Published by GeekBoy on 31 Oct 2008 at 12:00 pm
Halloween in Jersey in the 80s
As a Jersey boy who grew up in the 70s and 80s, every Halloween season, I half-expect to see this commercial on my television, and I’m a bit disappointed when I don’t …
Sadly, Brigantine Castle burnt down (or was burned down) in 1987. My parents only ever took us there once (and I think I read one of The Omen books in the back seat on the way), but perhaps because of how much play the commercials got, it will forever be THE quintessential haunted house for me.
Also worth note was the Haunted Mansion in Long Branch …
Sadly, that one ALSO burnt down (or was burned down) in 1987. Clearly, that was not a good year for haunted houses. However, it WAS a good year for cheesy horror movies on late night television. Do any Jersey/Philly kids out there remember this one? …
I guess Stella was our version of Elvira, and for me, Saturday Night Dead was a great compliment to Saturday Night Live. Did I mention that I used to stay up watching TV until 3 or 4 in the morning when I was in high school? And that was before cable! Yeah. Let’s just say I wasn’t one of the more social kids you’d ever meet.
EDITED TO ADD: Many years later, I learned that the song used in the Brigantine Castle commercials was “Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor“. But I spent so many years thinking it was an original song written for the commercials that I still think of it as the “Brigantine Castle Theme Song”.
freakgirl on 31 Oct 2008 at 2:55 pm #
OMG THIS IS THE BEST!
Jen on 31 Oct 2008 at 4:18 pm #
I remember my Dad carrying me through the “rat” section of Brigantine Castle. I begged to go there!
Susie on 31 Oct 2008 at 4:21 pm #
Hmm….I’ve never seen any of these before. I grew up in NY — no Philly TV, only NYC. Fun, though…
freakgirl on 31 Oct 2008 at 5:11 pm #
Susie, I guess your parents made you, like, READ or PLAY OUTSIDE or something.
Janet on 31 Oct 2008 at 7:21 pm #
Home town represent. For years when I told people I lived in Long Branch, they said “Haunted Mansion!”
I will share with my sibs - my father and brother fought that fire, as a matter of fact.
Jenny on 06 Nov 2008 at 4:04 pm #
Thank you for sharing those videos! I was reciting the Brigantine Castle one out loud. I still do that stretch on my banister, btw…
J from NJ on 14 Jun 2009 at 4:02 am #
Thanks, man. I wanted to know what classical piece that was, and I, too, remember it as the theme to Brigantine’s castle, and well, thanks to yahoo leading me to you, I now know the piece’s real name. I also remember stella, btw. And I remember some other late night horror show that also hosted old b-movie horror flicks called “thriller” or “chiller” or something like that with a hand coming up out of the grave.
Haven’t been back to Jersey since I left a few years ago, but I do remember growing up with all the attractions, amusement parks and boardwalks.
Wow, I haven’t seen those commercials in over 25 years!
Thanks for the memories.