Halloween theme parks are all the rage, and it’s all thanks to the original, SpookyWorld. Quinn Monahan delves into the topic of SpookyWorld in their documentary, SPOOKTACULAR! With a multitude of interviews from the creator David Bertolino, SpookyWorld employees, and Tom Savini, among others, Monahan explores the rise and fall of America’s first horror theme park.

The documentary follows the rise and fall of David Bertolino’s horror attraction, which started off as a hayride in Berlin, Massachusetts with locals hired on as scare actors. Despite its humble beginnings, the attraction became a hit, garnering tons of attention. With the growing popularity of the attraction, Bertolino was inspired to add even more to the experience.

With the rise in popularity, SpookyWorld garnered the attention of horror icons and celebrities, such as Tom Savini, Linda Blair, and Kane Hodder. While adding opportunities for fans to engage with these horror celebrities, Bertolino continued to add haunted houses and performances to the beloved attraction. Despite the park’s success, Bertolino found himself in a lot of trouble PETA and the small town he set up shop in.

While I enjoyed learning about SpookyWorld, the documentary began to feel quite repetitive, especially with the overuse of film clips. The clips felt like filler, and while I understand the need for virtual calls, considering Tom Savini is a producer, I think his parts could have been filmed better. The downfall of SpookyWorld is where I believe the documentary failed in successfully covering. I feel like a lot of the negativity surrounding SpookyWorld was glossed over, especially when it came to the mention of assault of employees and safety code violations. I also felt like a lot of people’s perspectives were kept out, as I was surprised to see new faces during the film’s credits.

We give SPOOKTACULAR! a 3/5.