The Closed History of Skull Kingdom Orlando | Expedition Haunts
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- Опубликовано: 20 авг 2024
- Join us on Expedition Haunts as we look at the Extinct History of Skull Kingdom Orlando on International Drive close to Universal Orlando. A year round haunt that a talented team of employees worked hard to turn into a success before one man destroyed it.
Thank you so much for watching. Follow us on twitter for updates on future episodes and check out our Patreon to support the channel.
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Special thank you to all the cast who worked at Skull Kingdom and those that helped out with this video.
Video Credits -
Kim Donovan - • Skull Kingdom Orlando ...
goat & saz -
• Skull Kingdom Orlando ...
• Skull Kingdom
chris B. -
• Video
• Video
LuckyLuckyPenny - • Skull Kingdom Library
thenextdoctor -
• Skull Kingdom Auction ...
• Skull Kingdom Demoliti...
World of Micah - • Skull Kingdom: A Look ...
Small correction since I apparently can’t read. Allen Hopps Haunt is called Dark Hour. Check in out here! darkhourhauntedhouse.com
And he is posting great RUclips stuff over at ruclips.net/user/StiltbeastStudios
Dark Hour is AMAZING! I'm actually headed out there this weekend for their encore of their Christmas show Wreck The Halls.
Sam, I am Currently working closely with Allen on a project that I came up with for Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, And he’s gonna consult on the project
That’s amazing! I really want to go out and check out that park at some point, would love to hear what you are working on
Expedition Theme Park
The project is top secret between me, him, 2 other consultants, who are my friends on Facebook, and we’re Cartoonists from Warner Bros. Animation
People just dont understand how lit 90s orlando was. It was like the ENTIRE CITY was a theme park.
there was a lot going on, the never ending party downtown made other cities jealous, a revitalized downtown was something everyone was trying to do, and then Crotty and Co shut it all down.
@@Gee-xb7rt Now I wanna see a documentary on THAT.
due to all the coke that was being transported there
@@bombygriz That would be something, lol. James St James penned to Michael Alig when he got out of prison, while its about NYC it applies just about everywhere -- You aren’t going to believe this one: Clubs play top 40 now. Rihanna, Britney, Katy Perry. That’s it. It’s very sad. The scene has changed. Clubs aren’t the subversive pleasure palaces of yore. Now, it’s just a thousand shrieking girls taking selfies and dancing to “Wake Me Up” by Aviccii. Anyone that lived through the 90s totally gets that, while anyone now would be like "whats wrong with taking selfies all night long to show you had a good time on your insta?" Clubbing is all about your phone now, people will swipe you on tinder instead of saying hi, its annoying for us old people.
@@bombygriz I found a couple videos, this is on Mark's aka Remark's channel, he was local famous for his music show on Rollins College radio ruclips.net/video/JXTIY89ORGo/видео.html
This is apparently Kimball Collins talking/filming who was a promoter at an event that two girls oded and they had to shut down and kick everyone out.
ruclips.net/video/uOuSYGy96sc/видео.html
Another former cast member here.... Thanks for digging up all this old footage. It truly was an awesome experience to work with everyone at SK. I'm still great friends with many of the people that were involved with SK. That place was really a labor of passion for EVERYONE that stuck around to help turn it into what we knew it could be.
As I stated above... I only got to go there once ( being from about 14 hours away)... but I truly loved it... and found it particularly cool ... I remember it very fondly... especially whoever the creepy little guide dude that slinks around on all fours at the beginning before disappearing on you after the video and compressed air blast in the pre-show lol... It was a great time. Orlando won't be the same the next time I get to visit... always wanted to go back there
@Marty McFly Facebook! There was a mini reunion that happened last year. I, personally, couldn't make it due to me not living in Florida anymore, but I know that a large group of the actors/crew that still live in Florida, went and had a great time catching up with everyone.
I misread your question.... Im sorry. I thought you asked how we kept together. Not where we worked currently. I work in Michigan.
I was a kid who would go there often, thanks for bringing SK alive!
@@coasterbp image if yoy decided to revive this.
