ … I just did a quick search, and I couldn’t find it. ** Steeqhen, That yellow brick road park reopens once a year for a special event apparently. It’s in North Carolina, not California. ‘Fairyland’, I think that’s the film about my old friend the poet Steve Abbott? ** HaRpEr //, ‘The Death of Louis XIV’ is slow but very good. The House of Dreams … no. I don’t know it. Huh. Seems like I would. I’ll hunt down its information. I was really inspired by the ‘Our Gang’ comedies aka ‘The Little Rascals’ when I was a kid. They were always being really enterprising and starting theater companies and all kinds of wacky ventures. ** DonW, Hey. I should be here at least for your first Paris stint. Maybe the second too, I’m not sure. I’m in the 8th arr. near Place de Madeleine. The Pantheon and Le Marais are both good locales in which to ensconce yourself. Favorite album covers … huh, that is tempting. Happy day, dude. ** Uday, One could. I’m definitely not athletic, but I’m okay at sneaking around. Gorgeous O’Hara thing, obviously. Boy, he was good. I suppose Charli must be coming here. The distribution company that released ‘RT’ in France recently released some film by her or about her. Not the big one. We’re on the same horror page. ** Right. I thought some quality exploitation and a bit of horror was called for courtesy of today’s restored post. Prove me wrong? See you tomorrow.

 

 

Cement Land, St. Louis, Missouri (? – 2011)

‘Hidden along the river in St. Louis sits one of the most legendary abandoned places in Missouri Cement-land.

‘It was the vision of Bob Cassilly, the same creative mind behind the iconic City Museum. His plan was to turn this former cement factory into an industrial art park, a massive, interactive “theme park for adults” filled with sculptures, climbing structures, and surreal concrete landscapes. It would have been a spectacle for St. Louis.

‘But in 2011, Cassilly tragically died in a bulldozer accident on the property. His death sparked speculation and rumors, with some questioning the circumstances, though the truth we will never fully know.’ — Jacksmith_s

 

Mr Blobby & family at Crinkley Bottom Theme Park 1994

‘He attracted nearly 17 million television viewers at the height of his fame, and even had a number one hit, but today Mr Blobby’s empire is a mere shadow of what it once was. The Mr Blobby character shot to fame on Noel’s House Party in the early Nineties, and the Crinkley Bottom theme park, also known as Blobbyland, created in his honour, opened shortly after his hit single ‘Mr Blobby’ in 1993.

‘New images of what was the Mr Blobby theme park in Somerset show a depressing ruin covered in weeds and trashed after all-night raves. The ravers should have more respect for Mr Blobby. He was a hero to a lot of kids and the thought of them taking drugs and having all-night raves in his house is completely disrespectful. The park closed its doors in 1999, after the popular Saturday night television show Noel’s House Party on which Mr Blobby featured was axed by the BBC.

‘Noel’s House Party host Noel Edmonds licensed three Blobby-inspired theme parks at the peak of the chubby character’s popularity. The Crinkley Bottom theme park in Morecambe, Lancashire, closed just 13 weeks after it was opened in 1994, while another in Lowestoft was also closed after the character’s popularity faded.’ — collaged

 

Gulliver’s Kingdom, Kawaguchi-machi, Japan (2007 – 2011)

‘Gulliver’s Kingdom was a failed theme park located near Kawaguchi-machi, Yamanashi prefecture, Japan. The park opened in 1997 and typified the “bridge to nowhere” construction projects Japan’s government and banking sector championed in the 1990s.

‘Gulliver’s Kingdom was backed financially by the Niigata Chuo Bank, which later collapsed into a sea of red ink and toxic, non-performing loans. As it morphed into a so-called Zombie Bank, the Niigata Chuo Bank was ordered to clear its books of unprofitable assets, of which Gulliver’s Kingdom was one: they had lent the venture around $350 million. In October of 2001, the unpopular theme park shut its Brobdingnagian doors for the last time.

‘On the face of it, Gulliver’s Kingdom had a few things going for it. Its location, for one thing – nestled in Kamikuishiki village at the foot of Mount Fuji. About 25 million tourists descend upon Mount Fuji’s environs each year and as beautiful as it is, how long can one look at a dormant volcano?

‘But Mount Fuji has a dark side, most notably the Aokigahara area where seemingly oblivious project planners decided to build Gulliver’s Kingdom. Ranked sixth by the website Cracked.com on their list of The 6 Creepiest Places on Earth, Aokigahara is Japan’s “suicide forest” – said to be the second most popular suicide location after San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge.

‘Bad enough Gulliver’s Kingdom had a suicide forest as its neighbor, the park’s other neighbors were much, much worse. Kamikuishiki village is notorious for being the location of the Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult’s headquarters and nerve gas production facility. Remember Aum? They’re the cult who carried out Sarin gas attacks that killed 19 people, including 12 on the Tokyo subway. On March 22nd, 1995, the cult’s compound was stormed by over 1,000 police officers decked out in full-face gas masks.

‘Three years later (and one year after Gulliver’s Kingdom opened), residents living nearby were still being reminded of Aum Shinrikyo’s monstrous crimes. “I can still smell the chemicals sometimes when I take a walk in the morning,” said 69-year-old Norie Okamoto, who lives just 100 meters (330 ft) from one of the cult’s former Sarin production facilities. The exposure of Aum Shinrikyo was pretty much the straw that broke the back of Gulliver’s Kingdom, though there was really so much wrong with the park on so many levels one might say it was clearly doomed from the start.

‘Gulliver’s Kingdom wasn’t actually a Six Flags style park, by the way. The closest things to the usual amusement park rides and rollercoasters were a bobsled track and a luge course – not exactly ideal for the kiddies. Let’s not forget the immobile star of the show, a 45 meter (147.5 ft) long statue of Jonathan Swift’s epic character. Even the name of the park was a misnomer. If it’s Gulliver’s Kingdom, what’s the big guy doing securely pegged to the ground? No way to treat a king, now is it? Those are just some of the questions we’ll never know the answers to… and here’s one more: what’s inside the doors cut into Gulliver’s body??’ — Web Urbanist

 

Take a tour of The Land of Oz

‘At the top of a winding North Carolina mountain road is the entrance to Oz, a 1970s theme park abandoned less than 10 years after it opened. In the same way the Wizard of Oz created the Emerald City to wow his subjects, entrepreneur Grover Robbins dreamed up the Beech Mountain theme park as a way of attracting families – and money – to the resort town. Using local craftsmen and entertainers, Robbins and designer Jack Pentes built their grand interpretation of the popular 1939 film over 450 acres.

‘The park was designed originally to walk tourists through the story, starting with the farmhouse, where Aunt Em could be found in the kitchen. As the sound effects of a tornado began, tourists would be ushered into to the storm shelter with one of several Dorothys who worked at the park. A door in the cellar would then open on to a tilted version of the farmhouse, to recreate the storm damage, and a pair of striped stockings and ruby red slippers of the Wicked Witch of the East, would greet the visitors as they left the house.

‘The Yellow Brick Road wound its way through the park, leading tourists to a replica Emerald City. Dorothy’s house, the castle of the Wicked Witch of the West and the Munchkin village were all faithfully recreated. The men behind the project even set up a balloon ride made out of a ski lift, so that visitors would get a winged-monkey’s eye view of the park nestled in the mountains before they were whisked back to the real world.

‘The park opened on June 15, 1970 by Debbie Reynolds, accompanied by her then little-known daughter, Carrie Fisher. In its first summer 400,000 visitors came to the Land of Oz, according to Watauga Lake Magazine. Sadly, however, Robbins never lived to see his masterpiece, dying at the age of 50 of bone cancer only six months before the park opened in 1970. More tragedy was to beset the park, when a fire destroyed Emerald City and part of the museum collection, including dresses worn by Judy Garland in the movie.’ — collaged

 

Dogpatch USA, State Highway 7 between Harrison and Jasper, Arkansas (1967-1993)

‘Though long abandoned, Dogpatch USA was arguably the country’s most successful hillbilly-themed amusement park centered on a trout farm. In 1966, the Raney family trout farm in Marble Falls, Arkansas went up for sale. A company named Recreation Enterprises bought the land for an obvious reason: to turn it into a rustic theme park based on Al Capp’s hillbilly-themed Li’l Abner comic strip.

