A complete ride-through on Dante's Dungeon on Morey's Surfside Pier in North Wildwood. This video was recorded by Bill Cherkasky on May 25th, 2024.

Bill Cherkasky attended Transworld's East Coast Haunters Convention at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania on April 27th, 2024.

Dark in the Park released their documentary on Wildwood's Castle Dracula on the 22nd anniversary of the fire that consumed the classic dark attraction.  The 27-minute documentary includes interviews from Angelo Nickels (former co-owner of the castle) and B.J. Nickels (former manager of Nickels' Midway Pier).

Bill Cherkasky and his son Liam and daughter Emily visited Hersheypark Dark Nights on October 27th, 2023. They take you through all five dark mazes and give you their opinions and reviews.  This is the second year for Hershey's Dark Nights.

On October 5th, 2023, Dark in the Park visited Halloween Nights at Eastern State Penitentiary.  This montage of our trip includes footage from the five different haunt mazes.  

Morey's Fears was a Halloween themed event held on Morey's Mariner's Pier in Wildwood, NJ during October 2011 and 2012. Dark in the Park talked with Jack Morey about the possibility of Morey's Fears returning to the boardwalk. This report was produced by Bill Cherkasky.

This Old Mill boat ride was built in 1929 at Playland Park in Rye, NY. It opened during the second season of the park's existence and has been a favorite at the park ever since. The ride was re-themed in 1988 as the Playland Waterworks and now features gnomes and evil trolls. This video was recorded by Bill Cherkasky on August 2nd, 2023.

Laffland is one of only a few operating dark rides manufactured by the defunct Pretzel Ride Company, of Bridgeton NJ. It was built at Sylvan Beach Amusement Park in 1954 and still contains many of its original stunts. This ride-through was recorded by Bill Cherkasky on August 3, 2023.

Some video footage of Fascination at Sylvan Beach, NY.  Fascination is an old form of electronic bingo which is played by rolling rubber balls.  

Zombie Castle is a ride-through dark ride located in Playland Park in Rye, NY. The ride dates back to the 1930s and was originally a "Laff in the Dark" ride manufactured by R.E. Chambers. This ride-through was recorded by Bill Cherkasky on August 2, 2023.

Some footage from the soft-opening of the Morey's Piers Ghost Ship on July 28th, 2023. This is the first time the attraction has been open since the summer of 2019. Currently, only the first floor of the ship is open, but the admission has been lowered to 6 tickets. The ride will be open daily at 6 PM moving forward. 

The Haunted Dark Ride is located on Gillian's Wonderland Pier in Ocean City, New Jersey. This ride-through was recorded by Bill Cherkasky on July 12, 2023.

Monster Mansion is a dark boat ride located in Six Flags Over Georgia in Austell, Georgia. This ride-through was recorded by Bill Cherkasky on June 19, 2019.

This report about the future of the Morey's Piers Ghost Ship, located in Wildwood, New Jersey, was produced by Bill Cherkasky.

Pirates of Wildwood on Morey's Mariner's Pier in Wildwood, NJ opened for the 2023 season on June 25, 2023.  This ride-through of the dark ride was recorded by Bill Cherkasky on opening day.

On September 4th, 2023, Seph and his girlfriend Brit visited the boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland and went through the "Pirates Cove." Built in 1971 by Bill Tracy, this classic walk-through attraction still has its original facade and many original Bill Tracy stunts.

Dante's Dungeon on Morey's Surfside Pier in North Wildwood, NJ opened for the 2023 season on May 21, 2023.  This ride-through of the dark ride was recorded by Bill Cherkasky on opening day.

Take a look at this video from a defunct walk-through maze in Wildwood, NJ.  Chamber of Checkers was added in the 1990s to Morey's Adventure Pier on Robert's Ave and last operated during the summer of 2019.

This recording was taken by Robert Krasinski in June of 1998.

On October 8, 2022, Bill Cherkasky visited Jenkinson's Boardwalk Funhouse on the boardwalk in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ. It was built in 1998 as a tribute to the American and European carnival fun houses of yesteryear.  Check out this complete walk-through of the ride.

On September 4th, 2022, Seph Cherkasky and his girlfriend Brit visited The Haunted House dark ride on the boardwalk in Ocean City, MD.  The Haunted House is a classic Bill Tracy designed ride build in 1964 that still has a ton of original Bill Tracy stunts.  Check out this complete ride-through of the ride.   

On September 4th, 2022, Seph Cherkasky and his girlfriend Brit visited the Haunted Mansion dark ride in Rehoboth Beach, DE.  Check out this complete ride-through of the ride.   

On November 4th, 2022, Dark in the Park visited Pennhurst Asylum in Spring City, PA for the closing weekend of their popular haunt.  Check out our VLOG and review of this attraction.  

Take a look at this complete ride-through of a defunct Wildwood dark ride.  Robert Krasinski took this footage of Casa Macabra in June of 1998.