As an ex cast member can confirm working for Zia was a nightmare! He even used to let his little kids run around in scream costumes in the show. What a wonderful place it was though..filled with amazingly creative talented people. I'm glad it's not been forgotten. I met some of my favorite people there, we had so much fun.
Were you there in October of 2006?
I use to work there up until it closed… FUCK ZIA
I remember seeing the huge skull and begging my parents for us to go. We got inside to purchase tickets, and as my dad was talking to one of the guys about pricing, I asked the other guy, "so... do you win anything for making it all the way through?" and he said something like, "If you're still alive in the end, I'll make sure you get something". and I was like "huh?" and he said, "if you make it out alive." And I got really scared and started crying lmao. then my parents picked me up and said alright never mind, he's probably gonna be too scared. and we didn't go. we went straight back to the hotel lol.
Movie Time With Dee loooool
And that's how you lose customers!
@@Sydney_Belladonna but in cases when people tried to bring in small kids it was really in everyones best interest to weed them out before having to remind them of the "no refund" policy when guests chickened out before the end. These cause unnecessary headaches for guests, create bottlenecks from groups backing up because parents don't want to lose their money they spent while arguing with a traumatized six year-old and the actor having to escort call security to escort them out while holding up the rest of the group. Skull Kingdom removed the "family" part of "haunted attraction" from the exterior part of the castle within the first year because of this. There is a reason why attractions post height and age minimums.
@@Feisty_Pirate_Productions Truuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuue enough, I was a scaredy puss when I was a kid so yea that'd... Mm. Yea.
I had a similar experience with the London Dungeon!
I was an ex cast member when zia was in charge. One of the rudest bosses and didn't pay me 3 times. But I freaking love being the main cast member the story teller. It got me out my comfort zone. Forever the best memories. 2005-2006 cast.
YOOOOOOO I REMEMBER YOU!! I was part of that cast lol FUCK ZIA!!!
I worked there from 17 to 20. Those three years were spent with people who took me in as their younger "normal" little sister lol I am proud to say that I am not so normal anymore thanks to that awesome family. I made some of my best friends there and almost 20 years later we are still in touch and friends... Trully a gem to have had such an amazing experience with good people and talented scare actors :)
The video made me relieve so many emotions...thank you!
What years? I worked there too..I was in my late 30s and homeless.
I use to work there too during the Zia reign of terror lol
The people was mad cool tho
het, dani:)
hey
In my 20 years in the haunted attraction industry that was one of the best haunts I ever had the pleasure of working. Miss that place so much.
I use to go there all the time, thanks for being there!
Living in Orlando and being in the theatre circle, it's really cool to see my friends' names on the list of people who were involved in Skull Kingdom.
No matter how good your employees are, a crap manager will ruin them. Still I miss seeing this place.
LOL ain't that the truth!
My sister and her now husband worked there! She's the woman in black on 6:40. I'm glad you covered this and can't wait to see more installments of ETP!
My mom told me it was a mattress store so I wouldn’t beg her to go
haha amazing
LMAO! Moms and their tricks to fool us kiddos! 😂
thats awesome!
I thought I was the only one who liked mattress stores shaped as skulls with flames as a kid
With our mattresses, you'll sleep LIKE THE DEAD!
Such great memories of working here during the early years. The cast and crew were definitely like a family. To all my SK peeps, the Master of the Ghoulish Shop misses you all!
I worked there in 2002, for about 2 months when Zia was there. Did ticket sales up front. Zia was pretty bad to work for, that's all I'll say about that! But the friends I made there were amazing! Haunted house friends are the best!
When I went there in December 2001, there was some really tall guy working behind the counter with long black hair looked like the undertaker was that Zia ?
@@matthewcooper8849 no, he was shorter, looked more like a business guy. Was not into the haunt scene much😂 if my memory serves me right!
@@bethfrompa No idea who this guy I’m talking about was then 🤣
I use to work there during that time, FUCK ZIA!!! lol
This story was a real testament to the stability and integrity of worker-run co-ops. Based on the narrative you provided, the place never did better than when it was run by the people working there.