‘The hick motif was none-too-subtle: attractions included Barney Barnsmell’s Skunk-Works, Rotten Ralphie’s Rick-O-Shay Rifle Range, and a roller coaster called Earthquake McGoon’s Brain Rattler. Instead of garbage cans, the park had “trash eaters”—mechanical pigs, goats, and wild hogs that would suck refuse from the hands of whoever fed them. (“Please feed the trash eaters,” read the signs, “they gits hongry, too.”)

‘Among all these exciting spectacles was the star attraction: the trout pond. Visitors could catch as much fish as they liked and have it cleaned and packed in ice for a dollar per pound. If you didn’t want to lug your trout home, staff at the Dogpatch restaurant could even cook up your catch and serve it to you for dinner.

‘Despite all these delights, by the mid-1970s, the park was beginning to flounder. Rising interest rates, a national energy crisis, and the fading of hillbillies from pop culture all contributed to Dogpatch’s financial troubles. New rides with tenuous links to the park’s theme attempted to capitalize on trends—Li’l Abner’s Space Rocket ride promised “all the thrills and realism of an actual space shuttle and all the fantasy of Star Wars.” It delivered neither.

‘After being sold to new owners in 1981, and again in 1987, Dogpatch USA struggled on until 1993, when it closed for good. The park has since been left to ruin. A 2002 attempt to sell it on eBay for a million-dollar minimum bid drew no buyers.’ — Slate

 

“She died of leukemia”: Santa’s Village and Halloween, 1960

‘Yesterday I went to look at Santa’s Village Open house which is up for sale for asking price of $2.75 million. Monica was the broker in charge and made sure only serious potential buyers came on to the property. There was only my dad and me and five other people who showed up. We were shown into the second floor of the entrance building were alot of blue prints were. They were all Walt Disney era blue prints from the mid 1950s. The most interesting was an expension plan to add “Holiday Village” [likely a themed shopping center much like what Universal Studios today has Universal City] to the front of Santa’s Village and shift the parking over to the east of the park. She was nice to deal with and gave a little insight as well into the property and including issues involved.

‘Santa’s Village itself is about 90% intact with one collapsed building south of the good witch’s bakery and some missing rides. I could not find the christmas tree ride or the bob sled ride but they may have been moved. I know the carousel was sold and the area were the cars are we never got to because of too much ice. Same problem with the mirror fun house. It’s there but cut off from ice. The monorail which is the feature ride is remarkably great condition, almost no peeling paint. What did disturb me though was despite the buildings great condition on the outside, much of the interior’s were ravingly destroyed by gutting. I asked Monica why and she told me the kids or relatives of the family were trying to remodel it and get it open again but gave up. I hope to save this great piece of history and make it more magical and wondrous then ever before but I will need help and support to make my ambition come to fruition.

‘I want to open it again but it won’t happen without some considerable help. I need investors and people who will help support my creative cause and ambitions to get this place open again. I want to make it infact better than before utilizing the full 189 acres of land and not just the fifteen acers it originally utilized. I also want to have a year round massive led light display that will dazzle millions of people who flock to see it year round and I will have all the original rides plus addtional rides that are both great for kids and adults. It would have shipping, lodging, time shares, ice skating, entertainment and the world’s largest art park featuring my giant recycled robots. It will have new and ever expanded added attractions each year so people will always have something to look forward to year after year and they will not ever know what to expect in the way new and exciting things.’ — hamblin1325

 

Ghost Town in the Sky, Maggie Valley, North Carolina (1960 – 2002)

‘Despite a recent attempt to reopen it, Ghost Town in the Sky—an allegedly cursed amusement park in North Carolina—has recently been put on the market for $5.95 million, The Charlotte Observer reports.

‘The 250-acre Wild West-themed attraction, which opened in 1961, sits atop Maggie Valley’s Buck Mountain near Asheville, North Carolina. Perched at a 4600-foot elevation, it can only be reached by a chairlift, an incline car, or a really long hike.

‘Valerie and Spencer Oberle have been working to buy the park, renovate it, and reopen it, but have faced several setbacks along the way, including serious financing issues. Valerie Oberle told The Charlotte Observer that although their offer has expired, they haven’t abandoned their hopes of resurrecting the abandoned mountaintop attraction. It’s difficult, she said, since “the property continues to deteriorate as the owner has not taken any measures to preserve,” but the couple is still trying to raise funds to purchase the park. In the meantime, the park is still up for grabs.

‘Ghost Town in the Sky gained its cursed reputation for a few different reasons. In 2002, a mechanical malfunction trapped tourists in the chairlift for hours, and in 2010, a catastrophic mudslide blocked the only road to the park. But perhaps the most unsettling event occurred in 2013: A cowboy, in the middle of staging a routine (pretend) gunfight, was shot and wounded with an actual bullet. We don’t know how or why the gun was loaded, but the incident seems a little Westworld-ian.’ — Mental Floss

 

Takakanonuma Greenland: Scary and Abandoned

‘In Japan’s Fukushima Prefecture, there is an abandoned amusement park known as Takakanonuma Greenland. It sits in the outskirts of Hobara, a section of the Japanese city of Date. Very little is known about this park, and its exact location is largely unknown. You can’t find it on any Japanese map, as it simply isn’t there. Supposedly, its coordinates are 37°49’02.16″N 140°33’05.78″E, but if they are put into Google Maps, the search will be directed to the center of Hobara. This is inaccurate, since the park is hidden in a mountainous, rural area.

‘The only major information known about Takakanonuma Greenland is that it opened in 1973, and closed two years later. Some claim that this was due to poor ticket sales and needed renovations, but locals say that it was because of a significant amount of deaths on the rides. Miraculously, the park reopened in 1986, but struggled to remain open due to increased competition from bigger parks such as Tokyo Disneyland, as well as financial trouble. Finally, in 1999, Takakanonuma Greenland closed for good.

‘Following its closure, the amusement park was left to rot. Photographs from urban explorers who have infiltrated the area show a massive amount of decay. The ferris wheel and the roller coaster are covered in rust, the entrance is covered in graffiti, and the premises are being reclaimed by plants. The most notable feature of the park is the dense fog that always looms over it, giving off a Silent Hill feel. Like the information about the area, there is very little photography and video of it.

‘Allegedly, Takakanonuma Greenland was demolished in 2006, and now sits as an empty lot. However, in 2007, a citizen of the United Kingdom named Bill Edwards claimed to have visited an untouched, completely intact park. Supposedly, he took numerous pictures that were identical to those taken before the park’s supposed demolition, showing the same rusty, forgotten rides. However, according rumor, when uploading these photos, only one appeared on his computer. This picture shows the entrance to the park on a foggy night, illuminated by the flash from the camera. In the center of this picture, you can barely make out the figure of what looks like a six year old girl in a white dress. She appears to be staring at the photographer with a serious, indifferent face.

‘The girl has never been identified, and the whereabouts of Bill Edwards are currently unknown…’ — Creepy Pasta

 

Mirapolis, Paris (1987 – 1990)

‘A theme park that was created to rival Disneyland Paris is now a particularly eerie and creepy site in northern France. Mirapolis was once dubbed “France’s first large amusement park,” but now sits completely abandoned.

The park was located just an hour from Disneyland Paris and aimed to bring French literature to life when it opened in 1987. But within just four years, the ambitious project became one of the country’s most infamous failures.

‘The park was the brainchild of architect Anne Fourcade and was envisioned as a cultural counterpoint to Disneyland, blending classical literature and entertainment. Backed by a Saudi businessman, Ghaith Pharaon, Mirapolis cost $600 million to build at the time – equivalent to £1.3 billion today if we take inflation into account.

‘Even the then-Prime Minister of France Jacques Chirac attended the grand opening and inaugurated its 29 attractions. Despite its promise, Mirapolis faced trouble from the start. Persistent rain plagued its first season, and its outdoor attractions had to be cancelled often.

