and magic actually used by the magicians who haunted movie theaters at midnight . To coincide with the release of the book , “ Target Midnight ” I was given the opportunity to produce a ghost show . An unheard-of full evening spook show , monsters , gorillas , skeletons , and all , at the Abbott ’ s 84th Gettogether . Game on !
I have always had an affinity for the dark and spooky of side magic . I had already produced a pay per view video event in 2020 “ Dr . Morbios ’ s Midnight Ghost Show .” Filmed over several weeks , and shot like a TV show , it would provide the basis for the illusions and give me elements from the Grand-Guignol . ( From the 1890s until the early 1960s this Paris theater specialized in graphic horror presentations ). This video would be the core of the show for Abbott ' s but , that was not enough . I wanted the Abbott ' s Ghost Show to be a tribute , or better still , a homage . I didn ' t wish to copy a specific performance , but rather pay respect to a body of work . It was important to have some of the classic old school spook show elements to form a sense of history . Bits and pieces gleaned from accounts of Bill Neff and the Dr . Silkini shows found in books and magazines . I hunted down the “ How to ” Spook show pamphlets of Robert Neslon and Herman Weber . Next there were many discussions with William Rauscher , author of the Bill Neff biography “ Pleasant Nightmares ”, and Mark Walker , author of the history of the spook shows , “ Ghostmasters ”. Both men responsible for pointing us in the right direction for much of our new “ old ” material for the show .
10 OCTOBER | 2022