I worked on the fire elements outside SK as well as a few elements inside. My team and I did numerous repairs around the facility over the years, mostly chasing corners that had been cut during the original build. Once Zia came on board we never returned to the site.
And yes, the cast definitely deserve all the credit for making SK as successful as it was.
THX for those fires!
My mother, sister and I went on vacation to Orlando in I believe 1996. We were just driving around and we saw this giant castle with flames, which I immediately pointed and yelled "Let's go there!" and we did. We had a blast, even my mother who doesn't like scary things! We were greeted by someone dressed as The Crow and was the spitting image of him. I still have that photo my sister and I took with him and my Skull Kingdom keychain LOL. I was sad when I heard it was torn down :(
the crow was me:)
I definitely went in its EARLY days had a great time, i even recognized some of the actors. There was a particularly awesome girl working the sales desk or gift shop. She was creepy and rude it was awesome, she never broke charecter and i had a huuuuge crush on her lmao
I remember her! She was nice to me though because I was a kid at the time.
"With stories of him not even knowing what Halloween was yet..."
WHOA! WHOA! WHOA! HOLD THE PHONE! Are you serious?
As a cast member from the Zia years I can confirm he did not know what Halloween was and wouldn't walk through the place alone even when we were closed.
@@boingodude Fuckin' LOL! I'm not a fan of haunted housed either, but I'm pretty sure you at least need to have appreciation or understanding of horror, before you try to run a haunted house!
Another former cast member here... It's sadly true that Zia didn't know about Halloween, but I think I figured out why he wouldn't walk through the castle alone. At first we, the cast, thought it was some sort of superstition, but we came to a different conclusion later. He treated people poorly, accused everyone of theft at some point or another, and paid crap. We reasoned, he was afraid of being attacked in the dark upstairs as we knew that place backwards and forwards even in the dark... He could get the snot beat out of him and never know who it was. It's sad to say about him, but thats the only reason we could logically think of for him to go outside to urinate on the building instead of using the facilities upstairs.
Sidney J Dragon I’m just now seeing this video and I was reading your reply to the person’s comment. You apparently worked during the Zia time. I was curious and hoping maybe you would be able to answer this. Do you even know why somebody like him purchased it to begin with? It seems like Zia didn’t really care and was not really interested for scary/haunted things. Why would he even buy the place?
This place seemed like such a passion project for the performers. It’s a shame it ended the way it did.
Also, am I alone in thinking “all you can drink beer/wine” is a bad combination with a walk-thru haunted house?
Yes, drunk people in a haunted house ruin the experience I can tell from experience
@@metalmugen Same here. We were in line for a haunted house attraction in an outdoor farm area. Followed by an argument between some drunk guy and an actor, the drunkard attempted to hug and kiss the actor, who pushed him away. He ended up getting kicked out which I believe were firefighters.
Thank YOU for covering these attractions. It is so refreshing to watch such well-produced and researched videos about the places I grew up near. Looking forward to that Old Town video!
I do remember seeing this attraction whenever my family rode through the area as a kid, but I never visited it, because I was a wuss. I've also heard there was a dinner show there as well. It's rather heartbreaking knowing how such an iconic attraction was destroyed simply because of one man.
LOL same here
We went one day, but I was to young and they didn't let me in. This was years ago prob 15+
Hearing the heart of the cast shows such amazing passion and drive. Simply fantastic!
I live in Tampa & have great memories visiting this place with my cousins SEVERAL times spontaneously..once before going to dance at the old Pleasure Island. My last memory was the most memorable as I carried my, then, 5 year old son through who was curious about the place around 2006..he was scared but loved it! Sad to hear shortly after it closed forever & got knocked down. 😢 Thanks for the memories & great short doc!
Great story this was an amazing time in my life, I learnt so much from the amazing team, it holds a great memory for me, and I still am in contact with many of the folks who were part of our amazing team. Thanks to all who made this a special part of my life
"WHERE'S MY LINE, EH?"