‘With all of that, the park’s closure in 1991 was seemingly inevitable. Poor market research and overly optimistic financial forecasts meant it never turned a profit.’ — Kris Boratyn

 

Spreepark, Berlin, (1969 – 2002)

‘The Spreepark in Southeastern Berlin has been abandoned for the last 10 years, and it looks like it. Each part of the park is scattered with remnants from the previous three decades, making a hodgepodge of bizarre entertainment, children’s rides, and life-size dinosaur statues.

‘Originally constructed by the communist government in East Germany in 1969 as the VEB Kulturpark Plänterwald, the “Kulti” stood until the fall of the Berlin Wall 20 years later. It thrived throughout the communist era with 1.7 million visitors annually.

‘The controversial amusement park operator Norbert Witte took it over in 1991, renaming the park “Spreepark.” He replaced the primarily asphalted surface with a grass and water landscape and installed a number of rides which he bought from the insolvency of the Mirapolis amusement park near Paris and moved to Berlin. Witte changed the scenery multiple times, even adding an English village. Unbeknownst to police and Berliners, Witte had also become involved in smuggling cocaine, concealing it in pieces of ride equipment shipped between Peru and Germany during his time as park administrator.

‘Due partly to his criminal activities and due partly to lackluster visitor numbers, Spreepark was shut down to the public in 2002, and Witte was tried on smuggling charges two years later.

‘The result of this shutdown was the amusement park which has slowly fallen into dereliction and has been taken over by nature. The whole park was featured in the film “Hanna,” and the main sites are prominent in the film’s climax.

‘A number of features were destroyed in a fire in 2014 which was caused by arson., following which security was strengthened with a new perimeter fence and permanent security personnel and dogs. In 2016 the site was taken over by the company Grün Berlin GmbH, owned by the City of Berlin, with the objective of transforming the site into a location for arts and culture. Plans were proposed in late 2018 and are being considered for implementation in several years.

‘As of May 2019, many of the previous attractions of the park have been removed. However, the Ferris wheel and the “Fresswürfel” restaurant from the “Kulti” period remain, as do the “Spreeblitz” rollercoaster, the “Cinema 2000,” the facade of the English village, the cup carousel, and the artificial rock of the “Grand Canyon” wild water ride from Norbert Witte’s Spreepark period.’ — Atlas Obscura

 

Camelot Theme Park official Promotion Video 1989

‘Camelot Theme Park, located near Charnock Richard (about 3 miles from Chorley in Lancashire, UK) was a theme park inspired by the Medieval legend of Camelot. Opening its gates in 1983, Camelot Theme Park’s rides and attractions were aimed towards children and families, and the Park was a popular draw for school trips (including my own). Gradually, over the years, thrill rides and roller coasters were added to the mix.

‘At its height in 1995, Camelot attracted 500,000 visitors seasonally. However, in 2005 this had declined to just below 340,000. The Park went into receivership in early 2009 (during the off season), but eventually opened for business in May of that year. By this point, the Park was receiving mixed reviews, with cleanliness and general maintenance cited as lacking in some areas. It’s also fair to say that the Park was not a patch on Alton Towers in terms of thrills, and Gulliver’s World in Warrington was also a draw for families and children. In 2006, Camelot came joint bottom in a poll conducted around healthy food at UK visitor attractions, scoring one point.

‘Faced with dwindling attendance, Camelot announced that it would close after the 2012 season. The Management cited the Olympic games, Her Majesty’s Jubilee and poor summers as the reason for closure. The owners of this closed theme-park wasted no time in dismantling the attractions and selling off rides to the highest bidder. They are considering other uses for the area, and the site will most likely become a housing development if plans go forward. However, their plans to redevelop the former Camelot theme park site into a 420-home housing estate have been described as ‘disastrous’.’ — collaged

 

Shidaka’s Utopia, Beppu, Kyushu, Japan (1970s – 1994)

We found an amusement park in Kyushu–Japan’s largest southern island–from some grainy satellite photos. It opened in the early 80s and lasted just over ten years before it was abandoned in 1991. Most Japanese people say that Kyushu lags 20 years behind the rest of the country, and although it felt Japan’s economic situation with the same heinous consequences as the rest of the country, it hasn’t seen nearly as much recovery.

Matching the satellite pictures to maps of Beppu’s mountainous hinterland, we eventually found an entrance, preceded by cracked pavement and dead clumps of weed. The sober, predictably ironic, Japanese sign said “Shidaka’s Utopia.”

From the entrance you can see a field of deserted amusement attractions. The first attraction we went to, the roller-skating rink, still had all the skates. It was like everyone went home after work one day, and just didn’t come back. Which, I guess, is pretty much what happened.

The water in the boating pond looked pretty grim, and outgrown and ragged shrubs and weeds surrounded it. The helter-skelter looked like something from Return to Oz.

We found a house of horrors on the other side of the pond. With only a totally pointless phone-light and our camera flash to guide us, we wandered through the dark tunnel. The decay had taken its toll on the robotics. One character on the ride had been based on a traditional Japanese folk tale about a cat ghost, but the cables and pistons that once gave it life had torn its face out. Probably adding to the effect.

There were quite a lot of monsters and disassembled robo-beasts on our way out. It was all quite impressive; it made me think of The Killing Joke where the Joker takes over an abandoned theme park–with scary/rapey results.

Slightly out of the way was an enormous Ryokan hotel for the families that couldn’t cram all this J-amusement into a single day. Some windows were broken, but from the outside it looked like it was more a victim of neglect than abuse.’ — Vice

 

A Collection of Bits of Videos About Heritage USA

‘In 1986, Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker’s Heritage USA was the third most-visited amusement park in the US, behind only Disney World and Disneyland. Much of the park, the area of which once comprised 2,300 acres (9.3 km2; 3.6 sq mi), was built by noted church builder Roe Messner, who later married Tammy Faye Bakker after Tammy’s divorce from Jim Bakker. Now the park that once entertained millions of guests is falling to pieces, and looks more like the scene from a post-apocalyptic movie than a place for family fun.

‘The facilities included the 501-room Heritage Grand Hotel, Main Street USA, an indoor shopping complex, the Heritage Village Church, a 400-unit campground, The Jerusalem Amphitheater, conference facilities, a skating rink, prayer and counseling services, full cable TV network production studios, Bible and evangelism school, visitor retreat housing, staff and volunteer housing, timeshares and the Heritage Island water park and recreational facilities.

‘In the midst of Heritage USA’s high point, when it earned $126 million per year, the IRS revoked its tax exemption. Soon after Bakker’s federal indictment and public condemnation over his sexual affair, attendance dropped at Heritage. Falwell argued that “PTL’s Heritage USA complex in Fort Mill was competing unfairly against tax-paying tourist attractions, and that the tax-exempt ministry should be separated from the running of hotels and amusement parks.” Under Falwell’s leadership, Heritage USA sought chapter 11 bankruptcy protection with debts estimated at $72 million. The 165,000 people who gave $1,000 to Jim Bakker’s planned Heritage USA hotel tower in return for promised four-day vacation stays received $6.54 each.

‘Heritage USA opened in Fort Mill, SC, in 1978, and by the mid-eighties drew in six million visitors each year. The park was perhaps best-known for “Jerry’s Slide,” a 163-foot water slide that Falwell slid down in his suit, resulting in one of the most famous photographs of the televangelist. But those water slides and fairy tale castle were, in part, responsible for Falwell’s downfall. After scandals regarding Falwell’s fundraising efforts to build the park’s never-completed hotel and the IRS’s revocation of its tax-exempt status, Heritage USA was hit by another, more physical blow. Hurricane Hugo wreaked havoc on the park’s buildings in 1989, and Heritage closed for good shortly afterward.’ — collaged

 

Joyland, Wichita, Kansas (1949 – 2004)

‘Lester Ottaway opened the 40-acre park in 1949 during the beginning of the post-war economic boom as the aircraft industry in Wichita took off and the city’s population was rapidly growing. A total of 1,200 cars filled the parking lot on the day the mayor cut the ribbon on the roller coaster.

