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Attraction seeks to scare folks back to Atlantic City
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ATLANTIC CITY - The Jersey Devil lives! Sort of.
The legendary creature appears at Haunted Tales on the Atlantic City Boardwalk, an old-time haunted house theater that owner Russ Eisle and his wife, Donna Marie, created as a throwback to shore family attractions of the past.
"My wife and I went down to the Boardwalk, and we were looking at the same stores over and over," Eisle said. "There was nothing for families on the Boardwalk."
Having grown up in Margate, Eisle had fond memories of the old Brigantine Castle haunted house, which operated in its namesake city from 1976 to 1985 and burned down in 1987.
"We tried to do something that would incorporate some of the Brigantine Castle into a smaller venue," he said.
To give Haunted Tales a local flavor, he and his wife incorporated area folklore into the storyline. Lucy Johannson Leeds - or at least her ghost - is heard telling her tale of becoming the mother of an accursed 13th child, the Jersey Devil. Later, a local pirate, Capt. Beaumont, is heard weaving his tale of buried treasure.
Building the set took much longer than anticipated - "Too long," Eisle said. "We thought it would be done in two months, but it probably took seven" - and was decorated with antiques acquired at several local shops and flea markets.
The effects are mostly done with air, as in the old days, so the theater set took a little while to warm up when Eisle turned it on at noon Saturday. Once it starts up, the set is a constantly moving animated display, with bursts of air and water and "sea foam" designed to scare the audience at precise points in the story. For example, a grim reaper statue squirts water on passersby while "Granny" rocks maniacally in her chair.
The effects reach a boiling point as Mrs. Leeds talks about how she gave birth to the Devil - making it one of the more dramatic descriptions of childbirth you'll probably ever experience. Hopefully.
Eisle also has a store where he sells ghost- or pirate-related merchandise.
Eisle said many visitors like to come back at night to get the full scary experience - although, as he pointed out, it's always dark in the theater. Others did not seem as interested, such as the woman who exited the store to tell her husband that whatever her interest, "I'm not going to pay $7 to see it."
"The store's been doing great," said Eisle, when asked how the theater's business has fared.
There is one attraction that's completely free, however. Make sure to stop into the store to check out the rare white bat. You won't be disappointed.
Well, you might. But it's free, isn't it?
E-mail Steven Lemongello:
Posted in Atlantic_city on Monday, June 15, 2009 3:10 am Updated: 5:52 am.
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