As a kid I always passed this and wanted to go in! But I was also a huge scaredy cat so it's probably best we didn't. Now I regret not trying to walk through the haunt, mostly because I absolutely loved the fact that those actors were such a tight-knit family. That's oddly heartwarming; thank you for talking so much about it!
Oh my god I completely forgot this place existed. I have a very vague memory of being at Wet n Wild when I was really little, and seeing the giant skull and asking my mom if we could go. But we'd already been somewhere for the day so she said we might come back to it. We never came back to it.
I renember seeing it from a high ride in wet n wild, I alway wondered what it was.
Saw this place as a kid when we drove past it. I wanted to go sooooo badly. Parents said I was too young. Several years later we returned and I convinced everyone to go.
IT WAS SO SCARY. This was a nice trip down memory lane.
I remember driving by this as a kid. I was always intrigued but too scared to ever actually go there. But I wondered what became of the place. Thank you for for making this video. Great work as always.
Hessed3712 same. Glad you shared
You were driving a a kid?
Wow I lived in Orlando at this time and was friends with a lot of the cast , anyone who was into horror had at least been to or worked at terror on Church St. My friend Sean teirny I think was the zombie in the suite in one of the press photos , and Kim Donovan from what I can remember was very creative and had a part in everything to do with skull kingdom. The guy dressed as Dracula was a professional Dracula impersonater he even drove around in a hearse.
Yep... Drac was truly one of a kind... Funny, grumpy, but a truly kind person once you got beyond the crusty exterior!
I remember seeing TV ads for this in the big McDonald's on international drive, and yearning so bad as a kid to go to this place, instead of Disney world later. Never went there. But I'm glad now to see what it held!
I feel like holding up a sword and saying "I Have the *Power* !!!!"
Says in a Skeletor like voice: "Grayskull will be mine! Bwa ha ha ha!"
Oh good. I'm not the only one.
Same.... but, this though:
ruclips.net/video/32FB-gYr49Y/видео.html
Ah, another fan of He-Man. Nice!
BY THE POWER OF GREY SKULL!!!
I can remember standing in line on the stairs for "Bubba Tub"across the street at wet n wild, and looking over to see skull kingdom and being terrified . now they're both gone😪
That's terrifying and sad! That they are both gone now. 😢
So many awesome things/places from our childhood aren't here anymore. Nothing lasts forever, sadly. 😭
@@Seroxm13 Especially in a city like Orlando which is tourist driven and in a constant state of growth and change
I've worked with Allen hopps a few time at his new haunt dark hour in Plano tx. Cool guy. Loved working for him. Loves his work let me tell ya. Absolute genius.
I'm glad I got to go to Skull Kingdom when I did. It really sucks riding pass the area of where Skull Kingdom used to be. It was definitely an experience and I won't ever forget Skull Kingdom.
This was so incredibly cool man. Thank you so much for doing this. It was true what you said. These people were my family and to this day still hold a place in my heart. I met some of my best and oldest friends working here. Thank you again so much. Really brought back the feels.
Yes! It brought back those good feelings. Thank goodness I left before Zia. We were so young! -Chas
The Mayor agrees with the Madame 😆
Marty McFly I was working “Legends: A haunting at Old Town” for the few years that it was open. Worked The Shallow Grave for a year, but I’ve been working A petrified forest for a lot of those years.
"Pizza.....beer.....wine.....soda!"
Flawless advertising there. My favorite part was the stock, royalty-free clipart! :D
Oh my!
Get em drunk so that they can't remember how bad the show and food is.
right.... the mandatory must haves of any haunt... huh? lol
Qliphothian oh boy! Reheated pizza!
2:20 Is an enemy sprite from the 1997 video game Blood, which happens to be one of my favorite games. These people apparently knew their niche spooky stuff. Wish Orlando had some more year round haunts. I always make it a point to go for hhn, but I love the area and would love to have a reason to go more often.
Our last major family vacation was to Orlando in 1997 and taking a break from them parks, we went there. It was a blast! Being from iowa, we have nothing like this and the whole family enjoyed it! So sad to hear how it came to an end. The actors put their hearts into it and made it memorable!