‘Evenings at the park were especially memorable in the days before television and air conditioning were commonplace. The park’s Easter celebration, started in 1949, continued every year until it closed in 2006, and in 1959, it included 1,000 free carnations for the first 1,000 women in addition to eggs for the children.

‘The first year the park opened, Margaret Heinzman, 15, was fired from her job selling ice cream because, she was told, her presence caused too many boys to linger near the ice cream wagon. Two years later, Heinzman met Stanley Nelson, a veteran who wore a suit and tie to his park job every day. They married that same year. The Nelsons took over the park in the 1970s and ran it until 2000.

‘The park won an award for its “Moonlight Swim” promotions, and later, Eagle reporters would wax poetically about the events when they brought their own children a generation later.

‘In the 1960s, before the animal rights movement became what it is today, an 8-month-old lion bit a caretaker at the park and three deer escaped, two of which died. In 1964, the park was sued for $400 when a girl smashed her teeth into the steering wheel of a bumper car, back before seat belts became mandatory for theme park rides.

‘In the late 1960s, the park added a skating rink with “bright colors” and “decorative lighting.” By the time the 1970s were in full swing, it had built The Wacky Shack, a ghost ride that featured “illusion effects” and “psychedelic lighting tricks.”

‘The park always brought in tours to keep its act fresh. In the 1950s, it brought in a 100-foot Ferris wheel, the largest portable wheel available. In the 1970s, it featured a large country music lineup at the Wichita State Fair, an event the owners hoped would be on par with but not detract from the fair. The Nelsons, who bought the park in the 1970s, brought in the “father of Jesus Rock” in 1978 to perform at a two-day festival that included free camping.

‘Just as nostalgia for the park rose, so did complaints about the long lines and younger generation. Allen Hardy, who said he served over a million Sno-cones at the park between 1950 and 1980, said the patrons “don’t dress like they used to. They seem sloppier than they used to be. So are their manners. But I guess old folks have been saying that the younger generation is going to hell for the last 3,000 years.”

‘1977 saw the first of three major tragedies resulting in death at the park. That year, a 7-year-old boy, Monty Stovall, fell from the roller coaster near the end of the ride and died. He had been taken to the park by his grandmother for a school event and was reportedly standing up in the rear car.

‘In the early 1980s, just as the U.S. prison population was starting to rise, two young men were convicted of stabbing to death a park employee in the parking lot. They had apparently sneaked into the park and were provoking several employees before they ended up finding one to fight.

‘The Eagle said that Dwight Sayles, one of the accused, appeared in court in his bare feet. Sayles received nearly as long a sentence (three to 10 years) for stealing a lighter and some tokens a few hours before the stabbing as he did for the stabbing itself (five to 20 years for voluntary manslaughter). Sayles, 21, trembled when he pleaded guilty before the judge.

‘Then, in 1998, Kevin Briley, a maintenance worker, was killed when he was hit by the roller coaster as he cut weeds underneath it, not hearing the ride coming. The following year, Kansas lawmakers considered requiring state inspections for amusement park rides. But they ultimately decided to just require them to buy insurance. It wasn’t until a state lawmaker’s son died in 2016 on a water park ride that the Legislature passed a law requiring state inspections.

‘In 2004, 13-year-old Elizabeth Schmitz fell 30 feet from the Ferris wheel and hit another seat on the way down. Although she didn’t die, the owner of the park at the time, David Rohr, got into a dispute with the insurance company. Rohr was already being sued for missing payments on the park that he had just purchased the year before.

‘By 1974, it was getting too expensive “to build the bigger and more thrilling rides,” said Joyland owner Stan Nelson. “If you wanted to build a coaster today, it would probably cost about $500,000. Timber is real tough to get, especially the size you need.”

‘By 1981, Stan Nelson was resigned to playing the role of second fiddle to the larger parks: “Joyland doesn’t pretend to be the park to end all parks,” Nelson said. “It’s simply a hometown recreational facility that draws from a radius of about 100 miles.” Joyland continued to make money. According to court documents, around the time when the park closed in 2004, it was grossing around $1.75 million per year.

‘As Joyland struggled, the potential profits and trend toward theme parks encouraged local businessman Thomas Etheredge to develop a $24 million Wild West World north of the city. But in 2007, when it failed just two months after opening, neither Wild West World nor Joyland would ever find investors willing to buy into a Wichita amusement park again.

‘In 2008, paintballers sprayed the Joyland park, weeds had grown into the cracks and “wind whistled through buildings with no windows and through the ghostly skeleton of the roller coaster, now silent.” In 2009, the opera house burned down, and in 2010, Stanley Nelson died.’ — The Wichita Eagle

 

Splendid China, 1996

‘Florida Splendid China, a $100 Million theme park which opened in 1993 on 76 acres just West of the main entrance to Walt Disney World, brought to visitors the beauty and landmarks of China in miniature form. Accurate scale models of some of that China’s most interesting architectural and cultural sites, peopled with a motionless ceramic population, were scattered along the park’s curving and well landscaped (if not particularly shady) paths. The miniatures included replicas of The Great Wall of China (this version was half of a mile long and built brick by brick), The Terra Cotta Warriors of Xi’an, The Leshan Grand Buddha Statue (in 1/8th scale), The Forbidden City (including a miniature Emperor’s wedding procession), Potala Palace (the spiritual center of Tibet and traditional seat of the Dalai Lama) and more than 50 others representing the diversity of cultures within the region.

‘Florida Splendid China had no rides, no bright lights, and no frenetic action and flashy stunts like you find at the other theme parks in the area. It was designed for relaxation and contemplation of the beauties of the Orient. On the surface, the park was serenity itself — but in the background, if you listened, you could hear the sounds of protest… Florida Splendid China presented a peaceful picture of China as it had once been — the temples populated by quaint, colorful monks, no troops stationed in Tibet, and no tanks in Tiananmen Square. Protestors charged that Florida Splendid China was a tool for propaganda rather than entertainment, and they often staged demonstrations outside the park, and also worked to end school field trip visits.

‘The park’s critics charged that depictions of Tibet’s Potala Palace, Mongolian Yurts, and other landmarks from other cultures as being within China were attempts to legitimize Chinese Communist occupation of formerly independent areas, that the multiplicity of religious sites gave a false impression of religious and cultural tolerance within China when those religions were being oppressed, and that the park was actually owned and operated by the Chinese Government through China Travel Services and was in violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Park officials denied that there was any political purpose to Florida Splendid China. The vice president of China Travel Service told The Orlando Sentinel: “We’re a theme park. Nothing more.”

‘Americans never embraced Florida Splendid China. Unlike its sister park in China, Shenzhen Splendid China, which has been a major success with thousands of visitors each day, the Florida park was rarely crowded. It seemed to have been built for a much greater volume of guests; several restaurants built within the park remained empty and closed. In 2002 the Orlando Business Journal called Florida Splendid China “the theme park equivalent of a ghost town.” On December 30, 2003, the following appeared on the park’s website: “FLASH!!! Florida Splendid China Theme Park will discontinue operations in Central Florida as of the close of business on December 31, 2003.”‘ — collaged

 

Pacific Ocean Park, Santa Monica, California (1958 – 1967)

‘Purchased in 1956 by CBS and Los Angeles Turf Club, Ocean Park Pier underwent two years of renovations before re-opening as the beloved sea-themed Pacific Ocean Park.

‘When CBS and Los Angeles Turf Club first acquired the Pier’s lease, they proposed a $10 million investment in a nautical-themed park that would compete with Disneyland. In order to make this happen, they hired top-notch amusement park designers and renowned Hollywood special effects artists. New, innovative attractions were created for the Park by over 80 people, who worked on the project for more than a year.

‘Since competing with Disney was an expensive venture, POP owners decided to use a Disney-inspired strategy, procuring corporate sponsors to split some of the exhibit costs. Additionally, they opted to repair and refurbish existing structures and integrate old attractions into the new design. Some of these historic attractions featured at POP included the merry-go-round, fun house, and roller coaster.

