Midnight ghost show

Midnight ghost show
Originating cultureUnited States
Originating eraEarly 20th century
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Performing arts

Midnight ghost shows (also known as spook shows, midnight spook shows, voodoo shows, or monster shows) were traveling stage shows that originated in the United States during the Great Depression.[1] The shows were influenced by the stage magic traditions that preceded them, and typically incorporated illusions; simulated séances; interactivity between a host—often called a "ghostmaster"[2][3]—or performers and the audience; a "blackout" sequence in which the theater would go completely dark; and horror film screenings before or after the show.[4]

Ghost shows experienced a resurgence in popularity in the 1950s due to the output of horror and science fiction films aimed at the young adult market.[5] They declined steadily due to the rise of television,[4] along with the public's changing taste in entertainment,[6] but continued as late as the 1970s.[4] The ghostmasters who presented the shows have been described as precursors to TV horror hosts,[4] and the elements of audience participation and film screenings in the shows themselves have been characterized as prototypical to midnight movies like The Rocky Horror Picture Show.[6][7]

  1. ^ Davis, Amy (2017). Flickering Treasures: Rediscovering Baltimore's Forgotten Movie Theaters. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-1421422183.
  2. ^ Walker 1994, p. 6.
  3. ^ Carlson 2005, p. 98.
  4. ^ a b c d Novak, Matt (October 30, 2013). "Before TV, Kids Would Flock to Midnight Ghost Shows". Gizmodo. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  5. ^ Craig 2013, p. 44.
  6. ^ a b Kattelman, Beth A. (March 2010). "Magic, Monsters, and Movies: America's Midnight Ghost Shows". Theatre Journal. 62 (1): 23–39. doi:10.1353/tj.0.0324. hdl:1811/47417.
  7. ^ Welling, David (2007). Cinema Houston: From Nickelodeon to Megaplex. University of Texas Press. p. 200. ISBN 978-0292717008.