by: -RoG-

...CONTINUED

#3 Creep Show!

Did I tell you I saved the best for last or what? Not to be confused with the Creepshow horror anthology films, Creep Show was easily my favorite of the three horror attractions at the fair this year. It was the only haunted Halloween ride with two levels of terror. So many lights and colors just bursting out of every little crevice on its facade, it's seriously hard to pick my favorite things about it, so let's take a look at each section:

So right off the bat, we have a character from Resident Evil jumping out of the top left tower window. What made him jump? Perhaps a lawyer trying to collect licensing fees? We may never know, but if he lands on that cyclops' head horn, he's gonna be in some major pain.

And yes, that is Satan laughing in a window behind those floodlights. Yep, Satan even loves to torment inanimate objects like floodlights. That's so evil.

Down below we have a zombie rising from the dead and another one named Stewart rising from his grave as well. I'm perplexed by Stewart though, because as you can see, his grave reads "1962 - ". This would suggest that his family reserved the plot, but he's not dead yet. Okay, well if that's the case, they why the hell was he buried? SCANDAL!

As you can see here, a couple is riding up into the entry of the Creep Show in a cart, and on their way they're passing by a bloodthirsty werewolf and the video game cover art of Resident Evil 2. Sure, why not?

And just to the side, a familiar face from horror films laughs the night away. No, she's not laughing at the ticket guy, she's laughing at the fact that somebody painted the eyeball from Tool's "Ænima" album cover on the wall behind him. Amazing.

Not sure what's going on here. Kinda looks like a demon is laughing at one of the dwarves from Phantasm, as he appears to be ensnared in a spider web. Fortunately for him, the spider is nowhere to be seen at the moment. Maybe it was the same spider that attacked Zombie Mansion earlier in the night.

Here's a nice homage to Frankenstein's Monster, as he sits atop a column with colorful lights surrounding him in every direction. He may not look too thrilled, but Frank's happy face is the same as his miserable face, so you'll just have to assume he approves of this tribute.

Wanna know what's better than a cobra-dragon hybrid painted on the facade of a horror attraction? Two huge dragon heads that peer out from atop the building while swaying from side to side. Creep Show is insane and we've barely scratched the surface.

Not as big as the vampire bat from the Haunted Mansion, but a skull bat is a fine substitute in this horror fan's book.

Yeah, yeah... we get it. You guys like Resident Evil.

Down below, towards the center of the structure, we find what looks like a hybrid of Igor and Frankenstein all chained up, along with a big fork-tongued demon sitting in front of him. The demon has a little cage that you can enter to pose for a photo. At least, that's what I assume it wants you to think you're doing by entering it.

The tower just to the right of the two dragons has yet another werewolf peering out (I guess they do travel in packs) alongside an angry green goblin. Then again, the room they're in is being roasted from below by a fire, so it's not surprising they don't look too pleased.

And here we have the Creep Show sign itself, made of green lights that flicker randomly to reveal each letter, while owls with glowing red eyes are perched patiently on the railing below. You also have some other creatures below, including a cloaked man in a cave, an angry brute bursting through the walls, and a winged flying monkey from The Wizard of Oz. Yep, you'll find no discrimination here... all are truly welcome at the Creep Show.

Chucky from Child's Play was once a just a little doll. Well, it appears as though the Good Guys company has released a deluxe version of him, because now he's huge and bursting through the front walls of the Creep Show. If this place receives any more structural damage, I worry that the Creep Show will become a single-story attraction.

Who here likes The Exorcist and/or The Rocky Horror Picture Show? No problemo. Creep Show has you covered too.

Considering how many kids were walking around, this visual on the far right side surprised me. This ol' Pumpkinhead here has apparently driven his bones right into the skull of some horrified lady who is bleeding profusely. It's nothing you or I haven't seen a bajillion times before, but surprisingly graphic for the outside art of a horror attraction.

Not sure who she is, but she appears to be coming straight out of one of the carts that take you through the Creep Show house of horrors. Can't say I saw her when I was riding inside, but it was pitch black most of the time anyway, so who knows what was actually in there.

Then we have this guy. All I know is that he's either terrified of the spider crawling on his arm, or he thinks he's being very, very naughty for letting it do so. I'm leaning more towards choice #2.

It looks pretty amazing during the daytime too, and you can see one of the carts exiting through the top door there in this shot, but like all the other horrors at the L.A. County Fair, it displays best at night.

I loved taking still shots of every inch of the attractions, but I also shot video footage of the Haunted Mansion, Zombie Mansion, and Creep Show... including my actual rides through them. Granted, the actual rides leave much to be desired since they're basically pitch black aside from the random monster near a strobe light, but the video should still give you a real idea of what it was like to see each of these haunted Halloween structures in person, so be patient. Here ya go:

And that wraps up my coverage of the three horror houses at the Los Angeles County Fair. Hope you enjoyed seeing all the colorful photos of each attraction along with the video tour. Be sure to drop a comment below and let me know which part of each house was your favorite. That way I'll know I'm not insane for thinking these facades are one of the many things that make the Halloween season so great.

UPDATE: Also, if you enjoyed this article, be sure to check out my brand new L.A. County Fair video, in which I showcase many of the other things I saw at the fair by yelling my lungs off about them:

Good times!

Have any questions or comments about this piece?
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS IN THE READER COMMENTS SECTION BELOW!