‘When it opened, Pacific Ocean Park was ornately decorated with sea-green and white art. The entrance featured fountains, sculptures, and more, and the ticket booth was nestled under a six-legged starfish canopy lined with bubbles and sea horses.

‘When it finally opened to the public on Saturday, July 28, 1958, POP drew a crowd of nearly 20,000 people and dozens of Hollywood celebrities. The second day saw nearly double the attendance with 37,262 guests—enough to cause significant traffic jams in the area. Famously, POP outperformed Disneyland in visitor numbers during its first week.

‘Entering the Park was a spectacle in its own right. Visitors entered the Park through Neptune’s Kingdom, descending a submarine elevator to the oceanic corridors below and emerging at a large sea tank display with sharks and other fish. Visitors could see a massive diorama that featured some of the other local sea life, like artificial turtles, manta rays, and sharks glided by over coral reefs and hanging seaweed.

‘Getting into the Park cost ninety cents for adults, with a slightly discounted rate for children. The fee included access to Neptune’s Kingdom, the Sea Circus, and the Westinghouse Enchanted Forest exhibit, but rides and other attractions needed extra tickets. Eventually, the Park shifted its admissions and ride fee structure, which some believe was the beginning of POP’s decline.

‘The Westinghouse Enchanted Forest and Nautilus Submarine Exhibit were major draws for the Park, even including a 150-foot model of the atomic reactor section of a former submarine. The Sea Circus, which featured dolphin and sea lion shows, was another popular attraction, and the auditorium was home to major rock shows including Ritchie Valens, Sam Cooke, The Beach Boys, and Pink Floyd. There were also two dining and shopping areas for visitors to enjoy meals and hunt for souvenirs.

‘As for rides, POP had a roller coaster, two Ferris wheels, and an artistic carousel, as well as popular attractions like the Flying Dutchman and Deepest Deep, where riders took a fake submarine ride with mermaids and other sea life. Like many amusement parks, simple carnival rides like bumper cars, and a tilt-a-whirl also provided hours of fun to visitors.

‘POP’s popularity lasted about a decade before its closing in 1967. The Park’s second season was worse than the first, and the owners closed it for winter, later selling the property for $10,000,000.

‘The sixties saw rides left in disrepair and a decline in the safety of the surrounding neighborhood. A change in ticket sales to one general admission price without separate ride tickets also contributed to financial trouble. Even bringing in money up front, there were high overhead costs which caused maintenance to fall by the wayside.

‘After changes in ownership and management, POP had a successful 1964 season. However, the city of Santa Monica began its Ocean Park urban renewal project soon after, which led to construction and demolitions near the Pier. The spate of street closures near the Park that resulted from this initiative eventually put POP in dire financial straits.

‘By 1967, POP’s creditors acted on several months of non-payments, forcing it into involuntary bankruptcy. The Park closed on October 6, 1967. Like many iterations of the Pier before it, Pacific Ocean Park later suffered a fire, leaving much of the Park in ashes.’ — pac park.com

 

Loudoun Castle Theme Park Scotland 2009

‘Loudoun Castle Theme Park, near Galston in East Ayrshire, has shut its doors for good with the loss of 11 permanent and 160 seasonal jobs after its managing director said it was “no longer economically viable”. The theme park, which opened in 1995, featured 25 rides, a farm area and daily live shows. Dutchman Henk Bembom took control of it seven years ago. The combination of bad weather, increased VAT and the imminent opening of new publicly-funded visitor attractions, including the £21million Burns Centre and the £85million transport museum in Glasgow, which will be free of charge, has created a situation where Loudoun Castle Theme Park is no longer economically viable.

‘”Attendance peaked in 1997 at 225,000 but dropped down to 110,000 by 2003,” said Benbom. “I always hoped to achieve numbers back up around 175,0000. It wouldn’t make a huge profit, but it would be sustainable. From the start, we did invest quite a bit of money in new rides. In 2007 we introduced the Barnstormer, an S&S; tower ride, and visitor numbers were on track to surpass our targets for the year, but then disaster struck [Note: A park employee was killed on one of the park’s rollercoasters. The company was cleared of all health and safety charges in 2009]. After that tragedy we ended the season around 155,000 and have never really got above that figure since.”

‘Investment, consulting and project management company Vicon wants to redevelop the castle itself as the “centrepiece” of a development that proposes “a world-class championship-standard 18-hole golf course, clubhouse and educational golf academy, new whisky distillery, homes, retail and a food and drink centre of excellence”. The development would be powered by “clean renewable energy”, with a renewable energy plan being proposed for the site.’ — collaged

 

The American Adventure Theme Park, Derbyshire, UK (1987 – 2007)

‘The American Adventure was a theme park in Derbyshire, England, quite close to both Nottingham and Derby on the edge of Ilkeston. The park for many years had a number of large white-knuckle attractions, but in 2005 was re-themed as a ‘family’ park aimed at the under-14 market. In January 2007 the owners announced that it would not reopen for the new season, and the rides would be sold off.

‘The American Adventure, built on an area of Country Park which had been subject to deep seam and opencast coal mining, was originally opened in June 1987 with an Old West and Cowboys vs. Native Americans theme. A theme park called Britannia Park had been opened on the site in 1985 but closed after just 10 weeks, insolvent, and its founder Peter Kellard was later imprisoned for fraud.[1] Derbyshire County Council purchased the site in 1986 and sold it to Granada, who in June 1987 opened the American Adventure, heralded as Britain’s Major New Theme Park. Initial attractions at the American Adventure included the two-drop log flume, the runaway mine train, the Buffalo Stampede roller coaster, a pirate ship, and a ferris wheel.

‘1989 saw the opening of the Missile roller coaster, a Vekoma Boomerang coaster which was at the time voted the number one roller coaster in the UK. Shortly before this there was the Canadian themed addition of the Rocky Mountain Rapids. In the same year, the Assault Course round in the junior version of The Krypton Factor (known as Young Krypton) was filmed. In 1993 the log-flume was extended to have a third drop and was renamed from “Cherokee Falls” to “Nightmare Niagara”. The extra drop made it the tallest log-flume in the UK throughout its operational life (this record has now reverted back to Loggers Leap at Thorpe Park as this ride used to hold the record before the new drop was added). In 1995 the Iron Wolf roller coaster (now located in a Polish theme park and known as the tic tac tornado) was installed, which broke away from the American theming of the park and was instead themed around the ITV gameshow Gladiators.

‘From 1996 onwards the park began to decline, and in 1997 Granada sold it to a company called Ventureworld which was headed by John Broome, a former Alton Towers developer. During the reign of Broome as owner of the park the only noticeable change was the addition of minor or upcharge attractions, and the slow decline of many of the park’s attractions.’ — travelshorts

 

Enchanted Forest, Ellicott City, Maryland

‘The Enchanted Forest officially opened on August 15, 1955, following a preview party the afternoon before — one month after Disneyland Park’s opening. Appealing mostly to families with small children, the park had a nursery rhyme theme. The park featured fairy tale buildings and characters, but no mechanical rides originally. Track rides were added later, including the Alice in Wonderland ride with teacup-shaped cars, a Cinderella’s castle ride with mice for the cars, the “Little Toot” boat that took children to Mount Vesuvius for giant slides, and the Jungleland Safari which was driven by open Land Rover-type vehicles. Unlike many other attractions of the time, the Enchanted Forest was integrated from the day it opened.

