From: "Keith F. Lynch" <kfl at KeithLynch.net>
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: 2013 Fabulous Bungalow Halloween Photos
Date: Fri,  1 Nov 2013 21:11:26 -0400 (EDT)
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>

mark <whitroth at 5-cent.us> wrote:
> Michael Nelson wrote:
>> Some photos from last night's Halloween Haunted House at the
>> Fabulous Bungalow.

>> https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.624056037645578.1073741830.100001235618914&type=1&l=e4e716d7e2

>> This link should also work for people who are not Facebook members.

> Is there a second page?  What was the theme (too tired to go
> this year)?

It was loosely based on Poe's _Berenice_.

Children, a few at a time, were escorted into the "Poe Crypt" (the
carport) by the tour guide (John Pomeranz).  First he told them that
it was the home of Edgar Allan Poe.  Then he corrected himself, saying
that it was actually the Poe crypt, in which generations of Poe's
relatives were entombed.  In fact, there was a death just recently,
he went on, of Poe's cousin and wife Berenice.  And how she's missing
from her coffin.  And Poe himself is in the crypt, doing nobody
knows what.

When they enter, they see a wall with the ends of four coffins
protruding, each labeled with a Poe-related name, such as Lenore or
Usher.  Suddenly one of them loudly falls to the floor and clawlike
bony white hands (played by Bill Lawhorn) reach out.  Some children
fled in terror at this point.

Next, John escorted them deeper into the crypt.  They saw the empty
coffin with lid askew, in a room of its own that was blocked off with
a luminous chain.  Beyond that was the main room, where Poe (Jim
Edwards-Hewitt) stood over a table.  He picked up a box of teeth,
saying that he couldn't let his bride's perfect teeth be buried with
her.  He then picked up a pair of pliers and came at the children,
demanding their teeth too.  At that point Berenice (first played by
Sarah Mitchell, then by Terilee Edwards-Hewitt) came out, dressed in
luminous white, toothless, with blood on her mouth, chin, and dress,
also seeking teeth from the children.  The tour guide then urged the
children to run away.

In the driveway after exiting, they picked up a bag containing candy;
Play-Doh; a booklet containing a copy of Poe's "Berenice" and a
one-page biography of Poe, both of which were in both English and
Spanish; and an admonition to vote on Tuesday.  They also picked up
a glow-stick suitable for wearing as a necklace.

Like last year (whose event was based on Poe's "The Oval Portrait")
there were over 300 visitors, mostly children.

There were fewer helpers than last year, perhaps because the event
wasn't mentioned on this list or on http://www.bungalow.org/.
Apparently it was announced in in the bottom of a locked filing
cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory... sorry, I mean on Facebook, not
a place most of us would think to look.  I hadn't heard anything,
but I came anyway, for the sixth year in a row, since it has always
happened.

I was put to work replacing batteries in electric candles and "tea
lights," and making sure they worked.

There were also 24 "tea lights" that were new this year.  They came
with batteries already installed, but they were flaky, and about a
quarter of them had to be taken apart and reassembled before they
would work.

As in past years, there were sound effects, dry ice, fog machines,
black lights, fluorescent paint, boards, bricks, plastic, styrofoam,
rope, power cords, signal cables, black mulch, and lots of eerie
decorations.  They have more Halloween stuff than I have stuff, and I
have a lot of stuff.  As in past years, more than half their Halloween
stuff went unused -- there just isn't room for it all.

As in past years, the back of the carport was converted into a control
center.  It had video monitors linked to a video camera facing the
part of the carport "Poe" was in and to another video camera facing
the driveway.  The operator (usually Kathi Overton) had a radio for
talking with the two or three people at the candy table, which was in
the yard next to the driveway, opposite the "graveyard" which took up
most of the front yard.  The control center also had a laptop computer
and an audio control board, but, unlike in prior years, no light
controls.

I was able to view Michael Nelson's pictures, with difficulty.
Facebook said my browser was unacceptable.  Then I remembered that
it will sort of work if I change the useragent string from "Lynx" to
"FacebookSucks."  I downloaded the page to my ISP, Panix, extracted
all references to jpeg files, weeded out duplicates, and downloaded
those files to Panix with wget.  Then I took my laptop computer to my
brother's house, since he has broadband, downloaded the jpegs to the
laptop, then took it home and viewed them.  There were still a lot of
duplicate images.

The photos were all taken during daylight, while we were still setting
up.  (As usual, we were running late.)  Things looked more impressive
after dark.

I'm the one in the bright purple wig.  Halloween is the one day of the
year that I have a full head of hair.  And that's more than enough,
as it keeps getting in my eyes and mouth, and it's impossible to keep
neatly combed.

There was concern that next year the World Fantasy Convention, which
will be in Crystal City, will interfere.  Fortunately, it turns out
that that convention won't be Halloween weekend, as it usually is, but
will be the following weekend.  (I for one won't be attending that
convention anyway, as the registration fee is absurd.)

Kathi said that if they're still doing it in 2018, instead of the
usual Poe story they'll commemorate the Frankenstein bicentennial.