An Electrifying DVD Goes Behind the Screams

As the timeworn cars leave the loading station and crash through the swinging doors, its passengers are hyperaware of the foreboding surroundings. What monsters lurk in the darkness? What cacophonous sounds will elicit jolts of adrenaline? What macabre horrors are in store? Dark rides have long been a staple at amusement parks. And dark ride aficionados consider The Haunted House at Knoebel's amusement park in Elysburg, Pennsylvania to be one of the best. Dark ride aficionados extraordinaire, George LaCross and Bill Luca, whose Laff in the Dark Web site is a loving ode to classic dark rides, have just released a fabulous DVD that goes behind the scenes of The Haunted House at Knoebel's. It's packed with history and insight from park staff and includes a walkthrough and stunt-by-stunt (the gotchas that light up and animate as cars approach, also known as "tricks") deconstruction of the circa-1973 ride. The DVD can get a little geeky, as when the ride's supervisor discusses each of the buttons in the coffin-shaped control box, but dark ride fans will go gaga over it. Presented with great style and flair, the production value of the broadcast-quality video is first-rate. To order the DVD and for more info, go to Laff in the Dark.

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