‘Admission was one dollar for adults and fifty cents for children. At opening, the park was 20 acres (81,000 m2), but it later expanded to 52 acres (210,000 m2). At the height of its popularity, the Enchanted Forest welcomed 300,000 children per summer season. the park closed for the first time in 1989. After turning more than half the land (primarily the parking lots) into the Safeway-anchored Enchanted Forest Shopping Center in 1992, JHP Development reopened the park for the 1994 summer season, predominantly for children’s birthday parties. The park was permanently shuttered in 1995. Part of the John Waters movie Cry-Baby, released in April 1990 and starring Johnny Depp and Ricki Lake, took place in the Enchanted Forest. It also appears in the horror movie Fear Of Clowns.’ — collaged

 

Chippewa Lake Park, Chippewa Lake, Ohio (1878 – 1978)

‘Chippewa Lake Park is an abandoned theme park once located in Chippewa Lake, Ohio, Medina County. It operated from 1878 through 1978, after the final owner, Continental Business Enterprises closed it due to lack of attendance. After the park’s closure, its rides and structures were left largely untouched and unmaintained for over 35 years.

‘In 1875, Edward Andrews organized a picnic ground and beach under the name Andrew’s Pleasure Grounds. The park operated with some success, but its condition deteriorated. With the addition of a steam boat and the park’s first rollercoaster, the amusement park was brought to life. The initial roller coaster had to be manually pushed up the track following each ride.

‘Mac Beach acquired Chippewa Lake in 1898 and improved the park immensely. He also placed a ban on liquor sales. Mac’s son, Parker Beach, managed the park during its boom years: The Roaring ’20s. During that decade, the first modern coaster was built at the park, designed by Fred Pearce. Originally named the Big Dipper, it became better known as simply ‘the coaster’. The park also featured a live band-stand seven nights a week. The park opened the wooden roller coaster in 1925. The coaster was a fairly small roller coaster, estimated to be about 50 Feet high. The coaster operated until the park closed in 1978. The coaster stood abandoned for over 30 years until it was demolished in 2010. The Beach family kept the park running successfully into the 1960s. Eventually, Chippewa Lake would feature three roller coasters, flying cages, a Ferris wheel, carousel, Tumble Bug, ballroom, and many other rides.

‘Chippewa Lake was acquired by Continental Business Enterprises in 1969, and the company developed plans to transform the park into more of a summer resort; these plans, however, drew very little public interest and funding and most of the plans were scrapped. The park would later close in 1978 – which was the park’s centennial season – under the company’s ownership, owing to factors like competition from nearby Cedar Point and the now defunct Geauga Lake amusement parks, as well as the decline of steel and rubber production in the surrounding areas. It was largely unknown to the public that the park’s 100th season would be its last; the park closed rather secretly without any big media coverage or massive public outcry. When the park shut down, former owner Parker Beach made a request to his family that he be buried there when he died, to which his family agreed.[citation needed] The site where Beach’s body is buried in the park is unknown. In the 2007 documentary, “Welcome Back Riders”, at the very end, it said Be respectful if you try to find Parker Beach’s Grave. Let him enjoy his park in peace. …It’s by the roller coaster.

‘After the park’s closure in 1978, the land the park was situated on was left largely untouched and all of the rides and buildings were left standing, in which up until the end of the 1990s the park remained in fairly good condition and some of the rides were still usable. By the 2000s, however, large trees began growing through rides like the coaster and the park’s ferris wheel, and several buildings had collapsed or been damaged by the effects of the elements. All of the structures in the park became rusted and rotted without any hopes of repairs.’ — Wikipedia

 

Welcome to Vollmar’s Amusement Park

‘Richard “Mike” Hofner, former owner of Vollmar’s Amusement Park, one of the last of a handful of privately owned parks in the Toledo area of Ohio that closed in 2000, died of cancer Wednesday in Hospice of Northwest Ohio, Perrysburg Township. He was 92. Mr. Hofner guided the amusement park for more than 25 years, drawing crowds to enjoy its vast facades and rides along the Maumee River in Wood County between Waterville and Grand Rapids.

‘The park kept going despite at least one brief closing because of rising costs and competition from bigger parks. Yet he never seemed to grow weary of the difficulties, Martha Rupp, his daughter, said. Even in his 80s, Mr. Hofner supervised preparation of barbecue chicken, served beer, and mowed the grass of the 66-acre park. He also hired students from Otsego High School for summer jobs.

‘He bought the park in 1963 and his late son, Joseph, ran day-to-day operations for many years. The seasonal park, which operated seven days a week during the summer, opened on Mother’s Day and usually closed in early October. “He could be bullheaded sometimes, but he knew things had to be done a certain way – and that’s the way he wanted them done,” his daughter said.’ — collaged

 

Miracle Strip Amusement Park, Panama City, Florida (1963 – 2004)

‘Miracle Strip Amusement Park opened in 1963 with the Starliner Roller Coaster as it’s main attraction. Located across from the beach in Panama City, the park did not look like your average theme park and resembled the traditional seaside boardwalks of the past. The park featured many of the typical rides you would find at any carnival nowadays including scramblers, bumper cars, a carousel, and a haunted house. Some of the rides, such as the Abominable Snowman and Dante’s Inferno, were enhanced by placing them in dome structures and adding lighting effects, temperature changes, smoke effects, and music.

‘In 2003, it was announced that the park would close the following year due to lack of interest, loss of money and increased expenses to keep the rides maintained and running. Many of the rides were either sold off or disappeared, some being found and reopened under the same name. Any of the remaining structures or rides that weren’t sold were later demolished.

‘In 2008, Pier Park opened down the street where Miracle Strip once stood, open-air dining, entertainment, and shopping mall. Teddy Meeks, a wholesale jeweler, sought to put a carousel in Pier Park. After much searching, in 2009, he found not only a carousel but the original carousel from Miracle Strip which has been sitting in storage on the old Miracle Strip property since 2004.

‘After a year in operation and officially named “Miracle Strip“, Pier Park approached Meeks with the idea of adding a Ferris wheel. He looked for the park’s original Ferris wheel which he found out was moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee and was also not for sale. Deciding on the next best thing, Meeks found an exact make and model of the ride in California. Soon after, the last two remaining rides from the Miracle Strip property, a 1985 Zamperalla Balloon Race and a 1952 Allen Herschell Red Baron plane ride, were bought and added to Pier Park.

‘In October 2010, news outlets reported that Teddy and Jenny Meeks along with two other partners had bought the Starliner roller coaster for $2 million and has started efforts to rebuild it. More recent sources though have reported that the Starliner sits in storage in Palmetto, FL and is still up for sale as of September 2012. The current owner, Ridewerks, have considered donating the Starliner train to the National Roller Coaster Museum but also said that another possible option was that Pier Park was still interested in maybe one day rebuilding the coaster.’ — Abandoned Florida

 

The abandoned and never finished “City of Toys”

‘Until 1962, Consonno was a small medieval town with an economy based on harvesting chestnuts and celery. It population never exceeded 300, and, though just an hour from Milan, its location in the hills of Brianza was remote, secluded, and peaceful.

‘Then came Mario Bagno. The count and entrepreneur saw Consonno and had a vision: City of Toys. The glitzy resort town he had in mind would be a Las Vegas-style ode to wealth and hedonism, with casinos, bars, clubs, shopping arcades, and hotels.

‘Bagno handed over 22.5 million lire and Consonno was his. The first indication many of its residents received about the impending development was the sound of a bulldozer making its way toward their homes.

‘Bagno razed every building but the church, its graveyard, and its chaplain’s house. He shifted the hills around to improve the view, dynamiting rock and building new peaks. The topographical alterations caused two landslides in 1966 and 1967, but construction work continued.

‘A man of mercurial moods, Bagno frequently changed his mind on how he wanted the City of Toys to look. His commercial gallery, topped with a minaret, resembled a mosque. It sat alongside a Chinese pagoda and a medieval castle. Occasionally Bagno would erect a building and then demolish it, his tastes having shifted during its construction.

‘The new Consonno enjoyed a brief heyday during the late ’60s and early ’70s, but it was not yet finished. Bagno envisioned a zoo, a racecourse, basketball courts, and mini golf. The additions never arrived — a landslide in 1976 buried Consonno’s access road, severing supply lines and prohibiting visitors.

‘The half-finished City of Toys has been a ghost town ever since. Bagno did make one last attempt to revive Consonno — in the 1980s he tried to convert it into an aged care facility. Construction began, but faltered, and when Bagno died in 1995, the idea was abandoned for good.

