Trimper's Haunted House

The Haunted House is a dark ride and one of the flagship attractions at Trimper's Rides & Amusements, in Ocean City, MD. Built by Bill Tracy in 1964, and expanded in 1988, it has resided on the southern end of Ocean City's boardwalk strip ever since.

In 1961, Granville Trimper was intrigued by a dark ride at Glen Echo park near Washington DC. He attended an amusement convention not long afterward, where he met Bill Tracy (at the time, the best dark ride builder in the industry) and discussed building a dark ride on the site of the former Windsor Theater. After numerous proposals, Granville settled for the one-level "Haunted House" dark ride package. Construction began in 1963, and the ride was ready for the 1964 season.

The ride was a hit, and Granville added to his new dark ride whenever possible. During the 1988 season the ride was given a major overhaul, adding a second floor to accommodate gags and tricks from a ride called "Ghost Ship" at Playland Park, which had closed. The ship was a Tracy-built ride also, and the stunts fit in perfectly with the ones from 1964. The addition required an enlarged loading area (to make room for some extra cars) and added a balcony, which the cars would travel across during the trip.

In current years, the park has been gradually phasing out the Tracy tricks, which consist of wood, papier-mâché, and day-glow paint. This fragile building has led to numerous incidents, including being the target of vandalism, and constant repairs. The park has been adding newer, modern dark ride stunts to replace the older ones.

The ride begins after climbing into a wooden coffin-shaped vessel. The Haunted House has a total of 11 cars, three of which came from the ghost ship. The cars are currently in the process of being refurbished over the off-season, in groups of three. They are hauled off to Trimper's warehouses where they are given a complete overhaul, with new wood paneling and parts.

The lobby area where the cars are boarded is decorated with antique chandeliers, a number of scary portraits, and two animatronic barkers. The first of these is Count Wolf Von Vinderstine, a headless specter who gives a three-minute looped spiel about what riders will see inside the attraction. The stunt, added in 1995, is run by both air and complex electronics by which the count's mouth and facial movements are synchronized with the looped spiel for a more realistic effect. The second barker is a gargoyle. Hung right above the doors through which the cars enter the attraction's interior, the air-powered stunt gives a short dialog in which he dares the riders to enter.

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Wikipedia