Ah, I remember Skull Kingdom. I first went to florida from Ireland in 2003 and seeing this place. It reminded me of Castle Greyskull from He-man.
I went back to florida every year till 2008 but it wasn't till 2006 that I first entered.
To be honest it was a major let down.
It must of been at the end because it was quite boring, no scares and I remember it being quite expensive to enter. It was a major disappointment. Even the staff were quite rude as we were paying for our tickets, I even had a row with the guy in the box office. Because it was awkward to get there is just bit the bullet and entered.
I miss the building as you would pass it going to universal studio's.
I recently went back to Orlando and forgot all about the building.
Good memories of Orlando when it was cheap. I mostly missed Bells outlets.
I remember passing by this when I lived in Florida. I remember a family friend had gone, and they were followed by the same clown all the way through, which was most frightening! From what you said about the team there they sound fantastic and very skilled.
hey everyone Ian West here . . . . im still alive and back in orlando , and skull ding dong was the best job i ever had i missed it. i even miss doing the one man shows.
I’m from Orlando and holy crap, I’ve never been but this just unlocked memories I forgot I even had.
I lived near Orlando in the mid mid 90s to early 2000s and we went to Wet N Wild all the time so we always saw this place and I remember it NEVER being open and we didn't even really know what it was even supposed to be. It was always just that cool looking castle that existed for no reason
i had Allen Hopps make a haunt mask for my daughter 2 years ago very nice job
I remember seeing Skull Kingdom when I was on holiday in Orlando back in 99. I remember seeing the huge skull and castle and thinking "what is that?" Never got the chance to visit but the building has always left an impression with me
For a person who grew up in Orlando ive done it all even worked wet n wild before it closed skull kingdom was pretty cool rip to all of Orlando theme parks and look up water mania it was a awesome little waterpark
Great video. Can't wait to see you do a video on the haunted house at Old Town
This reminds me of spooky island from the live action Scooby Doo movie lol
I remember going there with a couple of older cousins, I was ten and I recall the guy at the counter being really rude and scary, back then I didn't realize that it was part of the whole experience lol, it was probably one the most memorable scary experiences ive ever had in a haunted house, we didn't make it all the way though but it was great!! I still tell my friends about it!
I remember this from when I visited back in 2001. We had old video camera footage of international Drive, but I never understood what the attraction was until now. A nostaligic blast from the past!
That was a neat video. I have followed Allen for a long time and knew that he worked at Skull Kingdom. It's neat to watch some history on the place. Anybody that got to work with Allen is lucky!
Me and my sister had a blast here, during the universal Halloween nights in 2002. Its was fab and much remembered. The cast were amazing. Even just when walking past they would chase you down the pavement! Loved it.
Used to go to Orlando every 2 years and went past this so many times on our way to Universal and never knew what it was.
Great vid.
When me and my brother Steven were little kids, our parents took us here but we were too scared to go, so they went alone and I still remember how terrified me and my bro were as we were in the car alone watching our parents walk into the skull and eventually dissapeared into the flames. We were litterally screaminh and pooping ourselves cause we thought they were never gonna come back.
Same!
My wife & I OBVIOUSLY went during the "bad days" of this haunt as we were SORELY disappointed during our one and only visit. The place didn't hold a candle to the 'SOOOOOOOOO MUCH BETTER' "Terror on Church Street". We remember there being only a few "scare actors" there and not much at all in the rooms. In fact we spent most of our time there just walking around with nary a scare at all....seems like we missed the much better early days of this attraction.....Oh do we sooooo miss "Terror" as outside of "Netherworld" in Georgia, it was our favorite, by far, haunt attraction...
I remember this building when I was a kid visiting Orlando for vacation. Always wanted to go to the magic show because a friend at school told me how much he liked it. Looking back I'm glad I spent my time at Cici's instead of that wreck of a dinner show. The maze looked really cool but I only remember that place for the dinner.
Also I think a video on Six Flags Atlantis would be fun. Parents went there it closed down before i could go. Have Fun.
