Dark Rides

I recently tried to look up the history of automated funhouse rides at amusement parks...you know the ones you ride through the dark and all the automated stuff pops out at you? I was disappointed at the lack of information that comes up when you punch "funhouse" into Google (the Stooges album hogs all the links). I soon realized that this is because the official name of this type of ride is not "funhouse," but "dark ride." I'm the last to know. A dark ride is any amusement park attraction that plops riders into a mechanical car and follows a single track through a dark, often serpentine, indoor space—surprising them along the way with spooky/gross-out tableaus, pop-out surprises, jolts and scares. The original versions of dark rides were very low-tech affairs, and about a hundred or so of these functioning relics still exist in the U.S (see here). But the dark ride is a classic (as well as a cultural reference point) that has expanded into its own modern variations. The attraction pinpoints a complex, collective psychological allure that remains enticing and curiosity-piquing for people even today, even if they only experience it's concept in a video game or YouTube clip.

The origin of dark rides spawned off an even earlier version of the attraction called "old mill" rides (invented by George W. Schofield in 1902). Old mills were based on bodies of water (often man made), where riders would get in two or four-seater boats and float or paddle through a long dark tunnel or structure that had eerie scenery built into it. Much like the back of movie theaters, old mill rides quickly developed a "make-out central"-like reputation for the hormonally curious (young and old). This lead to the addition of a soon-to-be mainstay characteristic to the attraction: automated noise-makers built within the ride (crashing symbols, cowbells on strings, air whistles). These were meant to surprise riders and comically break up any heavy petting that might be going on, as well as be good and loud from the outside as well (the allure being that if noises were needed to prevent such carnal behavior inside—then it must be going on). Hence old mill rides became quite popular during Victorian times, and gave birth to the inbred cousin of the old mill ride: the "tunnel of love."

The first non-aquatic, automated "dark ride" was invented by a man named William Cassidy, in 1928. Cassidy had taken over the Tumbling Dam Amusement Park in Bridgeton, NJ with a partner, and was re-vamping some of the attractions on a tight budget. The popularity of old mill rides pressed him to install one at the park, but they just didn't have the resources to construct a man-made body of water, or the boats. Tinkering with an old Dodgem ride car and a single electric track, he re-imagined the concept. Cassidy came up with a way to create the feel of an old mill ride, on land, and indoors. Riders in mechanical cars could glide and rumble on a single, winding metal track that dictated where the car would go while inside the darkness of a large, reticulated structure, slamming open hidden doors, and triggering automatic props and noisy hoo-has. The lack of a straight water-way meant that the path could take full advantage of the spacial dimensions of a large indoor space. Plus the whole thing was mechanized, acting like a kind of conveyor belt, so the ride could be operated rather easily. The chaste-making noise alarms in the old mill rides gave way to noise-makers in the dark just for the fun of it (often as simple as a metal bar crashing into a cymbal when the car bumped against it, or a wire that would tilt a wooden box full of ball bearings). Kooky gadgetry was added, like automated devil masks that would pop-from behind walls, or puppet alligators bobbing out of holes (often being triggered by the car running over pipes on the track's floor, which would also cause the car to jerk). Sometimes something as simple as strands of string hanging from the ceiling that would brush against rider's faces in the dark was all that was needed. People loved it all. Riders gleefully paid to surrender their wills to a single, exit-less path, which swallowed them into a void where automatic jolts, scares and mise-en-scènes reflected the semiotics of the forbidden or carnal side of mankind—which they could scream at, laugh at, or mock with judgment. Back then, the allure of old mills, tunnels of love and dark rides was always a symbolic, safe and controlled visit to the scary, primitive side of human behavior (a psychology exploited to multi-layered perfection during the amusement park sequence in the beginning of Alfred Hitchcock's 1951 film Strangers on a Train, which features an old mill ride). These rides were a marvel of the new machine age, but were also giant therapy machines, really—portable Freud-bots.

The first official name of the attraction was a "pretzel ride" because of the ride's twisting path (the name 'firefly' was a second-runner because of the way the car would spark sometimes along the electric track). The first cars in these rides also had a large, weighted metal pretzel designs on the front, which were actually there to keep the car from tipping forward. Because the cars ran on electricity and the features inside were triggered by it, this meant that William Cassidy and partners could create transportable versions of his pretzel ride and sell them to amusement parks around the country (their price: $1,200). Sales were brisk. Even though Cassidy had the idea patented, copycats obviously sprang up as the attraction became a standard at any amusement park. Dark rides appeared all over the country with names like Laff-In-the-Dark, Spook-A-Rama, The Devil Chaser, Paris After Dark and Jungle Land.

