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ICEBERGS, lifeboats, bodies and the wreckage of a ship float across the water. Celine Dion's song, "My Heart Will Go On" plays in the background. People dressed as monsters slide down the ship.
Sea Life Park transforms
Halloween Happenings
for fright nightsBy Nancy Arcayna
Special to the Star-BulletinTerror reigns over Sea Life Park for the Halloween season. The top of the reef tank is a takeoff on James Cameron's movie "Titanic," with Leonardo DiCaprio's character, Jack, rising from the deep in an attempt to return the lost sapphire to his true love, Rose.
"People love being scared," says park operations manager Mark Rausch. "It really gives an adrenaline rush and makes you feel alive."
Park personnel will be in costume adrift in the water.
"The great part is they can hang upside down right above the windows and can pull themselves down in front of the crowd at the right moment. It was a favorite last year. There are also wandering zombies and creatures lurking around," he says.
Attractions are ranked with one skull for fun, two skulls for scary and three skulls for terror so that 'fraidy cats can take a non-scare route. Sea Life Park is family-oriented, after all, and some keiki may not be ready to face their fears.Rausch sounds childlike himself as he talks about Halloween and the park's transformation. His office is stacked with boxes, props and Halloween memorabilia.
"I grew up in a small town in Minnesota. Halloween was something that was always so much fun. Everybody used to go trick-or-treating and it was so safe our parents didn't even need to come. We would find the good houses, and then switch masks. Thinking we were being so clever, we went back to the same houses and got a whole bunch more of the good stuff.
"I'd like to recreate the small town environment where kids can have lots of fun. I'm hoping people notice the eye candy on the walls, not just the shockers. I'll have pickled eyeballs and shrunken heads among other things."
The sea lion show becomes a haunted adventure. "The story is the legend of a mongoose born under the bleachers. He watched the sea lion show his whole life and always wanted to be a sea lion. The trainers and sea lions always mocked the mongoose and would never let him perform in the show.
"So, on his deathbed the mongoose vows to haunt the show. He uses his magic breath (created by fog machines) to turn the sea lions and trainers into zombies."
The dolphin and penguin show will be performed to the music of "The Sorcerer's Apprentice."
Keiki activities include basketball with blown-up eyeballs, a spider and web toss and bowling with pumpkin balls. "Out in the meadows, there will be a terror train ride for the kids. They go into the darker areas of the park, but parents can jump aboard too."
Along the pathways, houses are constructed for trick-or-treating. Company and community booths provide hands-on crafts and learning activities for the keiki.
The adults can find entertainment as well. A 20-foot black revolving tunnel creating a spinning Milky Way effect is in the middle of the park. A ramp goes through the middle, and the sides are painted, creating a 3-D effect.
The "Garden of the Dead" features scarecrows created by community groups. According to Rausch, "It's kinda like the 'Festival of Trees' at Honolulu Hale, but this is the 'Festival of Screams.' "
The haunted house has a time travel theme. Professor B. Ware is trying to save the park from pirates searching for lost souls. A guide takes groups of 12 to 15 people through at a time to help everyone enjoy the experience.
"The people are sent in with the hopes that they are able to travel back in time and save Sea Life Park before it mutates," says Rausch.
The haunted house showcases Transylvania -- the cemetery of the vampires; the voodoo mummy room; an alien autopsy room and a spider cavern with a 6-foot human-eating tarantula. Mutants, goblins and creatures lurk in the nooks, alleys and tunnels.
"The dungeon of terror will feature a four-poster bed with a bed of spikes. The executioner will be dressed on the side with a fair maiden in the bed.
"There are safety hatches for the people we scare too badly," Rausch assures. "We don't want people cowering in the corner with monsters all over them. We are looking to have them jump out and scare people and then back off and disappear," says Rausch.
"It's not just a 15-minute haunted house experience. It's a whole family themed event. We are hoping there are too many activities for people to do in one night."
Scream spree
What:Scream Life Park
Halloween Happenings
Haunted Houses
Aloha Tower Marketplace
Pier 10, 737-5544
6-11 p.m. tomorrow and Oct. 27; 3-11 p.m. Saturday and Oct. 28; noon-5 p.m. Oct. 29; and 6-10 p.m. Oct. 31. Fifteen chambers of fear filled with ghosts, goblins, thrills and chills. A pumpkin patch with hands-on activities for ages 1-3. Admission: $7; $3 children under 12. Groups of 11 or more, $5 each.
"Scream Life Park Halloween Spooktacular"
Sea Life Park, 259-7933
6:30-10:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday' and Oct. 27-28. Sea Life Park will be transformed into a haunted theme park with three haunted houses, eerie magic shows and train rides, and "The Return of Jack: A Satire from the Movie Titanic." Admission: $24 adults; $12 children 4-12, free for children under 4. Kamaaina rates: $12 adults and $6 children, ages 4-12.
Costume Contests
Salsa and Merengue Dance and Costume Contest
Garden Cafe Courtyard, Academy of Arts; 532-8700
5:30-9:30 p.m. tomorrow. Prizes will be awarded. Admission: $5.
Storytelling
"An Evening With Rick Carroll"
Salt Lake/Moanalua Public Library, 831-6831
6:30 p.m. Wednesday. Carroll tells stories from his forthcoming book, "Hawaii's Best Spooky Tales #4."
"Hawaiian Legends Walking tour and Spooky Stories"
Mission Houses Museum, 531-0481
6-10 p.m. Saturday. Last tour leaves at 9:15 p.m. Listen to ghost stories. A reading of a newly-found Hawaiian language version of Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven will add to the atmosphere. $12 adults; $8, children ages 5-17; keiki under 5 are free. Discounts for museum members.
Special Events
Fall Festival
Kapolei Middle School, 693-7025
9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. Haunted house, entertainment, crafts, games, bouncing castle, vegetable stand, country store, door prizes.
"Ghostbusters Bus Tour"
943-0371
7:15-11:15 p.m. tomorrow, Saturday and Oct. 28. Storyteller Lopaka Kapanui shares tales of the supernatural and investigates haunted sites on Oahu. Tickets: $30.
"Interview with the Vampires"
Prosperity Corner, 732-8870
8:30 p.m.-midnight tomorrow and Saturday; and Oct. 27-28. An evening of interactive theatre based on the legendary characters of Anne Rice. Those brave enough to take part in the "interviews" will receive a souvenir autographed interview book. Free admission.
Keiki Arts and Crafts
Kahala Mall, 732-7736
1-3 p.m. Sunday. The first 200 keiki, 12 and under, can create Halloween character puppets. Free.
The Maize
Kapolei, 677-9412
Corn field maze, 4-10 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays; 4-11 p.m. Fridays; and 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturdays; and noon-5 p.m. Sundays, through Nov. 15. Ages 12 and up, $8; ages 6-11, $5; children under 5 are free.
Pumpkin Carving Contest
Portlock Restaurant and Bar, 394-5550
Carving begins at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday with judging at 8:30 p.m. Pumpkins are provided. Call for reservations.
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