I went there junior year of high school not long before it closed down. It’s a great memory and story I tell people to this day ❤
Went there back in 1999 with my Mom and sister and loved every minute of it. Great Place. I was sad to see it go and see what happened to it.
I remember this place but my parents had only taken me to see the magic show in the back. I remember something about the magician making a napkin dance to "Gonna Make You Sweat".
Never went in because I was too young and I had always wondered what happened to this place. Thanks for doing videos on forgotten attractions like this. Orlando and its history is fascinating.
Definitely was a fun job, miss just about everyone. The cast made the place, and the last owner certainly destroyed it. Great video!
When my family vacationed in Orlando, many moons ago, we went there! I think i still have the picture of my children sitting in the creepy chair up front! Thank you for sharing the history of this place. Noe that o actually live on the Orlando area, I often wondered what happened to the "building with the huge skull"!😊
Me and my dad went through the last year it was opened. My dad got more scares than the attraction did, mostly by getting slightly ahead of our small ground and jumping out from around corners. He tried talking to the guys running and told him that he could get him a full crew that new what they were doing but he kept blowing him off. My dad used to run The Haunted Mansion at mile marker 13.
Best job I have ever had!!!!! Many good friends that I still talk to!!! I left when Zia took over the place, so many awesome memories!!!
I went to high school with Nick Herrera. We had quite a few art classes together. It's so cool seeing videos like this... Brings back a lot of memories. 😁
"Man gets tortured with a knife
To experience the long fear.
He screams to risk his life
Amid the time when it's sincere!"👻
I remember going to Orlando on vacation and seeing this place online. We thought it sounded cool so we decided to check it out. We proceeded to drive around for 30 minutes before stopping in a restaurant and asking about it. We were told that it used to be on the empty lot next door.... They still advertised as being open even after the building was gone.
Dan Carro and Ivan Roche and a bunch of the other cast have helped our troupe leader so much with acting and gigs and continue to inspire performers and those who love haunts. Thank you for this.
Loved this place. We went there while on holiday in 2001 and again in 2002. Such a shame to find out it is gone. Fond memories.
I went on a holiday to Orlando with my family and my Uncle's family in 2004 when I was 10, and we ended up going here one evening. Only me, my Mum, my younger sister and my younger cousin went in it, and we went round it with some other people. We really enjoyed it and found it very scary, though our experience with haunted houses at the time were limited to Disney's Haunted Mansion and a couple of tiny, very kid friendly ones run at fairs here in the UK.
The person who started us on the tour asked for one person to lead the rest of the group through, and I volunteered. I stayed at the front the whole time, until the very last turning when a man with a chainsaw jumped out, my Mum screamed and pushed past me, and the rest of the group followed, leaving me at the back of the group! I remember there were different themes within the house. The ones I can remember were a classic gothic mansion, an abandoned hospital/asylum, and a circus themed one. The circus one was the one I most remember, the room was almost pitch black, the floor mas made of some kind of foam that made it difficult to walk across, there were colourful punching bags and the occasional fake body hanging from the ceiling that you had to push past, and actors dressed as clown zombies that lunged at you. It was particularly memorable because my cousin is terrified of clowns, and she went through it clinging to my Mum with her eyes closed.
We never went to the magic show and buffet, I'm not sure why, maybe we had tickets to a different dinner and show that night.
It makes me kinda sad that it's no longer there, and I'm amazed that I went during a time when it was apparently not very good. It must have been absolutely amazing in its heyday!
I remember visiting Skull Kingdom in 03, it was a great really enjoyed it. Thanks for this great video!
I was four. My parents went in, but I couldn’t. I threw a fit! Lol
Went to Florida in 2006 and my brother and I begged our parents to take us to Skull Kingdom! From what I remember it was not the best experience. We decided to leave halfway through, got refused a refund and I remember my dad arguing with the guy at the front desk about it. Hearing now that it closed down only a few months later makes total sense. Shame though, it looks like it was a really great attraction in it's hay day!
