on the subject of Halloween is that of Scottish poet John Mayne in 1780, who made note of pranks at Halloween, as well as the supernatural associated with the night. Elements of the autumn season, such as pumpkins, corn husks and scarecrows, are also prevalent. Few would argue that Halloween can be a fun time for
children, who are permitted to behave in a mischievous, but light-hearted manner. However, retailers have been quick to realise the importance of ‘pester power,’ and now shops are adorned with a whole host of ostensibly useless spooky- themed trinkets from early October onwards. For many, the message of Halloween has been lost
on the high street, with any element of fun and mischief taken away by aggressive marketing techniques. The same is most definitely not the case for theme parks, however. Theme parks and other amusement destinations find themselves in a unique position in relation to Halloween, primarily due to the fact that many guests visit such venues in order to be thrilled, shocked and even frightened.
Haunted houses, immersive scare attractions and high-end thrill rides are perhaps the best possible platform for adrenaline junkies. Smaller spooky- themed attractions, meanwhile, help children to rehearse their emotions, all within a safe, fun context. The opportunity for theme parks to maximise returns throughout the Halloween period is clear for all within the industry to see, and year after year operators continue to up their game when it comes to delivering a frightfully good time to their visitors. In 2011, Alton Towers theme park in the UK promises
to offer the most spectacular - or, rather ‘spooktacular’ - Scarefest to date. The annual celebration of all things creepy will see the park implement additional theming into its rides, while also hosting a range of new Halloween attractions, live shows and weird costume characters. In an effort to instil even more fear into its adult demographic, the resort will also stay open until 9pm each night.
36 InterPark September–October 2011
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