Dark in the Park produced a documentary on Brigantine Castle titled, "Reliving the Horror of Brigantine Castle".  Check it out on our YouTube channel and be sure to subscribe to the channel to support future content.

Dark in the Park visited Eastern State Penitentiary on October 12, 2022 for their popular Halloween Nights event. Liam Cherkasky produced this VLOG of the night.

On July 16, 2022, Bill Cherkasky and his wife Melissa went through the Halloween Museum at 131 Essex Street in Salem Massachusetts.

Dark in the Park was at the opening night of Halloween Haunt at Dorney Park in Allentown, PA.  Check out this montage of the night on our YouTube channel....and don't forget to subscribe for more great content!

Dark in the Park visited Kennywood Park in Pittsburgh, PA on July 1, 2022 and went through the last remaining Noah's Ark funhouse in the world.  Check out this complete walk-through of the ark from our YouTube page.  

Higher resolution copies of the Long Branch Haunted Mansion TV Commercials were added to our YouTube page.

We added a complete ride-through of the Ghostwood Estate dark ride from Kennywood Park in Pittsburgh, PA.  Bill Cherkasky took this footage on July 1, 2022.

On Saturday, August 13th, 2022, Seph Cherkasky from Dark in the Park visited the George F. Boyer Museum in Wildwood, NJ for the Castle Dracula Memorial and Book Release Party. The event was held to remember the castle and celebrate the release of Mike Jasorka's new book, "Castle Dracula & Dungeon: Employee Handbook Illustrated".

Check out this Complete Ride-Through of the old Golden Nugget Mine Ride from the former Hunt's Pier.  This recording was taken by Robert Krasinski in June of 1998, which was the last year the ride operated in Wildwood.

See a rare ride-through of "Dark River" shot by Robert Krasinski in 1998.  "Dark River" would eventually become "Pirates of Wildwood" in 2004.

See a complete ride-through of "Dante's Dungeon" on Morey's Surfside Pier in Wildwood, NJ.  This was recorded by Bill Cherkasky in July of 2022.

Jasorka is an illustrator and comic book publisher who also published "Wildwood Days of Doo Wop" and "Mr. Fascination".

Get more details about the event on Facebook. 

Watch this complete walk-through of the the International Monster Museum in Salem Massachusetts.

Check out this 8mm movie footage of Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom from 1972.

Dark in the Park visited Waldameer Park in Erie, PA, to report on their two classic Bill Tracy attractions.  

Check out this footage of "Haunted Golf" located on the boardwalk in Ocean City, New Jersey.

Watch a complete ride-through of "Pirates of Wildwood" which is located on Morey's Mariner's Pier in Wildwood, New Jersey.  This attraction just opened after being closed the last two summers due to the pandemic.

Check out some footage of Orlando's now defunct "Skull Kingdom" from 2002.

Bill Cherkasky and his two kids review Dorney Park's Halloween Haunt from October 15th, 2021.  They rate all of the Halloween mazes on a scale of 1 to 10.

We uploaded three dark ride ride-throughs sent to us by Nick Mancini onto our YouTube Page.  The three ride-throughs were recorded in Coney Island, NY in 2005 and include Dante's Inferno, Spook-a-Rama and Ghost Hole.

Liam and Bill Cherkasky give a tour and review of the haunted attractions at Six Flags Great Adventure's Fright Fest on October 5th, 2019.  Great Adventure dates back to 1974 and is located in Jackson Township, NJ.

Liam and Bill Cherkasky give a tour of Dorney Park's Haunt from October 26, 2018.  Dorney Park dates back to 1884 and is located in Allentown, PA.  

Relive a trip to Clementon Lake Park from 1958!  This footage was taken by our father, Joseph G. Cherkasky, on 8mm film back in the summer of 1958 when Clementon Lake Park was still a happening place.  This film includes footage on the now defunct 1919 Jack Rabbit roller coaster.  Unfortunately, the park closed in September of 2019 and its future is unknown.  

Seph Cherkasky has added 3 more reviews to his article on Halloween Attractions of the North East. These additions include Reaper's Revenge, Dorney Park's Haunt, and Universal Orlando's Halloween Horror Nights.  By reviewing Universal's Halloween Horror Nights, Seph is branching out to the Southeast with his reviews.

Seph Cherkasky, co-founder of Dark in the Park, has recently opened a Castle Dracula themed escape room in Philadelphia titled, "Dead by Dusk: Escape from Castle Dracula".  The meticulously themed attraction was one year in the making and includes some props from Wildwood's Castle Dracula as well as other classic haunted attractions.  For this escape room, you have one hour to solve puzzles to traverse through four different themed rooms and escape the castle before the sun goes down and Dracula awakes.  The unique attraction is located near the University of Pennsylvania at 4751 Woodland Avenue.  

This attraction had a successful run, but is no longer open. 

Seph Cherkasky has added 6 more reviews to his article on Halloween Attractions of the North East.  These additions include Valley of Fear, Sleepy Hollow, Lulu's House of Horrors, Six Flags Great Adventure Fright Fest, Horror Fest at Shady Brook Farm, and Bates Motel and Haunted Hayride.