0:30 A defunct attraction across from a defunct park...
Fantastic video as always Sam !!!!! Love these little known attractions and you always do them such justice keep up the great work!!!!
Thank you!!! I loved working there when I did. It was great to see so many familiar faces!! This is a great tribute!!! ♡
I always remember driving past there as a kid and wondering what was in there! I forgot all about it til i saw the thumbnail of your video! Took me right back :D
I've always wondered about this attraction! I was too young (and my parents disinterested) when it was open. By the time I had enough scratch to go myself it was nowhere to be found. Thanks for putting this together.
OMG, thank you for this great episode. I remember Skull Kingdom from the late 90s and early 2000s, and I still reference it today. It was very much another road side "cheesy" attraction vying for tourist dollars in the Orlando area and was very visible if you were driving to Universal or Disney. I was never familiar with its history or what became of it, so I appreciate your well documented video.
I remember this place. Parents went in to experence the haunted house while I stayed in the arcade (was around 10 at the time). Arcade was cool, only place where I could play the original Time Crisis at.
7:04
This is an epic exchange.
I remember it being there when I visited Orlando in 1998. Remember guys walking around stilts outside. The looked freaky.
I've been waiting on this thanks for making my Sunday morning mate. Gonna be a great day taking my kids to Christmastown at Busch Gardens Tampa tonight.
This place looks so fun! It's such a shame how these small attractions tend to disappear almost as fast as they pop up, but I guess that's show business
This place was around when I was a little kid and for the longest time I couldn’t figure out if it was actually a place or I had made it up as a toddler. Thank you for confirming that I’m not crazy lol
So glad you did this one. I remember going next to this place passing by on Idrive but was too young or scared to go man I wish it was still there
I am so happy to see you are on the RUclips trending page as “Creator on the Rise”! Congrats & much love from a long-time subscriber! ❤️
Omg! I always wondered what happened to this place! I grew up in Orlando, Florida and I remember my uncles and aunt going to this and wanting to go, but my mom wouldn’t let me. Thanks for this! For little bit I began to think this place was all in my head lol
Our Senior trip in Orlando went there in about 2002 , we went in the evening , there were no actors at all and we just wondered around inside , it was kind of fun anyway but super weird , one of our kids climbed a statue out front and accidentally ripped off one of its horns 🤦🏼♂️ very interesting to learn this history
>half the effects didn't work on opening night
>actors had to work things out themselves because there was no formal script
>managers had to step in because the crew were on lunch break
>the entire business was already in massive debt when it was opened
>impossible to get into if you missed your turn
>the whole thing was torn down to make room for a housing development that never opened because the owner killed himself
As a lifetime born Floridian, yeah, that definitely sounds like the peak International Drive experience all right.
Demonic Animatronic - Great band name!
Used to see this park driving by all the time. Great Vid!
Iv been working at Dark Hour several years and I can tell you Allen Is a genius. Iv worn several pieces made by him.
I can also say haunted attractions seem to have a pattern of new people coming in and ruining it. That’s what happened to a haunted house I used to work for a very long time as well as Dark Hour is having a little trouble financially.
Any business is nothing without it's employees and bad management will always shut a place down.
I visited with wife & another couple. A man with a top hat & kane came out to greet us, loudly. Went in to meet a gorgeous woman dressed as a dominatrix in black shiny latex. My wife was pissed I couldn't stop staring. Had a great time that day excellent show. Sad it closed.
This video caps off an entire week of coming to understand just how incredibly shit a person can be at being a boss. It's insane how such incompetence was given such control...
I live in the Orlando area now but this place was one of my favorite non Disney attractions when my family did their bi annual Florida trips. I dreamed of being a part of such scare place! So sad to hear how Skull Kingdom ended.
I remember seeing the exterior back in 2003, when I was at Wet'N'Wild. I've always wondered what the hell it was. THANKS!
Nostalgia like a ma fucker. Went once when I was a lil kid. Great video, brings back so many great memories I had on that trip to Orlando.
This just made my night remember awhile back I comment on one of your video saying you should do this place