Who doesn’t love a good horror film? Scary characters, suspenseful music, spooky surroundings. It’s all good fun – from the safety of your sofa. Now imagine you’re living in that movie. That’s what the creator of “Creepshow: Terror in Tacoma” hopes visitors will feel when it opens Thursday at the Washington State History Museum. The three-day event is a fundraiser for the downtown Tacoma museum.
The movie connection isn’t just a whim. Tacoma native Marcel Banks, a Hollywood special effects artist, is the man behind the mayhem. He’s turned his love of all things scary and gory into a series of rooms, each with its own special horror.
The rooms are tied to specific decades, beginning around 1910, Banks said. Each room will draw on the myths, legends and origins of Halloween. More than 30 actors will play parts in “Creepshow.”
One scene is the parlor of a 1930s ghoulish mansion, inspired by photographer Diane Arbus. Another room portrays a psychedelic acid trip in the 1960s. Still another plays off of 1950s sci-fi films.
Visitors, in groups of six, will experience each macabre situation through the eyes of a child character. Some of those characters might make it out alive, others won’t be so lucky.
“Essentially, you’re always a kid and something bad happens to you or around you,” Banks said of his characters.
Banks wanted to tap into the childhood fears that still live deep inside adults: kidnapping, poison candy, murderers. And kids are braver than adults are, he said.
“Kids are more likely to check something out while adults will say, ‘Let’s call 9-1-1’ or drive away.”
Banks is drawing on his film knowledge for inspiration. There will be references to specific horror films and tongue-in-cheek humor.
Near the end of “Creepshow,” Banks has created a post-apocalyptic world set in the 1980s. “They worship pumpkins and they barter with candy. It’s like ‘Lord of the Flies’ on Halloween,” Banks said.
Banks aims for “Creepshow” to be scary and fun – just like Halloween was for him as a kid.
“When I was a child, I couldn’t wait for Halloween. I was ready to explode by the time it came.” ‘Creepshow: Terror in Tacoma’
When: 7-11 p.m. Oct. 25-27
Where: Washington State History Museum, 1911 Pacific Ave., Tacoma
Tickets: $10-20
Ages: 13 and older
Information: creepshowtacoma.com
Craig Sailor: 253-597-8541 craig.sailor@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/getout
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