As time went on, new features changed the shape and feel of the ride. A second story was added (with the car being pulled up the initial incline by a chain) which lead to some rides using gravity for the entire ride along the gradual decline, instead of an electric track. The introduction of rotating cars made many of the car-triggered automated stunts impractical (since the riders might be facing the wrong direction) and constantly-lit scenarios that were always viewable began to be featured more and more. And as technology improved, so did the rides. Automated low tech scenarios were soon replaced with recording devices, elaborate lighting and effects (not to mention cool blasts of air-conditioning) and even film and video projection—with the tradition of leaving the rider blind in the dark between each "unexpected" event along the attraction more or less remaining a mainstay. "For me, the best part was to see the look on people's faces when they'd come out, to see how much they'd enjoyed themselves, how much fun they'd had. That's what it was all about..." inventor William Cassidy told Laff In The Dark.

Speaking of, the completely terrific site Laff In The Dark site has everything you could ever want to know about the history and existence of dark rides. There is also the Darkride and Funhouse Enthusiasts Organization (or, D.A.F.E.). Both sites have handy up-to-the-minute guides of what's still out there. As well, there are other places on the web chock full of thrills and chills. Do Not Enter! Go Back! Proceed At Your Own Peril!

Comments

[MrFab]

Hey Mark, did you come across the Mountain Park site in the course of your Googling? It's a great site with lots of mp3s of dark ride soundtracks, spooky pics, etc:
http://www.karenandjay.com/mtpark/mtpark.html

[Brian]

Great post.

Sally corp., a company that makes the sets and figures for dark rides has webcams to watch: http://www.sallycorp.com/webcam/webcam_1.htm

A week or so ago they were working on a Dark Ride for Lego Land in CA. Pretty neat stuff.

[JMet]

Last March there was a Horrorfest movie festival that had a B-slasher film called 'Dark Ride' alongside as such classics as 'Snoop Dog's Hood of Horrors.' Guess where all the murders took place. It starred Jamie Lynn Descala(?) from The Sopranos. Terrible flick, but had some great on-location shots of Asbury Park.

[Miss v]

Me love me some dark rides. Thanks for the post!

[Chuck Jones]

At the Wisconsin State Fair, these rides are built into folding tractor trailers the the facade folds open, making it look much larger than it really is, then the carneys just turn it on. It's disappointing, but it's funny how disappointing. I remember sreaming once: "Ahhh! Duct Tape!"

c

[Chuck Jones]

That would be "screaming" not sreaming, which I think is a form of sodomy performed in dark rides

[Fatherflot]

The Hitchcock film "Strangers on a Train" has a great spooky scene involving an aquatic "dark ride."

Thanks for the post.

[Stuart]

Thanks for the blog. I will add two memories of the original dark ride in Santa Cruz, CA (just called "Haunted House", if memory serves): 1)the most effective thrill was a series of shoelaces hung from the ceiling at forehead level. As they brushed over you, the tendency was to cringe and duck, at which point the compressed-air blower hit you from the side. Both of these were moveable, so you could never anticipate when, or even if it would happen; 2)the cars had a step on the back, and there was usually an attendant inside to monitor moronic kids like me. When we did something obnoxious, a voice yelled "HEY!", right behind my head. I froze stiff and didn't move or speak until the ride ended. When I looked, the back of the car was empty. I didn't ride it again for quite some time! Sometimes, it's the simplest things that get the biggest reaction.

[DJ Psychomike]

What a great post! I use to love riding these as a kid, nice to find out how and why they did what they did.

[Richard]

Don't forget the Spook-A-Rama at Coney Island!

http://www.laffinthedark.com/articles/spook/spook1.htm

[Brooklyn Bridget]

GREAT post, thanks!
There's still an original "old mill" ride at Rye Playland in Westchester that's been preserved since it was built in the 1920s. (RP is owned by the County, and they've kept some of the old rides going.) I thought the Old Mill was interesting mostly from a historic point of view, and not much to it. But unfortunately a little kid who was riding it by himself last year or the year before got spooked, jumped off mid-ride, and died. Not sure if they're going to close it down or change it now.

[Human]

I can't believe that nobody has co-opted the dark ride as art instalation. That is my dream but I doubt I can get a grant for it so if you're a famous artist go ahead and steal my idea....