‘Consonno is officially a trespass-free zone following a 2007 rave that left its buildings damaged, trashed, and covered in graffiti.’ — Slate

 

Disney’s River Country, Bay Lake, Florida (1976 – 2002)

‘Disney’s River Country was a huge deal when it first opened back in June 1976. It was the first of the multi-billion dollar corporation’s water parks — and it made quite a splash. In its first few years, the park was filled with excited families and squealing children speeding down slides. It was described as an “old-fashioned swimming hole” with “a twist of Huckleberry Finn”, complete with rocks and man-made boulders.

‘In its first year, the theme park averaged 4700 guests per day.
Susan Ford, the 18-year-old daughter of President Gerald Ford, took the first official ride down the famous Whoop ’n Holler Hollow. The creators wanted to give families the sense that they were actually swimming in an open lake, and created a massive artificial mountain to suck up lake water, filter it and then empty it through the park’s slides into the pool.

‘A large rubber “bladder” was installed, inflated 15cm above the surface of Bay Lake, to separate it from the water park and ensure that unfiltered water could not pollute the swimming pools. Despite this, in 1980 tragedy struck — an 11-year-old boy from New York died in the park after contracting amoebic meningoencephalitis, a rare infection caused by amoeba found in Florida freshwater. The amoeba swam up his nose and attacked his brain and nervous system. The disease is almost always fatal, but Disney was largely absolved of blame.

‘According to an Associated Press report from 1980: “The two officials said there was no reason to blame Disney World for the tragedy because the amoeba can breed in almost any freshwater lake during hot weather. Officials have said there is no epidemic of the disease in central Florida, where all four cases were detected. Disney officials said there was wasn’t much they could do. “‘We are of course concerned and sensitive to any potential health or safety hazards to our guests,’ said Disney spokesman Charles Ridgway. ‘I don’t know of any action that could be taken as a result of this.’ “Ridgway emphasised that Disney World conducts a thorough program of water quality control in co-operation with health officials,” reported AP.

‘In 1982, disaster struck again. A 14-year-old boy from North Dakota drowned in the resort after dropping into the lake at the end of the Whoop’n Holler slide. The boy’s family sued the corporation, saying there was no sign posting about how deep the water was. After one of the park’s lifeguards attested that dozens had to be rescued from the ride each day, the family received $US375,000 in compensation. In 1989, a 13-year-old teenage boy from Florida also drowned at the park.

‘Every year, the water park closed in September for the winter and reopened in April. But in 2002, that changed. “Walt Disney World’s first water park, River Country, has closed and may not reopen,” the Orlando Sentinel reported that year in April. Since then, the resort has been left to rot — filled with overgrown moss, dilapidated offices and abandoned rusty water slides covered in vines. Disney World spokesman Bill Warren stated that River Country could be reopened if “there’s enough guest demand” — but no one has set foot inside since.’ — news.com.au

 

Big World Land, Sweden (? – 2012)

‘Welcome to the Big World Land in 2016, several years after its closing time. We were very surprised to discover a lot of things. We saw a watchman at the entrance so we had to be discreet and try not to attract attention. We walked across a small forest, it should be the zoo before because we saw several animal pens. We were glad to discover a huge statue with an exceptional view of the park. This is one of our best exploration in an abandoned park, without Ferris wheel but much less touristy than Spreepark. We were alone to go up the steps of the slide. We walked in the “Wild West” part of the park with saloons and many statues to finally arrive in the Pirate’s Island. Very well preserved, this abandoned amusement park was a beautiful exploration, which was stopped by the Jeep of the watchman. We left the park and run to the exit to save all our 200 photos.’ — Urbex Session

 

Dadipark, Moorslede, Belgium (1950 – 2008)

‘Originally built in 1950 as a playground for the children of pilgrims visiting the nearby basilica, by 1980 the schoolyard equipment had been replaced with amusement rides and opened to tourists and those in town on pilgrimage. For a time the park enjoyed great success, entertaining a million visitors during its peak year, and for a time containing what was, at 800 meters, the longest monkey bridge in Europe. However things took a turn for the worse as the increasingly rundown rides became more and more hazardous. Finally in 2000 a boy lost his arm on the Nautic Jet ride, and by 2002, the site was closed down for “renovations.” Unfortunately these improvements never took place and the park was simply abandoned, never to reopen.

‘Today the park lies in shambles, slated for demolition since 2011. Most of the larger rides were demolished, but many of the buildings and simpler attractions remain. Where Dadipark was built to cater to local Catholic children and religious tourists, the rusting site only ended up catering to pilgrims as urban explorers. Unfortunately Dadipark was demolished, and plans are underway to turn the site into a hiking park.’ — atlas obscura

 

 

Wonderland Amusement Park, Beijing (never opened)

‘The Wonderland Amusement Park on the outskirts of Beijing was planned as the biggest theme park in Asia, spanning a massive 120 acres. Located in Chenzhuang Village in the Changping District, the never-completed amusement park was just 20 minutes away from Beijing. It was conceived by the Thai-Chinese property developer Reignwood Group with hopes of drawing from a population of over 20 million people. Reignwood already had significant interests in China including the distribution rights to the Red Bull energy drink. It was hoped that Wonderland could become the flagship property of the company’s portfolio.

‘Alas, it wasn’t to be. In 1998, construction was stopped suddenly and the site left abandoned. Rumours about why the builders left swept the country with some saying that the area was haunted while others suggested the finding of mass graves. The truth was a case of simple economics. Those involved in the project simply ran out of money and when additional sources of income were not forthcoming, Wonderland was left in a half built state, decaying and derelict.

‘The original idea for the park was to create a Disneyland style theme park for China and the castle at the centre of the theme park is reminiscent of the Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella castles in Disney parks around the world. Other themed areas had similarities to Disney’s theme parks and it was suggested that the designers simply copied the designs thinking that the Disney company wouldn’t be able to protest against their copyright usage in China. What they weren’t expecting was that Disney were in talks with the government of Hong Kong to build a park there. The agreement was signed in 1999, a year after China’s Wonderland became abandoned and unfinished. Disney were later to announce a park in mainland China with Shanghai Disneyland beginning construction in 2011. It opened in June 2016.

‘In the years following the abandonment, the farmers in the area surrounding the proposed theme park simply reclaimed the land for themselves and began raising livestock and growing crops amongst the unfinished attractions. The remains of the castle, which was to be the centrepiece of the amusement park, towered over them leaving a stark reminder of the Wonderland that never was. Being the the largest and tallest structure in the theme park, the castle suffered most due to exposure to the inclement weather of the region with parts of the partially built building collapsing into rubble as the years progressed. The other buildings such as a medieval themed village began to become overgrown with vegetation and nature began to reclaim the area. Many superstitions arose from the story of why the builders left, including that of ghosts haunting a burial site which had been unearthed during construction. Economically though, the amusement park simply seems to have been a victim of China’s property bubble.

‘Attempts were made to revive the project in 2008 but those efforts stalled. China’s Wonderland was eventually demolished in 2013. Attempts by Reignwood Group to build a luxury goods supermarket never materialised and eventually, a shopping mall called The Badaling Outlets was opened in Summer 2015.’ — World Abandoned

 

Taman Festival, Bali (1997 – 1998)

‘Taman Festival in Sanur, Bali was created with the vision of giving Disneyland a run for it’s money. So, you can only imagine the grand scale of things planned for this amusement park. Taman Festival was briefly opened in 1997 featuring the biggest inverted coaster in the world, 3D cinema, biggest swimming pool in Bali, majestic laser shows and heck even a huge volcano and crocodile pit!!!!

‘As destiny would have it though, in less than a year on Friday the 13th (no less), Taman Festival’s million-dollar laser equipment, was struck by lightning.

‘In the time of economic recession, no one could really afford to rebuild, take ownership or bear the losses. Since then, it has just remained a vast, vacant, piece of land.

