I SURVIVED THE GREAT
AMERICAN NIGHTMARE
Terror. Gore. Murder. Rock!
Rob Zombie’s 15-day Great American Nightmare wrapped up on 11/2 at the FEARPlex (aka the Fairplex) in Pomona, CA, with record receipts and a mountain of bloody corpses.
OK, the blood wasn’t real (as far as we know), and most of the horrific effects were achieved with latex. But the Halloween-themed event’s innovative blend of scary mazes and full-throttle rock shows sure seemed to make the fans happy.
In fact, the final night marked a record for attendance at a stand-alone haunted house event in the U.S., with some 8,500 stout-hearted attendees crossing the gruesome thresholds of the Nightmare’s three depraved mazes. Event co-producer (and Zombie’s manager) Andy Gould was so happy he gnawed on a dismembered arm.
"After 32 years in the haunted house business," said scary-attraction legend Steve Kopelman, who co-produced the affair with Zombie and Gould, "the final weekend had the largest crowd I have ever witnessed."
All three creepshows were based on films by Zombie: The Lords of Salem in Total Black Out, The Haunted World of El Superbeasto in 3D and Haunt of 1,000 Corpses. These deeply sick attractions thrilled not only ticket holders but also critics; the New York Times, for example, said GAN "may be the best example yet of the upsizing of haunted houses over the last decade."
Cannily, GAN catered to an array of musical tastes. The last two nights saw Zombie take to the stage with his industrial-strength rock assault (and dazzling graphics); the final show also boasted rafter-rattling sets by Eagles of Death Metal, Powerman 5000 and L.A. horror-punk icons 45 Grave.
But there were also nights of EDM, Latin and even ska (and, fittingly, bloody-nosed party boy Andrew W.K.), cannily reaching out to diverse demos united by a love of horror. The Great American Nightmare's music producers were WARPED’s Kevin Lyman and Mayhem’s John Reese.
Meanwhile, classic fright flicks were shown on an outdoor screen, food and drink (notably giant cups of beer) abounded; and the merch marketplace, offered sick souvenirs. But not as sick as that herbal whiskey.
Particularly striking to this attendee: For a gathering themed on shock and dread, this one had a surprisingly mellow, happy vibe—even though kids in costumes were constantly charging at random audience members with chainsaws.
"If we do this again next year, will you come back?" Zombie asked the crowd during his set. The roar in response was perhaps the scariest noise of the night.