On August 26th, 2015, Steve Spatucci released Breach Point, a Young Adult book inspired by Brigantine Castle.  The book follows high school sophomore Clara Tuffney as she spends her summer with her aunt in Breach Point, New Jersey to pursue an internship.  While there, she becomes interested in Breach Point Castle, a haunted attraction that mysteriously burned down in the 1980s.  By chance, she meets a boy whos uncle used to work in the castle.  This encounter will lead her through a whirlwind of events that exposes the supernatural secrets of the defunct castle.  

Although the book is geared toward young adults, people of all ages will enjoy its easy to read story filled with suspense and mystery.  Fans of Brigantine Castle will also enjoy the similarities of the two haunts.  Example: Brigantine Castle's owner was Carmen Ricci.  Breach Point Castle's owner was Carlo Rizzieri.  The book also includes a ton of bonus material which describes the origins of the book, the writing process, and the inspirations for the places and characters.  

Steve Spatucci lives in Cherry Hill, New Jersey and was intrigued by Brigantine Castle as a kid but never had the opportunity to go through the haunt before it closed.  He is now a writer,  designer, illustrator, animator, developer and musician.  He plans on releasing two sequels to Breach Point in the near future.

If you would like to purchase a print or electronic copy of Breach Point, search Amazon or visit the book's official website: www.breachpointbook.com

This is a current picture of the old West Point Park lake.  The house to the left owns the lake, the little island, and the bridge that connects to their back yard.  18 houses were built on the land that occupied the former amusement park.

Seph Cherkasky provides reviews of some well-known Halloween attractions of the northeast.

David Bone, a huge fan of horror attractions, recently released his first novel, Styrofoam Throne.  The book takes place in coastal California during the summer of 1984.  A 16-year-old boy named Donovan, against his mother's wishes, manages to land his dream job working in a seaside haunted attraction called Castle Dunes.   At the castle, Donovan finds love, mischief, and a sense of belonging that he had never before experienced.  The summer of '84 becomes one that Donovan will never forget.

David Bone was born in New Jersey, but grew up in California.  He based his fictional Castle Dunes on Brigantine Castle,  but combined it with bits of other horror attractions across the country that he found interesting such as Santa Cruz Boardwalk, Skull Kingdom in Florida, Knotts Scary Farm, and Universal Horror Nights.  As you read the book, you will notice the many similarities to Brigantine Castle such as the fortune telling Oracle, the creepy television commercials, and the Dracula jumping onto the fireplace mantel scare.  

If you like horror, haunted attractions, or a good coming-of-age novel, then Styrofoam Throne is for you.  You can check out David Bone's website for links on purchasing your own copy.

Carmen J. Ricci, of Lanoka Harbor, passed away peacefully at home on July 21st, 2012. He was seventy-three. Born in Philadelphia, Carmen lived most of his life in Seaside Park before moving to Lanoka Harbor with his wife, Nixa Ricci, eighteen years ago. He was the owner of Sonny's & Rickey's Amusements, and a central, influential figure in the New Jersey boardwalk community for six decades. He was predeceased by his parents, Anthony Ricci and Vita Dichiara Ricci, and his brothers, Angelo and Thomas Ricci. Surviving are his daughters Michelle Rindone, Lisa Ricci, Theresa Petaccio, Colleen Rosenblum, and Nixa Risk, his son Samuel Della Sala III, his daughter-in-law Jennifer Della Sala, and his son-in-laws Raymond Rindone, Randy Rosenblum, and Michael Risk. Also surviving are Carmen's grandchildren: Carmen, Andrea, Stefano, Raymond Jr., Jennifer, Kelsey, Jordyn, Maya, Nicholas, Aidan, Collin, and Kaylyn.

Several great pictures from Bill Schweitzer and Tina Frietsch were added to Castle Dracula site.  They can be found in the following locations:

13 new pictures were added to the Castle Dracula Exterior section 

8 new pictures were added to the Dungeon Boat Ride section 

A new picture was added to the Castle Dracula entrance hall 

A new picture was added to the Castle Dracula display 

Pictures and information about the Haunted Castle from Six Flags Great Adventure.  The content came from an 1984 issue of Amusement Park Journal sent to us by Chris and Stacey Smilek.

Check out several 1992 pictures of the remains of Dreamland Park, a small defunct amusement park near Reading, PA.  The photos were sent to us by Nancy DiSanto.

Two new pictures were added to the Brigantine Castle site courtesy of Chris Jahn.  One picture shows the pier from one of the castle's parapets.  The other picture features some castle actors.

Some new pictures of Castle Dracula were sent to us by former castle manager Anita Wheeler.  Main Room, Dungeon Boat Entrance, Execution Room

Some new pictures of Brigantine castle were sent to us by former actress Theresa Sarris-Welsh.  Castle Picture, Actor Pictures

Check out this article about Wildwood, New Jersey written by Bill Cherkasky.