‘As for the crocodiles, it is said that they were simply left to roam free. Some villagers fed them chickens regularly but slowly they turned into cannibals. No one really knows what happened in this huge abandoned space in the last two decades, but I would say there is something off-putting here, for sure.’ — Wander with Jo

 

Glück Kingdom, Hokkaido, Japan (1989 – 2007)

‘The once grandiose Glück Kingdom in Hokkaido, Japan, was inspired by the tales of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, the Brothers Grimm, who published folklore stories including Little Red Riding Hood and Hänsel and Gretel.

‘The attraction that opened in 1989 was designed to allow Japanese people to get a glimpse of what medieval Germany was like, without leaving the country. To guarantee its authenticity, replica German statues and materials were imported, including a 400-year-old granite pavement from Berlin and Dresden.

‘Guests could stay on the resort in bedrooms much like Disney World. But since closing a decade ago, the attraction is now far from a fairy-tale. The once majestic mansion is now mould-ridden, the furniture covered in fluorescent fungus and the castles are covered by overgrown forestry.

‘It was very impressive to see they copied German buildings and even moved old buildings from Germany to Japan. They made exact duplicates of statues with casts and certificates in Germany and shipped them to Japan. They even imported 400 year old granite pavement stones from Berlin and Dresden to reproduce the medieval pavement, everything had to be perfect.

‘They hired German professionals and specialist to build and paint the German buildings. It must have been like the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale in real life, it even has a fairy tale castle. It would have been a crazy project, which involved a lot of money and effort, but now certain parts are very decayed.

‘Vines are growing against the castle and there is mould, grass and fungus taking over the interior. Offices with the green mould carpet were one of the most impressive parts, everything was still in the exact same place as when it closed. There unopened letters, cups of coffee and other things to suggest this.

‘The castle has 67 different hotel rooms from one to five star ratings, all in a Baroque style, with fine custom made Italian furniture. Some rooms are still in a good condition while other are completely decayed. Artists and builders were hired to ensure the site replicated Germany as closely as possible. Some copies of iconic places include: Schloss Bückeburg, Hanau’s city hall, Röder Gate of Rothenburg, Prince Maximilian’s villa and Grimm’s House.’ — Caters Clips

 

 

*

p.s. Hey. ** jay, Happy you liked Bill’s array. Now that you describe Conlan Nancarrow’s work maybe I do know it? Hm, I’ll hit his stuff up today. Off the coast … so on an island? France has islands? Well, why wouldn’t it. Nice. I would think that the parents inviting you is a pretty good sign, unless your friend blackmailed them into doing that? Dance around them, if so? When do you go? In ‘French Hole’ the ‘TMS’ outtakes were presented in fragments, and for ‘Trou Francais’ I united them and altered them a bit to make a single flowing piece basically. Thanks for reading ‘Flunker’, pal. I hope your Monday is kickstarting everything. ** CS, Good to hear you’ve upswung. You’re on a French island. I was just saying to Jay that I don’t know of French islands. What’s it called? Didn’t you say you want to see ‘Room Temperature’? Pardon me if I’m misremembering. Anyway, if so, it’s streaming in France, so I assume you can. True enough about vulnerability. Lustrous week’s starting point to you! ** Adem Berbic, Your ‘neurosis’ around that sounds normal, but do think of it as a solvable problem, I say. Wasn’t it Guattari who had the judo thing? Or else my eyes blurred. But I meant the fear. My goal for the weekend was to, yawn, catch up on emails, which I began to do. And watch an illegal stream of ‘Backrooms’, which I did. And be a successful participant in my and friends’ biweekly Zoom book/film club, which I hope I was. And go to After8, which I didn’t. And check out JR’s ‘cave’ makeover of Pont Neuf, which I didn’t. ** DonW, Hi, Don! Good to see you. Great about August, and yes. When are you coming. I’ll be away at/near month’s end for an ‘RT’ screening in Norway, but I should be here at least mostly otherwise. It could be scorching then, it’s so impossible predict these days. But, god, I hope not. My fave museum: Musee de la Chasse et de la nature. You don’t need advance tickets. Envy on seeing Pavement. Kosinksi … I haven’t read him since I was pretty young. I remember most liking a novel by him called ‘Cockpit’, but I don’t know if that judgement would stand today. Yes, I’m in a biweekly Zoom lit/film club with some mostly LA writer friends. For the one on this past Sunday we read a prose poem by Follain, a short play by Maria Irene Fornes, and a long Elizabeth Bishop poem. The first two were especially good. Big up! ** Bill, Thank you, Bill! People liked it! And it got a whale of a lot of hits! ** Steve, I think Robert Blake’s past indiscretions were more than enough. Weekend was okay, nothing particularly major. I’m so curious to see the new Spielberg. First time I’ve been interested in a film of his in decades. And ‘Teenage Sex …’ too, of course, more predictably. ** Dominik, Hi!!! I also like watching them on planes where they have to try to survive on little bitty screens with shitty sound. I started trying to catch up on my emails this weekend, but there’s a billion of them. Love as role model. Love assuming the singer of Tokio Hotel has finally come out as gay considering what he looks like now, G. ** _Black_Acrylic, Fragrance shift! That’s major. You’ve gone androgynous. Yay. ** Carsten, Hey. I don’t know anything about hotels here, I’m afraid. Steeqhen had a suggestion for you, if you didn’t see it. My weekend was okay and less populated than yours. Sitting around in bars watching people get drunk is something I avoid doing when at all possible. I generally go to sleep at 10 pm when I have my druthers, so I have that excuse. Nice you have that uninhabited turf to explore. I think I’d need to take an hour++ train ride to find such places here. ** laura w, Hi! Edouard Louis is a big deal here, but people I know say he kind of shot his wad in his early books and they’re kind of the same old thing nowadays. The French Ocean Vuong, haha, that’s great. I like the new Koestenbaum novel too. I’m working my way through it with much pleasure. Weekend was pretty solid if objectively rather unremarkable. October is a great time to be anywhere, I think, but mainly places that celebrate Halloween. ** Uday, It’s true, I associate the term sleepover with escaping one’s parents’ house for a night. Sounds fun. Would trashy, low budget horror movies be considered conventional? Because I have a soft spot for those. ** Steeqhen, Hey, hey. I’m good, I’m fine, thanks. The heat is gone for the moment, and it’s really quite even great outdoors here right now. Haven’t seen ‘Challengers’ or ‘Queer’. Never felt much allure there. I watched ‘Backrooms’ over the weekend. I quite liked it. There are some dumb things in it, sure, but, overall, I thought it was fresh and even very good. ‘Obsession’ sounds like it’s pretty conventional, but I’ll probably try it. Looking at art in galleries and museums is probably the thing I do the most. Old, good habit. ** HaRpEr //, Doing the blog is kind of like writing is to you, I think. And writing too, of course, but I take breaks there, and with the blog I can’t. ‘Afternoons of Solitude’, really good, yeah. I think it should have ended when he was putting on his outfit in his hotel room. I feel like that was enough for me. ‘Liberte’ is only Serra film that I thought was just terrible. But see what you think. Keep your finger near the fast-forward button. ** Nicholas., Fun is a strangely difficult state to remain in long term. I wonder why. That’s a beautiful characterisation of potential = nothing. I guess you’re right. I guess I feel like I always have more ideas and plans than I have time to chase. ** Thom, So far my week seems to have sufficient potential, but we’ll see. Oh, maybe message me on Insta or Facebook? I can get my coordinates to you. Thank you!! ‘Doll Head Eater’ does not ring a bell, but that title is pretty irresistible. I’ll hunt. Luck acing the formatting. That sounds fun. ** Larst, Hi. You could do/send that post, sure. And I’d love a pdf. You have my email, right? Or we’re hooked up on Instagram, I’m pretty sure. Happiest birth! ** voskat, I’m so sorry that Laura is still having to fight back. Three words … hm. There’s ‘I love you’, of course, but that’s so to-be-expected. How about ‘Come motherfucking back’? Energy galore to you both. ** Okay. I was chatting recently about abandoned theme parks with someone here who also kind of fetishises them like I do, which led me to realise I hadn’t devoted a post to them in quite a while, so I rectified that, and there you go. See you tomorrow.